Sunlover Reef Cruises

Negative experience: Booked a tour to Fitzroy Island and Great Reef Pontoon for 24 October 2024. They canceled at the last moment on 23 Oct 'due to unforseen operational circumstances' and provided options, including a full refund. I confirmed the full refund option on the 23 Oct. Have tried contacting them about progress of the refund but all one gets is the usual 'forwarded to voicemail' or 'number not available' reply. They were contacted by email but no response has been forthcoming. So be leary of booking with this operator

Negative experience: Really poor all round. Firstly no tie up between Getyourguude and Sunhopper. Different instructions of collectng tickets.on the day.WTF. Then told to wait a further hour. Then shown onto a smaller craft to select flippers and goggles. Then get back off that boat and placed on a larger craft (so much for small group). Then left to wait on the boat with Marine Diesel fumes swamping the deck (not very eco). Departure from quay over an hour late. Apparently someone injured themselves boarding (maybe Sunhopper needs to look into trip hazards rather than flogging excursions over the Tannoy in multiple languages constantly). To highlight the delay the Queen Elizabeth Cruise ship was led in by the pilot-docked and disembarked before we even got under way. Absolute S/Show!

Negative experience: Very disappointed with the zero consideration for anyone with a disability on the Fitzroy Island day outing, including the buffet lunch. If you have a disability or mobility problem do not expect any consideration. I cannot stand for lengthy periods I.e queues, so I went directly to a table to sit and wait for the extend lunch queue to subside and was quite rudely told I wasn’t allowed to grab a table to sit and wait. I explained that I have a mobility issue and I’m unable to stand for too long. I may as well have saved my breath telling the table copper, because it was totally ignored. I was not trying to jump the queue or expecting any special favours apart from some consideration of my mobility issues. Anyway by the time actually got into to get some lunch all I was able to get was 4 slices of cheese and 2 x bread rolls without butter. I’m very disappointed and will never again go to Fitzroy Island with Sunlover or take 3 x interstate visitors with me again. P.ss poor!

Negative experience: The experience was amazing, the crew went above and beyond to make sure everyone was happy. I gave them a 1 star because I also booked a bus transfer, and while the morning driver was early, the evening driver was 30 minutes late. I paid for a bus transfer to make things easier, but the driver was so late I would have been back at my resort at Trinity beach by the time he arrived. When I gave the driver the feedback he blamed Sunlover cruises for not updating the ETA. I told them that it was something for them to work out but he got very argumentative and aggressive. I asked him for his name but he stopped 200 metres away from my drop off and told me to get out. It was an issue because I am a leg amputee and use a prosthetic leg. Overall the evening ride spoiled my experience. I would reinstate a 5 star rating if the company stops dealing with Excellence coaches.

Positive experience: Had to arrive before 8.15 AM to pick up our tickets and board the boat for 8.45 AM departure. After we had arrived we received an email (which we didn't see) saying our departure is rescheduled to 10 AM, with no one at the counter mentioning this to us in person. Our day started out stressed and confusing because of this. Next time, some personal communication would be appreciated instead of leaving customers searching for their boat an hour and a half in advance!

Fantastic experience: My wife and I had such an amazing experience with Sunlover Reef Cruises! The day at the reef was honestly perfect and the crew were so friendly and accommodating, we will be back for sure.

Fantastic experience: Highly recommend, Sunlover has so much to offer! Comfy boat with friendly staff. We really enjoyed the pontoon at Moore reef - the buffet was awesome and the slide was so much fun even for adults! The underwater viewing deck for the fish feeding at the end of the day is great. Good prices for the on board bar with icecream. The spot at the reef itself is great, really colourful and full of awesome fish to snorkel and see close up. It was rough weather going out but the crew looked after everyone and was worth it to get to the beautiful calm spot in the reef - they also gave plenty of warning re the boat conditions and to take sea sick tablets so everyone was guaranteed a great day!

Negative experience: I have been on at least 4 ferry rides to Fitzroy Island and I have enjoyed the peace and quiet that a ferry journey would normally bring... With the exception of Sunlover Reef Cruises. The announcement from the Dive Master were too loud, too long and offensive to my level of Autralian intelligence... tone it down, it was terrible to sit through this torture.

Fantastic experience: Had a lovely day on Fitzroy with the Sunlover "best of island" combo. The buffet was amazing!! Make sure you check this out if you are in Cairns and you will make the most of your island day!!

Positive experience: The trip itself to Fitzroy Island was good, and some of the minor issues may not have been Sunlovers fault. Tried to book directly with Sunlover, but their website kept resetting when we went to pay. Tried to ring them a few times, but was told the office wasn't open, though we rang during office hours. Ended up booking through a 3rd party site. Originally booked for 8:30am, but then they emailed the afternoon before to say times had changed to 10 am. Leaving Fitzroy island, there was a loading delay, mainly (I think), due to the previous ferry being held up. It still meant we arrived back late. Sunlover said they do accept companion cards, but only if you book directly with them.

Negative experience: The boat was delayed by 1.5 hours, and we were only informed about the delay one day before. We were supposed to arrive on the island at 9:30 am, but we ended up getting there at 11:30 am, which meant that lunch was only served from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. This limited our time to explore the island upon arrival. There was no information about the lunchtime on the ticket or in the app. When we arrived at the restaurant at 1:30 pm, we were not allowed to eat. If there is a delay in the departure to the island, there should be some flexibility in the lunchtime arrangements. The boat was scheduled to return to Cairns at 6 pm, but it left the island at 6:18 pm, causing us to miss our dinner reservation in Cairns. To sum up my disappointment, the company can change, delay, or make any alterations to our booking without us having any say in the matter, and we didn't even have the right to have the lunch we had paid for (we were in 6 people btw - a huge saving for the company). The staff is totally unfriendly and treated us very rudely in the resort. The island is beautiful but I definitely wouldn't recommend this company to do the tour.

