Fabulous cruise, gorgeous boat…. a wonderful experience & seeing the dolphins was exciting. The captain was informative & fun. Wouldn’t hesitate in recommending & i had 4 teenagers who enjoyed it.

We had a great afternoon on the water with Moonshadow. The captain and his commentary set the tone for a funny trip around the waters of Nelson Bay and his dedication to finding us a number of small pods of dolphins was second to none! Remember to wear plenty of sunscreen. One layer is NEVER enough - we were glowing like emergency beacons after 90 mins out on the water. Oops!

You have to be lucky to watch dolphins.. Awesome service by team to the Dolphin rock.

We did the NYE dinner cruise 2019. The food was excellent and plentiful, the entertainment was great.The staff were terrific. Seated on the buffet level on one of the fixed six seat tables to the side near the windows and the tiny distance between chairs and tables ruined our night. So uncomfortable.

My partner and I went twice to the 1:30 session, and met other people who have been on the cruise 3 times at the 1:30 session, and no dolphins were spotted at all. Sounds like the 1:30 session is a scam from what we have noticed. Fair enough you provide a complimentary standby ticket, however if people keep only getting it for the 1:30 session and not spot any dolphins, then it doesn’t really make a difference.. we were extremely unhappy about the fact we went to the 10:30 session, arrived early, but were told to wait all the way until 10:30 on the dot, in case the last spots get sold. They indeed did sell out with only 1 spot left, so we were told we couldn’t get on. All I’m asking for is 1. Please be honest if it’s true that it’s very hard to find dolphins during the 1:30 session 2. Also please be genuine with your responses to customer complaints. I see a customer has been told “on the rare occasion of not finding dolphins” 3. Still take care of the people who are on standby. Don’t make it look like they’re waiting for your mercy. Thank you for your cooperation.

Recently we cruised to Broughton Island with Moonshadow Cruises. The staff were extremely friendly, attentive and helpful. They provided informative talks as we went along and made an effort for us to see lots of dolphins next to the boat as we cruised. The picnic lunch provided was enjoyed while watching the sting rays being hand fed on the beach. Lovely walking trails across to the other side of the island lead to stunning views. We would highly recommend this experience.

Dolphin seeing cruise about for an hour and half. Succeeded in meeting dolphins. After finding dolphins, pompom swimming net(?) was given to passengers so that they could enjoy water play. A bit outdated boat but worth to pay.

Excellent whale cruise. We saw multiple whale breeches, sea lions and dolphins. The captain was knowledgeable. Very very happy with our trip out.

Awesome experience, great staff & boat, easy to book and such a reasonable rate. We really loved our time on the boat, it was stunning out there on the water and amazing to see so many dolphins. The kids enjoyed swimming in the bay and the slide off the boat. Highly recommend!

We have cruised on Moonshadow Dolphin watch cruise. We hardly seen dolphins in the entire journey (only one from long distance).The cruise journey more like to know the surroundings of Nelson bay than encounter dolphins. I not trying to give any negative reviews here, my suggestion is if anyone have time constraints in the travel plan, please do not opt this as it eats couple of hours in your day. There are very good spots and beaches around these bay area which you can hang around in this time. If you have experienced similar cruises like to manly or any other places, please do not opt this. thak you again.

Made a booking in the morning on a rainy day and went on a dolphin watching tour in the afternoon. They have a large vessel and are one of the tours who can operate in rainy weather. They were able to locate quite a few of the dolphins and take us very close. I absolutely loved it and will definitely consider them again in the future.

We were so lucky that we saw a lot of dolphins while on this tour. It was so much fun being on the boom net and going on the slide. The captain and her staff were all friendly and helpful. Definitely a must when you go to Port Stephens.

went on this cruise on april 22nd 2023 on the 3:30pm time, and this has to be the most amazing experience ever. we saw so many dolphins, staff were great (and extremely funny with the “extra charge for the baby dolphin) truely was a beautiful experience and was worth the 8 hour train + bus there 😅. thank you so much moonshadow!! will be coming back.

