Hi,
I have planned to take my family to Cairns this Christmas. I wanted to know if any of you have any family friendly recommendations for snorkelling around the great barrier reef that don't cost an arm and a leg?
We will be staying in Palm Cove. Any other must-do activity around that area?
Thanks for your inputs in advance.
Thanks! I'll look it up :)
We went out on a day trip to one of the escort islands. It wasn't ridiculously expensive, but it wasn't very good value either.
If I were going again I would be on the lookout for daily deals sites.
Failing that, I'd call some of the private charter fishing boats to see if they would do an evening trip cheap, as most of the fishing is done early.
Thanks. I have been watching group buying sites but haven't seen anything worthwhile. Actually, I've found most group buying sites don't have deals dedicated to Cairns. Do you have any particular site you want to recommend?
Maybe try allthedeals.com.au and look at travel deals and brisbane deals.
Thanks. I almost forgot about this.
You can try aggregators, like allthedeals.com.au - click local deals and select Cairns. Sometimes there is something. Currently there is this deal available but it isn't cheap -http://www.tripadeal.com.au/deals/384
When I went to Cairns, I wasn't too keen on paying an arm and a leg for any of the snorkelling trips, and I was happy to go on a $99 trip (which was the cheapest). However when I got there, the person at the hotel booking desk explained the price difference between the trips. You really do get what you pay for up there - the cheapest trips are out to fixed pontoons which you snorkel off. Usually they take large groups, and those pontoons aren't the greatest spots for snorkelling.
At the Great Barrier Reef, it is location, location, location! The nicest spots to snorkel are on the outer barrier reef. Each charter is licensed to take you out to specific areas of the reef, because the GBR is a protected area.
You also have to consider how much time you actually get to spend snorkelling. Many trips might be day trips, but you spend half the time on the boat getting there and back. So you don't actually spend a day snorkelling.
I highly recommend a day trip, and also with a smaller boat. It might cost a bit more (it cost me $170 when I went!), but it was worth the money, especially when the cheapest trips back then started at $99 anyway.
Also from vague memory, Palm Cove is full of resorts only?!?!?! I didn't stay there, but saw it on the way up to Port Douglas. It looked quite nice out there…. If you have a car, they did free sailing trips one day a week(??) in Port Douglas. Otherwise, a visit to Kuranda, or the Daintree is great to do as well.
Wow! That's quiet some detail. Very helpful. Thanks.
I'll see if I can get more details on the free sailing trip. And yes, I did plan to visit Kuranda.
I had not realised that they had a Cairns section. I would still check the Brisbane section as well.
Not all of the Trip A deal deals are listed on allthedeals.
I have emailed trip a deal and they have responded, but then were required to find something out for me. They never got back to me on THREE occasions. Be careful. If that is how they are before the sale, what's going to happen after?
I would call around to the different operators and ask if they have a kids go free bargain. They did this for me even though that special had ended. You might ask them also if they have a cheap day, RAC discount etc. Let them know you are price sensitive.
Also, I bought a voucher from ebay Someone had won it in a bar up there, so set up an ebay alert. Actually, those guys let my daughter go free as well and made a BIG fuss over her.
As an aside, there was an article in the SMH a few months ago saying tourist times are tough in Cairns, and the two largest cruise operators were code sharing, running their boats on alternate days, as demand is down. So it sounds like some calls and haggling might get results.
At least one of the cruise lines are in the entertainment book. 25% off. It's a starting point.
If they won't discount, or even after they do, try to get them to throw in some freebies. Trial dive, snorkel trail, alcohol, photos.
We were there in July. We did a day trip snorkelling and a learn to dive with a company called Ocean Freedom. They were fantastic. It was cheap and well worth the money. Just go into Cairns and get the best price. You just need to haggle with them.
Also Kuranda is a good place to visit even if you don't want to spend the money going on the train ride. We also went to the Tablelands and stopped at a really good coffee and chocolate factory. Their restaurants are reasonably priced and you get good service in Cairns.
Thanks guys for all the tips. From what I read above, it looks like I would be better off if I get there, do some haggling and then book. But as I am going during the biggest holiday season, I am worried that if I leave it to the last minute, I might not find a trip that has got empty places. Can anybody confirm what the crowd is like during the Christmas season and would it safe for me to wait to get there and then book?
