Before You Travel

In order to avoid forfeiting your non-refundable deposit due to an unforeseen personal circumstance, Coral Expeditions offers Deposit Protection.  This is entirely optional and can be invoked for any reason by the guest prior to 90 days before the departure date at 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 do not wish to travel on the cruise they originally booked. Terms apply with respect to forward notice of deferral requests, read more.

On many of our itineraries 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.  There is no charge for this. A qualified Dive Instructor will be on board for all our scuba itineraries. During your cruise, an introductory scuba skills session is complimentary, while all Resort and Certified Dives will be charged to your onboard account. Our Dive Instructors guide those who have never dived before through the resort dive program 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.

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Laundry services are available onboard.  Please note that these services are limited to basic laundry only.  Laundry bags and forms are stored in your wardrobe for collection by your cruise attendants. Charges for this service will be posted to your onboard account. As the service is for laundering only, please ask the hospitality staff if you require an iron and ironing board.

Wi-Fi is available in all guest areas onboard each of our vessels at a cost.

*Prices listed in AUD.

Owing to the impact on the ship’s electronic and navigation equipment, permit restrictions and remote area safety considerations, we do not permit Remotely Piloted Aircraft (Drones) from, or near, a Coral Expeditions vessel (includes tender vessels) unless permission is granted by the General Manager. Please speak with our Reservations Team to discuss.

To make the most of your 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 guests 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.

• Many voyages will carry a medical specialist on board. This will be either a doctor or a registered nurse. They will be on hand to attend to any emergency illness or medical issue experienced on the voyage. They will not be available for general or non-voyage specific health consultations.
• Our crew are medically trained as a requirement of their roles to meet Australian Maritime Safety Standards. We also have remote support from specialist organisations like the Royal Flying Doctor Service and various state and territory health facilities.

Upon embarkation, we will automatically open your personal shipboard account. We operate a chit system, and for your security, ask that you sign each chit as you order from our bar, shop or make any other onboard purchases. At the end of the voyage your account may be settled in Australian dollars cash or by American Express, Visa, MasterCard or Diners Club. On international cruises, it is often not possible to obtain cash at the villages and towns we visit. We suggest you bring enough local currency with you for the duration of your cruise.

Your cruise fare includes:

• Expert Expedition Team and Guest Lecturers
• An authentic, flexible expedition itinerary
• Comprehensive and fully guided sightseeing in each destination
• Lectures, workshops and demonstrations onboard
• All meals, chef-prepared on board
• Selected beers, wines and house spirits and soft drinks with lunch and dinner service
• Captain’s welcome and farewell events and open Bridge Access
• 24-hour barista style coffee and tea
• Use of all onboard facilities, including a reference library
• Snorkelling equipment
• Daily guided excursions on Xplorer and Zodiac tender vessels and kayaks where conditions allow
• All entrance fees to National Parks and Ports
• Gratuities

What’s Not Included:

• Travel insurance
• Alcoholic drinks including beer and wine outside of lunch and dinner service
• Internet services (available at a cost)
• Laundry service (available at a cost)
• Australian entry visas or travel permits
• Items of a personal nature including but not limited to phone and internet communications and bar charges (outside of the included drinks package as highlighted) laundry charges and souvenir purchases
• SCUBA diving

Following your expedition, you will receive a link by email to free download the images taken throughout your voyage by our Expedition Team. Please make sure that you have provided our reservations team with your relevant email address.

• Wine Selections
• Cuisine & Wine
• Our Crew
• Voyage Logs

With widespread community transmission of COVID, no setting is immune from COVID-19. Our pre-cruise testing regime served us well to operate over 100 voyages before our first cases onboard. The current environment is now different, and exposure is prevalent in all corners of society. Our vaccination and screening process coupled with our onboard mitigation and response measures ensure that the spread of COVID is well controlled and poses a far lesser risk of serious health issues than on land operations.

Vaccination of guests and crew remains mandatory and Rapid Antigen testing has a role in minimising onboard exposure. All the widely accepted safety activities including self-isolation, physical distancing, mask-wearing and hand sanitisation are critically important to follow – even if not part of local health settings. By following these simple guidelines, the threat of exposure is vastly reduced.

We evolve our SailSAFE plan at regular intervals in line with advice from medical specialists and government health authorities. In recent months federal, state and territory health authorities have released directions for the cruise sector which do not recommend PCR testing being required. This is also consistent with our medical specialist advice and settings in the broad travel industry. There are only marginal benefits in accuracy of testing that are not commensurate with the effort or resourcing required to conduct PCR testing at the current time. As a result,  as of 11^th May 2022 we have ceased the requirement for guests to PCR test pre-cruise.

Guests and crew are still required to undertake Rapid Antigen Testing with a negative result to board. This test occurs at voyage check-in and is self-administered in the presence of the ship’s medical specialist.

Our SailSAFE plan recommends a period of self-isolation which lessens the risks associated with virus contact pre-cruise. This will be self-monitored by guests, and we encourage guests to exercise care and common sense by following the local/regional recommendations at the time. Guests should avoid known virus hotspots and avoid mass gatherings or high-risk activities while also using hygiene equipment such as masks and practising handwashing, sanitisation and social distancing. The objective of this requirement is to limit the chance of contracting COVID from community exposure in days leading up to the voyage and avoiding the consequence of 7 days isolation on board should you test positive onboard.

