Port Douglas - Daintree & Mossman Gorge for cruise ship passengers

:)We will be in Port Douglas on March 20,2017 on the Celebrity Solistice. Drop anchor at 7 am leave 7 pm... Tendering in from ship...

Does anyone have a recommendation on which local tour company to book with and can we do it once we reach town or does it need to be booked in advance. My problem with booking in advance is that if the ship decides to not tender in ( bad weather ?) we would lose anywhere from 25-50% of the cost of the tour. While I understand the position of the tour operators, no where else I have ever cruised to in the world. (25+ cruises) have I ever run into this policy.

I like to gamble in the casino but not sure I want to gamble on the weather or the whim of the captain who decides to bypass the port.

Any input would be welcome. With this policy the tour operators will get little or no business from any cruise ship passengers.

Port Douglas is an isolated small town of about 3,000 people so I would think it would be risky to try to arrange a tour on the day.

We have just spent a week there (extremely popular place in the Aussie winter) and we were a bit shocked to have to agree to pay a $100 if we cancelled a restaurant booking in one of their top restaurants. I can only think that they charge these fees because they can, which I agree is no good for goodwill.

Have you thought of renting a car and driving up to the Daintree? The road is tarred quite a way up and Mossman Gorge is quite close.

Otherwise have you looked at your travel insurance policy to see if it would cover such a cancellation?

I think that small towns here are still struggling a bit to service the enormous cruise ships that are starting to arrive, especially as they are coming in the middle of what has always been the off season in the north.

Have you contacted the tourist association office and asked them if they have any advice?

This thread may help....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2402265

Not all tour operators charge deposits....we don't and l personally would not pay a deposit let alone a non refundable one so don't expect our guests to.

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Just got a reply from one of the local tour companies...

Tropical journeys in Port Douglas

They only book people the day of the tour from cruise ships, no advance booking, just because there is no 100% guarantee the ship will make it to the port.They don't do the complete day tours that we were looking for but the 1/2 day option does do Dainteee river and Moosman. :)

Better safe than sorry...

Thanks for your replys.