Best port for Great Barrier Reef?

[jajsmom]

Our first cruise stops At Airlie Beach, Yorkey Knob (Cains) and Port Douglas.  Which of these ports is best for seeing the great barrier reef, and why?  And is mandatory to do it through the cruise line, or is possible to do private excursions for this?  I know that times in port are limited, and it seems like in this particular case, it may be better to go through the cruiseline. Also, what excursions would you recommend in the ports that you do not go to the GBR on, or would you visit more than one time?  Thanks for all responses.

[beatleman]

All the Ports are Tender ports so time at the stops is vital in your plans. Most boats leave the 3 above mentioned ports at 8am to 9am returning around 4pm so private excursions are a problem if your time is tight. The trip to the GBR takes about 70 to 90 minutes. The Cruiseline booking has the advantage of a pickup and return to the ship and takes the stress out of it. Port Douglas or Airlie are my picks to leave from, which leaves Cairns for a trip to Kuranda rain forest.Hope this helps.

[Mrs f.]

We were recently in Cairns. Went snorkeling. Private tour....Great Adventures GBR pontoon.  10-15 min walk from cruise terminal.   Lots of coral. Not much fish.  Did their semi submersible ride. Saw fish and a huge turtle.  Took about 1.5 hr to get their. Extremely choppy water. Many people vomiting. 

[beatleman]

17 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

We were recently in Cairns. Went snorkeling. Private tour....Great Adventures GBR pontoon.  10-15 min walk from cruise terminal.   Lots of coral. Not much fish.  Did their semi submersible ride. Saw fish and a huge turtle.  Took about 1.5 hr to get their. Extremely choppy water. Many people vomiting. 

jajsmom is not docking at the Cruise terminal, Yorkeys Knob is 20 to 30 minutes from Cairns CBD. 

[jajsmom]

11 hours ago, beatleman said:

All the Ports are Tender ports so time at the stops is vital in your plans. Most boats leave the 3 above mentioned ports at 8am to 9am returning around 4pm so private excursions are a problem if your time is tight. The trip to the GBR takes about 70 to 90 minutes. The Cruiseline booking has the advantage of a pickup and return to the ship and takes the stress out of it. Port Douglas or Airlie are my picks to leave from, which leaves Cairns for a trip to Kuranda rain forest.Hope this helps.

Thank you.  I was thinking of the rainforest in Cains, but still not sure which of the other two ports (I know they are tenders) would be better to leave from.  I think we have to go with the ship excursions. What would you do in either Airlie Beach or Port Douglas if you did not go to the reef?

[possum52]

4 hours ago, jajsmom said:

Thank you.  I was thinking of the rainforest in Cains, but still not sure which of the other two ports (I know they are tenders) would be better to leave from.  I think we have to go with the ship excursions. What would you do in either Airlie Beach or Port Douglas if you did not go to the reef?

From Airlie Beach, it is almost impossible to do the GBR by yourself. On the ship's excursions, you will be picked up directly from the ship and returned there which means you don't have to tender in and out to the port which saves alot of time and if you happen to be late back the ship will wait for you. 

 

I really like Airlie Beach - it really depends if you want to snorkle, be involved in other water activiities or want to sight see, on what you decide to do. 

 

Port Douglas - there is Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. Or just spend the day wandering the town, having lunch or a drink close to the beach. 

[jajsmom]

16 hours ago, possum52 said:

From Airlie Beach, it is almost impossible to do the GBR by yourself. On the ship's excursions, you will be picked up directly from the ship and returned there which means you don't have to tender in and out to the port which saves alot of time and if you happen to be late back the ship will wait for you. 

 

I really like Airlie Beach - it really depends if you want to snorkle, be involved in other water activiities or want to sight see, on what you decide to do. 

 

Port Douglas - there is Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. Or just spend the day wandering the town, having lunch or a drink close to the beach. 

Thanks!  It's sounds like a port adventure to GBR from Airlie Beach is looking good.  We live in Florida, so we have our own resident alligators in the pond behind our house.  But wandering around Port douglas does not sound so bad either.

[Over from NZ]

On 1/25/2023 at 12:09 PM, jajsmom said:

Thank you.  I was thinking of the rainforest in Cains, but still not sure which of the other two ports (I know they are tenders) would be better to leave from.  I think we have to go with the ship excursions. What would you do in either Airlie Beach or Port Douglas if you did not go to the reef?

