Port Douglas to Daintree Rainforest/Cape Tribulation/Mossman Gorge

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to see these 3 areas within a 7 hr time frame? The problem that I am having is our port time is 8:00-5:00 (9hrs) but with the tendering process and needing to be back on board 1/2 hr prior to sail away that cuts a tour to 7 hrs max. We also would probably have to do a private tour, as all of the full & half day tours, that have set times, either leave at 8am or return at 5pm or later, which won't work for us. Can anyone recommend a way, that it would be possible to customize our time, to leave at 9:30 with a return of 4:30?

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to see these 3 areas within a 7 hr time frame? The problem that I am having is our port time is 8:00-5:00 (9hrs) but with the tendering process and needing to be back on board 1/2 hr prior to sail away that cuts a tour to 7 hrs max. We also would probably have to do a private tour, as all of the full & half day tours, that have set times, either leave at 8am or return at 5pm or later, which won't work for us. Can anyone recommend a way, that it would be possible to customize our time, to leave at 9:30 with a return of 4:30?

I'm sorry, but it is not possible to do this tour in this timeframe.

To give you an idea, this is a similiar tour which departs at 7.00 am. It takes 2 hours 40 mins each way to Cape Tribulation -

http://www.daintreerainforest.com/daintree/listingNews.html?listingId=1039#listingnews-1572

However, all is not lost, as you could visit Daintree National Park and Mossman Gorge.

You might like to visit also the beautiful beaches of Port Douglas and north of Port Douglas.

you could visit Daintree National Park and Mossman Gorge. You might like to visit also the beautiful beaches of Port Douglas and north of Port Douglas.

Agree with the other posters about what is possible. Clearly the problem and challenge are all about the time and distance to get up to Cape Tribulation and then back. Daintree National Park and Mossman Gorge are very possible and so totally worth it.

We stayed in Cairns and did some great things inside Daintree National Park. You need time to get to these great places, PLUS, enough opportunities to see and explore this amazing locations. Below are a few of my visual samples to help prove that point. Also, we found Port Douglas to be charming, lots of shopping options, good dining, etc. Many more pictures and details on the full live/blog connected below.

Feel free to ask any additional questions. Happy to share more!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 76,604 views for this fun posting.

From the Daintree Rainforest and National Park near Cairns and Port Douglas, Australia, here are some samples of our exploring there. First, is one of the major waterfall, swimming locations along this river/gorge area. Second is an example of the mix of trees and other greenery growing in this unique blend of nature. Third, we were hoping to see more birds. This rooster (I think) was about all we got, but at least it was active and interesting. Fourth, we did a somewhat challenging 1.43 miles circular hike in the deep, deep of this dramatic rainforest. Lots of rocks, up and down paths, twists and turns, hard work, etc., as this picture illustrates. But we survived!! Even at our ages. Fifth, shows our group crossing the Mossman Gorge on this fairly long swinging bridge. Not Indiana Jones, but for us it was super spectacular. And, finally, the sixth picture is one of my favorites as it show John looking at one of these huge trees in the middle of this rainforest and contemplating its majesty, size and history. And I told John this morning, the picture shows his more photogenic side!:

For our "neighbor" to the east in Pennsylvania, here are a few more of my visual samples to help you consider your options in and around Port Douglas.

Three of these visuals are being posted for the first time.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 183,630 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

First, here is a coastal sample of the many beach areas, mountains, etc., as we were driving north from Cairns towards Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest. Beach were not busy. Almost nobody there. This is their summer and many consider this region as too hot and rainy during this time of the year.:

These two pictures give a little sampling for Port Douglas. Here and in many of these towns that get lots of rain, they have covered walkways in the towns to protect people from the rain and/or sun. Got to shop??!! In the second picture, this is a phrase learning experience for Australia. "Pokies" means?? It equals slots or slot machines being there and available. See you learned something here!!:

Here are three more examples from Mossman/Daintree. First is the new visitors center that recently open for this National Park. Next are two examples from inside of the wooded area, including the elevated walkways and going down into a rushing waterway parts. Nice to get up-close to these scenic areas. Fun park to explore and visit.:

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to see these 3 areas within a 7 hr time frame? The problem that I am having is our port time is 8:00-5:00 (9hrs) but with the tendering process and needing to be back on board 1/2 hr prior to sail away that cuts a tour to 7 hrs max. We also would probably have to do a private tour, as all of the full & half day tours, that have set times, either leave at 8am or return at 5pm or later, which won't work for us. Can anyone recommend a way, that it would be possible to customize our time, to leave at 9:30 with a return of 4:30?

Marion & Terry,

Thank you both for your replies. I still have not been able to find a company offering a half day tour that will work for us. I contacted Royal Caribbean and am waiting back for a reply from them regarding port tendering times, etc. and expressing my concern, that to be able to many of the tours, the port times just aren't long enough. At first I thought that 9 hours in port 8am-5pm would leave plenty of time for tours, but it looks like with tendering process, it's more like 9:30-3:30. Even if you only do a half day tour, the morning tours depart before 9am & the afternoon tours don't return until 5 or 5:30. This is the case with 3 of our ports, Airlie Beach, Cairns, & Port Douglas. I realize that we could do things very nearby but we also want to see a little beyond the beaches and mix it up a little.