This was the second cruise we have been on with this operator, and we would definately go again. The Captain and staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. The kids had a lot of fun on the water slide and net.

We couldn't be happier with our experience. I took my two kids aged 8 and 10 and we had a great time. It is well run and the staff are super friendly. I highly recommend the whale watching cruise!

This was a great experience. The day was off to a little hiccup as there was an issue, but credits to the staff we were under way pretty quickly. The boat wasn’t over crowded and you could buy drinks chips and chocolates on board. We didn’t think we were going to see a whale but with nature that happens, then on the way back he popped up and put on a big show. We also seen some dolphins and took a ride past to see some seals. All in all a great day. I would do it again.

We did the tour on weekday at 10:30 am and we saw lot of dolphines. It was stunning!! They snorted and swam next to the boat. Great experience. The only annoying thing on board were the noisy children.

Perfect sunny day for our Dolphin cruise on the Osprey. The Captain found us plenty of dolphins - and we also were lucky enough to find a colony of seals sunning themselves on the rocks ! Michelle & John the deck crew were friendly & informative. Only problem was the outside speaker was not working so we missed the commentary by the captain - I’m sure that will be repaired quickly !

We just went on the express whale watching cruise and absolutely loved it!!! We saw a pod of humpback whales. What a magical experience! Such a reasonable price for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We highly recommend it. Thank you

Would expect a new year cruise to go till midnight, not much in Nelson bay now for middle to older people. When booking I asked for a table for 2 on upper deck but when we arrived found we were downstairs on a table with complete strangers and with the dj next to us conversation was impossible. Wine was removed/cleared from our table while we were on the dance floor, no replacement offered. Overall a dissapointment as other years were a lot better and we recomnended this cruise then but not now.

Always had a blast on this cruise

September /9 /2023 my wife and I took a trip on Whale Watch Express with AquaMarine Adventures, the vessel Envision , great trip sighted seals and a few dolphins but sadly no whales so the company issued return vouchers to return to try again . So today 21/ October /2023 we gave it another go though this trip was on the 2.5 hour trip on Vessel: Hinchinbrook Explorer. The trip started out good we got outside the headlands after a while spotted a mother with her calf the boat stayed with this pair for a while and we managed to get some great photos of the calf breaching and the mothers tail , there were many whales further out but sadly the skipper decided to head back into the bay into calmer waters to find dolphins . This was very disappointing as we went to sight whales not search to bay for dolphin's searching for dolfins in the bay turned out to be the majority of the time on the vessel. If we wanted to do a dolfin cruise we would have booked one , we went to see the whales but it seems the skipper thought 2 whales were enough for 1 cruise, preferring to be in the bay than out with the whales.

We've attended the Moonshadow Cruises a few times over the years and they've never disappointed. On this occasion, our family of 5 were fortunate to join both the Twilight Dinner Cruise and the 2hr Splash Dolphin Cruise. We had very different experiences on both but both spectacular in their own right. The meals on the Twilight Cruise were nothing short of abso-bloody-lutely delicious! The staff were friendly and courteous, the young gent offering entertainment was ah-mayzingly good and cocktails and mocktails were great. It was a well priced, great night out for a bit of family fun. My only criticism is that soft drinks should be included in at least the kids prices as this bumps it up a bit in price. The dolphin cruise was fun, the Captain and 2IC were personable, friendly and welcoming - nothing was too much trouble. My kids were the first to jump in the sea spa on-board.. they loved it! It just got better from there. We saw heaps of dolphins which was beautiful but only made better by them coming up close and personal to where the kids were sitting in the boom nets for a sticky beak. When the Captain moored the kids made use of the slide into the Shoal Bay foreshore.. another highlight. At $20-$25 or so a person you couldn't ask for a better day out. Thanks so much to all, we can't wait to come back.

Really awesome experience!! The staff were amazing , very friendly and enthusiastic 🤩 my younger siblings had an absolute blast , a day we will never forget ! The dolphins definitely put on a good show ! Will be coming back asap! 😆

Staff looked after us really well, firstly waiting for one of us to organise parking then showing us to the 'best seats in the house' where we saw a mother and her calf gliding along in front of the boat. Great day and highly recommended.