If you didn't want to go to the outer reef but still wanted to technically go to the reef and do some snorkeling (it can be a couple of hours across open water to get to the outer reef); I reckon this excursion was one of the best we've ever done on a cruise - https://wavedancerlowisles.com/

Turtles, coral, the works! And such a well-run excursion. We did it from Port Douglas. That left us the chance to explore Cairns from Yorkeys Knob. At Airlie Beach (Whitsundays) we took the excursion to Daydream Island for the day. That was awesome too. Got to use all their facilities, the pools etc. Great buffet lunch. https://www.daydreamisland.com/ 

 

[jajsmom]

1 hour ago, Over from NZ said:

If you didn't want to go to the outer reef but still wanted to technically go to the reef and do some snorkeling (it can be a couple of hours across open water to get to the outer reef); I reckon this excursion was one of the best we've ever done on a cruise - https://wavedancerlowisles.com/

Turtles, coral, the works! And such a well-run excursion. We did it from Port Douglas. That left us the chance to explore Cairns from Yorkeys Knob. At Airlie Beach (Whitsundays) we took the excursion to Daydream Island for the day. That was awesome too. Got to use all their facilities, the pools etc. Great buffet lunch. https://www.daydreamisland.com/ 

 

Thank you.  It's good to see actual tour recommendations. I do not see as many specific companies recommended as I do for other cruise ports around the world.

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 1/26/2023 at 1:36 PM, jajsmom said:

Thank you.  It's good to see actual tour recommendations. I do not see as many specific companies recommended as I do for other cruise ports around the world.

It's a bit tricky with Port Douglas as it's a tender port so connecting with the private tour companies can be a problem. It's a popular resort town so the tours are timed for land-based tourists, not cruise ships unfortunately. 

 

The Low Isles are great for snorkelling if you can find a tour that fits. 

[dreams_of_travel]

On 1/25/2023 at 7:49 PM, Over from NZ said:

If you didn't want to go to the outer reef but still wanted to technically go to the reef and do some snorkeling (it can be a couple of hours across open water to get to the outer reef); I reckon this excursion was one of the best we've ever done on a cruise - https://wavedancerlowisles.com/

Turtles, coral, the works! And such a well-run excursion. We did it from Port Douglas. That left us the chance to explore Cairns from Yorkeys Knob. At Airlie Beach (Whitsundays) we took the excursion to Daydream Island for the day. That was awesome too. Got to use all their facilities, the pools etc. Great buffet lunch. https://www.daydreamisland.com/ 

 

I've poked around on the Daydream Island site, and really can't work out their cost for a day pass or whatever would be. Any suggestion for where to look would be appreciated.  I'll also check what shore excursions are being offered with the ship. 

 

Thanks for the Wavedancer recommendation.  I'm traveling with an open ocean swimming adverse person, and I think their offerings would be okay for them while I go off to snorkel. 

[Over from NZ]

3 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

I've poked around on the Daydream Island site, and really can't work out their cost for a day pass or whatever would be. Any suggestion for where to look would be appreciated.  I'll also check what shore excursions are being offered with the ship. 

 

Thanks for the Wavedancer recommendation.  I'm traveling with an open ocean swimming adverse person, and I think their offerings would be okay for them while I go off to snorkel. 

https://wavedancerlowisles.com/sailing-the-great-barrier-reef/fares/

 

That shows you the fares as well as a live calendar showing availability. 

 

Back when we did it; we booked that excursion through the ship.. but nowadays we book things direct as the ships are burglars! lol. 

[dreams_of_travel]

5 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

https://wavedancerlowisles.com/sailing-the-great-barrier-reef/fares/

 

That shows you the fares as well as a live calendar showing availability. 

 

Back when we did it; we booked that excursion through the ship.. but nowadays we book things direct as the ships are burglars! lol. 

Yes, thank you. The Wave Dancer site was well done, and easy to find all the info.   I was wondering about the Daydream Island site.  Do you recall what you paid for that excursion/day?

[Over from NZ]

1 hour ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Yes, thank you. The Wave Dancer site was well done, and easy to find all the info.   I was wondering about the Daydream Island site.  Do you recall what you paid for that excursion/day?

Sorry! I completely got that one wrong haha. Totally back to front. We did Daydream Island as a ship tour sorry. Probably paid far to much.. but it was an excellent day out. Basically the ship tendered us there and left us there for the day and then came back and got us (and lots of other passengers). Sorry that's not much help. 

[dreams_of_travel]

12 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

Sorry! I completely got that one wrong haha. Totally back to front. We did Daydream Island as a ship tour sorry. Probably paid far to much.. but it was an excellent day out. Basically the ship tendered us there and left us there for the day and then came back and got us (and lots of other passengers). Sorry that's not much help. 

Thanks for following up. Sadly, there is not an excursion for that currently being offered.(There's not one offering Wave Dancer either).  I'll see if I can find one via Viator or some other site. What year was it that you did Daydream?  I'm wondering if it just hasn't started back up with the cruise lines. 

[Over from NZ]

2 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Thanks for following up. Sadly, there is not an excursion for that currently being offered.(There's not one offering Wave Dancer either).  I'll see if I can find one via Viator or some other site. What year was it that you did Daydream?  I'm wondering if it just hasn't started back up with the cruise lines. 

It was a few years ago sorry. Wave-Dancer you will be fine - just book that direct and get on at the port (assuming your ship is goin there). 

[rhcpchika1]

Over from NZ,

Thank you for the suggestion for wavedancer;   we are only in port until 5pm.... the website says 430 return, so im assuming thats out.... guessing you guys were in later? 

.....Struggling to figure out what to do at our 4 stops so I appreciate your response!