Discover why our Top Deck Club tour is the best way to see Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Get the “Celebrity Feel” with our fantastic day tour.

Enjoy more personalised service, private seating and a relaxed day in the exclusive Captain’s Wheelhouse top deck lounge as we cruise to our pristine Reef locations.

You enjoy all standard day tour inclusions, plus you get your own valet for the day – providing an unbeatable level of customer service both at the reef and on the boat.

You will discover the natural wonders of the Great Barrier Reef with your personalised snorkel tour and guided introductory or certified dive.

 

Top Deck Highlights:

Personal Valet


Both onboard and in the water, your personal crew member ensures your trip flows the way you want it to. From the moment you board until you wave goodbye, you can relax in the knowledge that all of your needs are taken care of.

In-water Guide

Cairns Best reef cruise
Whether you are snorkelling, scuba diving or both, your personal crew member will be there to guarantee you a fun and safe experience.

VIP Seating

Top Deck Club
Travel like VIP

You get reserved table seats in the Captain’s wheelhouse. No need to worry about space for you and your luggage, it’s taken care of with our exclusive seating arrangements.

Skip the queues


Top Deck Club guests are priority passengers, and as such, you won’t wait in line for check-in, meals or collecting equipment. Your personal crew member will bring everything to you in the comfort of your own seating area.

Dine-in style

Couple on Top Deck having lunch
As you make yourself comfortable on the top deck in the wheelhouse, you will be served a cooked a la carte breakfast with bacon, eggs, croissants, spinach and mushrooms, accompanied by a fresh tropical fruit platter and freshly brewed local tea and coffee.

Our on-board chef will personally prepare your delicious lunch, made with local produce and served directly to your table.

We cater to you!

Cairns best snorkel/dive tour
Get spoiled

We cater to all dietary requirements. Please advise upon booking.

On the journey back into the Cairns Marina, you will be served a complimentary glass of Australian sparkling wine and a cheese and fruit platter.

 

Note!

Minimum of two people required for all Top Deck Club bookings

 

Highlights

Great Barrier Reef Highlights

  • A personal valet/guide both onboard and in the water.
  • Private guided snorkel tours and scuba dive tours for that extra in-water care and attention.
  • Reserved VIP Seating in the Captain’s wheelhouse.
  • During your Top Deck Club experience, your valet will organise everything for you
  • Dine-in style!   Enjoy your fresh, chef-prepared meals delivered to your table.
  • Plunger coffee and tea
  • 6 hours at the Great Barrier Reef
  • Unlimited Snorkelling
  • Next, enjoy scuba diving for both certified and introductory divers.
  • Glass Bottom Boat Tour – combined with other passengers (weather permitting)
  • Including round trip, bus transfers  Cairns City Accommodation
  • Marine Biology Presentation – combined with other passengers
  • Large Sun Deck with sunbeds
  • Cheese and fruit platter
  • Sparkling wine on the return journey.

Itinerary

Reef Experience Top Deck Club Itinerary

  • 07:30 – First board Reef Experience boat at the Cairns Marina ‘A-Finger’ for check-in
  • 08:00 –Departure and safety Talk with snorkel briefing
  • 08:30 – Marine Biology presentation, followed by detailed scuba dive briefing for those participating
  • 09:30 – Arrive at our first spectacular reef site, snorkel and scuba dive
  • 10:30 – Glass Bottom Boat Tour (approximately 20-minute tour)
  • 12:30 – Lunch
  • 13:00 – Cruise to our second location
  • 15:00 – Depart the Great Barrier Reef
  • 15:30 – Glass of wine, tropical fruits, cheese and biscuits
  • 16:30 – Arrive back in Cairns

Included

  • Round Trip bus transfers from Cairns accommodation
  •  Personal valet assigned to you for the day
  • A la carte Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea
  • Plunger coffee and tea
  • Australian sparkling wine on return from the reef
  • Access to the Captain’s wheelhouse Top Deck Club Lounge.

*minimum of 2 people per booking.

Optional Extras

  • Underwater Digital Camera Hire
  • Snack Bar Purchases: Soft drinks, chocolate, chips and alcohol etc.
  • Great Barrier Reef souvenirs – T-shirts, hats etc
  • Bus transfers from accommodation outside of the Cairns Business Area
  • Second Scuba Dive

What to bring

  • Cash and/or credit card for purchases
  • Swimming Clothes, Towel, Hat and Sunglasses,
  • Proof of qualification if you’re a Certified Diver

How to get there

Reef Experience Top Deck Club departs from
Cairns Marina: ‘A-Finger’ View map to Cairns Marlin Marina

Start boarding at 7:30 am for check-in directly on the Reef Experience vessel.

