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Reviews of Reef Encounter

4 out of 5
Reef Encounter
Cairns Marlin Marina - Marlin Jetty A, Boat: Reef Experience, Cairns, QLD

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 32 out of 46 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 9 out of 46 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 46 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 46 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 46 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Jane

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Got us right out onto the reef multiple times per day!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Michael

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Amenities
The ship was run down, a lot of signs that maintenance wasn’t a high priority. However if your goal is to dive and snorkel on the reef a “lot”, then you’ll be happy.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Deborah

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023
Response from Reef Encounter Reservations Team on 12 Mar 2023
Hi Deborah,Many thanks for the 10 out of 10 rating! We hope to see you again on the beautiful Great Barrier Reef!Kind regards,TaniaReef Encounter Reservations Team

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Awesome trip to the famous Barrier Reef.All was well organised, comfy, bed, lovely people around, amazing diving. Waiting for my next trip!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

BrosonTravel, Portland

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great luxury live aboard adventure. Stayed one-night as it was our first time on a boat and found the 6 dives over 2 days was great and tiring. The "premium room" is their Top Deck package and the upgrade was well worth it to us though only 3 rooms were booked as this upgrade during our time there and everyone else had fun too.
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from Reservations Team on 20 May 2019
Thank you so much for your review - we are thrilled you enjoyed your trip with us to Australia's Great Barrier Reef

10/10 Excellent

Tang

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Reef Encounter on 11 Apr 2019
Thank you for your review. We are so happy you enjoyed sleeping and experiencing the Great Barrier Reef with us.

10/10 Excellent

Amy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome stay and a great staff :) Memorable for years to come!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Reservations Team on 1 Mar 2019
Hi Amy, Thank you for taking the time to write a review of Reef Encounter! We're very proud of our staff and the excellent work they do on board. It is always our aim to provide the best experience out on the Great Barrier Reef, and we're so pleased to hear you had a great time with us. We hope to welcome you on board once again sometime in the future! Take care.

6/10 Okay

Diver, USA

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very overpriced trip. The yacht is very old. No cabin has lockers on the door - according to the stuff, that’s the policy on the boat. This mean that theoretically anyone can enter your room at any time. You can’t controll the conditioner in your room and in the dining area, it is freezing there. It’s a problem to get the fresh towel - you will be sent to use the only public dryer where everyone washed their stuff. The yacht has no shoe policy but the floor is pretty dirty. The wetsuits are literally tearing apart! I would say this is like a good friendly motel but they advertise and charge as 5 star hotel.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Jacqueline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Super stay
Fabulous trip out to the reef. The crew were extremely friendly and helpful, the food was great and the cabin was very comfortable. We saw loads of fish, dolphins, turtles and baby reef sharks. Excellent way to get closer to the reef.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018

10/10 Excellent

Stefanie, Hong Kong

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The hot tub is great and was very often in use. Great stay!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Debra

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This was an amazing experience! I recommend staying two nights. The staff was so accommodating and it almost felt like you were traveling with good friends! Food was delicious and beds were comfortable. Good sleep is very important to me,
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Karen, Memphis TN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Scuba/snorkeling
We were aboard Reef Encounter for 3 nights & everything was lovely! Food was excellent, staff were young and delightful. no complaints - would definitely return!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2018

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly recommend!
My family and I had an amazing 4 day, 3 night stay on Reef Encounters. The crew was terrific, food was great and the reef was incredible ... especially loved the night dives!
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

K, UK

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Tired and in need of a good clean
We booked 2 nights on Reef Encounter so we could snorkel and dive the barrier reef. We were super excited about the trip until the moment we boarded the transfer boat; Reef Experience. The staff were very young and everything was a bit disorganised and the safety briefing had lets say some crucial bits of info which were at best lacking. The advert stated that we would be served breakfast during our morning transfer; if an unbuttered roll with a half cold veggie burger and some cut slices of watermelon, pinaple etc counts as breakfast then we got it. Maybe my expectations were a little high i thought, i'm sure the food must be better on Reef Encounter as that's the 'hotel' boat after all, whereas Reef Experience just the taxi boat. On Reef Encounter, the departure was fine, the staff sorted out offloading our luggage. The welcome onto the boat was good and much better than the welcome we'd recieved on the transfer. We were shown up to our rooms. The bed was a good size and was comfy, the bathroom was normal size for a boat but there was a strange and unpleasant pong from the drains. Needless to say we kept the door closed on the bathroom as much as possible to stop the smell entering the bedroom. The food was advertised as 'gormet', it wasn't. Portion sizes were good but the dishes lacked any kind of seasoning. The snorkelling and diving provided was very enjoyable and the ships dive master was brilliant. The sites on the Reef we visited were amazing!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017