Been there on this cruise twice now for dolphin watching. Both times , we enjoyed looking at the dolphins which live close to shore throughout the year. They also have Boom net to play in the middle of water from the cruise. Would recommend to visit once definitely 👍

5 ⭐️ Great experience. Team took really good care of us all. They go above and beyond to fulfil what we paid for. We booked for whale watching cruise but, on top of that we get to see some dolphins on our way back. Kids loved it.

It was an exceptional experience. The captain and crew were amazing, providing great service as well as taking us to places where there were whales and dolphins. We saw about ten or so whales and a lot of playful dolphins. I would certainly recommend this for a thrilling experience.

We went to their Office at 10 and we could take a whale whatching Tour already at 1! Funny Crew on Board. We saw plenty of whales closeby! What an experience! Worth all the Money!

It was a beautiful day and we saw lots of whales. The staff were very friendly and informative. Would definitely consider doing other cruises with moon shadow cruises.

The 2 stars are not for Moonshadow-TQC Cruises. The Moonshadow Ferry is expansive with 3 decks and plenty of open and closed spaces to enjoy your journey. The Bar gives you ample options to eat and drink so if I had to rate the cruise only, I am happy to give them 4 stars. However, I feel that this Dolphin watch experience is over hyped and over rated. Drove 3 hours from Sydney to Nelson Bay just to witness the fins of the Dolphins 50-60 meters away from the cruise every now and then(photo attached). The cruise cannot go closer to the Dolphins as per law and you are at the mercy of the mood of the Dolphins to give you a close encounter, if you are lucky LOL. So please plan with this outcome in mind to avoid disappointment like us. The only saviour was the Boom net which gave the kids and adults a return for their buck on our way back.

This experience was alot more enjoyable than i expected it to be. Took my best friend (dolphin lover) for her 40th birthday and the dolphins did not disappoint. About a minute into the cruise, we saw about 8 dolphins and their babies. They came so close to the boat. It was amazing. The Skipper was hilarious as well as informative and we learnt a thing or two. She did an amazing job navigating the boat to ensure we all had a great view of the dolphins. She did say that we were lucky to have such crystal blue water as it had been murky due to the rain. So my advice would be to go on a sunny day and not after it has rained. We went 27/11/22 and heard someone say they had been in July and didn’t see as many dolphins as we saw. We also went on the very top level. Many people enjoyed the slide and boom netting but just make sure you take a towel as they said you need to be dry on the boat (towels can be bought on the ship if need) all in all it was better than i thought and would recommend this experience.

Went out yesterday on The Osprey from Nelson Bay Marina. Brilliant day. Boat is excellent and the skipper and crew are spot on. Got to see plenty of humpback whales doing some breaches and fin slaps. They were awesome. On the way home we saw local dolphins. Skipper gave a great commentary. Totally enjoyed this trip and anyone who books it will not regret it. Thanks from Brian and Deb from Brisbane.

Feeling very lucky to be able to see alot of dolphins today ,even saw 3 dolpins swam right under us:) my family and i very much enjoyed it. The Captain was very informative and the staff was indeed friendly. Thanks guys,it was such a great experience !

Our Broughton Island cruise was fantastic. The Moonshadow skipper and crew were great, very friendly, helpful & informative. The picnic lunch provided was more than ample, and we had plenty of additonal options available at the bar and kiosk. Had a great day, thank you :)

We went for the Splash and Slide dolphin cruise. It was an amazing experience ! We saw so many dolphins and then we were able to enjoy the beauty of Shoal Bay and crystal clear waters. It was unreal! Highly recommend it.

Great boat trip and very good value for money. We had just arrived in Port Stephens and had a look online to see if we could get a last minute spot on a tour, and it was so quick and easy to book, after which confirmation and all the info about joining the tour was provided immediately. The trip itself was great with plenty of dolphins and the boat is spacious and comfortable. Can’t believe the price was as low as it was, definitely recommend!