Fantastic experience: Crew did great at making us feel at ease in choppy conditions. Green Island was amazing wish we had stayed longer. We did the glass bottom boat due to the weather not being great and they fed the fish to get them to come up and that let us see all the larger fish.

Fantastic experience: Sunlover Reef Cruises put on a really great day for us last week, including Moore Reef: a glass-bottomed boat, semi-submersible and a snorkelling option. We then headed to Fitzroy Island for a wonderful lunch at Zephyr: (the resort hotel) and then loads of free time! We'd highly recommend this trip. Lots to be seen whether you swim or not. :-) Julie (from Victoria)

Fantastic experience: We spent a lovely day at Fitzroy Island, with the glass bottom boat being an absolute highlight! Hannah, our guide, was brilliant and so knowledgeable. We opted for the package that included lunch, which was nice enough for a buffet offering! I was tempted to knock off a star because the weather wasn't great so it was a but cold and the snorkeling views weren't the best, but still we saw some coral and it's not like Sunlover control the weather! I would just say that if the weather's not looking the best, bring a jumper for after you've been snorkeling because we really could have done with one.

Fantastic experience: We were absolutely impressed by the friendly crew who created a great atmosphere on our Moore Reef and Fitzroy Island trip. We loved the experiences of the glass bottom boat, and especially the guided snorkeling with Candela. I suffer from Ms and have some mobility issues. Candela was fantastic in assisting me in doing something I didn’t expect to be able to do. The reef was amazing , the whole experience unforgettable!

Fantastic experience: Had an incredible day out w/ Sunlover!! Did the Reef and Island day package, which includes roughly 2 hours of snorkeling and 2 hours at Fitzroy Island (which includes a nice buffet lunch). Was lucky enough to experience everything on a day with good conditions, which meant snorkeling out to the reef was great - greatly challenged my fear of the ocean, though - and a visit to Nudey Beach at Fitzroy. The staff aboard the ship meant smooth sailing, as they were all funny and seemed to enjoy some light banter with guests. Fitzroy Island and the hike to Nudey is 100% worth it, I can see why it was named ‘best beach’ at some point. Overall a great day out with good company and a LOT of nosy fish at the reef. Recommend!! :D

Positive experience: Mum and I went on the Sun Lover Outer Reef & Fitzroy Island tour on 2/10/24. The crew on board were very friendly and attentive. We went on the semi sub and glass bottom boat at the reef pontoon. I also did a snorkel tour and got to see a small part of the magnificent reef. Fitzroy Island was absolutely beautiful. Nudey beach was picturesque but I wouldn’t recommend it for older folk or small kids. I would definitely go back to Fitzroy and spend a full day there. Buffet at Fitzroy island wasn’t bad, but the food ran out and we couldn’t go back for a second serve.

Fantastic experience: We had the absolute BEST time on Sunlover Reef Cruises! We had time to do a glass bottom boat tour, the semi-sub, the heli flight, the slide, snorkeling and time to relax. My 3 year old son absolutely loved the semi-sub! And I was blown away by how beautiful and healthy all the coral was! We will 100% be back and recommend this tour to all our friends. Thanks so much for a great day!

Fantastic experience: Must visit place just stay in the water don't try semi sub or glass bottom boats, it's not worth, waste of time. The food is amazing , best Crew, very very friendly staff,

Fantastic experience: Great day out for all the family. Ignore the moaners and get this booked. Decent sized catamaran that makes light work of the choppy sea. Food is good and you can't beat snorkeling around the pontoon with all the beautiful corals and fish

Fantastic experience: Fabulous day out, amazing experience and we felt really well looked after. Loved the snorkeling so much! The staff were all about us having a great time and were also really funny! We enjoyed the activities and lunch was great. Thank you!!!

Negative experience: The worst experience ever! We went to do the Reef cruise on a day when it was raining (our last day in Cairns) with our 2,5 year old daughter. Got seasick and were vomiting on the boat as Sunlover despite the terrible weather decided to proceed with the tour because they don’t care about people’s safety nor the quality of guests’ experience. Were left with no option but to stay on Fitzroy island without the prepaid lunch provided (Sunlover made the decision to go to the Reef on a bad weather but didn’t have an alternative option for peole who would get seasick and they knew this was going to be the case - half of the ship was vomiting). My daughter (2,5 year old) was vomiting a lot and no one cared so as I mom I had no other option but to stay on Fitzroy Island. When I complained the following day at the Reservation desk, the completely incompetent manager who probably is not a mom herself told me I could take seasick pills. If she had a little bit common sense she would not say that about a 2,5 year old kid which according to them it is still considered infant. Also, if she was a bit more knowledgeable about handling difficult situations, she wouldn’t have told me that being seasick is not a safety concern - the kid could dehydrate from vomiting and she wanted me to continue with my trip??? Who will take the responsibility if something happened to my daughter The incompetent manager at the res desk?? Despite all the stress caused and the poor disgraceful behavior of this unethical business, I was still charged full price and we didn’t get anything that was promised on the brochure. The company didn’t have an organized option for people who get seasick. Completely disorganized! You should change your company name to “Money Lover” as you only care about the money and not the experience of the people. You missed your lessons at school about what customer service is. Rude staff and very inconsiderate for children and safety of passengers. The only exception is Hannah, who is the only one who knew how to handle people in stressful situations. Worst experience in my life! I don’t recommend this business to anyone who visits Cairns! Don’t bother to respond to this e-mail because you have no empathy whatsoever! I wish I read the bad reviews before booking with this unethical doggy company. Cairns should know better about tourism! No wonder people prefer to come to the Gold Coast for a holiday! You are blessed with that beautiful nature but very behind in all aspects of developing tourism!