Arrive back at Cairns Marina at approximately 4:30 pm

Where Can I Park?

Several parking stations throughout Cairns are within walking distance of the Marina.  Click here to see where

Important Information

Reef Experience Important Information for Scuba Diving

We have a passion for showing you Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

The best way to see the Great Barrier Reef is in the water, so please make sure you understand the scuba diving laws.

Queensland, Australia, has the strictest scuba diving rules globally and the safest scuba diving record.

We are regulated by the Queensland Government Code of Practice and comply with all regulations, including medical as is the law.

We recommend that all of our passengers complete our dive medical questionnaire.  Some medical conditions, age, and medications may prevent you from scuba diving.

Our mission is to provide our passengers with the very best Great Barrier Reef experience.

Reef Experience Medical Questionnaire

Our office will be delighted to help you with any questions you may have.   

Please contact our office on 07 4037 2700 or email us. 

Alternatively, you may like to consult your Doctor for a Dive Medical using the Australian Standard Forms’ AS.4005.1

Flying after Scuba Diving

Do not fly for 18 hours after a scuba dive for a single no decompression scuba dive.

Do not fly for 24 hours after your last dive for multiple dives.

If Skydiving or Hot Air Ballooning, you must wait 24 hours after your dive.

We recommend waiting a minimum of 24 hours whenever possible.

Departs

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33 Reviews for “Top Deck Club Day Tour”

  1. Tania
    5

    Had an absolutely wonderful day!! I’ve waited 37 years to see the Barrier reef and it was everything i dreamed it would be. Kate, our Valet, made the experience that little bit more enjoyable. Being able to retreat to the cabin for served meals and chats with the staff or Captain added to the experience just that little bit. We were able to Snorkel & Dive on our own which helped with the experience & was it was just perfect. My partner and I enjoyed the day immensely. Thank you everyone xxx

    Reply
  2. michelle Y.
    5

    The best day tour we had. We couldn't ask for a better concierge/guide than James. From the food service to the privately guided snorkeling, it was worth every penny and more. Thanks again James.

    Reply
  3. Brandon murphy
    5

    Leroy and jade were fantastic! As our top deck people they made sure we had plenty of food and drink and then guided us through the water ensuring we had the best possible experience

    Reply
  4. Kaitlin Diaz
    5

    The Reef Experience was hands-down a bucket list experience for me! I visited Australia for the first time with my parents and knew I wanted to swim in the Great Barrier Reef. We opted for the Top Deck upgrade which was definitely worth it! We sat in the wheelhouse of the boat with the Captain and had our own personal guide. It was definitely a VIP experience worth the price! Our guide was there for any questions we had and brought us a fantastic Aussie breakfast and amazing chicken/steak lunch! We had our own private comfortable table which made us feel safe with our belongings. Our guide got our equipment ready for us and made sure we were the first ones in the water at both stops. I opted to do the "resort" scuba dive, as I am not certified, and snorkeling. Having our own personal guide for just the 3 of us was perfect for this experience! As I have never scuba dived before it was amazing having him there with me and helping me through the experience. If we had not done the Top Deck upgrade, I would have been place with 10-15 other un-certified divers and would have been very overwhelmed. Since we did have a personal guide, I was able to scuba dive for 30 minutes at 24 feet! The Reef Experience was just amazing! The boat was beautiful and the staff were so friendly. Both of our reef spots were stunning with a gorgeous reef and sooo many fish! Highly recommend the Reef Experience and the Top Deck upgrade!!

    Reply
  5. Ron & Sue
    5

    The Top Deck was really worthwhile to make our day amazing. We had unbelievable weather and visibility, but the flexibility of this company to anchor in different locations enabled the best advantage to be taken of the conditions. On Top Deck, we had our own guide so could maximise the time for snorkelling and diving. We have had nearly 50 years snorkelling and diving experience, much of this on the GBR, and still rated this as a fabulous day. Lots of good coral and reef fish. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned the food and service on board. Thanks to Boris for looking after us so very well.

    Reply
  6. Madelyn O'Mally
    5

    The crew were very friendly, nice and happy to help. They were absolutely amazing! Aisah looked after me so well and helped me snorkel. She pointed out stuff and if she wasn't there I would probably miss stuff, she was so welcoming. Thank you Aisah and Thank you for the great day!!!

    Reply
  7. Nadine O'Mally
    5

    Aishah was so welcoming and her service was above expectations. She was wonderful with my daughter snorkelling. The crew were absolutely Awesome! So friendly and happy to help. Great sense of humour too. The best part of the day was All of it!!!! I will definitely recommend this to others.

