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.
Awesome day Great value
It was a great experience! I took my daughter to see the dolphins for her very first time. She was absolutely impressed with how amazing these intelligent creatures are. Nice cruise, very spacious, staff members were so friendly and they were even helping my daughter to spot the dolphins. We even had the good luck to see a giant sea turtle popping up right in front of the cruise. AMAZING!
Awesome crew, and got to see lots of whales. Highly recommended.
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.
Today i went with my family on the dolphin cruise it was a amazing the staff were amazing. The captain gave descriptions of all the islands made our trip nice. I really enjoyed my time out at sea. Thk u to all the staff.
We went on a dinner cruise and some day cruise, very good quality excursion for tourist. Very affordable price.
Great tour to the Lady Musgrave Island, we strongly recommend to take travel tablets before departure. Very nice and courteous staff.
It seems that the Valentines Day cruise is the shizzle. I went this year and found the cruise to be excellent for cost. $69pp was all I had to fork out for a full seafood buffet with all the deliciousness you can fill up on. Although you don't get to see the lights of all the towns in Port Stevens. The boat only circled close to Nelson Bay but even in the relatively calm conditions I believe this to be better as the size of the boat to motion ratio would have been uneasy on a few oystered stomachs had we ventures too far. I was a little disappointed with the bar staff being so unorganized and taking 10+ minutes to serve a beer and wine early in the night with no other customers lined up.
EVIE, you made this experience the best of the best we loved your vibe! You have such a beautiful heart and soul, you made all of us feel welcomed and appreciated! During this difficult time you sure bought tears and joy! We miss cruising so much that this short cruise made me teary. Everyone loved you! You walked around asking us if we are all ok and educated us on the dolphins. LUKE, thank you so much for making my 8 year old experience the best, your professional approach to everyone and welcoming us with your heart warming smile made us want to come back, it just makes us feel like there are genuine people still exist! Thanks to EVIE we will be back next month and can't wait to see you again! Fish n chips is a must have with spectacular views while eating on the top deck!!!! My children loved it and begged me to come back again so I told them YESSSSSSSS OF COURSE 100%.
Went on a Dolphin cruise with my wife and child and was really pleased with everything! Price is more than reasonable, service was great and the commentary from the captain was also highly amusing, highly recommend this company!
Wow what a terrific night we arrived at 7 p.m. New Years Eve got on the boat sat down was given complimentary drink there was bread and dips on the table then we started to cruise around Port Stephens they had music playing which a lady called Karen was singing she was quite good the staff looked after us so well they brought us out on trays and then they had a buffet dinner Lewis prawns oysters fish lots of other foods and it never ran out the quality of the food was unbelievable it was like being in your own restaurant with never ending food I thank all the staff once again for making the night what it was the fireworks was really good to watch from the boat and even though it rained the didn't dampen the night to Moonshadow thank you for looking after us so well and we will be definitely going next year hope to see you there from mwh
Night-time cruise which was beautiful as we had dolphin sightings. Also had a chance to lie on the front deck to watch the stars/moon as we had a clear evening.
Fantastic time spent on Moonshadow cruise . Boom netting is must
Awesome day swimming, water slides and chasing dolphins. Staff were great .
Staff were good. Boat was clean. We saw the dolphins but the highlight was swimming in the net. They had the slide going but it Didn't look like it was worth it.
While we were on our stay at Nelson bay, we decided to go for the twilight dinner cruise. We were really happy with the choice we made. Good buffet dinner with varieties of food, desserts, tea, coffee and a beautiful bar. Great service !Live music and dance! Relaxed and perfect !Loved it
Had a fantastic time, plenty to see. All social distancing adhered to. A real safe, pleasant experience. Bringing the kids next time
Very nice cruise. Not many dolphins but that's the chance you take.
Just got off the 1:30pm dolphin site seeing , awesome crew, staff helpfull friendly and nice , the tour guide threw in a few jokes which i dont think 99% of the people understood ( language barrier) . Would definitely recommend it , only negative point for me was lots of tourists whom dont understand the whole manner concept. Good job guys if we come back this way we will do it again.