Positive experience: Firstly, the cruise ship itself was great, and the staff were very helpful and courteous. Boarding was supposedly at 9 a.m., but there was no staff for checking in till 9.00 a.m., and then the cruise was delayed. Upon reaching the pontoon, food was served as buffet with only one counter open while there was a availability for them to open second counter, which then turned into long queues and wait time for the lunch, huge waste of time. If you weren't in the first batch of people lining up for food, then good luck getting food on time. Credit to staff who conducted helmet dive, the experience was amazing and staff were awesome in setting everything up. My friends did scuba, and they were rushed throughout the process, which turned their excitement into a forgettable experience. Overall, i would say it was all right,nothing great. May be try another reef cruise

Fantastic experience: Definitely recommended for every tourist in the north/east Australia. Beautiful views as you snorkel or dive across the reef. All very close. Wonderful. Ca. 2h sail from Cairns harbour.

Fantastic experience: Very good for family trip

Fantastic experience: We had the best time at the end of June. Everything was so efficient and organised, we requested vegetarian nut free meals in advance and we got a really well prepared, healthy, fresh lunch. Instructions on the day were clear. Staff were friendly. Travacalm available to buy/take plenty of time before we hit the real choppy bits. We went on a day where the 1 hour (each way) boat ride was apparently particularly bumpy but we were ok. I owe it to the ginger tabs, travacalm, ear patches, wrist bands and making sure breakfast was light. Those who were sea sick were handled with a lot of patience. Water was clear, the reef was endless, the sea life stunning. One of the best things I ever booked for myself and my family. (2A 2C ages 12 and 10) Advice for anyone planning the trip; - take every precaution against sea sickness, it's much more fun when you're not recovering from puking - sit outside for the boat ride - take a change of clothes for afterwards (of course) - take a windbreaker or hoody for the boat, it can get chilly

Negative experience: We recently booked the "Moore Reef & Fitzroy Island Combo" tour with Sunlover Cruises. While the staff was very friendly and helpful, our experience was quite disappointing due to technical issues with the boat that prevented us from visiting Fitzroy Island, a key part of the tour. We had planned this experience well in advance and were looking forward to enjoying the complete itinerary. Missing out on Fitzroy Island meant we didn't get the full value of the tour. Additionally, visiting the island on another day would require extra costs for accommodation and meals.Given the inconvenience, we believe a full refund should have been offered. While we appreciate the efforts of the staff, the situation left us quite dissatisfied.

Negative experience: bad service and timing too and from reef was out by an hour. never again booking here. all seats taken by crew and scuba class. Reef magic was a great company too book with had a better buffet and better service plus a heaps better pontoon dive site

Fantastic experience: Fantastic day, beautiful reef. The staff was exceptional, the food was plenty and yummy.

Fantastic experience: We had an amazing time on Fitzroy island on Saturday 13th of July. The Crew on board were lovely and so accomodating to everyone’s needs. We had the best time snorkelling and we absolutely loved the glass boat tour. Shout out to Hannah who did an exceptional job explaining about the beautiful reef and it’s clear to see how much she loves her job and how hard she works.The island has some delicious food and we cannot get over how clear and wonderful the water is at the beaches. We cannot wait to do more adventures next time and explore more. Highly recommend the tours, the boat and well done to the awesome crew

Fantastic experience: I'm really glad I chose Fitzroy Island among the many islands available ☺️ The cruise ship staff were very friendly and kind, which made it easy to safely reach the island! As soon as I arrived, after about 15 minutes of climbing the mountain, I encountered the magnificent views of Australia, giving me a refreshing feeling I've never experienced before ✨ In the afternoon, I was able to spend a wonderful holiday by relaxing on the beach, listening to music, napping, and swimming! The island is very clean with almost no litter, and it truly heals the hearts of visitors ♡ I highly recommend it for relieving everyday fatigue ♪

Positive experience: Staff were great, only thing that made me rate it down was that you can only review and order photos while boat was in motion and rocky.. would have looked and ordered if there was another way to do this.

Fantastic experience: The crew was fantastic. Helpful, informative, and entertaining.

Fantastic experience: We had the best experience with Sunlovers Cruise yesterday. We did the Moore reef and the crew was amazing, offering numerous options to view the coral reef even without getting into the water. My child had a great time in the kids' pool. Our snorkeling guide, Ted, was outstanding. He is highly experienced and explained every detail about the coral to us. Despite not being swimmers, my husband and I felt comfortable with Ted's guidance. I highly recommend Sunlovers Cruise.

Fantastic experience: Fitzroy Island was so good to visit especially this time of the year, although the water was a bit too cold the weather was nice and sunny. We got there by the Sunlover Reef Cruise Boat and both rides from and to the island were smooth and relaxing. The wait time to board the boat was short and easy, usually on different tour boats the wait is a bit longer but the Sunlover Reef Cruises team were super friendly and professional to everyone! I recommend Sunlover Reef Cruises anytime if the year also with their great Deals and affordable pricing!!

Positive experience: The first day we went to Fitzroy Island which was not worth the travel time, 135$ for 2 coral beaches, and a snorkel (which there isn't much to see anyhow). The other trip to the pontoon was much better however, the location on the reef is absolutely magnificent, and is one of the best dives I've ever done. They offer plenty of activities here, however it's just +++, having to spend more and more money if you want to do anything other than a self guided snorkel (which is great fun if you just slightly know what you're doing) and a water slide. Overall the 2 trips are expensive and I would only recommend doing the pontoon one. The staff were great, to note.

Positive experience: I participated from Ninja City. I have done snorkeling in various cities, but the Great Barrier Reef is truly a special place. Thank you to the staff of Sunlover Cruises. It was the best time. Many people get seasick. It was easier to avoid sickness when outside, and the big waves and swaying felt like an attraction and were fun. I thought a lighter breakfast on the day of boarding would be better.

Positive experience: The experience was amazing. We added on the scuba dive, it was my first time trying it. Our instructor Evan made us feel completely safe and made the experience perfect. Majority of staff were helpful however Evan went out of his way to assist and help others. The seats on the boat were comfortable. My only suggestion is having more variety of vegetarian/vegan food and having plant based milks on board. Overall the day was a highlight to remember.

