Great Barrier Reef from Airlie Beach or from Cairns need help

[fvandewouwer]

15 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Excellent, keep researching on options that may suit, try Trip advisor as well.

oh I did even through FB MicCanberra you said you did this tour 5 years ago but I did not get which one your did ?

 

[MicCanberra]

4 hours ago, fvandewouwer said:

oh I did even through FB MicCanberra you said you did this tour 5 years ago but I did not get which one your did ?

 

We had done number one from Airlie Beach (direct from the ship), it was around $220 at that time. We did it with around 12 of us and we all had an enjoyable time.

[windsor26]

On 12/5/2018 at 7:12 AM, lyndarra said:

There are any number of private day tours to be had, particularly from Cairns. Here's one I quickly googled.

https://www.cairnsreefdaytours.com.au/index.html

What immediately caught my attention was the huge disparity in the prices compared to the ship tours.

I'm sure the local tour operators would be geared up for the cruise passenger market.

 

One problem with Cairns is that if moored at Yorkeys Knob tenders are required and subject to weather conditions which can prevent them from leaving and/or returning to the ship.

Good luck with your snorkelling as April is the tail end of cyclone season. I'm heading up that way next week (HAL) and the weather is not looking too good at the moment.

 

The weather is very very rough at present did the GBR yesterday and gales and rain but an enjoyable day we booked direct with silver and paid $251 AUD but had more than 4 hours on board complete with meals and snacks  I  think this may be tool long for a cruise day

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, windsor26 said:

 

The weather is very very rough at present did the GBR yesterday and gales and rain but an enjoyable day we booked direct with silver and paid $251 AUD but had more than 4 hours on board complete with meals and snacks  I  think this may be tool long for a cruise day

Shame about the weather for your GBR day.

[fvandewouwer]

19 hours ago, windsor26 said:

 

The weather is very very rough at present did the GBR yesterday and gales and rain but an enjoyable day we booked direct with silver and paid $251 AUD but had more than 4 hours on board complete with meals and snacks  I  think this may be tool long for a cruise day

so sorry for the bad weather, which one did you book ? and how did you manage to be onboard in time ( tender ) did you have enough time ? thanks for more info

[Aus Traveller]

6 hours ago, fvandewouwer said:

so sorry for the bad weather, which one did you book ? and how did you manage to be onboard in time ( tender ) did you have enough time ? thanks for more info

Yvonne and Colin might not have been on a cruise. From the wording "I think this may be too long for a cruise day" I get the impression they were in Airlie Beach on a land trip. They own a motorhome (RV).

[MicCanberra]

Yeah, they toured from the marina, so unlikely to be off a cruise.

[vista03]

Helicopter to the GBR / Cruise Back

 

Last year I did a NCL Sydney to Singapore cruise. With our arrival and departure times it was almost impossible to find a private tour to the Great Barrier Reef. We arrived at 10:00 am in Cairns (Yorkeys Knob) which was too late to catch a snorkel cruise to the reef and we left the next day at 6:00 pm which was too early to get a snorkel cruise back from the reef in time.

 

The only private tour option that worked for us was to take a helicopter out to a pontoon on the first day in Cairns to catch up with the snorkel cruise. We then came back via water with the snorkel cruise. Helicopter flights can be expensive, but the best part was this private tour was cheaper than the snorkel cruise tour offered by NCL!!! We paid less money and got a bonus helicopter flight.

 

The flight over the reef on a sunny day is spectacular! This by far was the highlight of my cruise!! The lone downside was only getting 2 hours of snorkelling. I love to snorkel. Though I would have preferred more snorkel time it was enough time to see some of the GBR. I think the beautiful helicopter flight made up for the shorter time at the reef.

 

We booked with Nautilus Aviation and did the Fly/Cruise option. We were on Down Under Cruise and Dive’s boat. It was very modern vessel and had a semi-submersible for my friend that did not want to snorkel. Last year we paid $356 AUD (around $255 USD). The current brochure on Nautilus Aviation website is listing $389 AUD (currently around $279 USD).

https://www.nautilusaviation.com.au

 

Nautilus picked us up at Yorkeys Knob and transferred us to the airport. We tried unsuccessfully to get on the first tender (ships tours had priority) but were still able to make our tour. Nautilus did wait for us and we made it to the airport in ample time. They also provided transportation back to Yorkeys Knob.

Edited January 17, 2019 by vista03

[MicCanberra]

Great that it worked out for you and a wonderful option for those who have the same timing issues you had.

[SeaDog-46]

Trips to the GBR should only be done as a ships's tour, unless overnighting in Cairns. Missing the ship would be very expensive.

Also the Whitsunday Islands are not on the GBR & the boat time out to the GBR is longer from Airlie Beach.

[fvandewouwer]

On ‎1‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 7:41 AM, vista03 said:

Helicopter to the GBR / Cruise Back

 

Last year I did a NCL Sydney to Singapore cruise. With our arrival and departure times it was almost impossible to find a private tour to the Great Barrier Reef. We arrived at 10:00 am in Cairns (Yorkeys Knob) which was too late to catch a snorkel cruise to the reef and we left the next day at 6:00 pm which was too early to get a snorkel cruise back from the reef in time.

 

The only private tour option that worked for us was to take a helicopter out to a pontoon on the first day in Cairns to catch up with the snorkel cruise. We then came back via water with the snorkel cruise. Helicopter flights can be expensive, but the best part was this private tour was cheaper than the snorkel cruise tour offered by NCL!!! We paid less money and got a bonus helicopter flight.

 

The flight over the reef on a sunny day is spectacular! This by far was the highlight of my cruise!! The lone downside was only getting 2 hours of snorkelling. I love to snorkel. Though I would have preferred more snorkel time it was enough time to see some of the GBR. I think the beautiful helicopter flight made up for the shorter time at the reef.

 

We booked with Nautilus Aviation and did the Fly/Cruise option. We were on Down Under Cruise and Dive’s boat. It was very modern vessel and had a semi-submersible for my friend that did not want to snorkel. Last year we paid $356 AUD (around $255 USD). The current brochure on Nautilus Aviation website is listing $389 AUD (currently around $279 USD).

https://www.nautilusaviation.com.au

 

Nautilus picked us up at Yorkeys Knob and transferred us to the airport. We tried unsuccessfully to get on the first tender (ships tours had priority) but were still able to make our tour. Nautilus did wait for us and we made it to the airport in ample time. They also provided transportation back to Yorkeys Knob.

after checking and rechecking we have booked the tour offered by Royal out of Cairns and the only reason why is time( a tender port can be tricky to get off in time ) but your tour seems amazing. We just love helicopter rides and adore snorkelling so this is a combination of our 2 favourite things. Thanks for your reply.

[MicCanberra]

42 minutes ago, fvandewouwer said:

after checking and rechecking we have booked the tour offered by Royal out of Cairns and the only reason why is time( a tender port can be tricky to get off in time ) but your tour seems amazing. We just love helicopter rides and adore snorkelling so this is a combination of our 2 favourite things. Thanks for your reply.

Good result.