In February we enjoyed a fabulous 7-night Tasmanian cruise out of Hobart. It was our third cruise on the Coral Discoverer and it was great to see that the crew keep her in tip top condition. There were quite a few familiar faces in the crew, and all are friendly and welcoming. The cruise documentation states that the itinerary is flexible and will vary according to weather and sea conditions. We saw that flexibility on the first day when we were not able to visit the Huon Valley due to bushfires. The compensation was that we were encouraged to rise early on the first morning and we were treated to a stunning sunrise as we transited Port Davey. Every day was filled with shore excursions meticulously planned by Expedition Leader, Mark. Guest Lecturers, Catherine and Steve, both Tasmanians, gave very interesting short presentations on a wide range of topics. As well as their presentations, Mark, Catherine and Steve were with us on every excursion, sharing their knowledge at every opportunity. Steve lead most of the longer more challenging walks and was great at planning the walks, assessing everyone’s capabilities and limits and supporting and encouraging everyone during the walks. There were some hills to climb, but it was always very satisfying to get to the top and enjoy the stunning views. There were always less strenuous options available such as shorter walks, or a scenic cruise. There is no additional charge for any of the excursions. Some of the highlights of the cruise were the sighting of a pair of endangered orange bellied parrots, frequent dolphin sightings and seeing the amazing fur seal colony on Illes des Phoques at such close quarters. Then there were the cute wombats. Not only did we see lots of them, we discovered that the poo is cube shaped (and why it is cube shaped) and that they can outrun Usain Bolt over 100 metres. We were enthralled with stories of the early explorers and settlers. It was good to listen and pay attention as there was a quiz on the last day. All meals were served in the dining room with breakfast and lunch being hot and cold buffet style. Always plenty of variety. Dinner was 3 course a la carte. There is only a limited selection of dishes on the menu, but the chefs are always willing to be flexible with dishes, you just have to ask. The 2 chefs freshly prepare all meals for the, up to, 72 passengers, using local ingredients wherever possible. Passengers were often popping their heads into the kitchen on the way out of the dinning room to thank the chefs for their meals - how often do you have the opportunity to do that? Evening entertainment was usually DVDs relating to the area that we were travelling through. Most times though, it was early to bed to rest up for the next day's exploration. Much of the area that we visited is wild, remote and inaccessible except by sea. With the Coral Discoverer’s professional crew, we experienced it all in safety and comfort and it will leave lasting memories. We have our next cruised booked already. :) Read Less

We thoroughly enjoyed Coral Discoverer and the trip from Darwin to Broome. The whole team were very professional and as we said to the Captain on our departure in Broome the culture of the ship was exemplary – nothing was too much trouble and all went out of their way to make our trip memorable. The itinerary was ‘adjusted’ to take account of tides and weather and while we did not see some of the sites quoted in the brochures we saw others that more than made up for this. We cruised up huge rivers, experienced amazing indigenous art sites, saw ancient sandstone cliffs and walls, went by zodiac through the Horizontal Falls, and had informative explanatory commentary from the knowledgeable expedition leader and from the visiting naturalist. Some of the shipboard lectures were very informative and most evenings there was a relevant movie about the Kimberley, but it was not 'entertainment' a la cruise ship!! Not that we wanted or expected that mind you. Just explaining the rating. We are most satisfied with our decision to go with Coral Discoverer having now reviewed some of the other offerings available with this great experience behind us – the use of the large aluminium tender Xplorer for initial runs off the ship, and then transfers as required to zodiacs was a great way to experience the highlights – of which there were many.A great finish on the last day heading for Broome and almost on cue was a spectacular display by a pod of about twelve whales - the most sustained and beautiful we have ever experienced - serendipitous but very welcome! Not a cheap cruise/expedition by any means but very good value for money for this amazing experience. Read Less

Outstanding in every way. Food amazing and much variety. Cree and staff so friendly and helpful. Guest lecturers/guides very knowledgeable and great sense of adventure and fun. Cabin was large and had surprisingly good storage. The activities planned every day were fascinating and varied, and there was still something to do on board for those who was nted a rest. The scenery and other aspects (Aboriginal art, geology, animals and plants) were explained well. Take the helicopter flight and walk to Mitchell Falls if you can. It’s well worth it! The zodiacs were lots of fun and allowed us to get in close or land to see things. This was my first extended cruise and I enjoyed every minute. If you’re prone to seasickness, get meds from your doctor before going. I did and was affected only once at the end on the run through open waters to Darwin. Broome to Darwin direction was s good choice because it’s calm until the end. We went in late June. Read Less