6/10 Okay

Dawn, Calgary

Liked: Cleanliness
Was ok
Food was great and a lot of it. Some staff were nice. Some more abrupt. No free introductory dive as told. Ocean was rough so if you don't have a strong stomach, don't go. Didn't see many fish as it was cloudy. Need the sun to shine into the reef.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Kim

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highly Recommend "Hotel" on the Great Barrier Reef
A really fun place to stay if you want to be out on the reef for more than a few hours. We stayed 2 nights/3 days. The boat is large and comfortable and well-outfitted for diving & snorkeling. We had a decent-sized stateroom. The staff were enthusiastic and fun, from all over the world, and did a great job taking care of guests' needs. Staying out on the reef is the best way to get in a lot of time seeing marine life whether you are a snorkeler or diver -- if the weather cooperates. Even in the bad weather, the crew did their best to keep it upbeat and fun for all. They proved themselves to be skilled and kept everyone safe. Oh - and the food was very good, and lots of it! Just remember to take your Dramamine...
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was great to have stay overnight on the reef, and we enjoyed the multiple opportunities for diving. definitely worth the experience.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome
Great staff, awesome snorkeling. You'll get tonnes of water time.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

10/10 Excellent

Wai Ling

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Diving and food provided was very good.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
CIO
Amazing time and amazing food!!!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
As Advertised
Great service. Price on hotels.com was for snorkeling option only. Time of our lives. Great service and accommodation. Everything as advertised.

10/10 Excellent

Jonathon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome experience for Great Barrier Reef
We did this to stay overnight on the reef. If you book through Hotels.com, you will still have to pay for the tax (per day that you are there) and any diving upgrades. This booking is only good for the snorkel experience but you can upgrade easily (you just have to pay the price difference between the snorkel and the diving trips). Overall the experience was great. The room was small but that's what you get on a boat. It was comfortable and clean. We spent all day diving on the reef. The employees were very courteous and helpful. We loved the whole experience!

10/10 Excellent

Pedram

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
So much fun. They staff take good care of you and the food is pretty tasty

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
2 days on the Reef was amazing! Great food and service staff went out of their way for all of our needs.

10/10 Excellent

Sarah, Hamilton, ON

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Once in a Lifetime Experience
Amazing!!!! Food was fantastic, rooms are spacious (especially for being on a boat) and staff was always there to help. I felt like I was on a floating 5-star resort. They definitely go over and beyond to make your experience perfect. Everything from hot breakfast the moment that we boarded our shuttle boat to carrying our suitcases on and off the boat. Everything was smooth and perfect! Thank you so much!

10/10 Excellent

william, Ubud, Bali

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Just do it.
We stayed for three nights. Everything was amazing. The captain. The crew. The food. The Accomodations. We will return again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great experience
Great staff on board and helpful to provide the utmost experience on the Great Barrier Reef for every guest.

8/10 Good

Doreen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

Spikie, Rhode Island, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not just a hotel, a unique experience
The Reef Encounter was the highlight of our Australian trip. The accommodations are comfortable and clean and casual. It's a great trip for anyone who wants to spend a lot of time snorkeling or diving. The staff were friendly and helpful. I was especially grateful for their patience and encouragement during the supervised dives. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the international guests on board. It did not feel overcrowded or overwhelming like large cruise ships. It is a great experience for active people at any age. It is not suitable for small children.

8/10 Good

Jennifer, Temple

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great way to see Down Under
Beware when you book through a third partyvendor that you are only purchasing a snorkeling package. we are avid, certified divers who were surprised when we got on board when we were presented with an additional bill in order to be able to scuba dive.We were also greeted with an additional bill for taxes. once you got that out of the way, we did a lot of eating and diving! the food was healthy, delicious and plentiful, and the diving was the same. we had booked the Top Deck package which was very special. we were assigned a young lady to take care of our every need throughout the trip. she was more than helpful, and made our stay very special, including setting up our private candle lit dinner table on the top deck where we watched the sunset before our night dive and returned afterwards for dessert and a bottle of champagne. You load your own equipment on your body, then lug it up and down a flight of stairs to get into and out of the water. if you're wearing a wetsuit, you've added a few pounds on the weight belt, and it's a heavy load.do that every two hours and you've earned the big meals being served!

10/10 Excellent

James, San Francisco

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very pleasant experience
The food was good. The service was excellent. The staff worked very hard. We had a very good time.

