Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
171 reviews
Excellent
131
Very good
22
Average
9
Poor
3
Terrible
6
bowenarrow
Pacific Palms, Australia11,264 contributions
Apr 2022
Having seen the reef 20 years ago I was disappointed to see the deterioration that has occurred. Went out with Passions of Paradise and their effort is excellent and their commeittment to sustainably visiting the reef is to be applauded. They did not try to hide anything and we went on a rough day
Written April 16, 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.
Vesna M
Zagreb, Croatia279 contributions
Aug 2019
I was a day trip to remember. The cruise staff were young but very knowledgeable and patient, and we felt safe at all times. On board, there were hot beverages and light breakfast in the morning, buffet lunch and a snack on the way back. Snorkelling was nice, and aparently those who went scuba diving were satisfied as well. Be sure to bring sunscreen, hat, towels and a change of dry clothes - anything you think you might need being basically in the sun all day. As expected on a boat, very limited toillette facilities that also serve as changing rooms - so it does get crowded.
Written July 31, 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.
Uday Kumar H
Kolkata (Calcutta), India1,910 contributions
Dec 2019
Title: Great Barrier Reef- Bottom of Ocean more beautiful than Land
All the tourists were taken to the “Great Barrier Reef” on 28 December 2019.The plan and execution of the plan by the tour manager of Thomas Cook was fine.
We were transported for “Great Barrier Reef” from Colonial Club Resort, Cairns by bus. Thr cruise took about 50 minutes to reach up to the embarkment place.
We were told that the Great Barrier Reef is not one continuous reef, but made up of over many reefs and islands. It is the largest reef structure and Marine Park in the world. So large in fact that it might be visible from the moon.
One group first boarded in a ‘Semi submarine’. On return we in another vessel view the bottom of the ocean.
It is difficult to express what I saw. Numerous plants we see in calendars, and numerous fished and water creatures playing underneath the ocean and the bottom.
According to me, the scenic beauty of the bottom of the ocean is much more that the land, whatever be the architecture on the earth surface.
Thereafter we enjoyed lunch in hungry stomach.
I am attaching some photos but they may not be able to convey the beauty of the bottom of the ocean.
Thereafter we proceeded to enjoy the beauty of “Green Island”.
All the tourists were taken to the “Great Barrier Reef” on 28 December 2019.The plan and execution of the plan by the tour manager of Thomas Cook was fine.
We were transported for “Great Barrier Reef” from Colonial Club Resort, Cairns by bus. Thr cruise took about 50 minutes to reach up to the embarkment place.
We were told that the Great Barrier Reef is not one continuous reef, but made up of over many reefs and islands. It is the largest reef structure and Marine Park in the world. So large in fact that it might be visible from the moon.
One group first boarded in a ‘Semi submarine’. On return we in another vessel view the bottom of the ocean.
It is difficult to express what I saw. Numerous plants we see in calendars, and numerous fished and water creatures playing underneath the ocean and the bottom.
According to me, the scenic beauty of the bottom of the ocean is much more that the land, whatever be the architecture on the earth surface.
Thereafter we enjoyed lunch in hungry stomach.
I am attaching some photos but they may not be able to convey the beauty of the bottom of the ocean.
Thereafter we proceeded to enjoy the beauty of “Green Island”.
Written January 25, 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.
simply-peregrinating
Waddington, UK2,723 contributions
Jan 2020
Our first time near the Barrier Reef so we thought we should take a trip out there and do some snorkelling. We went with Skedaddle, a company I can thoroughly recommend. The day we went was very overcast and dull which doesn't show reefs off at their best. The reef itself is probably way past its best, we have snorkelled in many places worldwide and seen much better, the Ningaloo reef in Western Australia was far better than the GBR. However if like us you felt you should go whilst in Cairns I would go, we saw a fair variety of fish, but the coral itself was very disappointing.
Written October 13, 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.
Jane W
17 contributions
Sep 2022
Check the wind speed and weather before you book as lower winds and sunny days make the experience far better - rough seas and rainy days don't bother. Wear an eco friendly sunscreen and please don't stand on the coral as it destroys it. It is an amazing experience you'll never forget.
Written September 17, 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.
deblee
Sunshine Coast, Australia103 contributions
Oct 2020
Diving up the reef north from Cairns, the coral is just amazing. It's in great condition, lots of colour, lovely hard corals, lots of fish, large and small. It's just beautiful but it gets better the further away you get from the day trip sites.
Written October 9, 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.
CodyMav
Gold Coast, Australia27,270 contributions
Jul 2020
Access to The Great Barrier Reef stretches from Bundaberg to Cooktown, but the main tourist accesses are from Airlie Beach or Port Douglas.
Flights over the reef provide the scale an grandeur of the stunning blue hues, but you really need to snorkle or dive to absorb the experience.
As an "old" traveller, I remember the reef as masses of very colourful coral, but decades later, to find that experience, you are best choosing a small boat operator, as they normally have an off-the-beaten-path location to take you to, that has not been destroyed by too many visitors from the large tour operators.
In any case, it should be on your Bucket List
Flights over the reef provide the scale an grandeur of the stunning blue hues, but you really need to snorkle or dive to absorb the experience.
As an "old" traveller, I remember the reef as masses of very colourful coral, but decades later, to find that experience, you are best choosing a small boat operator, as they normally have an off-the-beaten-path location to take you to, that has not been destroyed by too many visitors from the large tour operators.
In any case, it should be on your Bucket List
Written August 14, 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.
Max
Da Nang, Vietnam300 contributions
Nov 2022
We were looking forward to seeing one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Unfortunately, the time we went in November, Cairns just recovered from some heavy rainfall so the water was still unsettled. My partner was disappointed with his scuba diving experience as the water was too murky to see much. We then went into a sightseeing semi-submarine and I must say, it's nothing like what I expected - I knew the bleaching of the coral reefs will diminish the wow factor but it's a lot worse than I thought. Still, I still think it's worth seeing if you are visiting the area.
Written December 22, 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.
Gianluca P
Aix-les-Bains, France31 contributions
Jan 2020
It is one of the best places I ever saw. I spent lot of hours in snorkeling and diving in these waters. The temperature of water is warm and you may stay per hours watching all the fishes at one meter distance living a great moment.
Written January 25, 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.
Amy H
Hartland, WI7 contributions
Jan 2020
While we had a wonderful experience aboard the Silver Swift boat for our day of snorkeling, we were very disappointed in the quality and number of fish and other creatures we encountered despite visiting three different spots. Honestly, we've seen more quantity and more variety of fish in other places around the world (Turks and Caicos, Maui, Bonaire, Galapagos) than the Great Barrier Reef. We were so disappointed that we cancelled our second day and opted to instead enjoy the hotel pool. Perhaps a day trip doesn't go out far enough into the reef - so if you are a "snorkeling" connoisseur, you should probably research options that go farther out in the reef via overnight/multi-day.
Written January 21, 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.
Is it worth doing this cruise if you are not going to dive or snorkel? do you see any of the reef or fish if you don't?
Written June 29, 2023
If you are not going to dive or snorkel, you need access to a glass bottomed boat with the cruise.
Written June 29, 2023
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