Thank you for booking with Maria Island Cruises.  We can confirm your are booked on our premium Circumnavigation Cruise & Walk Day Tour of Maria Island.

IMPORTANT!  Please read the following information:

We look forward to meeting you all at our cafe in Triabunna (21 Vicary Street) for a check-in at 8:00.  Our cafe opens at 7:30am and you are welcome to come along early and have a coffee and something to eat for breakfast.  Our cafe has great locally roasted coffee and has a wonderful selection of healthy takeaway food, such as toasties, salad rolls, sandwiches and croissants.  There is also a wonderful range of local souvenirs and photos for you to browse.

Unfortunately we do not refund bookings for cancellations on the day of your cruise.  If we impacted by inclement weather, we may need to modify the cruise to avoid the wind and swell.  This may mean the tour may not proceed to Ile Des Phoques.  If this a concern for you, please contact our office before the day of the tour.  We will ensure that you still have a truly memorable day with us, keeping you warm, safe and comfortable, despite bad weather.  Under most conditions, we will still cruise, enjoy lunch on anchor and spend time exploring Maria Island.  If we cannot ensure you have a good experience, we will cancel the tour.

There is secure parking for cars and campers behind the cafe.  If you are not familiar with the area, please aim to arrive at 8:00am.  Parking at the cafe is all day.  Parking at the marina is also available, except along the wharf edge.  There is a map provided with this email showing you the location of our cafe and booking office.  Our staff will be at the cafe to meet you.

Our vessel is called the Spirit Of Maria and we will board from 8:30am for a 9:00am departure.  Please note we are not the ferry provider.  The Maria Island ferry is a different vessel and company.

Our guarantee to you

Each of our tours to Maria Island is especially designed to provide an exciting, informative and unforgettable day.  Our professional staff are 100% committed to your enjoyment, comfort and safety and we pride ourselves on delivering the very best experience for each and every tour.   We will guarantee that if we do not meet or exceed your expectation, we will refund your money no questions asked.

One tour … but two cruises?  What’s the difference?

After touring to Maria Island for over 10 years, we have developed a unique cruise and walk day tour with two distinct cruise options.  The difference between each of the options is only in the destination of the cruise.  The circumnavigation cruise will take you on a journey around the entire coastline of Maria Island and you can’t possibly see any more of Maria Island in a single day than this tour!  The Ile Des Phoques (island of seals) cruise will head north to a remote granite island where we visit the most playful Australian fur seals and explore the inside of the biggest granite seas caves in Tasmania, possibly Australia.  These caves are world class natural wonders and leave everyone totally speechless when inside them on the boat.  Upon returning from the Ile Des Phoques, we visit the famous Fossil Cliffs and Painted Cliffs before docking at Darlington.

Each cruise will return to Maria Island for a relaxed afternoon guided walk of the Darlington convict settlement, exploring history and the island’s friendly wildlife.

Which cruise is scheduled?

As we only have one boat, we are only able to operate one tour on each day.  We have scheduled the tours to alternate between the two cruises over the calendar days of summer.  Please visit our calendar page to identify which cruise has been chosen for any given day.  Please note that if poor weather prevents us from cruising to the Ile Des Phoques, the cruise will be changed to cruise the coastline of Maria Island.

Minimum Numbers

Due to the high operational costs of our tours, we do require a minimum of 6 adult passengers for each tour.  We are always hopeful that we will reach this requirement on every tour, however if we have not yet met the requirement within 48hrs days of the tour date, we will contact you to discuss the flexibility and options of moving to a different day.

Payments

Payments are now taken upfront with confirmation of your booking.  Maria Island Cruises accepts credit cards (Visa or Mastercard), PayPal or Direct Deposit (EFT) payments with each booking.  We do not accept cash on the day.  Credit card details are stored in a secure online booking system and are removed after the completion of your tour.  Adjustments to bookings paid via credit cards can be made at anytime without any extra charges.  Adjustments to bookings paid via PayPal or EFT payments will be made on the day of your tour.  Refunds do not incur any fees or charges.

Cancelling your tour

If you would like to cancel your booking, you are welcome to do so. Please let us know before the day of the tour. We are very reasonable in providing refunds to customers, we simply ask that you notify us within 24hrs. We do not accept cancellations on the day but will provide a voucher for 50% of the cost of your booking for you to redeem at a later date. Credit cards will be charged if you do not show up without notifying our office. Please note (important) we do not cancel tours because of rain. We only cancel tours if strong wind and swell prevent us from safely and comfortably cruising around Maria Island. If you wake up to rain on the day of your tour, please note that unless conditions on the water are rough, we will still be cruising and will not accept cancellations on the day because of rainy or overcast conditions. Rain is a good thing here as we typically have low annual rainfall! The mountains, cliffs and waterfalls of Maria Island all look amazing with mist and cloud around them and we are equally excited to tour on wet and rainy days. Lastly, please feel free to call our office on 0362571300 (8am-6pm) if you would like to discuss the weather or your booking.