I loved the experience and the crew were awesome and so knowledgeable you can tell they love what they do. I went in the Boom net, the only thing that got me was the $35 price point for the towel however I did forget mine so bring a towel because it's so with it.

Family had a blast and one of the best memories we carried during our visit to Nelson Bay Initially we did not see much whales but the captain was patient enough and took extra time and took us to the Seal island and shared some great info about sea life. Watched lots of dolphins and got lucky to see a hammerhead shark. We were taken care by the amazing staff on board the ship with entire facility so clean (including toilets) and the team took all the necessary COVID-19 safety precautions. The food onboard was amazing and let me tell you we had the best samosas on board Hinchinbrook. Please, please do not remove the samosas from the menu. As we went there during school holidays I was worried about finding a parking but the lady on the phone made sure she gave us the exact coordinates to find free parking. Returning soon for the dolphin cruise. Thanks team Moonshadow for all the beautiful memories !!!

Took my family yesterday. Second trip, which was a freebie because the first one yielded no whales. Both trips were epic! Informative, casual, relaxed. Social distancing was enforced. Captain encouraged my six year old because he couldn't find the recycling bin, but the captain showed him then rewarded him with a look from the wheel. Yumi was lovely as lovely can be on both trips. Cannot recommend this trip enough! We saw dolphins, whales and seals, and had little penguins pointed out though we didn't go near them. Fantastic!

We were super lucky to see whales on our day out. A mum and calf. The crew were very strict on social distancing which was great given the boat proximity. Would definitely go again next time we are in town.

Went out for a dolphin spotting cruise yesterday for the 130pm afternoon slot, spotted dolphins after 15 minutes then with in about half hour found and followed a pod of about 50 - it was amazing to see so many! We were inside when they announced them and we saw a dolphin on the underwater camera which was cool, he was following the bow of the boat which was pretty cool! Lost a review star as we expressed and interest in riding the boom net when we started the journey and had brought our towels etc the experience didn’t materialise. When I realised it wasn’t going to happen as we were heading back I was told it was too late and they didn’t do it as nobody had asked 🤷‍♂️ The volume and luck (captain ben’s words) in spotting so many dolphins was still amazing!

WOW is all I can say in regards to this whole business, they amount of professionalism is outstanding. There was a group in front of us trying to get one over on the team by letting a extra person join them without a booking then was outraged when the captain said its ok to bring them on board but they will have to pay the were even more rude and disruptive. All I can say our whole family had an amazing time and will be going again when we have the chance to. Outstanding service

To our bad, no dolphin's found on 10 Oct 2020, found only one that too for a glimpse. Very disappointed as we spent 1.5hrs to see that. While returning kids can enjoy net pool 🏊

This is NOT a dolphin cruise, it’s an entertainment cruise where you see some dolphins. Out of the 90 minutes, 20 minutes is spend on looking at dolphins, and the rest of the time is just sailing with a boomnet at the back of the boat. We were extremely disappointed, but maybe we had the wrong expectations. The bad rating is because the captain’s ‘jokes’ and voice-over are inappropriate, sexist, and do not consider his educational role. Especially for younger children. Its 2020, and you can’t say that “you can ignore social distancing to see the dolphin in front of the boat”, you can’t say that “dolphin males are clever that they do not raise the children”, and you can’t say that “you shouldn’t feed fish bread, but you can if you want”

The cruise was great, spacious and big boat, friendly staff and the kids loved seeing the dolphins!

We took this whale-watching cruise. The Spirit of the bay staff were very welcoming and had a good level of knowledge about the area we travelled to. The staff were very prompt with safety procedures and Belinda the skipper's driving enabled us to see more of the humpbacks and dolphins as the journey progressed. The boat was not crowded, allowing for space. Amenities provided were up to standard.