Having sailed on the Coral Discoverer (previously Oceanic Discoverer) from Darwin to Broome in 2015 our party of six decided to "do it again" ie. enjoy a nice cabin along with great service, friendly staff, great food and drink offerings whilst we sail and view magnificent scenery, visit historic places, walk in wilderness areas, enjoy enlightening talks and films and have a lot of fun in the process. We were not disappointed, Coral Discoveries provided just what we expected plus some, another great holiday. The weather was kind to us as it has been known to worse down south, but that can be the case anywhere on any holiday. This ship has room for 72 people and carries landing craft where you can board and go ashore without getting your feet wet most of the time, The Explorer carries all 72 people on excursions, as well there are a few kayaks available and the larger inflatables for excursions when required. We are looking forward to our next adventure with Coral Discoveries, where? who knows as they go lots of different places.. Read Less

On the strength of a seven day cruise on this small ship (70 passengers max) around the southern coast of New Zealand, we booked for the seven day voyage around the east, south and west coast of Tasmania. It was flawless. the captain, Gary Wilson, and his amazing crew provided us with an extremely comfortable and luxurious haven from which to experience the extraordinary Tasmanian coastline. We had wonderful weather that allowed us a near-perfect sail around to the exquisite Port Davey in Tassie's South West National Park for two nights in this World Heritage wilderness; a pristine and sheltered environment that hopefully will still be here for generations to come. Congratulations to all of those environmentalists over the years who have resisted government and industry attempts to debase such magical places with unnecessary development. Access is strictly controlled and it became clear when we climbed several local hills for panoramic views of the labyrinthine waterways, extending out to the Arthur Range on the blue horizon. For me, this was a highlight of the trip because of the difficulty in even reaching Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour in bad weather. A serene sail across a mirror-smooth Southern Ocean took us up the east coast to Freycinet where regardless of some light rain, we again were able to walk up to another lookout over Wineglass Bay. Then it was onto Maria Island for a dramatic (weatherwise) stroll to the fossil cliffs before an unforgettable sail down the east coast past the highest dolerite cliffs in the world on Cape Pillar -- 300 metres! It was right there that the finale arrived in the form of a 40 knot gale, making scenes of those foreboding cliffs even more dramatic. Another highlight for all of and extremely well handled by our ship, the Coral Discoverer, which again proved her stability in rough seas. We had previously been in nine metre seas on the south coast of New Zealand in this ship and knew of her capabilities. An alternative tour of Port Arthur with an amazing guide who, we suspect, is a Shakespearean actor (or should be) before our departure in Hobart on a fine, clear morning. Overall, a wonderful trip to an unforgettable and unique destination. Highly recommended! Read Less

Great small ship experience sailing the Tasmanian coast. Extremely well organised. Food and guest cabins were above average. Quality of lectures, included excursions and hikes, professionalism of crew were exceptional. Crew were Australian. The captain was a historian. Ship was kept spic and span. Icing on the cake were fellow guests - well traveled, sophisticated but not show-offs, great conversations over meals -- and yes wine and beer included :) We had a cabin on C deck (second least expensive category). Cabin was not luxurious but reasonably spacious. Serviced twice a day. Daily linen change and very good quality linen (I am a stickler). Toiletries were an Australian brand. Good moisturiser (need it for the dry climate). A very different cruise experience - more like a large yacht. Tasmania is beautiful. Straight out a fairy tale. We saw seals, dolphins, wallabies, kangaroos, many different types of birds. Soaring cliffs and white sand beaches. Temperature ranged from cool to chilly. Read Less

We booked this 12 night cruise from Cairns to Papua New Guinea some 18 months before departure. Previously we had used the same company for a cruise from Broome to Darwin. Both cruises are quite expensive. We felt value for money wise and adventure wise that the trip from Broome to Darwin was far superior. On the PNG islands trip "The place time forgot" we felt that it was too much of the same. There was no adventure. I guess we should have given the trip a lot more consideration before going on it. Of course their brochure is a great selling point. All in all, the staff were excellent, the food was excellent but I would not do the trip again as it was not value for money. For example, at over $1000.00 per day for each guest one had to pay $3.00 for a bottle of water. Although there are desalinators on board there is nothing like a bottle of water. I couldn't believe we had to pay this per bottle of water. Quite miserly. We met some great people who also share the same opinion. If one doesn't make these comments future guests are really in the dark. So my advice is to really do your research before committing to this PNG experience. Read Less