We have adopted a vaccine policy involving a mandatory requirement for all guests and crew to be fully vaccinated status in order to travel. This is a requirement of our cruise permits as directed by state and territory governments. Medical exemptions authorized in line with Australian medical standards will be acceptable. Vaccination for children will follow Federal Health and AHPRA guidelines.

Our COVID-positive protocols are determined by the directives of the relevant state health authorities. These requirements are changing nation-wide as the pattern of COVID infections evolve and the response to COVID liberalises. Government policies in place at the time of your travel will apply.

Any guest who experiences symptoms of COVID onboard is required to inform our crew who will administer a RAT promptly. If you test positive, you must undertake a period of isolation in your stateroom to protect your fellow travellers, or ashore in a hotel or your residence on disembarkation.

Guests in isolation onboard will be served our normal meals and beverages in-room and will be attended to by our resident medical professional as required. Coral Expeditions does not cover any liability for loss of experience or other impacts associated with any isolation or quarantine arising from the voyage. We will not be able to offer any refunds on the portion of the cruise that is affected by COVID infection.

Isolation is required as a response to COVID positive cases and close contacts in all settings and it is the responsibility of the passenger to cover any incurred costs. We encourage all guests to take appropriate insurances and to understand and accept the inherent risks that exist in travel. Coral Expeditions will continue to provide stateroom lodgings, food and beverage and service in line with our product offering and saves no costs whilst guests onboard are isolated. We understand the disappointment that guests may experience if impacted.

Our crew follow the same requirements as guests prior to joining ship, plus additional testing. Crew members are always required to follow all elements of the SailSAFE plan, and crew who work across multiple voyages undertake RAT tests prior to the commencement of each voyage.

Yes, all guests and crew are required to have a negative RAT test prior to boarding.

You should not test positive on a RAT based on past infection and ongoing viral shedding.

During the COVID period, all voyages will carry a medical specialist on board. This will be either a medical doctor or a registered nurse. They will be on hand to attend to COVID related testing and monitoring and to assist with any illness or injury experienced on the voyage. They will not be available for general or non-voyage specific health consultations. All our crew are trained on senior remote area 1^st Aid and are very capable to manage health and wellness incidents.

In these instances, Coral Expeditions assess the circumstances and provide a future cruise credit to the value of 100% of the cruise fare paid.  The use of this credit is subject to availability. Read our Ticket Terms & Conditions.

All guests are responsible for their own travel and incidentals incurred in getting to and from departure ports.

As the science, infection patterns and government responses to COVID are constantly evolving, our SailSAFE plan is adjusted to represent the advice of our medical partner and government requirements. We encourage all guests to monitor our website and be attentive to updates emailed by Coral Expeditions to ensure that they are complying with the most recent versions.

Coral Expeditions will work directly with regional authorities to manage the situation in line with our SailSAFE plan in the event of a case on board. Our ships have the ability to isolate infected guests and handle some medical emergencies. In the unlikely event government directives require us to return to port prior to scheduled disembarkation, then guests and crew will be subject to prevailing local rules regarding quarantine and/or testing. Coral Expeditions will do its utmost to assist all guests inconvenienced by such directives. Any associated costs will be at the guest’s expense. We encourage guests to have travel insurance in place to cover such unforeseen situations.

Yes, Coral Expeditions has operated continuously for almost four decades and remains on a sound footing with significant financing leeway from our Australian bank and shareholders. We have returned to full operations since our successful restart in October 2020 and traded through all major financial and other disruptions to impact the globe during our time.

It is true that some remote Indigenous areas in the Northern Australian region are currently closed to visitation. We are in regular 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 status of planned itineraries no later than 4 weeks from their departure date.

To secure a booking on our expeditions, guests are required to make a 20% non-refundable deposit within 7 days of booking. As we operate small vessels with limited capacity, we cannot allow extended room ‘holds’ without a deposit. Final payments are due 3 months prior to your voyage departure, as per our Ticket Terms & Conditions.

All guests must review the official government websites of the states and territories they visit during their 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.

• Western Australia –Go To Official WA Website >
• Northern Territory– Go To Official NT Website >
• Queensland – Go To Official QLD Website >
• South Australia – Go To Official SA Website >
• Tasmania –Go To Official TAS Website >

There are some examples of where the health requirements on the ship are more stringent than those on land. Predominately this is in the directions for mask-wearing and the definition of close contacts. This is because marine vessels operate under industry-specific settings which do differ from land. Ships fall into a higher risk category in the judgment of health authorities and there is sometimes a lag in the easing of restrictions before they flow through to the marine sector. Our Masters will always apply the appropriate directions and they are available on the ship and as public documents of record.

We have no public health directive nor are there any comparative shoreside practices in any setting that justifies mandatory asymptomatic RATs at this stage of the pandemic.  We do not have a legal basis for compulsory health testing on our ships.  We are a private hospitality operator carrying paying guests. We have to rely on guests taking appropriate precautions pre-embarkation and on boarding, as per our SailSafe programme, and volunteering to test upon symptoms manifesting, similar to shoreside settings.  We have free Antigen test kits and medical assistance available on board.  We believe that at this stage of the pandemic, individual responsibility is more appropriate than mandatory testing.