Really disappointed in the customer service. We accidentally booked the wrong date for a trip, we booked whilst we were Sydney for a trip from Nelson Bay leaving in 45 minutes on that day! There was absolutely no way we could have made that trip. It was an honest mistake on our part and the company refused to change the date for us. We understand it was peak season, but the trip wasn't fully booked and was about to depart. Noone missed out because of our mistake. We were willing to pay a transfer fee because we made a mistake but they wouldn't even consider that. I've worked in customer service in tourism forany years and there is no way I would ever treat a customer in such a disrespectful and rude way. Mistakes happen and being flexible and helpful is part of any good customer service experience. Truly disappointed with this experience and we will be taking our business elsewhere.

If anything there were TOO many dolphins.

One of the best cruises to make your exploration

Good bunch of people!! Chilled, experienced, friendly. What more could you want !! Thanks for the experience and seeing the dolphins close up made it a wonderful and fun filled experience with the family. Highly recommend!

Whilst in Nelson Bay, we were searching online for things to do and found this cruise. Moonshadow run a Dolphin discovery cruise. The cruise is 1.5 hours, departing at 10:30 and 1:30 daily from d’Albora Marina and Cruise Passenger Terminal in Nelson Bay. The large vessel is extremely comfortable and clean and they are focused on Covid safe practices, including check ins, sanitising and social distancing. The vessel has inside and outside viewing decks. The back of the vessel has a boom net and slide, which the staff let down for travellers to swim towards the end of the journey. Whilst on the cruise, you take a scenic trip on the water in search of dolphins. The Captain was very informative and very patient in following the coast in search of dolphins. We saw them from afar and waited patiently for them to come closer to the boat. Bar and snack foods available for purchase on board all vessels; fish and chips, pies, spring rolls, chips, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. It is extremely good value for money; adults $30, senior/students $25, child $16.50. There’s also a family Rate (2 adults plus 2 children): $76.50. Great activity for all the family.

Good cruise and friendly staff.

We spent an excellent 2 hours on board the catamaran. We saw a pod of dolphins, layed in the nets and went down the slide. Weather was perfect and the staff were very friendly

Very good dolphin watch experience, staffs were very friendly

Friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere.

Nice selection of spot today 9/10/2020 were able to see lots of whales 🐳 . Also get glimpse of seals. Watched dolphins 🐬 as well. Thank you team

Great experience, highly recommend, saw baby whale with his momma :)

Crew member extremely rude. Yelling whilst children were around when I apparently was sitting somewhere I shouldn't whilst helping fellow participant and their child ( which he should have been helping). Will not return

We went for street food cruise on Sunday and it was worth every penny. Excellent service. Very professional staff.

Had a fantastic time, plenty to see. All social distancing adhered to. A real safe, pleasant experience. Bringing the kids next time

went on this cruise yesterday & I go every year as a local but this was the best by far.The whales breaching everywhere & manage to witness a double breach.

Can't wait to cruise.

Really worth the money. Very friendly staff. We took the Dolphin Discovery Cruise on the Moonshadow V. Perfect with two little kids. We didn't use the boom net even though they begged us. That would have been too wild considering their age. Saw many dolphins and even without that it would have been a very nice excursion.

Great Value, 2 Hour slide trip was about 20 minutes shorter as not that many people swam. 90 minutes is more than enough time to explore the shores. Saw 6-8 Dolphins

Our cruise was at 1.30 pm in a slightly raining day,but my family had a great time on Moonshadow Cruise and we were lucky to see a lots of dolphins .The crews are very nice and friendly, Captain knows the dolphins like his family. The boat is big and you don’t have to worry about taking any seasick medicine.Ps:The hot chips are fresh and crunchy ~

We did the sunset cruise and highly recommend this cruise to anyone in the area. The only thing missing was the sunset (due to weather conditions) but the entertainment was brilliant and the quality and variety of food was A++. Staff were also lovely. Such a good night. Thanks so much to all involved. We wish we could do it all over again!

Peaceful, serene, dolphins a-plenty. Knowledgeable crew who care about what they do. Get yourself on board.

Thank you for a wonderful afternoon. Very friendly staff. We have 3 little children and we enjoyed our trip. Dolphins in their natural environment were truly spectacular. We will be going again and swimming in the net next time.