We are so pleased we chose to explore this amazing region on the Coral Discoverer, from Darwin to Broome over 10 nights. This is a small expedition ship which had recently been refurbished and it was extremely comfortable both in-cabin and all around the ship. One of the reasons we chose this cruise company was the way they conduct excursions into smaller areas using their ‘X-plorer’ craft - a nifty vessel that can take all passengers into remote, otherwise inaccessible areas in comfort, with shade cover and on-board toilet. ( it can get very hot and you do need to drink a lot of water - so this was very helpful!) Passengers can board the X-plorer craft directly from the ship deck (perfect for mobility impaired travellers) and it is gently lowered into the water and then cleverly lifted back up on return to ship. Other operators seemed to only have zodiacs to do off-ship exploring and we didn’t fancy hours in zodiacs with no shade etc. So luckily we had the best of both worlds - the comfortable X-plorer, and several zodiacs available for even more close-up experiences {like the Horizontal Falls, the Montgomery Reef and Lacepede Islands) The Expedition Leaders and crew were exceptionally good with well planned excursions and information sessions. We enjoyed a great variety of meals, and were very pleased with the attention to special dietary requirements if needed. Special mentions to Expedition Leaders Steve, Tim and Sandy; Udo the Purser and overseer of all dining and on-board experiences; Captain Gary and the expedition crew. The Kimberley region is spectacular and this cruise enabled us to visit areas that would be totally unreachable by any other means - so extremely remote we did not see a single person on land anywhere, other than the people we were travelling with …but lots of crocs, whales, turtles, waterfalls, aboriginal cave art and stunning rock formations and colours. Not to mention spectacular sunrises and sunsets. The Lacepedes with thousands of birds and the sheer serenity and other-worldliness of Montgomery Reef (looks like the moon rising out of the sea as the reef is exposed at low tide) were standouts for us, but the whole region is simply awe-inspiring This cruise went way beyond our expectations and is a very special memory for us. We had cruised quite a bit before - Norwegian Fjords, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Baltic, Adriatic and New England Coast - and this has been our favourite... not sure why we left cruising our own country till so late, but so glad we finally did it! Read Less

Arguably one of the best holidays we have been on. Starting at the embarkation in Darwin which was like a well oiled machine, greeted with a smile and a "are you excited", it just all fell into place. The ship itself, having just been refurbished was in pristine condition but it was the people, nothing was too much trouble for the crew, daily servicing of the cabin with a turn down at night and it all seemed to happen without us even knowing. Food was a buffet for breakfast with all the usual items, mentioned one morning it would be nice to have poached eggs and next minute there they were. Lunch again was buffet and was probably the least enticing meal of the day but was still more than enough. Dinner on most nights was exceptional, barbecue on the deck was excellent with a huge choice of meats and salads. Just on two nights the meat for dinner was on the tough side but there was more than enough of other items so you did not end up hungry. The shore excursions along this wonderful Kimberley coastline was the highlight though, led by Jamie, Brian and Dave. Safety was the first priority in fact all aspects of shipboard and land adventures were prefixed by safety so cannot speak highly enough of their attention to this. Ian Morris, our guest lecturer, what a man, not only a pleasure to listen too with his knowledge of this area but his involvement with indigenous education and issues added so much to the trip. Negatives, to be honest I would have to be very picky, we had a crew member down so service on some nights waiting to get a drink was a bit slow, but when you have the scenery around you to look at and amiable company to converse with this was only a minor issue. This trip was recommended to us by our neighbours and we would have no hesitation in recommending it to others. Worth every penny. Read Less

One of the most remote and beautiful places in the world The KImberley in Australia's northwestern corner is spectacular The Coral Discoverer is an Australian built ship, flying an Australian flag and carrying an all Australian crew. Friendly, clean and professional they made the cruise a true "bucket list" adventure. It is a long way to get there but worth it The ship goes where there are no roads. 30 toot tides, reefs, sea life from crocodiles to whales. Amazing gorges, waterfalls and landscapes.. Places like King George falls and Montgomery reef, Price Regent and King George rivers will take your breath away. An open bridge policy lets you sit with captain as you navigate amazing waters. Cabins are bigger then average, and comfortable. No TV on this cruise, but you don't need it. Great daily lectures from a knowledgeable staff. Make the effort to do this cruise. You will be happy you did. Read Less