My husband and I are considering a cruise on the GBR. Has anyone taken a Coral Princess Cruise out of Cairns? Would March be a good time?

Diane37, I'm so sorry to interrupt your discussion. I noticed you used Hawaii Travel Bureau last year for your trip to Hawaii. How did it turn out? Are they legit? If you could let me know I'd be so grateful. Sorry again, aud127; [email protected];
PS, sorry I have not taken that cruise

Diane37; my wife and I took the CPII four night Cairns to Cairns in Sept of '04 and agree that it was an extremely memorable experience. We liked the small ship feel, and the very friendly staff. The on board marine biologist was most enjoyable. Of the 20 or so cabins, about 3 were USA and it was a very international passenger list. We are still corresponding with new friends all over the world. WE are snorkelers and got our fill on 4 or 5 different snorkels. There were a few divers on the boat. Many guests did not snorkel or dive, but did enjoy the glass bottom boat with the marine biologist. In fact we began taking the boat out and the MB told us what we were seeing, and then we would snorkel the same area.
Several of us "helped" the chief engineer catch a huge fish, which were appetizers that night.
This was our 40th anniversary trip. The other passengers were a mix of honeymooners, mid life, and folks older than us.
Pick the itinerary you like and go for it. It was terrific. Be glad to answer any other questions.

Thank you, BillJ. We were hoping to go in April. How was the water temperature in September? We usually snorkel in Hawaii, and my husband likes the water temp. to be no cooler than 80 degrees.

diane37: I can't attest to the water temps. I had a web site that gave that info when I was planning the trip, but can't find it now. My general response is that it was not quite 80, which is about 26c. I did find a site that said water temp ranged from 22 to 27, but it was not specific as to where. The north end above Cairns I would think is warmer.
We always wear a light lycra top when we snorkel, mostly for sun protection, but does provide some warmth. Think mostly the water is in the 25c plus range. Of course March is nearing the end of the austal summer, so things could be warmer. We don't remember any sense of being cold in the water.
I can tell you that snorkeling the ribbon reefs and other places where the CPII stops is an incredible experience. We have snorkeled all over the world and this ranks right up there. The experience was greatly enhanced by the presence of the marine biologist, which was a new angle to us.
A little off-topic, we are history fans of Captain Cook, and really enjoyed the brief stop at Cooktown on the four nite Cairns to Cairns trip.
You will find reference to stinger jelly fish in Feb/Mar, but do not worry. They are only around the coast and you will be far out.

Thanks again, BillJ. This cruise sounds like just what we want, as we want to get lots of snorkeling in.

diane: water temperature around Cairns/Port Douglas area in April is about 80F; avg daily low temperature is 69F - high is 84F which is a bit warmer than September.

We've just returned from a fantastic Captain Cook Cruises trip on Reef Endeavour. It was wonderful! Will be posting a longer travel report soon ...

We did the Coral Princess cruise. It was wonderful. I would highly recommend. Agree with Bill regarding staff and small ship feel. We made many nice friends. Food was good. Accommodations are nice -- not lux, but very very good. Staff really makes the difference. Snorkeling was excellent. We were there one April.