What‘s Included

What To Expect

Reviews

• Don't take us to hell

  977nhand,

  Nov 3, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  Hi Spirit of Gold Coast, I am writing to express my disappointment with the whale-watching trip with you on Sunday, 1 November 2025, departing at 1:30 pm. I used to take this trip twice in the past and had a great experience with a three-storey boat for 200 people, and friendly staff and services. I thus booked this trip for my four high school friends, who are visiting Australia, with the hope that they would have an unforgettable whale-watching experience on the Gold Coast. Unfortunately, the trip became a nightmare for all of us. 1. The boat was super small with a capacity of just around 20 people, but it took around 30-40 passengers on that day, which made the trip incredibly unsafe. Ten to twenty passengers didn't have seats, including my three female friends and me. We had to stand up for the entire 2.5 hours next to the open rubbish bin where people dumped their sickness bags. The wind on Sunday was extremely strong, making the boat extremely unstable, and the waves occasionally went over the roof. Everyone in the uncovered area got wet. We had nowhere to hide as the covered area only had eight seats and could accommodate around 20 people. I could see three young families with small kids (one just around 1 year old) standing up in the uncovered area of the back deck, getting wet for hours and fading due to the extremely high waves. Many people were seasick, vomited, and lay on the floor. We just thought that we would die on this trip and prayed that we could go back to land. The trip became chaotic after 1-2 hours, when most of the passengers were sick, vomiting, and still hadn't seen any whales or dolphins. 2. Terrible staff and service: I remember in my past experience, the crew used to provide safety information and ask us to fill out some forms before boarding. However, we met a cold lady who just asked a question, "What is your first name in the booking?" and then "Please wait here". When we were on board, I was even more surprised when another staff member didn't mention safety on board. He just showed how to wear a lifecoat and pointed out that lifecoats are on the roof, but we couldn't see where they were. I was so worried about how we could grab a lifecoat in an emergency if they were stored somewhere on the roof. Two of my friends who can't swim asked them to provide them so they could have it. They said "Don't worry, you don't need it now". They insisted on asking, and they said they only have one here, which they used for the introduction. I approached a staff member to ask for our seats as we could not stand up at all times. He said, "I am sorry we don't have seats for everyone". I felt embarrassed with my friends who had spent thousands of dollars to visit the beauty of Australia and wanted to have a unique and fantastic whale-watching experience. However, they now saw a terrible sight. I also recall that in the past, the Spirit of Gold Coast reminded us to stay in our seats during high waves, but now we didn't have a seat to remain. There were only three crew members, including a driver and a person who spent most of his time on the roof, watching out for whales. Only a lady who was supposed to provide support for passengers, but she did nothing. She ignored seasick people lying on the floor, crying kids, wet and cold passengers outside. When someone asked for a sickness bag, she provided them with "hot N tasty chicken" food bags (attachment). They are not designed for vomiting, so they broke easily. Vomiting liquid was spreading around the boat floor, in the open bins where we stood, which made the boat horrible. Everyone was tired. We asked when we could see the whales. No answer. After around 2 hours, the engine stopped suddenly, and I thought they had stopped here for us to watch whales. Some people asked the crew that question. No answer. I asked a driver when we could see it. No answer. A few minutes later, the boat's engine started and continued running. It didn't know that it had come back to shore. I remembered in my previous trips, the crew would tell us about that. I also remember the crew in the past told us lovely stories about the whales and entertained us during the trip. I thus felt angry when we returned to the shore without any notice. 3. Unacceptable policy: we were so upset when we returned with wet, exhausted and unsafe, but seeing none. Some visitors inquired about the possibility of refunding their tickets. No, the crew responded, "You could come back for a free trip next week, but no refund". We will never want to come back to you, "Spirit of Gold Coast". You created a bad story for Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia. I felt so embarrassed as an Australian citizen when a mother and son, New Zealanders, who stood up on the deck with their whole wet bodies, told me that this was the worst trip they had had in their lives and that the Australians cheat foreign visitors. They treated visitors like rubbish. I felt sorry for my friends who had imagined having nice photos on the cruise and seeing dancing whales in the ocean, but they saw a dirty and unsafe scene. Action required: Please send an apology to all passengers and refund them their full fees. Additionally, please discontinue this tour if you are unable to provide proper service. I understand that the number of bookings may not allow you to operate a large boat, but if the small one is unsafe, please cancel the trip and provide a refund. Don't take us to hell!

  

• Avoid at all costs

  fitzfamily255118,

  Nov 3, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  This was the wort trip I have ever been on. The level of risk of misadventure is high. The vessel was small so most people stood for 2.5 hours in rough seas ( outdoors predominantly and therefore drenched) trying to hold on to the few hand holds. The staff were unprofessional and disengaged. Most passengers were sick. No whales and no refund. The company offers a repeat trip but who would put themselves through this again.?

• No Whale day

  Estella M,

  Nov 1, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Unfortunately no Whales seen except very far away. Because we went home again and the weather was not good enough for that time, we got our money back. We were very late in the season. So a pity but neatly got everything back!

• Disappointing Experience

  Kaitlyn S,

  Oct 30, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  1.00

  I booked a whale watching tour with Spirit of Gold Coast, and unfortunately, it was a very disappointing experience. The company changed their pick-up location but did not update the address in the third-party booking app. They sent an email the night before, which I think is poor customer service — most people on vacation aren’t constantly checking emails, and as a result, we had no idea the location had changed. There were no signs at either the old or new pick-up points to indicate where the tour was departing, and we spent a lot of time confused and trying to find the right spot. We called and texted multiple times and I even left two voicemails, but have never received a response, even several days later. Overall, this company felt incredibly disorganized and unprofessional. The lack of communication and customer support was very frustrating. I would recommend choosing a different whale watching tour in the Gold Coast that actually keeps guests informed and values their time.

• Great

  ROSLYND819,

  Oct 20, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Incredible whale sightings. Mother feeding her calf was very special. Extremely rough conditions so remember to take 'Travacalm' tablets at least 30mins before boarding the vessel or you will feel/be sick !!!

• A great morning out watching whales!

  jesst726,

  Oct 20, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We were travelling as an extended family (7 adults & 4 kids) and chose Spirit of Gold Coast to take us whale watching. We had the best morning out on the boat. The amount of guests on the boat was an appropriate number for the size of the vessel and there was a spot for everyone to be able to watch the whales. The staff were very friendly and clearly passionate and knowledgable of whales and encouraged guests to ask as many questions as they liked. Not only did we see whales but pods of dolphins too! A great morning out for our entire family- thankyou!

• Lovely day and lovely breaching of a calf with mother clise behind

  HelgiA,

  Oct 18, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Exceeded my expectations. A great viewing today 16th October. The crew were knowledgeable and skilled. A good sized boat.

  

• Whale watch

  Wayne L,

  Oct 17, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  4.00

  A great way to see humpback whales up close. Skipper follows them to give you the best opportunity of sighting.

• Worth every dollar

  Christopher S,

  Oct 16, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  The trip was well informed and the crew were very knowledgeable. They knew where to go to have the best chance of seeing whales and the whales were just wonderful to see. Worth every dollar!

  

• Absolutely horrible

  LarissaRipley,

  Oct 14, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  We were bumped to a small vessel that seated 12 wasn't SuperYacht, 1 row of seats broke and ppl fell. Ppl were vomiting bad

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