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
best way to see the reef
A great escape, this is not a 5 star resort, bit we had had a great experience and stay. Food was filling, but not amazing, staff was excellent and you can't beat being out on the reef. 7 snorkels/ dives in 2 days, no better way.

8/10 Good

WAI HUNG, Hong Kong

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good experience
The staff are nice and helpful, all meals are great! The schedule that arranged by the company is perfect

10/10 Excellent

David, Windsor

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
What a great trip!
In one word, amazing! In a few more, if you have never been reef snorkeling, imagine the best of National Geographic, make it 3D and interactive, and it will be close. Bonus: you get rocked to sleep at night by the gentle waves. Can't get that at the Hilton...

8/10 Good

Patrick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Très bien
Équipe jeune et très dynamique. Bonne organisation
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Reef Encounter on 31 Jul 2019
Thank you we are very happy you enjoyed your trip with us and look forward to welcoming you back

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness
Nous avions réservé 2 jours / 1 nuit. Nous avons été très décu d'avoir payé 950 $ et avoir eu la chambre moins de 24 heures. Ils nous ont demandé de libérer pour 7:30am le lendemain matin même si on quittait le bateau à 15h. Ils nous ont relocalisés dans une chambre "Transfer room" qui était en fait accessible à tous comme chambre de bain publique. Je n'ai pas pu croire qu'à ce prix là nous n'avions pas la chambre pour notre séjour. Très décevant
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Reef Encounter on 12 Mar 2019
Thank you for your review It is very disappointing that you did not read your booking conditions and your booking confirmation prior to travelling with us. Had you read the information that is on all of booking terms and conditions and on your booking confirmation you may have been more informed and been able to make a better decision. Like all hotels around the World we have a check in and a check out time as we have more guests arriving every day, this is why you were able to access your room on arrival at about 10am! We also have a packages for the people who do not want to check out of their rooms earlier called Top Deck Club which may have suited you much better. We are a small family owned and operated company who is passionate about outstanding Great Barrier Reef experiences - hence the reason we get so many 5 star reviews. We hope that you do read the information when you are next travelling and wish you safe and happy travels All the best Reef Encounter Merci pour votre avis Il est très décevant que vous n’ayez pas lu vos conditions de réservation et votre confirmation de réservation avant de voyager avec nous. Si vous aviez lu les informations contenues dans toutes les conditions de réservation et dans votre confirmation de réservation, vous auriez peut-être été mieux informé et avez été en mesure de prendre une meilleure décision. Comme tous les hôtels du monde, nous avons un enregistrement et une heure de départ car nous avons de plus en plus de clients qui arrivent chaque jour. C'est pourquoi vous avez pu accéder à votre chambre à votre arrivée vers 10h! Nous avons également un forfait pour les personnes qui ne veulent pas quitter leurs chambres plus tôt, appelé Top Deck Club, qui pourrait vous convenir beaucoup mieux. Nous sommes une petite entreprise familiale qui se passionne pour des expériences exceptionnelles dans la Grande

10/10 Excellent

Anne, Viroflay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Une expérience inoubliable !
Prestations impeccables : tout était parfait :-) Chambres confortables, qualité et variété des repas, équipage extraordinaire, ultra motivé et aux petits soins pour chacun des passagers, équipement, arrêts sur chacun des récifs choisis avec soin par le capitaine en fonction de la météo, plongées toutes mémorables, de jour comme de nuit sur des spots magnifiques ... des souvenirs pour la vie pour nos trois grands enfants, dont deux ont découvert la plongée avec bouteille, et pour nous mêmes !!! En bonus : un sèche linge à disposition pour récupérer une serviette chaude et sèche après la plongée :-) La photographe était excellente, ne pas hésiter à repartir avec les photos sous marines (forfait illimité topissime !). Équipage et passagers : tous top, excellente ambiance, chacun peut vivre à son rythme ! Nous serions bien restés plus longtemps que les deux nuits passées sur le bateau, nous ne nous sommes pas ennuyés et nous reviendrons avec grand plaisir :-)))
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Uforglemmelig liveabord på Great Barrier Reef
Uforglemmelig oplevelse ombord på en super serviceminded crew. Muligt at dykke optil 6 dyk (8 snorkel) på 1 overnatning på revet, som er helt og aldeles ubeskrivelig. Værelserne og fællesfaciliteterne var fine, men ikke noget at råbe hurra for. Crewet var enormt åbne og hjælpsomme med alt mellem himmel og jord - hvis man har tendens til søsyge, så husk søsygepiller på transferbåden - disse stilles også til rådighed blandt bådens gæster.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2018

