Julia G.
Yelp
I came to experience this outfitter because I was with a group from United States who hired the Globus tour company to customize a tour for a group of 80 square dancers from United States who had just gotten off 13 day New Zealand and Australia Princess Cruise. This was one of the all-day events that Globus put on our 6-day tour of Australia.
It was raining torrential rains on this day, sleets of hard-hitting rain on the way out to the Great Barrier Reef, and the sea was so rough, people threw up in the provided barf bags. But I paid $3.50 for the seasick prevention pills, took the 2 free ginger tablets, AND took a pill provided by my surgeon for after surgery vomiting from the anesthesia (which I did not need). I didn't feel sick at all, but it was the pitchiest rolling upheaval boat ride I ever experienced.
The company owns and built the platoon which was almost as small as the ship itself. The platoon does not move, it is anchored to the sea floor with concrete, said the employee.
The only included activity that our tour company paid for us, and maybe it is already included in the fee, is the sorta submarine and the glass bottom boat.
I did not want to scuba or snorkel, I don't like salt water activities. Besides the people who did it and came out of the water, said they saw lotsa fish, but not a very colorful variety, just small fish, and "it was greatly over-rated". So I didn't feel I missed anything that I couldn't see in the glass bottom boat.
The lunch was mediocre and the duration was limited to 1.5 hours from noon to 1:30. I heard our tour guide said it was the same lunch menu and items they've been serving for years and years, you think they could change it a bit. No drinks were included, you have to buy your soda or whatever from the bar.
I am rating my review a 3 start mainly because the submarine was horrid! They didn't know that the AC in there was not working. Then they close the doors on about 25 people in 95 degrees. People came out with their hair all wet from sweat and looking all wimped out, telling their friends that they suffocated in there, it was so hot, no air. I don't know why they didn't say anything about the suffocation. I almost didn't go in there. When I did, they closed the hatches on us, I thought I was gonna die! Poor people were wiping their faces with their T-shirts.
I was almost going to climb the stairs and open the the doors, which were horizontal, not vertical as most doors. Scary, I thought I was dying.
The actual ride was only about 12 minutes. When I came out I asked the staff member if there was AC in there. He said Yes of course there is AC. I told him to go into the ship and experience how hot it was, and the AC wasn't working and people could die in there. Well, he didn't know.
He later said they were working on the problem, and even later, it wasn't resolvable in good time, so they were going to leave both doors open for cross circulation. I told him about 4 pm anyhow, cos that is when I found out from others in my group, that it was soooooo hot and suffocating in there !
You don't see anything in the submarine either, it is just like being in the clouds, with very occassional glimpses or corral reef, like when the clouds part for the moment. Lower than 1 star review for this submarine thing.
The glass bottom boat ride is only about 20 minutes, but it is in open air, and you can see much more !!!!
The four hours on the platoon was kinda boring for me. But it didn't rain when we were on the platoon, which has an awning. But as soon as we got on the boat back, it rained so hard! But the ride back was not as rough.
We did not stop at Fitzroy Island at all.
