3 Night Cruise, Cairns - Pelorus Island - Cairns

Type of Vessel

Just 35 meters in length, Coral Expeditions II is the ideal small ship for discovering the World Heritage-Listed Great Barrier Reef and small enough to allow snorkeling directly from the ship. The ship features a spacious lounge with cocktail bar, comprehensive reference library and plasma screens. The large sun deck offers comfortable deck chairs and teak furnishings. Meals are served in the dining room, with space for all guests to dine during one sitting and no assigned seating.

Deck Plans

Bridge: Junior King or Twin Promenade A: Junior King or Twin Promenade B: Juniior King Main Deck A: Junior King or Twin Main Deck B: Junior King or Twin

Itinerary

Day 1: Cairns and Thetford Reef
Day 2: Hinchinbrook Channel and Pelorus Island Beach BBQ
Day 3: Dunk Island and Nathan Reef
Day 4: Fitzroy Island and Cairns

Day 1: Cairns and Thetford Reef
10:00am: Board your Coral Princess Cruises small ship for an 11:00am departure from Cairns. As we depart Cairns and cruise Trinity Bay there is time meet your fellow travellers, settle in and explore your home for the next three nights. After a delicious lunch we arrive at our exclusive Great Barrier Reef mooring at Thetford Reef and Sudbury Cay. Join the Marine Biologist aboard the glass bottom boat for your first encounter with the reef before gathering on the snorkel deck to participate in a fish feed. Discover some of the 1,500 species of fish that live on the reef, including Spangled Emperor, Giant Trevally and the Hump-Headed Maori Wrasse as they are hand fed by the Marine Biologist. Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon to snorkel in the shallow waters for up-close views of the hundreds of varieties of colourful corals and tropical fish. Our experienced crew will be on hand to provide assistance, advice and guided snorkelling tours for less experienced swimmers. In the evening, join our crew and travelling companions in the top deck lounge as the sun spectacularly sets over the reef before sitting down to a memorable dinner.
Day 2: Hinchinbrook Channel and Pelorus Island Beach BBQ
Awaken this morning as we cruise the spectacular Hinchinbrook Channel, discovering Hinchinbrook Island’s towering cliffs and mangrove eco-systems. Subject to tides, we will cruise the length of the channel, separating the Australian mainland and the island, one of the most diverse marine environments on the Australian coast. Keep an eye out for myriad marine life including crocodiles, dolphins, turtles and dugongs, all of which feed on the region’s plentiful sea grasses and can often be seen frolicking in these waters. Next, enjoy the afternoon to discover Coral Princess Cruises’ very own tropical paradise, Pelorus Island. We invite you to join us on the beach for a gourmet beach BBQ, freshly prepared by the Captain. Explore the island’s rainforest on a guided nature walk. Pelorus’ fringing reef, in the shallow waters just metres off the beach, offers fantastic snorkelling, including the opportunity to view a giant clam garden. Admire the colourful corals from the glass bottom boat with the Marine Biologist, join our Dive Instructor on a guided SCUBA dive or simply relax on the long stretch of golden beach and soak up the sun, the choice is yours!
Day 3: Dunk Island Rainforest and Nathan Reef
Join our naturalist guides on a fascinating rainforest walk discovering Dunk Island’s unique flora and fauna. We may be lucky enough to see the brightly coloured Blue-Winged Ulysses Butterfly, impossible to miss against the ancient rainforest background. Keen birdwatchers should keep an eye out for many of the up to 100 species of native birds recorded on the island, including the Yellow-bellied Sunbird, Emerald Dove and Orange-footed Scrubfowl. Following lunch, discover Nathan Reef at your own pace. From our exclusive mooring experience some of the most colourful coral gardens that can be found anywhere along the entire length of the reef. View many of the 400 different species of coral living in this World Heritage-listed wonderland. Venture in to the warm tropical waters to explore the corals and marine life on a guided snorkelling tour and join the Marine Biologist for a glass bottom boat tour. For the ultimate Great Barrier Reef experience, accompany our Dive Instructor on an unforgettable SCUBA dive. Later, discover some of the amazing creatures living on the reef at the on-board display tank. Enjoy the rare opportunity for a close up look at sea cucumbers, brightly coloured starfish and other marine life. Laze away the late afternoon on the sun deck, enjoying the comfortable onboard facilities including the spa pool and sun lounges. Tonight, join us in the dining room for another sumptuous dinner as we settle in for our final night cruising the Great Barrier Reef.
Day 4: Fitzroy Island and Cairns
Travel ashore to explore beautiful Fitzroy Island. Surrounded by a reef system that forms part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Fitzroy Island offers wonderful bush walking opportunities and idyllic white sandy beaches. Savour our final snorkelling opportunity over the island’s fringing reefs, just metres from the beach in the sheltered waters. Following lunch, early this afternoon we cruise through Trinity Bay before arriving in tropical Cairns at 1:30pm for disembarkation at Trinity Wharf.
Post cruise transfer to city or airport is included.

All Inclusive

All meals, morning and afternoon teas; tea and coffee are available at all times; use of snorkeling equipment, masks, fins, flotation vests and wetsuits; guided glass bottom boat coral viewing and snorkelling excursions; presentations by Marine Biologist; access to islands, marine and national parks; use of comprehensive range of library and video resources; an introductory SCUBA skills session for first time divers

Guest Services

Large sundeck, spa pool, wireless internet available for laptops, PDAs and onboard computer; comprehensive reference library, phone and fax facilities, lecture lounge with large plasma screen, limited laundry facilities, two fully stocked cocktail bars, air-conditioned public areas

Food and Dining

All meals during the cruise are included. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are usually served the Dining Room located on the Main Deck and are buffet-style. Coffee and tea is available 24 hours. Standard hours are breakfast from 7:00-8:30am, lunch at 12:30pm and dinner at 7:30pm however meal times may vary according to the day's activities. Meal times will be advised in the onboard daily bulletins.

Onboard Activities/Events

Large sun deck with deck chairs and spa pool, two fully-stocked cocktail bars, dining room, spacious lounge with plasma screens, comprehensive reference library, open bridge, gift shop, limited laundry facilities, phone and fax facilities, and SCUBA diving department.

Shore Excursions

Snorkeling, guided coral viewing excursions in our glass bottom boat, SCUBA diving, guided rainforest and beach walks and presentations by expert Marine Biologist

Staterooms or Cabins

The 21 onboard rooms are fully equipped with a private ensuite, air conditioning and ample storage space, as well as large picture windows, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the spectacular scenery.