Review - Carnival Luminosa - Great Barrier Reef

[aussielozzie18]

Port Douglas is a tender port.  Carnival again used the larger sightseeing boats to transfer us from the ship to the main wharf.

 

For this port, I was tossing up between “sail to the beautiful low isles” or “The Great Barrier Reef”. There wasn’t much difference in price and daughter wanted to snorkel on the outer reef for the day so “ The Great Barrier Reef” was the one I booked.

[aussielozzie18]

We went out to Agincourt Reef with Quicksilver.   Having heard that cruising out to the outer reef often involves rough seas, I had packed  seasick meds but we were extremely fortunate to have very calm seas.

 

On the way to their floating pontoon at the outer reef (90 mins from Port Douglas Marina) you can hire underwater cameras (get them quick they only had 20 on board), book a scuba diving tour, book a scenic helicopter flight or a guided snorkeling tour.

 

Their cruise to the pontoon had free tea, coffee and biscuits on the way across.

They also had an bar for purchases but with only 15mins of wifi access, they ran an individual tab to be settled on arrival back at Port Douglas.

 

On arrival at the pontoon, two staff members were handing out stingers suits and the masks and snorkels were easy to access.  A very well run system despite the large number of people wanting to snorkel. 

 

 

Interestingly, Quicksilver provide stinger suits that cover your head and hands whereas the  snorkeling tour at Airlie Beach did not.

Edited December 17, 2022 by aussielozzie18

[aussielozzie18]

 

 

So, we were off the boat, in our stinger suits and snorkeling gear provided and into the water snorkeling within 15 mins.

 

 

 

 

 

We snorkeled for 2hrs.  Saw a lot of fish.  A lot of very colourful fish.  Being such a beautiful calm day, the water clarity was amazing.  So clear.  Lots of big banks of coral (not sure if that is the correct term).  That’s where we spotted all the big fish but you would often find yourself snorkeling through large schools of smaller fish.

Daughter absolutely loved it.  I enjoyed it but was disappointed that the coral was quite dull.  There were a few pockets of bright coral but not many.  
 

In hindsight, we wish we had booked a paid guided snorkel tour as we would have loved to have seen a turtle and maybe we would have seen brighter coral?

 

The snorkeling was still very enjoyable though.

 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by aussielozzie18

[aussielozzie18]

After 2hrs, we hopped out.  

Helped ourselves to the buffet lunch - 10 mins before it closed - thankfully there was still plenty of food left - prawns, seafood medley, tasty salads and a couple of hot dishes.

 

Watched the fish feeding, then joined the last submersible tour for the day.

 

Start of the fish feeding.  There was a lot more fish & people after this photo was taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The submersible was a good option for those who can’t swim.

[aussielozzie18]

Then it was time to leave the pontoon, board the Quicksilver boat  & head back to port.  Plenty of free cheese & crackers on offer, cold water and cordial and the paid bar which was very popular as we all enjoyed a relaxing 90 min return journey, passing the Luminosa on the way to the wharf.

 

This was an expensive day tour with a lot of people (400+) but it was extremely well run with a lot of staff and it never felt crowded.  Blessed with perfect weather that meant perfect snorkeling conditions , we are glad we did it.

[aussielozzie18]

So many beautiful sunsets in FNQ

 

[aussielozzie18]

Had two sea days returning to Brisbane.  We made the most of the gorgeous weather and enjoyed the Serenity deck, sunset bar and cocktails.

 

One of the sea days, we passed Willis Island, the only inhabited island in the Coral sea.  
 

As we approached it, the Reef Pilot on board contacted one of the 4-6 scientists living year round on the island to give us a talk about Willis Island.

Fascinating.  
 

At 9.30am & 9.30pm every day a weather balloon is released.  This is done at the same time at similar scientific stations around the world.  We watched from a distance as the weather balloon was released at 9.30am.