Twilight dinner cruise..... Absolutely AMAZING! Crew were nothing but cheerful and helpful. Food standards were way above my expectations. Oysters so yummy and classic PAV for dessert. Singer was very entertaining. Can't wait to bring the family next time!!
If you are in Nelson bay this is a must do. Had an absolutely fantastic time on the cruise. Food was amazing. The staff were great. Could not fault this at all!! If you are looking at the cruise thinking " ugh it's a little expensive" TREAT YO'SELF!! Worth every cent. Can't wait to do it again.
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
It was a great fun cruise, only let down was that the tour bus passengers were rude and pushy. It felt like the cruise was more focused on keeping them happy than under control. It was sad to see so many polystyrene coffee cups end up in our beautiful waterways, maybe you could consider a different type of disposable cup next time.
A bit disappointed for not seeing any dolphins during the cruise. Maybe we are the unlucky 1% end of the probability. Should have collected payment after confirmed sighting. Overall its still a nice cruise out to see the coast.
Incredibly rude staff. Visited Nelson Bay for the first time in April, stumbled upon their booking office on Victoria Parade, two older ladies behind the counter, couldn't have been any ruder or dismissive. These people need a lesson in hospitality.
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 !!!
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!
I managed to book tickets 25 mins before departure and had no issues with late bookings (instant confirmation online) Crew were helpful and informative the whole trip. The ship was comfortable with an open bar with food. Also had bathroom onboard to allow for a more pleasant trip.
The cruise was great. We went to view dolphins and were able to see the dolphins swimming near our boat. The service on board was decent and the food was great. There were items like fish and chips, samosa and juice not to mention alcohol like beer. A great experience being on board.
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 !
had a great time, but did not see any whalea, have a pass back though ...
We had a great time celebrating Lyndell's 50th birthday.
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
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.
You have to be lucky to watch dolphins.. Awesome service by team to the Dolphin rock.
Captain is extremely experienced and is able to identify where to go and find the dolphins. We saw about 20 dolphins along thw way, what a awesome experience! The boomnet ride is an bonus, enjoy the ride.
From the moment we were met on the wharf by the friendly staff that same great friendly service continued the whole evening. Excellent entertainment with Karen Soper solo guitarist, she was very interactive with the audience and made it a fun night. There was plenty of food and just as advertised it is great street food. Highly recommend!
Very overcrowded...does not have enough chairs for everyone .....
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.
Wednesday Dinner Cruise was fantastic. Amazing variety of fresh seafood and hot and cold dishes.Fabulous desserts tea and coffee. Excellent entertainment and great fun on the dancefloor. A Must Do.!!!
It was awsome, kids really enjoyed the boom net fun,we been there two times bcz its sooo much fun
Went on the "Spirit" today. Not too bad to see the dolphins. Overcrowded and grossly understaffed. Waited nearly 1 hour to purchase food and drink at the bar. Ignore the disclaimer " No byo food or drinks" or you will go hungry. Disappointed.
Booked the Streetfood Sunset dinner cruise for a group of 9 for a Hen's. Hands down the best night we had, the food was quality and great portions sizes, you will be full by the end of the night! The live entertainment was great and loved the 'Hen off' on the dancefloor, it made it so fun! We were very pleased that the number of people onboard was limited as it made it very comfortable to move around and not crowded (thanks to COVID restrictions). Honestly, great time, friendly wait staff and it was lovely to be given a complimentary glass of bubbly as the hen. Thank you Moodshadow, amazing!!
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!
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
Great experience, highly recommend, saw baby whale with his momma :)
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.
Live music & good buffet style food makes for an enjoyable evening on the waterways of Port Stephens. Bookings essential. Beer, wine & spirits are available along with Tea, Coffee & soft drinks. A wonderful way to spend New Year's Eve & see the fireworks from the water.
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.
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!
Loced the experience. Was able to see few dolphins. They put net in the cruise later half hour, it was awesome experience if u love water.
