Cruises to Cairns

93 Reviews
Cairns (Photo:Martin Valigursky/Shutterstock)

About Cruising to Cairns

Cairns, Australia's closest port city to the Great Barrier Reef, was once little more than a jumping-off place to the reef or the remote Daintree rainforest to the north. Now, with the busiest airport and cruise port in Australia's northeast state of Queensland, and enough tour operators to plan a month of activities, there's reason for travellers to venture beyond the reef and the rainforest.

Most cruise passengers won't have enough hours to do the best of what Cairns offers -- a major diving or snorkelling trip to the outer reef, for instance, takes a full day -- but there are plenty of tour choices that are unique to Australia. They include a half-day snorkelling trip to see an amazing array of sea creatures on a nearby portion of the reef, hugging a koala at a tropical zoo, or just hanging around the beach of a city-built saltwater lagoon swimming pool designed to separate tourists from the crocodiles that frequent some of Cairns' ocean beaches.

Cairns is a pedestrian-friendly city that buzzes with travellers day and night. Don't miss its vibrant waterfront. Within 10 minutes from the cruise terminal (if you dock downtown), you'll find shopping, dining and, most important to the economy of Cairns, dozens of tours designed to get you out of town. Excursions include bungee jumping and white-water rafting, glass-bottom boat rides and a Skyrail cableway that runs above the rainforest canopy.

  • More about Cairns

  • Why Cruise to Cairns?

  • Cairns Cruise Port Facilities?

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Nautica
Nautica

22 Night
Australia Cruise

399 Reviews
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Celebrity Solstice
Celebrity Solstice (Photo: Celebrity)

15 Night
Australia Cruise

2,220 Reviews
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Seven Seas Mariner
Seven Seas Mariner (Photo: Regent)

150 Night
150 Night World Cruise

392 Reviews
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Regatta
Regatta

24 Night
Australia Cruise

423 Reviews
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35 Night
Australia Circumnavigation

1,112 Reviews
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18 Night
Far East Cruise

147 Reviews
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11 Night
Great Barrier Reef Cruise

734 Reviews
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79 Night
World Cruise

423 Reviews
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58 Night
South Pacific & Australia Circumnavigation Collect...

1,112 Reviews
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43 Night
Coral Triangle Great Barrier Reef & Far East

829 Reviews
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Cruise Critic Favorite

124 Night
124-day Grand World Voyage

1,028 Reviews
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28 Night
Coral Triangle Volcanos & Great Barrier Reef

829 Reviews
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10 Night
Australia Cruise

2,240 Reviews
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28 Night
Australia Cruise

2,240 Reviews
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Cruise Critic Favorite

31 Night
Grand Australia Circumnavigation

605 Reviews
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More about Cairns

Why Cruise to Cairns?

Pros:

The closest port to the Great Barrier Reef enables a half-day snorkeling or dive trip

Cons:

Most visitors will not have time to spend a full day on the reef

Bottom Line:

Weather permitting, see the reef by catamaran, yacht, helicopter or seaplane

Cairns Cruise Port Facilities?

Services such as ATMs, coffee shops, Internet cafes, restaurants, a casino, shopping and representatives for land and water tours are readily available in the Cairns central business district (CBD).

Outside the main cruise terminal, to the right, is a map on a signpost, which shows two choices for walking, both of which meet after about 10 minutes. Either way, you can't go wrong. One choice is a paved path along the water toward restaurants in a building called The Pier, which overlooks a marina. The other choice is to cross Wharf Street and follow the footpaths toward the Esplanade. If you choose the Esplanade path, you'll soon pass an ATM, an Internet cafe, a casino and a travel agency with agents ready to book day tours.

Good to Know?

Crocodiles and jellyfish. A good rule of thumb in Australia is don't swim where there isn't anyone else in the water, or if you see a sign warning against swimming. The estuarine or saltwater crocodiles are the largest crocs on earth, and they hang around muddy areas such as the tidal coastline at Cairns. The waters of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef are also home to two of the most deadly jellyfish in the world - the box jellyfish, which inhabits coastal waters, and the Irukandji. The latter is mostly at sea, but northerly winds can sometimes bring them to the reef and to coastal beaches.

Getting Around?

On Foot: Most of Cairns' city tourist attractions are within a 20-minute walk from the CBD.

By Taxi: Metered are readily available in the CBD for activities such as the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which is a 20 minutes' drive from downtown Cairns. Even if you call for a taxi at Yorkeys Knob, they can be hard to come by.

By Rental Car (called "car hire" in Australia): Rentals are available. Remember to bring your driver's license from home. Driving is on the left side of the road.

Currency & Best Way to Get Money?

Australia has its own dollar; visit XE.com for current rates. ATMs are plentiful and are the cheapest way to acquire local currency. Credit cards generally are accepted in shops and restaurants, though not at outside markets. Expect a foreign currency transaction fee from a few cents to a few dollars for each ATM and credit card use.

Language?

An Australian brand of English, varying in accent by region, makes even pronouncing the name of this town a bit of a challenge. From locals you'll hear CANES, CANZ (though never CAHNS), and something that sounds like Cairns with the "r" mostly implied by retracting and lifting the back of your tongue near the roof of your mouth.

The rest of Aussie English is a problem only when the speaker is talking about something you might never have heard of, such as a dingo or a wallaby, or using slang like "arvo" (afternoon) or "esky" (insulated cooler).

Where You're Docked?

Cairns has a cruise terminal on Trinity Wharf, minutes from the heart of the compact city centre. The terminal has an information booth normally staffed when a cruise ship is in town. Tourism reps can offer directions and a local map.

Larger cruise ships that cannot anchor at the main cruise terminal use tenders to ferry passengers to and from Yorkeys Knob, a northern beaches suburb located a 15-minute drive from Cairns. Cruise ships provide a shuttle service into the centre of town, usually for a fee.


Cairns Cruise Reviews
Cairns was an excellent port to visit. There was gangway access which made going to and from the ship very easy and the waterfront area was very nice.Read More
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PeterBanyo
Easy to get to everything: shopping, lagoon, botanical garden and everything else Cairns has to offer. Read More
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DutchMom
Hot day 35C. Walked from ship to the swimming lagoon. Flat walk of about 10mins. Wednesdays - lagoon closed for maintenance til midday. Walked the main Esplanade but not far as too hot. Had a delish early lunch aRead More
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aussielozzie18
Cairns is a delightful city with the ship docking on the edge of the cbdRead More
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SmoothSailingMax

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