    Reply
  8. Tracy Westerfield
    5

    This was the best part of our trip to Australia from the United States. The staff were exceptional and we were so cared for the entire day. TOP DECK is the way to go, I would do it again for sure! Val was our guide for the day and she was a real gem, and made me feel safe in the water.

    Reply
  9. Deb and Rebecca
    5

    Worth the extra fee for Top Deck! This was such a fun day! Shinee was our attendant and her positive attitude, good sense of humor and desire for us to have an amazing adventure made our first visit to the Great Barrier Reef and our first snorkeling and scuba experiences better than we could ever have imagined. Also Martin was there with the other two up top with us, and he was great as well. We would go with this company again. Thanks so much to Shinee!

    Reply
  10. Gareth and Helen
    4

    Fab day out with good food and great crew would highly recommend diving great experience, thank you all for making a great day

    Reply
  11. Carole Richings
    5

    We all had one of the best days of our lives , the reef experience was amazing, thanks especially goes to shinini who was with us throughout the day . She helped me , complete a dream to dive on the Great Barrier Reef , thank you x

    Reply
  12. Annabel
    5

    We had an amazing experience in top deck when we went out on the reef. Shinee was so lovely and made sure our family had a great time.

    Reply
  13. Ming
    5

    We had an amazing experience in top deck when we went out on the reef. Shine looked after our entire family and made sure we all had a great time.

    Reply
  14. Colin K
    5

    The crew is AMAZING! Everyone is friendly and has a passion for their job. Shout out to Shinee for looking after us. There was such friendly service -- seeing the GBR in person and trying scuba diving for the first time were amazing! We would definitely recommend this 10/10 5 stars!!!

    Reply
  15. Kurt & Sarah
    5

    Can’t recommend this package & crew enough. Not having to wait for anything meant we had more time enjoying the reef. Val was awesome, as was the rest of the team. It was fantastic having VIP access to our own area & to be so well looked after on & off the boat. We even got to meet Frank the fish! The reef was spectacular & can’t wait to do it again in the future!!

    Reply
  16. Jill N Lord
    5

    We had a fantastic day from start to finish with Reef Experience. The Top Deck experience was amazing, felt like VIP's all day. Shinee took care of everything and made it a great day. The barrier reef was spectacular.

    Reply
  17. Stephanie Davison
    5

    The crew were very friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef was the very best part of our day. Everyone was great. VIP package well worth it for us. It really helped to have a private instructor for someone who was never dived before.

    Reply
  18. Josh Foster
    5

    The crew were amazing and very attentive to any needs. Diving the Great Barrier Reef was of course the best part of the day. Sea turtles, plethora of fish and even a school of small jellies made today and experience Ill never forget. Shinee is an incredible asset to your team! She was accommodating to any situation even when my wife's nose started bleeding. I would definitely recommend Reef Experience to anyone looking to dive the Great Barrier Reef

    Reply
  19. Anna Zarb
    5

    AMAZING! Everyone was incredible. We had Nikki as our person today but all the guys downstairs - incredible - thank you. The best parts of the day were seeing a turtle, being looked after so well by Nikki, the vibe of the whole tour, intro dive with Nikki and the marine biology tour. We loved it and would recommend Top Deck Tour to everyone

    Reply
  20. Lalani and Dan
    5

    We couldn't recommend the Top Deck experience more highly! As a nervous beginner wanting to try an intro to scuba diving my partner was so well looked after and attended to! We also enjoyed extensive guided snorkelling, a very informative talk by a Marine Expert and delicious food and beverages all day. The cheese and fruit platters and wine on the return trip were just perfect. The top deck experience was the highlight of our holiday in Cairns. Thank you so much guys and girls and especially Niki our instructor who made Dan feel much more confident!

    Reply
  21. Shane
    5

    We booked Reef Experience for the one on one attention! the crew were amazing, super friendly and courteous! Went above and beyond to make of our trip a truly VIP experience. They all seem to love their jobs, and it shows in the care with the customers! The entire VIP experience was exactly what we were looking for, the staff, food, and service exceeded our expectations. The second dive for the day was the best! Thanks to the entire staff, specially Michelle, for taking care of every step of the day, and making sure we had everything we needed and more! Thank you so much! the food was terrific!

    Reply
  22. Karen L.
    5

    We came on Reef Experience to see the reef and cross at bucket list. The crew were fantastic! The best part of our day was learning to Scuba dive to experience the reef. Awesome trip! I will recommend it and I will do it again :)

    Reply
  23. Jodie & family
    5

    We loved our Top Deck experience. Michelle took great care of us with everything we needed. It was so reassuring to have a snorkel guide and Michelle pointed out lots of things of interest to us. We felt special being in the Captain's wheelhouse, with so much room to relax and be comfortable. What a wonderful day!