Fantastic experience: Visiting all the way from Florida! To dive on the GBR has been a dream since I was a child. This company was well organized and had everything you could need! The boarding process was simple, all crew was friendly, they offer guided snorkel and dive trips along with a great lunch, water slide, educational talks and more! Joseph was the dive guide for me and my buddy, he made the dive easy and fun! Saw great reef fish and good visibility for our dive. I highly recommend getting your photos taken either snorkeling or diving the pictures come out beautifully done, Brent helped my group with the photos, he was very nice and patient with us! Thank you again for an amazing and unforgettable day :)

Fantastic experience: We went on the Moore reef pontoon day trip and the Fitzroy Island day trip with Sunlover. I'm glad we ended up doing the 2 x 1 day trips rather than try to fit them both in on 1 day as the time flies out there! The trip out to the Reef pontoon was a rocky seas day and there were alot of sick people which the staff were amazing with, the ride back was much more pleasurable. They do have sea sickness medication on board but it must be taken beforehand. Or plan for a day with calm seas. The reef was AMAZING! It was our first time snorkeling and everything including floatation vests are provided and the area is under lifeguard surveilance. Marine life and coral there were amazing. Rent the GoPro! The buffet lunch was delish! Fitzroy Island was beautiful, as was the food there, the beaches are washed up coral, no sand, so hard on bare feet, take marine shoes. Snorkeling was ok.

Fantastic experience: Had a beautiful day at Fitzroy! The transfer over was with Sunlover was great. Friendly staff, super spacious boat and a sun shiny day! The UNO cards with wine on the way home were a very good end to the day.

Fantastic experience: My sister did a scuba and the experience was fantastic, especially the dive team were very very helpful to her. We all did snorkelling and sea walking, again the team were very polite throughout. Very good food.

Fantastic experience: Great experience to Moore Reef. Lovely staff. Highly recommend the guided introductory snorkeling tour by Ted, who showed me around the reef and how to snorkel. All tips he taught me really helped me to begin my snorkeling journey. The scenic helicopter ride was also amazing.

Fantastic experience: Day trip to the Best Part of Far North Queensland, Cairns is the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. It's Not The South Barrier Reef,but THE BEST OF THE BARRIER REEF! AVAILABLE FROM CAIRNS NOT AIRLIE,NOT TOWNSVILLE. GO TO CAIRNS MARINA TERMINAL TO GET TO REEF! FOR THE BEST REEF EXPERIENCE AND TIME OF YOUR LIFE.

Fantastic experience: Very exciting experience! Had the chance to dive at Moore Reef with sunlover, and it was just great. Could experience their instructors professionalism and was actually surprised by the smooth approach they had with scuba beginners (intro dive) as being their first immersions, the operation and explanation must be the clearest possible to run a smooth dive + their friendliness Also the pontoon had a nice and comfy deck to chill, food was very yummy All staff were proactive and kind. Recommended

Fantastic experience: Nice to meet our friendly gentleman, Diego. Impressive day for me, and welcome visiting Fitzroy island.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic company to see the Great Barrier Reef with. Staff were all amazing, helpful, friendly & so knowledgeable. Plenty of time for all activities and great value for money. Highly recommended day out!

Fantastic experience: Lovely crew. It was great to do snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef with them, when I visited Cairns in April. Glass bottom boats and the pontoon experience was great. Initially I felt sea sick due to the higher waves while travelling towards the pontoon but the crew gave pills and made me at ease. Some threw up and the crew helped them with disposable covers and other aids. Must try

Fantastic experience: We visited Fitzroy Island, it was magnificent especially with the snorkeling option to see the coral reef (the rain somewhat spoiled the moment but of course it was impossible to control..). The crew of the boat was great with us, highly recommended.

Positive experience: Excursion to Fitzroy Island reachable by 45 minutes by catamaran. Disappointing the boat with the glass bottom as well as the snorkeling... I would recommend another place to admire the coral reef.

Fantastic experience: It was really great, the island is beautiful and full of biodiversity. Overall, the equipment provided was good except for the masks and snorkels which were a bit old. The only negative point is that the captain didn't stop talking during the journey. It was tiring and frankly he wasn't saying anything particularly interesting.

Positive experience: Our tour consisted of scuba diving for one, an intro scuba diving tour for two, and snorkeling for one on the Great Barrier Reef. This also included lunch and a helicopter ride back to Cairns so we could make our cruise ship's departure deadline. Lunch was ok but may not be for American palates. The tour was well organized and everything needed was provided. The staff did an incredible job. Iris was our scuba instructor/guide. She was patient when teaching us the basic skills and knew the area really well. She really made this once in a lifetime experience just AMAZING. Our helicopter pilot also did a great job pointing out key features and answering questions. Their photo policy was the only reason for not giving 5 stars. They have a photographer shadow you who will chum the water and take pictures. They do not allow you to take your own camera or Go-Pro and charge $30AUD per picture.

Fantastic experience: Trip to Moore reef and Fitzroy Island was magnificent today. Crew were extremely helpful and displayed great commitment to passengers. Thank Everyone

Fantastic experience: I took the tour out to Moore Reef. I really appreciated that the staff was very knowledgeable about the Great Barrier Reef and shared that knowledge. Additionally they had a wide variety of activities including ones for folks who don't scuba or go snorkeling which allowed them to see the fish, turtles and coral.

