Whales In Paradise

Whales In Paradise

Whales In Paradise
4.5
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
At Whales In Paradise, we don’t just offer a tour – but an experience! With friendly and professional staff and the most up-close-and-personal viewing decks on the Gold Coast & Brisbane, we guarantee you will enjoy an incredible day of whale watching with us.
Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Meets animal welfare guidelines

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles823 reviews
Excellent
650
Very good
130
Average
24
Poor
10
Terrible
9

Gen B
4 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2020 • Friends
First time ever whale watching and I wasn't disappointed! Wayne and the A Team crew were awesome and made the experience so much more enjoyable. We saw a new baby calf which is very rare and up-close encounters with the whales breaching and tail-flipping. Was amazing and would totally recommend doing the afternoon session as the trip back with the sun setting is magical 😊🐳
Written 5 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review Gen and we're happy to hear you had a great time whale watching with us. If there is anything we can improve on please don't hesitate to give us a call. We hope to see you on board again soon!
Written 8 July 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

June K
Surfers Paradise, Australia6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2014 • Business
I love WHALES IN PARADISE! As long as our cetaceans are viewed free and in the wild then I will always adore it. Sea World Gold Coast keeps dolphin as performing slaves for greedy businesspeople x ♥
Written 30 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lidiane M
Porto Alegre, RS6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
I wasn't thinking in do that, just saw the trip when I arrived in Brisbane... Was really good, awesome crew, excellent food and lots of turtles and dolphins around... I loved!
Written 20 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nikhil D
Melbourne, Australia23 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2013 • Family
After a thorough research on Tripadvisor, decided to go with this company as they hv to most positive reviews. Although others were offering good value with Seaworld/Island combos for a similar price we went ahead with them considering a good whale watching exp as our top priority.

As we got to the boat, the crew seemed pretty uninterested in greeting or smiling at ppl. The boat itself was a small one, which we thought would get us closer to the action. Once we settled down, more and more ppl arrived and few of them didnt even have any seats making it obvious that it was well overbooked.

We set off on time, and it took almost an hr to get to the interesting part of the ocean thru all the winding channels of surfers paradise. Once the whales started to surface, ppl running from side to side on a very wobbly boat made it all look a bit dangerous. Unless the whale pops up on ur side of the boat, u wudnt see much thru the packed deck. And it was not really safe to keep moving around on the boat.

The commentary was the only saving grace, they were pretty informative and funny. After about an hour we were told that we r heading back, which was pretty shocking since they claimed a 3 hr whale watching trip. I guess they r technically right, as the to and fro journey makes up almost 2 hrs of it.

Had to kick myself why didnt I spend tht money on something like a combo package as they cudnt hv been any worse and wud hv saved a lot of money as well.

P.S. The disgusting part was the crew selling sea sickness pills for $2!! Warning everyone that it cud be a hard day to get thru if u didnt take them. When they charge $100 for a 3 hr trip, the least they cud do was to throw in some pills instead of trying to make some petty cash on the way!!
Written 14 August 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carissa T
6 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2019 • Couples
We booked this tour on Monday, 10th June 2019, for a tour date on 13 June 2019, Thursday. Received a PAID AND CONFIRMED status but when we called them on 12th June 2019 to confirm our pick up location, they told us the tour is not happening.

Prior to this, we did not receive any emails or phone calls from them to inform us about this. It’s only after we made the call (obviously just to confirm the pick up location in Brisbane city) that they told us about this.