    Reply
  24. Julia
    5

    I forgot to add the stars with my review, Sorry bout that :)

    Reply
  25. Julia
    5

    My husband, son and I decided to book the Top Deck option with Reef Experiences. The beautiful Shinnie met us as we arrived and the start of our amazing day began. We were taken to the top deck of the boat where we were seated in a reserved area. We were sized up for our wetsuits etc and then presented with a large plate of fresh fruit and a delicious breakfast. As I was not diving, Shinnie organised for me to do some snorkling with another group, before she head off with my husband and son for their dive. We had a beautifully prepared and delicious lunch as well as another large plate of fruit in the afternoon. The Marine Biologist Michelle was fantastic and we were able to go snorkeling with her during the afternoon, which was amazing, As far as the staff went, they were energetic, helpful and fun, Informative and patient. Everything we hoped for. Thanks to Shinnie, McKenzie, Michelle, Skipper Jason and all the staff for an amazing day and helping us make some beautiful family memories. We will definitely be back.

    Reply
  26. Sean Satterwhite
    5

    The entire crew was very welcoming and made sure we were comfortable throughout the whole experience. Mackensea was super friendly and a great guide in the water! The food was exquisite, the reef was beautiful, and finally got the chance to swim with a shark. Would highly recommend this for anyone.

    Reply
  27. Kathy Gray
    5

    Amazing day out. Meg as our host. Highly recommend.

    Reply
  28. Kim Dandy
    5

    We highly recommend the TOP DECK cruise, worth every extra cent! We were welcomed with friendly smiles and fantastic meals and snacks throughout the day. The breakfast and lunch were better then ever expected. Throughout the day our personal valet Michael helped us to feel comfortable in and out of the water. As a non confident swimmer with a huge fear of sharks and deep water, I never expected to scuba dive in my life but he made me feel at ease to give it a go and I ended up purchasing the second dive at the next site, I loved it!!. Because of the Top Deck package Michael stayed with my husband and myself only under water giving us a comfortable and fantastic experience seeing fish, turtles and more. For anyone feeling nervous about experiencing the great barrier reef or wanting the best experience, The Topdeck is the only way to go.

    Reply
  29. Sylvia Z
    5

    Sorry. It was a typo in my last review . I was trying to give 5 stars. Now here we go!

    Reply
    • Karen

      Karen

      Thank you so much Sylvia - we are so thrilled that you enjoyed your Top Deck experience so much - we think it is pretty special too. We will pass on your thanks to Michael too. Hope we have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future.

      Reply
  30. Sylvia Z
    5

    This a wonderful experience with Top Deck package. It is a very customised and VIP service. I have to say a great thank to our personal valet - Michael who is very friendly, supportive and patient and gave us an unforgettable and amazing reef experience . I will come again with Reef Experience next time with my hubby. Hope we can meet Michael again ! I will recommend reef experience to my friends.

    Reply
  31. Lorna Conaghan
    5

    Wonderful day out. Picked up from our hotel, breakfast on the boat. Great motoring out for one and and a half hours then the water fun began. You can get help with snorkelling, scuba or diving for a couple of hours then lunch. Repeat for the afternoon. Almost nine hours of excellence from a warm, friendly,knowledgeable crew. Well worth the trip.

    Reply
  32. Kenneth Bihn
    5

    We did the Reef experience with VIP Top Deck on the Sea Quest boat on May 21, 2018 and we highly recommend the package. We where seated in the second deck wheel house, got a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, croissants and more!! Steak and chicken for lunch with salad and rolls, Tons of fruit plates and even crackers and cheese and chocolate - all topped off with champagne for the ride back. We had our own personal instructor (Michael) who was very hands on for the beginner scuba experience - made is so fun and easy. We also got to snorkel at the second location with Michael as our private guide explaining what we where seeing and answering all our questions. He even towed us around when it got choppy. I would HIGHLY recommend the VIP Top Deck package and the Reef Experience charter service - from the biologist to the photographers to the many helpful staff members in and out of the water. We went in to the adventure a little intimidated by the ocean - we came out big fans!!! Absolutely beautiful way to experience the Great Barrier Reef. Five star service!!!

    Reply
  33. Laura Alexander
    5

    Our highlight of visiting Cairns, amazing to get that bit of extra touch to your day trip. Lovely staff, great food and we have been lucky enough to tick turtles, a nemo and mantra ray from our list amongst all the other beautiful fish.

    Reply

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