Fantastic experience: We really enjoyed our time at the Moore Reef. The staff were friendly and excellent, and the entire family enjoyed ourselves. Some expectations should probably be set: - Book your tickets probably 1-2 days before your planned trip. This way, you can be sure that there isn't a tropical storm at the reef. Check BoM's satellite images - This is one of the bigger companies going to the reef. There are a LOT of people, including tour groups. If you want a more romantic, private tour, this isn't for you. That being said, there was plenty of staff on board and plenty to do. The pontoon is huge and there are tons of space and snorkeling area for people. - We booked our additions during the boat ride, which I recommend, again, so that you can accommodate for weather. - The Guided snorkel tour is recommended as you go beyond the allowed snorkel area. This brings you to the shallower areas which had more vibrant corals. - Sea walker is good if you want good photographs underwater. The photos when you are snorkeling are not flattering. With the sea walker, you are more stable, and the pictures turned out amazing. - The boat ride takes 2 hours. Yes, 2 hours. This includes a drop off at Fritzoy island. However, once we reached the pontoon, there was an additional 15 minute of wait time for the staff to get the pontoon setup. This is fine, but could have been communicated better. The boat (with plenty of young kids) were about to mutiny after the long boat ride. - Alcohol can be brought onboard, but if you are planning to go underwater (Sea walker/scuba), you will be asked not to drink. Prices are expensive but not outrageous. ($9 for a can of beer) - Everything you need to snorkel is provided, but I will recommend bringing a towel, as those are not provided. You will be wet, and without a towel, you will be dripping trying to get dry. - The boat reaches the reef at noon, so there is a lot of people queueing for lunch. A theme on this boat is don't be the first one and join queues. Rather, I will recommend going straight into the water or join one of the boat rides. Lunch is provided till 2pm, and once we were done with our activities at 1:30, there was still plenty of food available. - Multiple life guards are constantly on watch, so we felt really safe. The enclosed kids swimming pool was an excellent spot for our 4 year old, while our 8 year old enjoyed the water slide and went snorkeling with me. In summary, this is great for families. A bit more communication to set expectations will be welcomed. Expect crowds, but you will still have plenty of fun and space for the day.

Fantastic experience: Just came back from the reef - amazing day. We chose Sunlovers as even though the pontoon is smaller it was close to the corral so we did not have to swim as far, and also as there was a slide. Unfortunately it was raining so no slide but my son did not care as he was snorkeling the whole time. My wife has a walking stick and two bad feet. The crew could not do enough to ensure she was able to move around and have a great time especially Mason and Georgia who went above and beyond. Lunch was good and there was plenty of it, and it was nice to see that they did not over charge for the drinks, ice-cream, etc. I agree the WiFi did not work well (I was curious and found I needed to stand at the bar) but with the majesty of the ocean and the reef - who needs to be online? Thanks to everyone at Sunlovers.

Fantastic experience: What a fantastic couple of days we had with the crew and staff, first was out to the pontoon and reef then to Fitzroy Island. I cannot recommend these guys enough as everyone involved were so friendly and helpful which made the trip something special that me and my family will remember for years to come.

Fantastic experience: Visited on Weekday Wait time No wait Reservation recommended Yes … More

Fantastic experience: For reasons of my own, the people at the front desk could not confirm that it was me who bought the ferry ticket, because I did not bring my passport and bank card. They rebooked my ticket for the day and immediately refunded the ticket I couldn't authenticate, which was hilarious. The travel experience is also very good, and snorkeling is highly recommended.

Negative experience: At Isla Fitz Roy, the boat was docked for at least 2 hours with the engines running, producing annoying noise and a strong smell of fuel. It ruined our time of rest. Rating regarding environmental friendliness: -10. I don't understand how the island authorities allow this.

Fantastic experience: Great Barrier Reef Outer Reef Pontoon️ On the cruise tour to the outer reef, you can fully enjoy diving and snorkeling at the man-made floating island called the pontoon✨ As long as you bring your own swimsuit and towel, you can easily rent a wetsuit and snorkeling set on site. Diving starts with a Japanese instructor explaining safety precautions verbally → answering a paper test → diving lessons between the boat and the sea where you can stand → finally to the bottom of the sea. This was the first time I had such a thorough diving lesson before diving! I wondered if we were going to get a certification license, it was a very well-organized lesson. Now, diving deeper and deeper into the sea, I struggled with equalizing my right ear and had to pause for a while. After figuring out the timing to equalize, I was able to sink down, haha. While I was left behind, my family kept diving deeper into the ocean... I still can't forget the look on my family's faces at that time. In the sea, I finally met my target Napoleon fish! It was my first encounter. Those big eyes!! It was staring at me with a bulging gaze, haha. I was moved as it swam gracefully near me. Underwater, the photographer took lots of pictures☺️ and it's great that you can purchase them on site☀️. You can choose to have the photos developed, get data via AirDrop, or receive USB data! I received the data via AirDrop, and not only was the quality good, but it was also great to see the data immediately on my smartphone and share it with my family❣️. What a well-done service! It was a tour that you can enjoy for a whole day, and the teamwork of the cruise staff was excellent, making for a fun time. To support various languages, the staff are very diverse☀️. When the boat departs from the island, each staff member checks the number of passengers 5-7 times and counts repeatedly⚠️. It was very strict! When we arrived at the harbor, the staff saw us off until we got off the boat☺️. I am very grateful for such a pleasant time until the very end❣️. I have burned the beauty of the sunny outer reef into my memory!

Negative experience: Disappointed that Thursday’s tour was canceled and now the substitute on Saturday is also cancelled. The weather has been spotty, but the risks appear to be exaggerated. Bummer that we came all the way to Cairns and have missed seeing the Great Barrier Reef.

Negative experience: Questionable operation. We stayed on Fitzroy Island. Pre-arranged from FI to go to outer reef prior to stay on FI. On the day, Sunlover disembarked day-trip passengers to FI then about to leave to Moore reef without loading us while we're waiting for offloading these passengers. Also, when we returned to FI, they just put the gangway & 'off you go'. nobody watching at the bottom of the gangway steps. I recommend Great Adventures for better safety and operational communication standards.