BTW, I am tempted to book this one. Less people. Good reviews. Decent Price.
http://www.bookme.com.au/bookings/cairns-port-douglas/activi…
Well, in hindsight, I think the one I mentioned above may not be all that suited with a toddler in tow.
I think that you should consider going up to Port Douglas. I "think" you are somewhat-y halfway between Cairns and Port Douglas. We did one out of Cairns and one out of PD. The PD ones may be smaller and better. The BIG ones (mostly in Cairns) are more suited for doing massive international tourist intakes. The smaller ones do not get that much trade from that segment, so they don't have to have as many rules and ways to milk you for more money.
The PD cruise was so very kind. They knew I was there as a single parent with a small child and because the guys were all so cute, my daughter was quite keen to be around them(!) They said they would tow her around in the normal course of patrolling the area in the water and I could go off and do my own thing. I did take them up on the offer of towing her around, but I stuck around to take photos and share the experience with her. It was so incredibly helpful to have someone doing the work of pulling her around while she clung to round life preserver and sort of used her fins and sort of snorkeled. Someone with authority who would give her snorkel tips she would listen to. He also took us DIRECTLY to the best places, dove down and then came back up and told us what to look for at that very moment in time. It was great. My daughter has a way of charming guys, even Manu Fieldel completely and utterly ignored the women in our private lunch group to look after my lil one and cater to her every whim. Some people like kids, others don't. The ones who are on the big cruises don't have the opportunity to be nice, they are too busy selling all the other crap.
The port douglas area where you get on the boats is interesting. If there had been an adult with me, I might have stuck around for some hospitality, as it was, the resort in palm cove called out to my daughter, so we returned. It did not hurt that I could get drinks delivered to the pool.
There is one downside of the small cruise. They will not allow you to drink alcohol until you are done being in the water. The big ones "won't" either, but they are money grubbing and so big that no one knows what is happening in other areas and I reckon they all have a quota of some sort, be it snorkel tours, try diving disasters, photos, sunscreen, souvenirs, or drinks.
Even without drinking, the smaller boat was more of a party. The big boat out of cairns went to a fixed platform and stayed there. The small boat went to two different sites and gave the impression that they were choosing the sites based on various conditions. Maybe they were only allowed to go to two. Dunno. They did give the impression that they gave a crap however.
Hi, voteoften. Thanks for taking the time to write this.
Port Douglas has the Shaolin chinese junk. which I recommend for its relaxing atmosphere.
My wife and I went on it about 8 years. here is a link (we went snorkling around that island and then spent an hour exploring it.-
http://www.tourismportdouglas.com.au/Shaolin-under-new-manag…
There is a deal posted now in the deals section.
I negged it because they said that discounting the price from $130 to $99 was somehow a 42% discount and for a couple of other reasons. The reps need to be help to higher standards than members.
Even still, you might find the deal useful. I think it is a bit marginal.
I suggest going with an operator that carries about 25 people or less that includes a patting with the maori wrasse fish. Pretty sure the cheap operators thst carry lots of passengers don't do this. It's not expensive from memory, but i guess this isn't helpful if u must do it on the cheap.
Sorry to whoevers in this image
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p31yJ3x8ZPg/TZ07dc0VK-I/AAAAAAAAAT…
That photo brings back bad memories.
Thanks, grasstown. I was also thinking on the same line. Best to go with an operator that carries no more than 25 people.
Agree with the small boats!
Wow… didn't know you could do that, but that's if you want to go scuba diving (which costs more than snorkelling, and also isn't everyone's cup of tea).
That is why it brings back bad memories. I did the try diving and my mask just didn't fit right no matter what I did. I begged to go up to the surface and they would not let me. It was terrifying being on the bottom and having your mask filling up with water. I hated every millisecond of it. Then the diver "instructor" motioned to me to turn around and there was this big ugly fish that had come up behind me. I didn't like it and didn't want to touch it and they grabbed my hand and stroked the slimy thing with it.
I'll say that again. I didn't like it and didn't want to touch it and they grabbed my hand and stroked the slimy thing with it.
Don't do a discovery dive on one of these tours. They are very much production line and don't give a crap.
I am going to cairns too, in my opinion all Australian travel is expensive, but anyhow we joined tours from www.cairnsinfo.com
see if u find anything good.