Contact Us
Our reservation staff are available Monday to Friday between 7.30am and 5.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time.
Find your important pre-cruise information here
VACCINATION POLICY | BORDER RESTRICTIONS | TRAVEL INSURANCE | HEALTH & MOBILITY | IMPACTS TO TRAVEL | WHAT TO PACK | SCUBA DIVING | LIFE ONBOARD | FAQs
Coral Expeditions have adopted a vaccine policy requiring mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all guests and crew. To prepare for your voyage, ensure you have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and provided details to the Coral Expeditions team. Medical exemptions are accepted in line with Australian standards. Vaccination for children will follow Federal Health and AHPRA guidelines.
All guests must also comply with our SailSAFE Plan.
All passengers must review the official government websites of the states and territories they visit during the voyage and complete the required border declarations and passes. Guests must be able to meet the entry requirements at the time of boarding to be approved for travel. Please follow the links below to the official government websites.
Travel Insurance is not included in your cruise fare. We ask that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance that includes (without limitation) coverage for the cost of your cruise, medical expenses, loss of luggage, cruise and land content and airfare charges that may occur due to cancellation, the impossibility of performance or unexpected events including other frustration, disruption, loss of deposit or strikes. This is a policy that protects you.
Due to the remote nature of our expeditions at sea, we also strongly encourage you to include remote area evacuation in your policy. If you do not have remote area evacuation insurance or have difficulty obtaining it, you may provide us with a signed authorisation that you accept all costs associated with an evacuation.
Coral Expeditions does not endorse or recommend particular insurance providers. However, our guests have had success with the following companies, which have been able to provide insurance for expedition cruises within Australia at this time.
You may also find more information through the Smart Traveller resource.
To fully enjoy this expedition, all guests should be in good general health, be able to walk reasonable distances over sometimes uneven terrain, and stand during excursions. Should you have any physical limitations please notify us in advance of your departure. We also advise that passengers carry a current record of allergies or any chronic medical issues and the telephone number for their physician’s 24-hour answering service. As our itineraries cover remote regions, they may not be suitable for those with serious medical conditions. Any ongoing medical issues should be disclosed to reservations staff at the time of booking.
We have made a successful return to cruising since October 2020 and our SailSAFE medical protocols are approved by all authorities. As a result, we are confident that our sailing schedules will operate as planned. We acknowledge that there will be government border restrictions from time to time that may restrict guests from travel. We will communicate directly with all booked guests and travel agents regarding affected cruise terms. If you do not believe you will be able to travel, you may contact us at any time citing a relevant government announcement and request a deferral. Note that the expectation of future announcement is not sufficient to grant a deferral.
If, at any time before a voyage departs, any state or federal government announces a) inter-state border closures; b) new quarantine requirements or c) ‘hotspot’ lockdowns that result in any of the following outcomes:
1. We inform you that we are cancelling the voyage.
2. You inform us that you are unable to join the voyage.
Guests will receive a 100% future cruise credit to defer their cruise. Guests will also be protected against any rate increases on like for like itineraries and will have no fees or charges applied. The cruise credit has no expiry date and can be used on any future voyage with Coral Expeditions.
Deposit protection is entirely optional, can be invoked for any reason by the guest, and requires an A$110 per person fee at the time of booking. Deposit Protection allows guests to transfer their deposit payment towards any future Coral Expeditions trip in the event they are unable to travel on the cruise they originally booked. Terms apply with respect to forward notice of deferral requests, Read More.
The above policies are an addition to our existing Ticket Terms & Conditions.
When it comes time for the exciting time of packing to depart for your cruise, we hope our packing lists assist you. More specific information regarding weather conditions in your destination is included in your Cruise Documentation which you will receive prior to your cruise. We recommend guests pack clothing that can be layered, depending on the climate of your destination. Find your expedition packing list below.
On many of our itineraries, such as the Abrolhos Islands & Coral Coast, Ningaloo, Great Barrier Reef and Cape York & Arnhem Land, you will enjoy opportunities to snorkel and scuba dive to explore vibrant coral reefs and spot marine wildlife. Our snorkelling and scuba diving departments are fully stocked to fit all sizes.
Snorkelling equipment will be assigned to all guests at the commencement of their cruise. A qualified Dive Instructor will be on board for all our scuba itineraries. During your cruise, an introductory scuba skills session is complimentary, while Resort (Introductory) and Certified Dives will be charged to your onboard account. Our Dive Instructors patiently guide those who have never dived before through the resort dive programme and also provide experienced leadership to certified open-water divers at each dive site.