Positive experience: We had Reef and Fitzroy island cruise with Sunlover.The staff was amazing except Jack,who was rude and condescending when I asked him at the pontoon that I needed to buy a towel from the ship and if he can assist me.He told me that he was needed at the pontoon and wished me luck in finding assistance for that in a most lurid way.The buffet on the ship was all cold meat and under average Sri Lankan chicken coconut curry,If you happen to be a vegan or vegetarian,you are on your own. my daughter felt sick after eating the food and had stomach cramps for two days.The staff was very diligent and knew what they were doing.They were very patient with us on the guided snorkelling tours and offered every sort of assistance asked of them.

Fantastic experience: Don't listen to Dylan, he said you can ride the current in the snorkeling area until the life guards come and take you back in. What really happens, is they just blow the whistle and tell you to come back. I would have enjoyed the tow. Haha in all seriousness, this tour was very well put together: Super friendly and helpful staff, plenty of time to do the free excursions and also a good spread for lunch. You can't really ask for much more while checking out an amazing section of the reef. Definitely recommend!

Fantastic experience: Nice staff Great equipments Clean facilities

Fantastic experience: Hello, during my time in Cairns for a few weeks, I was able to work here and in return, I could get my diving certification for free, which was great. In Australia, it actually costs money, but it's still affordable. I was very grateful for the offer and was happy to help here. I had a lot of fun here back then. Very nice and friendly staff and being out on the water at the reef every day, what could be better? The trips out to the reef for snorkeling and diving were amazing.

Negative experience: An absolutely disgraceful experience my group of 9 people had on the Moore reef tour on at the start of December 2023, took us 2 hours to get out to the Moore reef with really bad weather, the captain said as soon as was got onto the pontoon there was no way we were getting out on that water today, that we will go Fitzroy island and snorkel there, we waited an hour and then told when we got to Fitzroy that we were not gonna get any stinger suits or snorkelling equipment, and that we had 2 hours at Fitzroy in torrential rain to go explore the island! Everyone had to sit inside for two hours because of the rain and on our way back we were told we could get a refund if we contact sun lovers, I contacted them and they said 25% was the most we would get back! And no one was able to tell me or get me in touch with someone that made that terrible decision! I would definitely not consider going with this company, they have been rude and not helpful at all! They knew well they wouldn’t have us in the water and they still took us out! Absolutely disgraceful

Negative experience: Sunlover gave me a strong dissatisfaction. I participated the deep-sea diving project. A serious accident occurred during the diving. The diving instructor. My oxygen tube was ripped off by my colleagues at the bottom of the water around 6m causing me to suffocate underwater. And the instructor didn’t stop him and discovered in time.I even experienced death threats.I think the instructors have committed dereliction of duty and the company's safety measures are seriously lacking in ensuring the safety of divers.

Fantastic experience: Great day out on the reef. Lots to do and see. Loved the Semi submersible which is included in your fee. Good choice from the lunch buffet and the staff were very friendly, funny and caring. They reef was healthy and a lot of fish to be seen. Lots of memories made.

Negative experience: Today, there were too many people on the boat trip to the Great Barrier Reef, and it felt very crowded (overloaded?). It took more than two hours of sailing to reach the shuttle at the reef (we stopped at one point on the way). The return was at 3:30, so the actual time to enjoy the corals was very limited. The experience was even worse during lunch; there was a long table for food, and it took over ten minutes from queuing to getting the food. No matter how beautiful and precious the coral is, such arrangements affected my mood!

Fantastic experience: We recently booked Sunlover for our end of year team trip and had a perfect day! From the sales staff (Irish) right through to the staff onboard, the service was attentive, accommodating and friendly. The pontoon is well set up with unlimited activities. Lunch, could not fault, great fresh selection. If you are looking for a great option to suit everyone in your family, I would highly recommend Sunlover!

Fantastic experience: Had such an amazing experience at the Fitzroy Island with the Sunlovers cruise. We absolutely enjoyed the guided snokerling tour and Glass bottom tour along with Hannah. She was so friendly and went of the way to to make our snorkeling experience so enjoyable as me and my husband are non swimmers.

Fantastic experience: Such a great day on Fitzroy Island. Spent most of the day in the water snorkelling. Conditions were perfect, calm and clear. Saw green sea turtles, stingrays, so many different fish and corals. Was such a beautiful experience for our family. So glad my kids (5 & 11yrs) got to see these things up close in the wild.

Fantastic experience: Absolute must do for a stunning Great Barrier Reef snorkel! The cruise from Cairns marina was comfortable and the staff were very friendly. The buffet lunch was so delicious and there was a variety of food and plenty for everyone. Snorkelled without stinger suits as the stinger season hasn't started yet. Coasted along with a cute green turtle, saw a black tip reef shark and a colourful mixture of fish and coral, big and small. The snorkel goggles were great, they didn't fog up every minute. The 4 hours alongside the pontoon flew by and it was a magical experience! Travelled with an 11 and 9 year old and an infant, they absolutely loved it. With an infant was tricky because someone always had to be with her. Attended on a Sunday so we had free parking all day next to the Marina. Everything was included (snorkel hire, stinger suit hire, lunch), there were extras that you could pay for on the boat, but we had a beautiful experience only snorkelling. Would definitely recommend and would love to come and do this cruise again.

Positive experience: A $7 box of medicine bought before the excursion saved our day; it is essential if you have children, even for adults!!! The vomiting contest on the way there is quite amazing... be aware that it will cost you $1600 to return before the end of the excursion if you wish. I highly recommend taking this medicine as many people remained sick throughout the excursion on the boat and did not do any activities if the ocean is tough; the crossing will be rock and roll as the captain warned us... Otherwise, the food was decent and we had a great day overall.