Refunds

If you have cancelled and are required a refund, we are happy to do so without additional charges.  Refunds can be given back to you credit cards, be made by EFT or via Paypal.  Refunds will be given to customers who cancel outside of 24hrs from the departure date.  If cancellations are made inside 24hrs (the day before) our staff will have already begun to cater for your tour.  In this case, we will offer a 50% refund on the total booking cost with a voucher for the remaining amount to be taken at a later date.  No refunds will be given for cancellations made by customers on the day of travel.  Instead a voucher will be issued to be redeemed at a later date.  Cancellations made by our business will allow for full refunds at any time with no extra charges.

December 25th and 26th

Unfortunately our tours will not operate on December 25th or December 26th this season.

Children

Our tours are PERFECT for children!  In fact, our tours are so much fun they bring out the child in all of us!!  The friendly wildlife at Maria Island capture the imagination of children and adults alike.  Although each tour is packed full of adventure, they are different and we often recommend visiting the “Island Of Seals” for young children if you have the choice.  We have provided concessions for children between 3yo – 12yo and families (2A + 2Ch).  Infants under 3yo travel for free.  Children 13yo and older can be declared as students and are available to use the concession rate.

Lunch 

Lunch is provided on the tour from our cafe as a large healthy salad bowl.  A variety of salad lunch options include; chicken breast coasted in pesto aioli, smoked salmon, roast beef, leg ham or vegetarian/vegan.  If a salad bowl is not for your liking, please let us know and you may choose anything else from our cafe to the value of $10pp (cash refunds not given if under $10).  You may use this credit to purchase salad rolls or select from our range of freshly made sandwiches for children if you wish.  You are also welcome to bring your own lunch on the day.  Lunch is enjoyed on the boat whilst at anchor in an idyllic remote location at Maria Island.

If you have selected a salad bowl lunch, we now have a new option to offer you!  You can add a home made bacon & cheese quiche or pumpkin and feta quiche to you lunch and switch to a half salad.  Please let us know before you tour if you would like a half salad option with a quiche.

Alcoholic drinks

Our tours are licensed to provide alcoholic drinks with lunch.  A complimentary serve of wine or beer is provided with your lunch.   Our selection of local wines ($10 per additional serve) include: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir. Our selection of Tasmanian beer include Boags Premium Larger or Boags Premium Light ($8 per bottle). Soft drinks, juice, water, tea and coffee are provided free of charge on the boat. Additional drinks can also be purchased on the boat during lunch and added to your order (applicable to orders booked by credit card direct. Please bring a payment method with you if you have paid for your tour by PayPal, direct deposit or via a tourism agent).

On board Toilet

Our custom built vessel Spirit Of Maria has a very comfortable, full-sized toilet.  It also has the BEST view imaginable!  The toilet is electronic flushing (no pumps or vales) and offers easy access and doubles as a private change room.

Weather

As you would expect, sometimes the weather does effect our plan for cruising at short notice.  If the weather does not allow for a cruise to Ile Des Phoques, the cruise will be changed to circumnavigate Maria Island.  If we cannot circumnavigate the island, we will construct the next best cruise itinerary to ensure you remain safe and comfortable.  We have a very good idea of the weather 7 days before the cruise date.  If there are any concerns about changing the plan of the tour, or cancelling we will let you know.  If you have your own concerns about the weather, PLEASE give us a call.  Our staff are trained to read the local weather conditions at Maria Island with our cruise in mind.  We only operate the tours in gentle weather.  Please also note, we do not cancel tours because of rain.  We only cancel tours if strong wind and swell prevent us from safely and comfortably cruising around Maria Island.

Travel Sickness 

If you are concerned about sea sickness, there is a pharmacy in Triabunna where you can purchase motion sickness medication. Please inform our boat staff if you are susceptible to motion sickness and they will allow you onto the boat first and allocate you the last row of seats (at the rear of the boat). This is where we advise people to sit if they are prone to motion sickness. Please do not choose to sit at the bow (front) of the boat. We also have ginger tablets and wrist bands (they work!) so please also ask for these before we depart. It is not common to feel motion sick on our boat, but always best to take precautions. 

General Booking Terms 

Maria Island Cruises reserves the right to cancel departures at anytime and will refund the full amount of any monies paid by the customer. Bookings must be confirmed by Maria Island Cruises before the commencement of the cruise. Cancellations by the customer must be made 24 hours prior to the cruise departure to avoid cancellation fees. Cancellations by the customer within 24 hours of the tour departure will attract a cancellation fee of fifty percent of the total tour cost. Customers who cancel on the day of their cruise or tour booking or who fail to attend will be charged the full amount and not be entitled to a refund . A voucher will be issued instead for 50% of the tour value.  Prices may be subject to change at anytime.

Thank you so much for booking with us.  We look forward to meeting you soon!

Kind Regards

Maria Island Cruises