For guests who wish to participate in either Certified diving or Resort diving (Introductory diving), we require you to complete the Divers Medical Questionnaire prior to your journey. This is for a doctor to review and assess your diving health. Based on this information, our onboard Dive Instructor will make the ultimate determination of a person’s condition and suitability to dive.
Yes, Coral Expeditions returned to operations in October 2020. Since then, we have operated over 80 incident-free voyages in Australia. We have an all-Australian Crew and domestic guest base. We have all approvals in place from federal, state and territory. Our SailSAFE Plan is tested and successful and is now being used as the benchmark for the cruise industry on a global level.
We are focussing on Australia’s domestic coastline for the foreseeable future and are operating voyages in the Kimberley, Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania, Cape York and Arnhem Land, the Torres Straits, South Australia and the West Australian coastline. A number of these are new destinations so we are discovering more of our home shores than ever before.
Yes, there is. We have a Kimberley availability tracker on our website where you can see voyage by voyage availability by stateroom categories. See the availability tracker >
There remains ongoing uncertainty with the environment for international travel of either an outbound or inbound nature. The Australian Government and major airlines have been quite clear that it may not be until mid-2022 that international travel is possible. Travel bubbles with safe regions like New Zealand and the Pacific are possible before that. At present, we are working towards attaining approvals to operate in New Zealand in December and January 21/22 and are hopeful that this will be approved. We have not scheduled any other international travel destinations until December 2022. In early 2023 we intend to return to destinations such as Papua New Guinea, the Spice Islands and our series Small Islands of the Indian Ocean.
We understand that there is uncertainty for travellers with regards to border closures and health concerns. If your cruise is unable to depart or you cannot join due to Covid-19-related circumstances or government travel restrictions, you will be guaranteed a 100% future cruise credit with protection against extra fees and rate increases. The use of this credit is subject to availability and does not have an expiry date. Read our Ticket Terms & Conditions
Yes, Coral Expeditions has operated continuously for over 35 years through various crises and remains on a sound financial footing with support from our Australian bank and shareholders. We have returned to full operations since our successful restart in October 2020.
It is true that some remote indigenous areas in the Northern Australian region are currently closed to visitation. We are in regular weekly contact and are updated with the most current status. Coral Expeditions will always comply with federal, state and territory law and will comply with the wishes of local communities and landowners. As an expedition company, we have alternate itinerary options available to us in the event of weather interruptions or local community issues. As it is an evolving environment, we commit to guests that we will update them with the current status of planned itineraries no later than 4 weeks from their departure date.
Travel Insurance is not included in your cruise fare. We ask that you purchase comprehensive travel insurance that includes (without limitation) coverage for the cost of your cruise, medical expenses, loss of luggage, cruise and land content and airfare charges that may occur due to cancellation, the impossibility of performance or unexpected events including other frustration, disruption, loss of deposit or strikes. This is a policy that protects you.
Due to the remote nature of our expeditions at sea, we also strongly encourage you to include remote area evacuation in your policy. If you do not have remote area evacuation insurance or have difficulty obtaining it, you may provide us with a signed authorisation that you accept all costs associated with an evacuation.
Coral Expeditions does not endorse or recommend particular insurance providers. However, our guests have had success with the following companies, which have been able to provide insurance for expedition cruises within Australia at this time.
> CGU
> Cover-More
> Medibank Private
> Fast Cover
> NIB
> Global Response
You may also find more information through the Smart Traveller resource.
We encourage anyone seeking information on arrivals or departures from Australia to access information from the Department of Home Affairs website at the following link
Coming to Australia | COVID-19 and the border (homeaffairs.gov.au)
Border information for both domestic and international is subject to change at any time and guests should be monitoring key information related to their voyage destinations.
To secure a booking on our expeditions, guests are required to make a 20% non-refundable deposit within 7 days of booking. Final payments are due 3 months prior to your voyage departure, as per our Ticket Terms & Conditions.
Once you make a booking, our team will send you a confirmation that outlines key information about your voyage. Along the way and in the lead up to your departure date, we will also send you or your travel agent important information including.
Our website is a rich source of information and the webpage for your itinerary contains pre-and post-cruise recommendations and links to packing lists and travel insurance assistance. Other resources, including SailSAFE FAQs, PCR Test Guide, and updates to Your Upcoming Voyage can be found at their respective links.