My cruise with Coral Expeditions began with their smooth and generous handling of my travel delays. They went above and beyond to make sure I could embark as planned. Because of my delayed arrival, I did not get to see anything of Cairns.

The cruise itself went from Cairns to Cooktown and then along the Great Barrier Reef and back to Cairns, departing Monday evening and returning Friday morning.

The first night featured a spectacular buffet dinner in the comfortable dining room, where I met my fellow cruisers. There were only 22 of us, so everyone was able to meet and mingle. The other guests ranged from a family (grandparents, parents, and ten-year-old) to several retired singles and couples to a couple of middle-aged vacationers (including me). Everyone but me was Australian; I am American. We all got along swimmingly. Read more