Seastar Cruises Reef Day Trips

Seastar Cruises Reef Day Trips

Seastar Cruises Reef Day Trips
5
Scuba & Snorkelling • Boat Tours • Eco Tours • Dolphin & Whale Watching • Day Trips
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9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Seastar Cruises premium reef cruise combines the outer Great Barrier Reef with a coral cay island. In only 1 1/4 hours the fast air-conditioned Seastar can take you from Cairns to magnificent Michaelmas Cay, the largest of the local uninhabited coral cays. After an enjoyable time here, it is a short 20 minute cruise to the splendid Hastings Reef sitting on the very outer edge. This is where the corals thrive, well out from the coast away from the influence the rivers and streams, adjacent to the clear waters of the Pacific Ocean. You will have approximately 2 1/2 hours at each location. Plenty of time to go snorkeling, do a introductory dive, relax on the beach of the Island or join a tour in the Glass Bottom Boat at Michaelmas Cay. The day cruise on Seastar inlcudes Morning/Afternoon tea, high quality snorkel equipment, Wetsuit or Lycra suit (depending on the time of year), Glass Bottom Boat Tour, Hot & Cold Buffet Lunch, Reef Interpretation & Guided Snorkel Tours on each spot.
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
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Tours and Tickets by Seastar Cruises Reef Day Trips
Lunch Cruises
6+ hours
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 95% of travelers
This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher
from
$163.16
per adult
Travelers talk about
(253 reviews)
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

5.0
2,947 reviews
Excellent
2,600
Very good
255
Average
53
Poor
25
Terrible
15

LMBev
Brisbane, Australia117 contributions
Jan 2021 • Family
We had a lot of fun last Sunday.

There was plenty of time to explore the reef at Michaelmas Cay and Hastings. A guided snorkelling tour of around 30 minutes were offered at both locations. The tours were informative and I highly recommend them before venturing off to explore the reef by yourself. For those who are snorkelling for the first time or are not confident swimmers, the guides take a lifebuoy on the tour and you can hold on to it and enjoy the reef.

Quality equipment, friendly crew, scrumptious lunch and plenty of amazing coral and colourful fish to see all added to the experience.

We selected Seastar due to small number of people they take onboard (36) and there was plenty of room for everyone.

Big thanks to the crew for an amazing day!
Written January 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

tiffy89
australia57 contributions
Oct 2022
We chose Seastar Cruises because of the small group on each cruise, for a more personalised trip and this did not disappoint us at all.
From arriving onto the boat to when we left at the end of the day we had a wonderful experience, all the staff are very helpful and friendly and nothing was to much trouble.
All passengers are given a safety number and are checked to make sure you are all aboard when setting off to the next snorkelling or diving reef. Lunch was lovely, and plenty of it.
All equipment is provided including stinger suits, floatation equipment if required.
Michaelmas Cay for snorkelling the water was so clear and calm and even got to see a turtle, next stop was Hastings Reef and the fish species and corals were wonderful, like swimming in an aquarium.
Thank you to everyone you made our trip feel amazing we are very happy customers and will recommend you to anyone we know visiting Cairns.
Colin and Wendy, Sunday 30 October
Written October 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Todd L
Oranjestad, Aruba56 contributions
Jan 2020
We provide tourism industry training in Canada and are always on the lookout for best-in-class travel experiences. Seastar delivers in spades. Small groups, a caring team, personalized care. Seastar provided a wonderful program at The Great Barrier Reef and met our needs for gluten free meals and snacks. When guests needed extra care snorkelling they got a complimentary guided experience, while experienced snorkelers were encouraged to explore while under the watchful gaze of the crew from the boat. Safe, cared for adventure. Oh, and they even provided guests a chance to purchase seasickness tabs on board. Our tour had only about 16 guests and the boat only takes about 30.
Other tours have very large numbers of passengers which requires checking in at a terminal instead of just getting on board. Seastar even hooked us up with a shuttle service from our resort. Just book it. You will have no regrets.
Written January 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeastarCruises
Thank you for taking the time to review Seastar. We are so happy you had an amazing experience. When you love what you do it becomes so easy to share the experience with new visitors.
Written January 19, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

astrokylie
Cairns, Australia60 contributions
Mar 2021 • Solo
I would choose another reef tour operator as you will get better value for money and feel like a valued guest.

I was looking forward to having some space on board, as they advertise as “we only take 36 people on board” but I’m guessing that’s the boats capacity. I don’t have a problem with smaller boats but this one felt cramped, given its COVID times, I thought we’d have more space. You feel like you are getting in the way (of crew and fellow passengers).

Lunch - I was served the smallest portion (2 x tablespoons of food, 1 slice of ham, 1 small slice of bread). I commented that it wouldn’t touch the sides and was told I could come back for seconds, but when I went back (I waited till queue had died down) and all but two people had eaten (no idea where they were or how long they would be) I was told I had to wait longer. Then they made an announcement saying they’d feed the crew then we could go back for 2nds. I was sooooo hungry. Lucky I remembered I had a tin of baked beans in my bag so ate that. Never have I gone hungry on any other reef trip. I couldn’t believe I’d just paid $200+ dollars and was eating my own tinned baked beans. It’s pretty bad to offer a guest such a small amount of food when they can’t exactly leave the premises and seek food somewhere else. Reading through the reviews on here I see others have experienced the same.

There was also no drinking water visible, I asked a crew member and he said he could give me some tap water. Most other boats have drinking water and cups placed at various spots around the boat, making it easy to keep hydrated.

They also seem to have a lot of stricter policies / waiver forms than any other boat I’ve been on.

