Gbr cruise help

We are doing the barrier reef cruise on explorer 30 aug. We usually book tours privately but it seems that in this instance ships tours are the only option. We are visiting cairns (docked) airlie (tender), and port douglas (tender). Are there tour operators available for booking on the dock? We are considering kuranda train and skyrail, gbr snorkelling and naybe a cenic flight. Any help that can be provided would be great

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When you are docked in Cairns you could take an excursion to Green Island. The coral is OK but not great. You can do the Kuranda skyrail independently, but you have to get to the depot for the cablecar, then later in the day get back from the railway station.

From Airlie Beach the ship usually has a full day catamaran trip to the reef. This is superb. You cannot do it independently because of the time factor. By the time you would get to Shute Harbour where the day trips depart from, they would have left. Excursions from the ship leave from the ship itself. A problem with going to the reef in the Whitsundays is that it was badly damaged by cyclone Debbie early this year. The reef is recovering, but it will take time to recover completely.

Port Douglas. I have gone on a trip to the Low Isles with a company called Reef Sprinter. This trip is only a couple of hours and is excellent. They also do longer trips that go to the Outer Reef. They have small groups of people in very fast jet boats so you do not sit in a boat for hours and hours .... getting to the reef. The reef off Port Douglas was not damaged by cyclone Debbie.

My recommendation is to do the Kuranda trip when the ship is docked in Cairns and the reef trip from Port Douglas. When the ship is in the Whitsundays, you can just go ashore in Airlie Beach and wander around. There is a lovely swimming pool in the middle of town.