Cairns Tender

Hello, we are in Cairns via the Solstice in March and are tendering in Cairns. Does anyone know where we tender to in Cairns and approximately how long the tender typically takes? We are trying to take a "non-Celebrity" excursion out to the reef.

Thanks.

Hello, we are in Cairns via the Solstice in March and are tendering in Cairns. Does anyone know where we tender to in Cairns and approximately how long the tender typically takes? We are trying to take a "non-Celebrity" excursion out to the reef.

 

Thanks.

Solstice is tendering at Yorkey's Knob. It can take up to two hours for tendering to be completed. Unfortunately it is nearly impossible to organise a non ship tour out to the reef. If you have 50 people you can arrange a private charter....otherwise you will have to do a ship tour if you have your heart set on a reef tour.

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Solstice tenders to Yorkey's Knob,month good, Cairns is best visited on a smaller ship that can dock, in my opinion.

We have been advised that this might be a time that it would be best to take the ship's excursion. The ship's excursions apparently load directly from the ship. The tender time is an unknown as the Solstice has never overnighted in Cairns. The ship anchors and tenders to Yorkey's Knob, which is a 20 minute drive to Cairns. Previous Solstice cruises have had issues with the tendering into Yorkey's. To catch an non-Celebrity tour before 8:00am could be an issue. Just passing on info that was given to us. If you find out a way to do the independent tour, let us know!

HI. I would not be going snorkling on the reef in March as this is summer and it is stinger season. There is no way I would even stick my feet in the water in FNQ during summer. I have had a stinger bite and would not want to go through that hellish pain ever again. :mad:On the reef pontoons some have a semi sub that takes you under the water to see the coral. There are private companies that go to the reef from Yorkeys but they are usually hired by the cruise ship.

The tender boat to the wharf at Yorkeys Knob takes about 30mins with queue up. loading and getting off, but the boat ride itself is about 10 mins or so.

We tendered at Yorkey's Knob in March 2013 on Solstice. It was poorly organized and took way too long to get off the ship.

We were late arriving there due to a med evacuation. Our Aussie friend had arranged for transport to the Skysail, which we managed to make, although our time there was limited.

One big problem that X had was that after getting off the ship, there was a line for the shuttle for people to go into Cairns. We didn't take the shuttle, so this did not affect us.

I had stood in line early and we had an early tender (still took over an hour to get off the ship). Others, took two hours or more, got in line for the shuttle and then once ready to go on the shuttle discovered that they had to acquire tickets for the shuttle first. Many people just gave up and didn't go into Cairns that day.

We had a great time at Skyrail.

HI. I would not be going snorkling on the reef in March as this is summer and it is stinger season. There is no way I would even stick my feet in the water in FNQ during summer. I have had a stinger bite and would not want to go through that hellish pain ever again.

While March is stinger season, they are an issue at the beaches, not on the Reef itself. Stingers are not commonly seen at the Reef and all GBR boats will provide Lycra stinger suits in the small chance that a snorkeler encounters a stinger at the GBR. If stingers were a real danger at the GBR, boats would not be going out there.

I have been stung by regular jellyfish many times, so I can only imagine the pain you endured with a stinger sting.

Hello, we are in Cairns via the Solstice in March and are tendering in Cairns. Does anyone know where we tender to in Cairns and approximately how long the tender typically takes? We are trying to take a "non-Celebrity" excursion out to the reef.

 

Thanks.

I'm just starting to look at booking a scuba excursion and came across your post, so I was curious to see if you were were able to find and book what you were looking for or if you decided to stay with a Celebrity excursion. I am hoping by March they will be able to have the tenders figured out since it sounds like overnight is a new thing.

Does anyone know if the tenders operate early in the morning? If I leave early, I might be able to schedule one with another operator.

We are also wondering how the tender will work since this is an overnight port. We would like to book a private excursion to the GBR but that will depend on how late the tenders return to the ship.

Kim :)

We are on Celebrity Solstice visiting Cairns overnight in March. We like to do our own thing and are wondering what our options are when we get ashore with regards to transport facilities.

Are there shuttles into Cairns or do we need to get a taxi?

Plan A is to hire a car for the 2 days but we first need to know what happens when we get ashore in order to plan the best option.

Do any of the car hire companies offer meet you where you get off the tenders?

There will be a shuttle service running from the marina into the CBD. The cost is $15 return which will be pit on your cruise card.

There is a car hire company in Yorkey's Knob that will deliver to the port but seeing as your cruise is so close l doubt they will have any cars left to hire. Gem rent a car or Villa Marine. Give them a try.

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There will be a shuttle service running from the marina into the CBD. The cost is $15 return which will be pit on your cruise card.

 

There is a car hire company in Yorkey's Knob that will deliver to the port but seeing as your cruise is so close l doubt they will have any cars left to hire. Gem rent a car or Villa Marine. Give them a try.

 

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Thanks for the information.

My mum's doing this cruise and I just booked her a reef trip as well as a Kuranda Skyrail excursion. I found a site that has a special page set up for the cruise http://visitcairns.com.au/store/Product.aspx?ProductID=8f52d9d7-c624-4957-9a45-0cf5087eed08. I'm not sure if they offer any guarantees, but there were a heap of tours and cruises they list as suitable.

There will be a shuttle service running from the marina into the CBD. The cost is $15 return which will be pit on your cruise card.

 

There is a car hire company in Yorkey's Knob that will deliver to the port but seeing as your cruise is so close l doubt they will have any cars left to hire. Gem rent a car or Villa Marine. Give them a try.

 

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Good shout' date=' we left it [u']really late[/u] but Charles (Gem Rent-A-Car) managed to find us some wheels for our second day. We overnighted at Yorkeys Knob and after organising a car for the next day just spent time at the local beach.

Below are links to my blog which some may find useful.

Celebrity Solstice Postcard #36 – Cairns (Yorkeys Knob), Australia – Day 1

Celebrity Solstice Postcard #37 – Cairns (Yorkeys Knob), Australia – Day 2