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Reef Encounter

4.0 star property
Cruise ship with free breakfast, steps from Cairns Marlin Marina

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Reef Encounter offers a luxurious coastal experience with an outdoor terrace and spa tub. Guests enjoy a breakfast buffet before exploring nearby attractions. The on-site restaurant, lively bar, and attentive service are consistently praised by visitors.

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Hot tub
  • Bar
  • Breakfast included
  • Air conditioning
  • Restaurant

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 4 of 4 rooms

View all photos for Standard Double Room

Cots/infant beds, bed sheets

Standard Double Room

Highlights

Air conditioning
Private bathroom
  • Ocean view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Standard Twin Room

Cots/infant beds, bed sheets

Standard Twin Room

Highlights

Air conditioning
Private bathroom
  • Ocean view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Superior Double Room

Cots/infant beds, bed sheets

Superior Double Room

Highlights

Air conditioning
Private bathroom
Bathrobes
  • Ocean view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Superior Twin Room

Cots/infant beds, bed sheets

Superior Twin Room

Highlights

Air conditioning
Private bathroom
Bathrobes
  • Ocean view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 2 Twin Beds
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About the area

Map
Cairns Marlin Marina - Marlin Jetty A, Boat: Reef Experience, Cairns, QLD, 4870

Getting around

  • Cairns Station - 17 min walk
  • Cairns, QLD (CNS-Cairns Intl.) - 9 min drive

About this property

Reef Encounter

Upscale cruise ship near Cairns Esplanade
Near Cairns Marlin Marina and Reef Fleet Terminal, Reef Encounter provides a free breakfast buffet, a terrace and a bar. For some rest and relaxation, visit the hot tub. The on-site restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Additional perks include:
  • A TV in reception, luggage storage and coffee/tea in reception
  • Smoke-free property and tour/ticket information
Room features
All guest rooms at Reef Encounter have comforts, such as air conditioning.
Extra conveniences in all rooms include:
  • Bathrooms with showers and free toiletries

Similar properties

Outdoor pool, pool loungers
Mantra Esplanade
  • Pool
  • Parking included
  • Air conditioning
  • Gym
8.4 out of 10, Very good, 1,000 reviews
The price is RM625
RM625 total
includes taxes & fees
15 Dec - 16 Dec
Mantra Esplanade

Property amenities

Parking and transport

  • No on-site parking available

Food and drink

  • Free buffet breakfast available daily 7 AM to 8 AM
  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant
  • Coffee and tea in common areas

Things to do

  • Hot tub
  • Snorkelling
  • TV in common areas

Family friendly

  • Cot (surcharge)

Conveniences

  • Luggage storage

Guest services

  • No housekeeping service
  • Tour and ticket assistance

Outdoors

  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • No lift
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)

More

  • 3 floors
  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Cot (surcharge)

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Private bathroom
  • Shower
  • Towels provided

More

  • Air conditioning

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 7:30 AM; check-in end time: 8:00 AM
Minimum check-in age - 18

Check-out

Check-out before 8 AM

Special check-in instructions

There is no front desk at this property
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; your host will greet you
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 48 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation
The property is a ship at sea. Guests must take the Reef Experience catamaran from Cairns Marlin Marina, A Finger, to reach it. The catamaran begins boarding at 7:30 AM, with check-in and breakfast on board. It departs for the ship at 8 AM. To return, guests will check-out at 9 AM and arrive in Cairns at 4:30 PM.

Access methods

Host will greet you

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
Cots (infant beds) are available for AUD 50.0 per night

Payment types at the property

Important information

Optional extras

  • Crib (infant bed) fee: AUD 50.0 per night

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property

We should mention

This property does not have any lifts
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms

Property is also known as

Reef Encounter Boat
Reef Encounter Boat Cairns
Reef Encounter Cairns
Reef Encounter Hotel Great Barrier Reef
Reef Encounter Cruise
Reef Encounter Cairns
Reef Encounter Cruise Cairns

Frequently asked questions

Is Reef Encounter pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Reef Encounter?

This property doesn't offer parking.

What time is check-in at Reef Encounter?

Check-in start time: 7:30 AM; check-in end time: 8:00 AM. After-hours check-in is not available.

What time is check-out at Reef Encounter?

Checkout is at 8 AM.

Where is Reef Encounter located?

This vessel pulls anchor and sets sail from Cairns for at least part of your stay.

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Reef Encounter Reviews

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

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

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

Verified traveller

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

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

10/10 Excellent

BrosonTravel, Portland

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wai Ling

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