Fantastic experience: This is about my third time using Sunlover, and I thought I could manage just fine regardless of whether there were any Korean staff or not. However, the Korean staff members went out of their way to assist Korean passengers first, checking in to see if there were any inconveniences I faced. Contrary to my initial thoughts, I received a lot of help. My mother, who does not speak English, felt much more comfortable thanks to the kind attention of the Korean staff. Also, if you’re just going to snorkel, definitely opt for the guided snorkel! While free snorkeling places aren’t devoid of sights, with guided snorkeling, you can go beyond the guidelines to see even more beautiful coral reefs, pretty fish, turtles, and so on. They do provide explanations in English... Good luck! The staff member learned the word 'turtle' and would mention it in Korean whenever a turtle appeared. My mother, approaching her seventies, held onto the tube that the guide provided and enjoyed the sights. She said that guided snorkeling was a better experience compared to sea walking. While I can’t say that Sunlover has the best facilities or is the best company, the fact that their prices are slightly cheaper compared to other companies, the presence of Korean staff, and the good level of service due to their larger scale means that I haven't felt much disappointment or inconvenience, which is why I continue to use Sunlover. Also, make sure to buy some motion sickness medication. This isn’t something that can be overcome by mental strength. If you think, 'I'll be fine,' it's a hundred percent guarantee that you won't be! Even if you take the medication, later on, you'll get a headache, and if you don’t take it and start throwing up, it's like opening the hell gate. You can buy it at the pharmacy, or you can also find it on the boat.

Fantastic experience: April 2023 I used Sunlover Reef Cruises to go to Fitzroy. It took about 45 minutes to reach Fitzroy from the terminal. The check-in and the onboard staff were nice, and the ship was reasonably clean. This is a ferry I can recommend.

Positive experience: I used this service for a round trip to Fitzroy Island. This was the only option that allowed me to book even the night before. The safety explanations were thorough and left a good impression.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely fantastic experience! The whole team is super friendly. Just bring with you sickness medicine for the boat and dive shoes, heaps of coral on the beach.

Fantastic experience: A lovely experience with friendly staff, very helpful and experienced… myself and my Son 9 years of enjoyed a lot snorkelling with a lot fishes and Turtles and a lovely corals

Fantastic experience: Excellent group for organised tours to Fitzroy islands and Great Barrier Reef! Very nice guided snorkelling! Our guide, Hanah, was great!! Thank you.

Negative experience: Sea Walker was pretty cool and the diving although it was all in the same area as the free snorkelling - essentially seeing the same marine life but paying extra... Food was pretty terrible considering the price and no seats onboard Too pricey - reduce your rates felt like a trip to Sydney Markets atmosphere rather than a top cruise with everyone stepping on eachother to grab wetsuits, jumping in food lines and putting their bags on tables - disorganised chaos. Mayhem on board

Negative experience: I've had the misfortune of riding with sunlover twice. In both cases, other than the staff being utterly insufferable, both cruise I've been on were incredibly slow to board and deboard. Probably an hour or more was wasted with the mentally disabled staff figuring out how to dock and board a ship. Additionally, Lunch aboard was disgusting. WiFi did not work. They lied about having a semi submersible. The amount of time claimed that we can be out on the reef was a lie.

Fantastic experience: Very pleasurable journey. 45min relaxing cruise, clean ammenities, small bar downstairs. I got the full family package; cruise, wet suit, snorkel and flippers..can’t complain about the price!!!Thanks for your service guys!!!

Negative experience: DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY! Broken equipment, completely unprofessional staff members & just a waste of money. I wish I read the reviews before I booked this company. Refusing to refund me for the broken equipment I paid for and has been days of back and forth with the operations manager Nadine who tells me that she is investigating the issue but fails to call me back resulting in me following up. I have also been told by her that the captain said there was nothing wrong with my equipment when I did not speak to him or show him my equipment at all that day. She will not escalate this at all to her boss when it was clear that she was not helpful at all and needed to speak with someone else as we were not getting anywhere. For a company that takes their customer complaints and service so seriously I have not had a single staff member after dealing with 5 different individuals be able to satisfy their customer and resolve their complaint. There is clearly a lack of communication and accountability and shows that they’ve all been trained to do the same. I had an amazing experience with Diversden when I was up in Cairns- would definitely recommend them over this mob. As per the response: 1. I had to call to try and resolve the matter over the phone and not once did I get a call back when being told I would to resolve the situation. 2. Not once was I told I would be refunded for my equipment I was told I would only be reimbursed the extra they had me pay on the day. 3. No one else to talk to when your complaint is needed to be escalated is pretty poor on a company’s end. 4. Still waiting on my reimbursement and apparently now my refund that apparently they agreed to (has been over a week) Very disappointing that the response is full of lies and refuses to address any of the issues within the company. I really hope this review helps to push for some training and quality checks put in place as it is quite a shame to see.

Fantastic experience: Amazing experience ! DON’T FORGET TO TAKE SICKNESS MEDICINE 30mn before!! I lot of people where sick and vomit non stop ! All the staff were running around with bags and cleaning products all the way :-) so don’t forget and you will get an amazing experience ! The spot is incredible, the slide is cool for kids! And you have all the equipment at your disposal ! The food was good too! Good experience and staff very nice! Thank you

Fantastic experience: We did the Moore Reef. Amazing platform, great equipment. We took our whole business group and family. The colours of the coral and the amount and types of fish were stunning. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: I couldn’t recommend sun lover enough! We usually take the fast cat when going over to Fitzroy island but yesterday we went over with them. Was a chaotic start to the day, had Ubers cancel taxis not show up it was a mess. We called to let them know we were struggling to get there. They reassured us that if we didn’t make it by that boat we would 100% be booked on the next. They sent out a bus (did cost $80 for that transfer, but was nice not to have to worry about getting home) and we made it just in time. Unfortunately we hasn’t realised the weather and was an extremely bumpy ride. I have pretty severe anxiety so my mum was looking out for us, but unfortunately it was the most bumpy ride we’ve ever experienced so my mother ended up being extremely sick on the boat. Georgia was an absolute god send. She was with us the entire time pretty much just making sure we were okay. Fanning my mother down. She gave us all lollipops to help with our blood sugar levels and gave us a pack of motion sickness tablets for the way home. I really hope she knows how much we appreciated her help. Without her we would’ve never been able to get back on that boat.