I’ve done countless reef trips from Cairns and Port Douglas with various operators and always thought the trips were worth the money and I felt like a valued guest, but unfortunately for me, this one was not. I’m glad I was solo and wasn’t taking friends out for the first time.

The reef was great as always but go with another operator where you will be well fed and feel like they care about their customers basic food/water needs. Or if you do book these guys just take your own food and plenty of water.
Written March 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Katco
Edinburgh, UK1,622 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Well after booking and paying for this trip months in advance we were horrified to receive a message the afternoon before the trip to advise us that due to numbers the trip was cancelled.

This news was received during another day trip so to say that 2 trips were ruined was an understatement.

They did not offer us a replacement trip we had to ask. They did come back with another trip with another company but it was not for us.

We came to Cairns to see the reef and would have been gutted if we had not managed to find a trip which suited us. This we did during the second half of the day trip we were on!!!!

This company did confess it was down to numbers and did not fob us off with another excuse however the replacement trip was somewhat more expensive too which left us out of pocket.
Written February 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeastarCruises
Hello Katco, Thank you for your review. Unfortunately, several late cancellations forced us to cancel this day due to the now low numbers, believe me we would have very much liked to have operated. Regrettably, like all other Cairns tour operators the effects of the recent bushfires in southern Australia and now the Corona virus has had an effect on our bookings. We tried to contact you immediately but were not able to reach you until mid afternoon. It is not correct to say that we did not offer a replacement trip, we first tried to change your day of travel, which was not possible, after which we recommended the alternative tour. Other than the island visit, a tour that is similar to our own. We offered to book this tour for you with no additional costs to you, but you declined this offer and requested a refund. We note that from your post regarding the alternative tour you selected, that it is markedly different to that which we offer and you primarily selected this tour on price. We believe you were unable to fully enjoy this tour because as you say, “it was just too big for us”.
Written February 11, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

oz50
Gold Coast, Australia74 contributions
Oct 2020 • Friends
I went with a friend and we are 2 ladies in our 60’s with limited snorkelling experience. The team on Seastar made sure we were comfortable when snorkelling and looked after us and never once made us feel like we were a nuisance . Michelmas Cay was the perfect place for our first snorkel. You were able to follow one of the crew when snorkelling who gave a running commentary on what fish and coral we were seeing. Lunch was delicious and then over toHastings Reef. Coral was spectacular, again being able to follow a crew member who took you to the best spots. There were only about 20 passengers onboard so it felt very friendly and by the end of the day we all felt like friends. Do yourself a favour and book this reef trip. You won’t be disappointed .
Written October 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, Thank you for your review. Glad to hear once again how our crew took good care of you. Yes, Michaelmas Cay is a very good place to become acquainted with snorkelling before tackling the spectacular Hastings.
Written October 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

rmc42
Fareham, UK130 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Great day snorkelling Michelmas Cay and Hastings Reef. Plenty of space on board, staff friendly, food better than expected. One of our group didn't think he got sea sick but turned out he did and the staff helped him out and he was able to enjoy the day. Nothing seemed too much trouble. Would recommend Seastar to anyone wanting a day on the reef.
Written January 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeastarCruises
Hi and thank you for the great review. The benefit of going with a smaller group it that the crew on board have time to spend with everyone on board. We hope to see you again.
Written January 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Steven M
2 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
Amazing day with Seastar today! Friendly, helpful staff in a stunning location. Small group made it even more enjoyable for all different skill levels. Highly recommend and would definitely choose Seastar again!
Written May 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Craig J
Melton, Australia17 contributions
May 2021 • Couples
Had a awesome day out with these guys!! All the crew were fantastic and made sure we were all having the best day.. the food was great and also special shout out to mex the scuba instructor for the day. Was very full of information and experience after having 40+ years in diving. I have now completed 10 dives on the reef without getting my certificate but after going out with mex, i will be booking myself in to get it back in melbourne!!! 100% recommend these guys!!!
Written May 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Expert_City_Dude
Singapore, Singapore127 contributions
Jan 2020
We researched thoroughly and glad we did and chose Seastar. End to end today was fantastic organisation wise. The crew made us feel safe and welcome. They were incredibly polite, friendly and informative throughout, with good safety briefings and guided snorkel tours in each reef. We had one non-swimmer who was fully catered for with good gear including life jackets and noodles and stinger suits. They made sufficient provisions for vegetarians which was great. The really nice touches were that they reinvest by setting up their own reef nurseries in conservation and offer a complimentary glass bottom boat tour. If anyone got into any trouble, their speedboats and life guards on watch and ready to help. The best part was this was not overcrowded like other boats / it was limited to 36 people and it felt like a good number of staff to people ratio. They also offer a service to take free photos underwater and whilst you snorkel where you can pick up photos on Facebook post the trip. It was a great day and very much glad they live up to the reputation of other reviews.

Our only downticks were the two reefs looked bleached and lacklustre at the best of times. This wasn’t the exact outer reef experience we had been expecting but could be we had higher expectations from what we had seen from others who had gone out a bit further. Hastings was certainly better than Michaelmas Cay but that’s not really down to the company, more just the reef. It didn’t really ruin the day as we saw quite a bit of wildlife and the experience was still good end to end.
Written January 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeastarCruises
Thank you for the great review. The fact that we only take a maximum of 36 people and also being one of the few locally owned businesses in Cairns makes Seastar a perfect option. The buffet lunch has plenty of vegetarian options and we will also order Gluten Free or Vegan meals provided we are made aware of the requirements at the time of booking. The added bonus of free photos on face book makes Seastar the perfect choice. It is great to hear that you enjoyed your day.
Written January 12, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Seastar Cruises Reef Day Trips - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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