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.
Did whale watching for the first time, was a good experience
Cruze was good,staff good,price good , we have a good family fun time
Very good dolphin watch experience, staffs were very friendly
Really fun experience. Kids loved it.
Went on the whale watch cruise. Had a great time, staff are amazing.
Peaceful, serene, dolphins a-plenty. Knowledgeable crew who care about what they do. Get yourself on board.
Excellent cruise around beautiful Pt Stephens and out to sea. Two and half hours for $65, and well worth it. Today we had many dolphins and an amazing whale circling our boat for quite a while. The local seals were sighted laying on their island rocks. Can t wait to go on another cruise in summer. Thankyou Moonshadow Cruises.
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.
110% recommend this company. We went for our daughters 2nd birthday and Father s Day. From start to finish (including onboard lunch which was beautiful and plentiful) the staff were helpful and accommodating in every way. The boat was a great size 3 levels, and found out it actually fits 300 people. Nothing was too much trouble, and one lady crew member especially (wish I could remember her name to give her a shoutout) made sure our daughter seen the dolphins, got to go and get pictures steering the boat and when I asked to get the cake ready, it was already done! As we were leaving she made the effort to run out and give our daughter a dolphin toy for free. So if you read this thank you very much yet again. The captain was very informative and knew his stuff about all the wildlife. We have been coming here a few times a year for years and wish we had of done this tour 15 years ago. We ll be doing it every time we come up now!!
Saw dolphins swimming near a remote beach. Swam in the water and the dolphins showed up not too far from us. They couldn't be bothered but it was nice to see them from a short distance!
The cruise was great, spacious and big boat, friendly staff and the kids loved seeing the dolphins!
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
Worst tour we had booked so far: since we had already seen a lot of whales from different lookouts on the east coast, we had decided to go on a whale watching tour. Briefly looked on the Internet and found these with the positive reviews (I can't understand sorry !!!!) we had seen 2 whales for about 5 seconds in the whole 3 hours for over $ 60 per person. We were extremely disappointed !!!! After the tour, we called Moonshadows to possibly join the next tour again. The unfriendliness of the woman on the phone was hard to beat. Then we are back to the crew ...: -> Customer satisfaction / goodwill FAILED DISPLAY !!!! Especially since there are about 10 people on the boat and it is not nearly full. Sure they are wild animals and we just had bad luck but then you can expect a little goodwill! We have never seen such a rip-off and unfriendliness! Can't explain where the positive reviews come from sorry! Simply underground!
Didn't stop the boat so the kids could ride the Net so they got scared and didn't want to do it. Was the main reason we did the cruise. Captain kept saying we were running behind so I guess schedule was more important than kids enjoying it.
Wow... what a Dolphin Cruise we had. Staff were so informative and friendly. Very knowledgeable of the local area. The amount of Dolphins we saw was mind blowing, all the while keeping the dolphins welfare as their main priority.
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.
We chose to go for the sunset dinner cruise. The buffet dinner was fantastic. You had a pre arranged table and live music. The service was excellent and the staff very friendly
Take your wind jackets for the best seats to see the dolphins. Loved the cruise and the staff were lovely and knowledgeable. So many dolphins played around the boat. Great value for money. Highly recommend.
Went on and hour and a half dolphin cruise, $70 for two adults and two kids. We found dolphins nearly as soon as we left the marina, the crew were really nice and the kids had a ball. We've had a dinner cruise with Moonshadow before and that was also great. Highly recommended!
Great evening out today, we did the 3.30 booking and the crew were absolutely fantastic, Jarred and Paddy were the best and the captain was hilarious, not as funny as my exit from the slide over the net though, got told it was in the top 3 that Jarred has ever seen Hahaha. Great information told about the area, would definitely appreciate a bit more in relation to indigenous heritage rather than convict heritage but it was lovely regardless. The price I thought was fantastic also and the boat is really nice. Had a ball in the swim net with the added safety of Jarred keeping everyone safe and sound!