Negative experience: Got us to Fitzroy safely but we rented snorkelling gear and they had no stinger suits in my size and no flippers in my size. And I wear medium and size 5, very common! The masks were cheap and ill fitting, kept leaking. I recommend getting kit from the island instead. Last minute delay to the boat made our outing an hour shorter. It's a big company transporting lots of people quickly, I think they cut a few corners. Also for an amazing reef trip look for wavelength or maybe calypso tours. We had such an amazing day with wavelength and saw loads.

Negative experience: Most horrible experience at the check-in. For no good reason, we had to spend an hour trying to prove to them we made the purchase despite showing them an government issued ID matching the name on the booking. They demanded we show them the credit card used for the booking for verification purposes, which we didn’t bring to a boat where we expect to leave our belongings unattended while snorkeling. My 3 problems with how they handle the credit card verification: 1. It is nowhere mentioned on the email confirmation. The check-in lady keeps insisting it’s on the website but refuses to show where on the website this credit card verification at check-in policy is stated. 2. Everyone doing the check-in is asked to show credit card used for purchase. But during the hour we spent discussing this with them, almost everyone doing the check-in was surprised by the requirement and showed them something on their phone instead of a physical card and were allowed to check in. We also showed them a credit card statement with the company name “Sunlover cruise” and the charged amount, but inexplicably, while all others showing a phone app was allowed to check in, we weren’t. Our app is in another language because the issuing bank is from our home country. They insisted on an English app, a physical card or wouldn’t let us check in. 3. The check in staff took a photocopy of my photo ID and asked us repeatedly to send them photos of our credit card. This is a serious breach of consumer data privacy laws and under their stated website privacy statement, they explicitly do not collect this information. I am seriously concerned that my photo ID and credit card information are now stored on their email servers accessible to all their employees. It’s hard to overemphasize how serious of a consumer data protection breach this is. They did not do this with all the other customers showing things on their phone for credit card verification except for us. All that to say, the cruise itself is perfectly adequate. Lovely crew. But we have done other snorkeling cruises in both Cairns and Port Douglas. The offerings are largely similar. Save yourself the drama and the possibility of having to send screenshot of your credit card information to a reservation email address accessible to all their employees, choose another cruise with less unpredictable check-in procedure.

Positive experience: We booked a full-day trip to Fitzroy Island with Sunlover Reef Cruises, and loved it. We rented snorkelling gear from them and did the snorkelling ourselves, and paid extra for a glass-bottomed boat, but through no fault of the company, we couldn't really see anything as the waters were quite cloudy (we saw much more snorkelling ourselves). We did, however, really enjoy the commentary of Louis while we were on the glass-bottomed boat; we learned a lot about coral. On the way over to Fitzroy Island, it was a pretty rocky ride, but we were warned beforehand and Bridget was very kind and comforting to everyone, especially a girl who looked particularly ill.

Positive experience: We took the Moore reef tour & we are pretty stoked. It was a great day full of snorkeling, submarine ride. There’s more to do but we just wanted to snorkel. The lunch was ok, I think there’s room for improvement but it did the job. One bad thing that was the goggles, they need be on top of maintaining/cleaning them or sure if the dots were dirt or mould.

Fantastic experience: Any day snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef is a good day, but the Sunlover crew in particular need a shout out for the kindness and compassion they demonstrated as most of the boat were seasick thanks to the rough seas. Never have a seen a sick bag removed faster! Food for lunch was tasty and plentiful, waterslide was heaps of fun, and there were plenty of stinger suit sizes to choose from.

Positive experience: There was lots to see in the water today which was beautiful, staff were helpful when needed. Downfalls -goggles and snorkle need to be upgraded they don't sit on your face properly and are constantly leaking -food was average -restricted by one small specific area so when there's 50-100 people in a small space at once it's very hard to move around freely -boat felt over crowded with people We went to Fitzroy island the day before and it was a much better experience, for freedom and more variety of things to see.

Negative experience: This tour would be ok for teens, young families and backpackers. Unfortunately my daughter and I witnessed a public spat between the captain and a crew member. The food was unfortunately not for us so we went hungry and I did notice a similar feeling judging by the amount of wasted food filling the bins. For a swim with a snorkel and a short ride in a glass hulled vessel to see what appeared, but please correct me if I'm wrong largely grey lifeless coral the $250 price tag seems well to steep. Next time I would pay extra to find a reef experience more exciting and age suitable. Overall the business looks tired visually and structurally

Fantastic experience: We were on a cruise on 6 June 2023 and we loved it - the crew knew very well what they were doing and were much helpful - it was a bit of a rough seas day (or at least by our standards ) The lunch was perfect, variable and tasty. We had an infant with us and felt well taken care of - we think this is a great option for a cruise and snorkeling with a kid or at least we certainly felt like it

Fantastic experience: Awesome day trip to the reef. The facilities & activities are great and all the staff were friendly.

Positive experience: we loved our experience with sun lover reef cruises, we went out to Moore reef where there was lots of fish life, the pontoon was beautiful! Lots of room and the kids loved the water slide! Friendly staff and great lunch! If there’s one thing to add I’d like a bit more free reign! For so many people on the water a little more space to explore would be awesome! But all in all great day out.

Positive experience: My partner and I went on the last day of our trip to the full day tour. We decided to go diving. Despite the tour guide being lovely, it wasn’t the best experience. Firstly we weren’t able to take our own photography yet the professional photos were terrible. Most of the coral we saw was dead. The ‘5 star’ buffet lunch was terrible! The prawns has no flavour, rice was dry, best part was the bread rolls. In saying that the staff were amazing! Most the boat got sea sickness and I could not fault one staff member.