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 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 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. An initial schedule has been set to operate the Circumnavigation tour on Fridays and Saturdays. The Ile Des Phoques tour is set to operate on Sundays and Mondays. Additional days will be opened up if the demand for midweek tours is there. Please note that if poor weather prevents us from cruising to the Ile Des Phoques, the cruise will be changed to circumnavigate 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.
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 Ile Des Phoques (French for 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.
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.
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 Darlington Vineyard wines ($6 per additional serve) include: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir. Our selection of Tasmanian beer include Boags Premium Larger or Boags Premium Light ($6 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 direct to us by credit card. 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. 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 the least rainfall in Tasmania! 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!
