Hi All,

Can anyone give me information on where to book the Coral Princess? We are going in August 2005. I did find their website and can book directly there but was wondering if there were any discounters that you all know about?

Thanks,

Diane

If you do find a discounter, please let me know. Have booked quite few Coral Princess trips for visitors, always direct and have only seen discounted rates offered off-season for locals. August is prime high season - the busiest month of the year in North Qld.

Hi Pat,

I haven't had any luck on my web searches. Searched Fodors and people had mentioned getting discounts on TravelMall but that was several years ago and I couldn't find any discounts listed. That said I decided to go with Reef Endeavours - slightly bigger boat (160 passengers) and they have cabins which will sleep four (we have two kids that are going with us). I did find a discounter that will knock 20% off Reef Endeavour departures --globnettravel.com.au. and so it is substantially cheaper than going on the Coral Princess.

Good luck,

Diane

to dlewis500: My wife and I did the 4 day Cairns to Cairns trip in October. It was outstanding. the snorkeling on Ribbon reef was among the best we've ever had. The crew included a marine biologist (Lisa) that was extremely passionate about her profession, very informative and fun to be with. With about 20 cabins, we did not feel crowded at any time. The food was excellent. Several new friends were made that we are still in touch with. The age ranged from young honeymooners to kinda grey (us) to very grey. But we found them all to be adventurous and young at heart.
One serious diver, several first timers got lots of attention. Snorklers (thats us) were in heaven.
I don't think the words discount and Coral Princess go in the same sentence, but it was worth every penny for our 40th anniversary.
We made our reservations direct with S.H. Enterprises, located near San Jose Calif, 800-441-6880. Meghan was extremely helpful. They also handle reservations for the old P&O resorts, now Voyages, and helped us with Ayers Rock, Silky Oaks, and Heron Island.
Will be glad to give more info for any questions you may have.
BillJ

Hi Diane - glad you found a better price on Reef Endeavour. Just speaking to two Canadians who returned (northbound trip out of Cairns) who loved it, plenty of variety snorkelling, both hard and soft coral reefs, great crew, great food. The only negative was that they felt obliged to "dress up" for some planned evening activity - said they could do without that.

BillJ - Thanks for the info. I agree with you that Coral Princess is probably the better of the two ships (based on my internet research) - especially since it takes fewer people than Reef Endeavour. However I have a family of four and the excursions, hotels, meals, etc. start to add up quick! Fortunately I got 3 of the 4 airfares free via frequent flier mileage and we're staying at the Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas for 5 nights for free thanks to my Starwood points. That will allow us to hire a naturalist for a few days, take the GBR cruise and assorted other excursions. Would love to stay at the some of the PO Resorts but if you read the fine print most don't "cater" to children. No doubt a smart move on their part! Thought Heron would be too far south for the time of year we will be there (August 05) - but I agree it looked terrific.

Pat - thanks for the info - especially the part about dressing up one night - will have to remember to throw something decent in when I pack!

Sorry, dlewis, I didn't mean "dressing up" in the sense of wearing your best clothes - this was "dressing-up" in silly costumes. Of course many passengers were not prepared for this festivity but were able to purchase appropriate items on board - the Canadians thought this was a bit much.

If you haven't decided on the naturalist trip, both Pete Baxendell from Heritage and Interpretive Tours and Jonathan Munro of Wild Watch do an excellent job.

Pat - Thanks for the clarification - I'll leave my finer things behind then. I've emailed Pete and love his sense of humor - am going to book him for a couple of days.