10/10 Excellent

Anders

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A totally winderful stay
A totally outstanding stay. Very serviceminded and friendly staff. To stay over night on the great barrier rief on this boat is something i recommend to everyone that had the chsnce.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018
Response from Reef Encounter on 21 Mar 2018
Dear Anders, Thank you for reviewing your stay with us. The Great Barrier Reef is our backyard and we are happy to read you had an amazing time, we hope to welcome you back on board in the future. All the best

10/10 Excellent

Lloyd

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful experience
The daily routines are well designed packed with diving and snorkelling slots. Staffs are friendly and helpful. The food is much better than one would expect on a ship. The ship is quite steady, but seasick pills were also available (not that anyone needed it). Also I would recommend reef encounter over reef experience (one day trip).
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Angela Paola

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Bellissima crociera! Esperienza imperdibile!
Fantastica crociera di due giorni! Camere confortevoli, una per noi, al piano più alto, con una bellissima vista sul mare, ed una per le nostre figlie maggiorenni, al piano intermedio, più piccola e con meno vista. Sulla barca si sta scalzi ed è un susseguirsi di bagni in mare, molto controllati e monitorati. C’è l’idromassaggio, ma è quasi impossibile trovare il tempo per usufruirne. I bagni in mare sono di circa un’ora e sono alle 6,30 (prima della colazione), 8,30, 10,30, 13,15 (appena dopo il pranzo), 15,30. Per chi fa sub c’è il bagno notturno alle 18,00. Il primo bagno il giorno dell’arrivo è quello delle 10,30, l’ultimo il giorno della partenza è quello delle 13,15. In due giorni si visitano 3 diversi reef. Ci hanno fornito muta, pinne e maschere; c'è la possibilità di un giro sulla barca con il fondo di vetro. Abbiamo visto pesci di varie specie e molti coralli. Il cibo è ottimo e abbondante, acqua the e caffè sono sempre disponibili. L'equipaggio è giovane, competente e disponibile. Ci hanno lasciato la cabina più grande anche il giorno della partenza, ma ci sono cabine di transfer disponibili per tutti il giorno della partenza. Unico rammarico: non avendo fatto l'introduzione al diving durante il giorno non abbiamo potuto fare il bagno di notte; consiglio di prenderlo in considerazione anche a chi non ha esperienza, perché per i principianti il diving notturno viene fatto molto vicino alla barca ma c'è così tanto da vedere che penso ne valga la pena.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A faire surtout par beau temps
Personnel aux petits soins. Beaucoup de vent donc compliqué de plonger. Nous sommes restés sur le même recif pour les 24h. Sinon bon noveau de restauration et chambre correcte.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

2/10 Terrible

Georg,Ilona, A., Deutschland, Israel

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nie mehr! Taucheinschränkungen unakzeptabel!
Eigentlich wollten wir schöne Tauchgänge machen, was aber durch die Diving-Policy richtig vermiest wurde! Die Einschränkungen (30/40Min.Tauchzeitbeschränkung mit Strafandrohung bis 30000AUD!!!! werden nirgends vor der Buchung oder imInternet veröffentlicht, man erfährt es erst auf dem Schiff beim Tauchen. Hätten wir das vorher gewußt, hätten wir niemals dort gebucht, sondern bei Pro Dive o.ä. wo man eine Stunde pro Tauchgang tauchen kann ohne Zurechtweisungen und massiven Strafandrohungen. Darüberhinaus haben wir von 5 von 10 Tauchgängen am selben Tauchspot tauchen müssen!!! Wir werden u.a. wegen dieser massiven Beeinträchtigung sowohl bei Reef Encounter als auch bei Expedia Geld zurückfordern! Das Tauchen ist bestenfalls für Anfänger geeignet. Das Tauchen wird einem durch die Zeitbeschränkungen und Strafandrohungen schon vermiest, bevor man im Wasser ist, weil man ständig Angst haben muß, auch nur eine Minute zu spät aufs Boot zu kommen! Erfahrenen Tauchern und sogar ein professionell arbeitender Berufstaucher wurden ungerechtfertigt zurechtgewiesen wegen zweifelhafter Tauchzeitüberschreitungen von 1-4 Minuten (wegen an der Oberfläche hinabhängenden Tauchcomputern) bei Tauchdauer von 30/40 Min). Das ist ein absolutes "no-go"! Erst recht wenn man dann noch gezwungen wird, mit Guides zu Tauchen die null Ahnung haben, einem nichts zeigen, gerademal 3 Monate als "Volunteer" beschäftigt sind und nichts anderes zu tun als eine Mittaucherin mehrfach zu fotografieren bei 5m Sicht...