Terry,

I have enjoyed and have gotten many ideas from your postings and is one of the reasons I was so interested in this tour. I am fine with skipping Cape Tribulation because I realize it is not possible, but still would like to do the Rainforest & Mossman Gorge, if you are able give me any ideas of how to find a place or have any contacts, that does tours in the time frame of 9:30-3:30. I would appreciate any tips.

Yes, we are practically neighbors and I see you broke your flight up with a stop in Hawaii, but we will have to do ours straight through :eek: because we are already maxed out on days off work. We are planning our trip for Jan/Feb 2016, 10 day Queensland Cruise with Royal Caribbean with 4 days in Sydney, before starting our New Zealand Cruise with Princess. Looks like you and your wife had a wonderful trip!

Have you considered renting a car and doing a self-drive tour of Daintree NP and Mossman Gorge? We've done it twice and it's easy to do.

The route from PD to Daintree is easy to follow (only one road to get there, so you can't get lost) and it's a well-maintained, little-traveled, 2-lane paved road, so you shouldn't have a problem driving it, even if you are not used to driving on the left. There is a ferry crossing at the Daintree River about 50 minutes from PD and the lines to cross the river can get long. So, if you intend to cross the river into Daintree NP, you best do that part of your trip first and allow yourself plenty of time to return in case there's a line at the ferry. From there, you can drive back toward PD and stop at Mossman Gorge.

An alternate day trip would include driving just to Daintree Village and not crossing the river. At Daintree Village you can do a bit of shopping and arrange for a river cruise where you spot crocs. You could then drive back to Mossman Gorge and finally return to PD. If things timed out right, you might even have time to visit the Wildlife Habitat in PD--well worth a visit.

Just be sure to arrange for your rental car well in advance. Same day car rentals, at least in the dry season, are rarely obtainable (voice of experience.)

Marion & Terry, Thank you both for your replies. I still have not been able to find a company offering a half day tour that will work for us. I contacted Royal Caribbean and am waiting back for a reply from them regarding port tendering times, etc. and expressing my concern, that to be able to many of the tours, the port times just aren't long enough. At first I thought that 9 hours in port 8am-5pm would leave plenty of time for tours, but it looks like with tendering process, it's more like 9:30-3:30. Even if you only do a half day tour, the morning tours depart before 9am & the afternoon tours don't return until 5 or 5:30. This is the case with 3 of our ports, Airlie Beach, Cairns, & Port Douglas. I realize that we could do things very nearby but we also want to see a little beyond the beaches and mix it up a little.

Terry, I have enjoyed and have gotten many ideas from your postings and is one of the reasons I was so interested in this tour. I am fine with skipping Cape Tribulation because I realize it is not possible, but still would like to do the Rainforest & Mossman Gorge, if you are able give me any ideas of how to find a place or have any contacts, that does tours in the time frame of 9:30-3:30. I would appreciate any tips.

Yes, we are practically neighbors and I see you broke your flight up with a stop in Hawaii, but we will have to do ours straight through :eek: because we are already maxed out on days off work. We are planning our trip for Jan/Feb 2016, 10 day Queensland Cruise with Royal Caribbean with 4 days in Sydney, before starting our New Zealand Cruise with Princess. Looks like you and your wife had a wonderful trip!

Appreciate, Brenda, your follow-up and nice comments. Agree with GradUT that getting a rental car would be well worth considering. We had a rental car and that worked well for us. Fairly simple and easy to get there and back. Make sure you get a car rental reservation done ahead of time. Port Douglas is fairly small and their "facilities/services" are more limited compared to larger towns/ports.

Added questions or areas for you or others where we can be of help? Keep it coming with the good questions, ideas and comments.

Yes, my wife and I had a super wonderful trip. We are now planning a Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo back-to-back sailing over 26 days. It's fun doing that future research, plus enjoying the results!! And the bonus of escaping the Midwest cold at that time of the year.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 76,864 views for this fun posting.

I've just come back from Port D and with a car you may be able to do Cape Trib BUT I don't think the effort is worth it. I would certainly get a car and I would look at booking ASAP. Thrifty is in the main street and Avis down near the wharf and would be my preferred because the cars are at least reliable. there are discount places in town as well but i wouldn't risk it on a tight schedule. Be prepared to pay a premium as single day hire is very popular.

Terry, pretty much standard to have awnings over the footpath right throughout Australia, even in local suburbia in places like Tasmania, Melbourne and Sydney. The usual exception would be original convict era buildings and even many of those have had them added.

I've just come back from Port D and with a car you may be able to do Cape Trib BUT I don't think the effort is worth it. I would certainly get a car and I would look at booking ASAP. Thrifty is in the main street and Avis down near the wharf and would be my preferred because the cars are at least reliable. there are discount places in town as well but i wouldn't risk it on a tight schedule. Be prepared to pay a premium as single day hire is very popular.

 

Terry, pretty much standard to have awnings over the footpath right throughout Australia, even in local suburbia in places like Tasmania, Melbourne and Sydney. The usual exception would be original convict era buildings and even many of those have had them added.

As much as I wanted to book privately, it looks like we will probably end up doing the ships excursions:rolleyes:, I just hope they have a decent selection when the bookings open up. This is really going to jack up the price of our trip because the prices are crazy high:eek:, but we want to get out & experience as much as we can at every port, as this will be our only trip ever to Australia & NZ. Guess this is where cruise ships make good profits, maybe they have some strategy going as far as their port times:rolleyes:. Still no word back from my message I sent RCCL, so it looks like a phone call might be necessary to express my concerns.