Exasperating experience, please do not book any tours with them unless you want a ruined holiday itinerary.
Written 12 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Carissa, I must express that I am very disappointed that you have provided a 1-star review, especially after our discussion about your tour cancellation. I would understand your frustrations had you booked your tour and received your confirmation directly through us. However, you booked through a 3rd party agency that we have no control over (Trip Advisor owns Viator). 1. Viator does not maintain live availability. We received your booking from Viator and immediately responded advising that the tour was unavailable. Unfortunately, Viator didn't pass the notification on to you and therefore ruined your holiday plans. 2. Viator is a US-based company. The privacy laws in that country mean they will not pass customers contact details on to the operator, which means we were unable to call you. 3. The safe-guard to the above is to advise customers on their booking confirmation to call 24hrs prior to confirm their booking, which is what you did. It is at this point that we had our first customer contact and were able to let you know of any updates or changes to your booking. 4. We also tried assisting you as much as possible and provided you with other reputable Whale Watching companies to try. In conclusion, we are disappointed that you have provided us with a damaging 1-star review when your inconvenience was due to the online travel agent. In the future, for the best service and most up-to-date information, we encourage all guests to book directly with operators and not with a third party.
Written 5 August 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Shane
Singleton, Australia3 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Couples
Took an afternoon cruise, crew and boat were really good and had an enjoyable cruise. Next day we were at the Cavill Ave. tourist information kiosk and picked up a book containing a 50% discount voucher, could have saved $100 and very disappointed that nothing is said when booking.
Written 16 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SSpicychaitea
Singapore97 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2014 • Couples
When we knew that the period we're visiting Gold Coast was the migration for these Humpbacks, we could not pass on the chance. It was such an incredible sight. The guides onboard was super friendly and provided us with many information and fun facts about the whales. Opted for the first timing (730 am) of the whale watch, where is was supposedly the best, when the whales are most active. And we were not disappointed. We managed to get up close with the whales, got some flute shots and saw some incredible breaching. Wild dolphins joined in the fun riding on the waves beside our boat. It was beyond amazing and I can't wait for the next visit!

Tips: Do visit in June - November migration period. It's also Winter, so do bring a jacket out as it got pretty chilly with the ocean breeze. Do bring along motion sickness pills, which can be purchased at any chemist/pharmacies, in case of choppy waters which can make you sea sick. Otherwise, they do sell them onboard too!
Written 24 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Irenehelga
Werribee, Australia2 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2013
After spending a fortune on this cruise it was a nightmare being caught in a rain storm not seeing any whales after 2 long hours people were vomiting from the rocking of the boat everyone wanted to turn back but policy is no whales get a return cruise so we all had to hang on for dear life until finally we saw 2 whales in the distance bad , bad , bad
Written 23 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Irene, Thank you for your review and we are very sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your Gold Coast Whale Watching experience. The team at Whales in Paradise aim to provide the highest quality of service to our customers and we truly appreciate all feedback. We are aware of the cruise you attended and are referring to. On this particular occasion it was suspected that the weather might be less than perfect, therefore we offered all passengers prior to boarding (yourself included) one of the following options: 1) to reschedule your booking 2) cancel your booking and have a full refund or 3) to continue on the cruise When the weather is expected to be less than perfect we speak to each group of passengers and provide a weather warning with the above options so they can then make an informed decision on whether or not they would like to attend the cruise. Despite seeing fairly active whales the tour was caught in a rain shower and therefore was not at the usual high standard, therefore we chose to offer everyone onboard a free return cruise. Here at Whales in Paradise we strongly believe in our product and we aim to keep our customers happy. You are still more than welcome to take us up on the offer for a free return, please feel free to contact our office at anytime to book your next whale watching cruise.
Written 15 October 2013
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tammi
Singapore, Singapore111 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2018 • Friends
my family and i had such a fantastic time on our whale-watching cruise (we went on the 8.30am slot on june 12). we were lucky enough to encounter a curious young whale that made frequent appearances above the water and even swam alongside our boat at one point (my picture shows just how close it came to us). the crew was also very helpful, hospitable and knowledgeable, pointing out the whale’s location whenever it surfaced and sharing facts about them while we waited for it.

a word of “warning” is that you can indeed get quite seasick on the ride so get those pills ready. it was also very sunny and cold so best be prepared for that as well.
Written 12 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Snow Yeti
Singapore104 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2017 • Family
Took the tour for a family of 6 with one 5 year old. Fantastic experience. Captain and Crew are friendly and helpful. For kids and elderly, they have a lower deck which is more suitable. The captain tries to make an extra effort to ensure we get a glimpse of the whales. Boarding harbour is around Surfers Paradise near Cavil which is easy to find. Free beverages and biscuits. Toilets are available onboard. Have no regrets taking this tour, will definitely go for it again the next round.
Written 13 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

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