 

The reef around Willis Island terms  with ocean life included endangered turtles.

 

It is also home to hundreds of terns and other birdlife.  These birds swarmed over the top open deck of Luminosa all morning.  Never seen anything like it before at sea.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by aussielozzie18

[aussielozzie18]

We both had an excellent cruise and whilst this was our first cruise with Luminosa, it won’t be our last.

 

And since I seriously considered cancelling the cruise 2 weeks out due to increasing numbers of Covid cases on cruise ships in Australia, I am pleased to say one week after disembarking we are both still Covid free.

[MMDown Under]

Thank you for sharing your cruise experiences.  Looks like you fitted a lot into your week's cruise and had a wonderful time on Luminosa.  Like you, I'd be happy to cruise on Luminosa again,  

[rkmw]

3 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Thank you for sharing your cruise experiences.  Looks like you fitted a lot into your week's cruise and had a wonderful time on Luminosa.  Like you, I'd be happy to cruise on Luminosa again,  

I found the ship good too and I have 2 more booked on the Luminosa and I think the CD Simon did a very good job

 

i found only about 50% of people masked up but I never heard of any covid  onboard and I’ve been home 3 days and had a rat test a short time ago and negative 

[aussielozzie18]

32 minutes ago, rkmw said:

I found the ship good too and I have 2 more booked on the Luminosa and I think the CD Simon did a very good job

 

i found only about 50% of people masked up but I never heard of any covid  onboard and I’ve been home 3 days and had a rat test a short time ago and negative 

I would say only 50% mask wearers on our cruise too.  Pleased to hear you are negative.  Certainly hasn’t been any mention of Covid on Luminosa in the online groups I am in.

Lots of cheap deals for the rest of this season, if we lived in Brisbane I would book one.  Enjoy your future cruises.

[buchhalm]

As far as snorkelling goes, I love the   GBR around Cairns and Port Douglas. I have snorkelled and some mild SCUBA at a number of places around the world, but the GBR was the nicest.

As for operators, Quicksilver is running BIG boats (usually full of Asian tourists), but are very well run and organised. One never feels as "just a number", and the staff seems to be genuinely enjoy their jobs.

Their BIG advantage is the pontoon setup. People who want to "experience " the reef don't even have to get wet if they don't want to. We have even seen a few wheelchairs on these tours.

 

That said, we much prefer the smaller boats. There is a absolutely gorgeous catamaran operator from Cairns/Port D. that does the reef and low isles. Small (er) groups and more relaxed.

On the sail back in the afternoon you relax on deck and somebody of the staff often plays the guitar and/or starts a sing along. 

Nice.

No option is exactly inexpensive, but not to do it would be a real miss. We have done it several times and definately do it again if we are up that way. 

[MMDown Under]

3 hours ago, rkmw said:

I found the ship good too and I have 2 more booked on the Luminosa and I think the CD Simon did a very good job

 

i found only about 50% of people masked up but I never heard of any covid  onboard and I’ve been home 3 days and had a rat test a short time ago and negative 

One of the women on our table of five at night tested positive when she returned home. 

[TrixieBel]

5 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

i found only about 50% of people masked up but I never heard of any covid  onboard

I know someone who was on the ship. They have posted on social media that they tested positive, were unwell, and was isolating on their cabin for a few days right up until disembarking the ship. 
 

So there were definitely cases happening on board… 

[MMDown Under]

7 minutes ago, TrixieBel said:

I know someone who was on the ship. They have posted on social media that they tested positive, were unwell, and was isolating on their cabin for a few days right up until disembarking the ship. 
 

So there were definitely cases happening on board… 

A woman on our evening table tested positive after she disembarked.  She is still positive.

[timtam2]

I was on this cruise also and fortunately did not contract covid. However, on the last 2 days of the cruise I did notice more loud coughing around, some of which were definitely hacking covid coughs.

     This was my 8th cruise since August and I have been able to dodge it so far. I avoided overcrowded bars, shared tables, the casino and the Limelight Room (comedy venue) - seating was too close and the ceiling too low! I also won't go on shore excursions. Sure, I may miss out on some of the stuff I would normally enjoy but I'm happy to not be sick. Cruise number 9 is in February so here's hoping my luck holds out!

[rkmw]

1 minute ago, timtam2 said:

I was on this cruise also and fortunately did not contract covid. However, on the last 2 days of the cruise I did notice more loud coughing around, some of which were definitely hacking covid coughs.

     This was my 8th cruise since August and I have been able to dodge it so far. I avoided overcrowded bars, shared tables, the casino and the Limelight Room (comedy venue) - seating was too close and the ceiling too low! I also won't go on shore excursions. Sure, I may miss out on some of the stuff I would normally enjoy but I'm happy to not be sick. Cruise number 9 is in February so here's hoping my luck holds out!

I was on the cruise too and I dodged a bullet I had a shared in the MDR for breakfast and dinner and did the comedy shows plus the shows in the theatre but I covered up most of the time but a lot of people didn’t , the ones that got covid I wonder if they did the right thing and covered up , I had a rat test and negative 

[MMDown Under]

1 hour ago, rkmw said:

I was on the cruise too and I dodged a bullet I had a shared in the MDR for breakfast and dinner and did the comedy shows plus the shows in the theatre but I covered up most of the time but a lot of people didn’t , the ones that got covid I wonder if they did the right thing and covered up , I had a rat test and negative 

The five people at our table all wore masks but not at dinner.  The others went to entertainment after dinner.  I only attended one event for ten mins.

[NSWP]

9 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

The five people at our table all wore masks but not at dinner.  The others went to entertainment after dinner.  I only attended one event for ten mins.

It is sad that many pax are missing on board entertainment and activities, trying to dodge the Covid bullet. 

[rkmw]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

It is sad that many pax are missing on board entertainment and activities, trying to dodge the Covid bullet. 

Hi Les I heard you were sick and hope your feeling better now 

[NSWP]

27 minutes ago, rkmw said:

Hi Les I heard you were sick and hope your feeling better now 

Thanks Bob, but not better, long bumpy road ahead, Cancer and kidneys.

 

I fear my cruising career is over after 28 of them.😪

Edited December 18, 2022 by NSWP

[rkmw]

35 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Thanks Bob, but not better, long bumpy road ahead, Cancer and kidneys.

 

I fear my cruising career is over after 28 of them.😪

Ok Les you take care 

[arxcards]

Thanks for your awesome review.

 

Covid is everywhere, but nice to see a much lower incidence on the ships cruising out of Brisbane.

 

I have made a note regarding the stretch Hummer tour. Sadly, Princess stewards seem to have forgotten the art of towel animals.

[MMDown Under]

23 hours ago, NSWP said:

It is sad that many pax are missing on board entertainment and activities, trying to dodge the Covid bullet. 

Yes it is a shame because I enjoy the musical productions on cruises.  However, I decided to make the most of my balcony in the fresh air on my last cruise.  I usually cruised in inside cabins, so this was a real novelty for me.  It was beautiful on the balcony at the break of day.  I would get a half a pizza cooked to order and a fresh cup of tea and soak up the atmosphere.  We were lucky to have hot weather and smooth seas, perfect weather for the balcony.

[aussielozzie18]

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

Yes it is a shame because I enjoy the musical productions on cruises.  However, I decided to make the most of my balcony in the fresh air on my last cruise.  I usually cruised in inside cabins, so this was a real novelty for me.  It was beautiful on the balcony at the break of day.  I would get a half a pizza cooked to order and a fresh cup of tea and soak up the atmosphere.  We were lucky to have hot weather and smooth seas, perfect weather for the balcony.

Sounds lovely.  You certainly had the perfect conditions for making full use of your balcony.