Private Helicopter Tour: Reef Island Snorkeling And Gourmet Picnic Lunch

Reviews

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  AudBoz3 5

  29 Nov 2021

  First time in a helicopter at 50 years of age and can’t believe I didn’t do this sooner. Pilot Michael was very reassuring- the trip was smooth and had beautiful views of the reef. We even saw a turtle and a stingray. Lovely picnic hamper. Very enjoyable experience and would definitely do it again.

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  593rachaela 5

  08 Oct 2021

  One of the best experiences I’ve ever had!!! You cannot put a price on this outstanding trip. The day was absolutely perfect and the pilot was very knowledgeable and friendly. We forgot his name but he was such a great pilot. We were fortunate enough to land on the sandcay and have a beautiful picnic followed by snorkelling. The food in the picnic was absolutely awesome!!! We got given so much and it was delicious! The picturesque views were one of a kind and the snorkelling was fantastic. We got to see so much of the reef - it was the best!!! I would do this trip over and over again if I could. Thank you so much it was the best day ever!!! If I could give 10 stars I would.

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  Eric T 2

  22 Jul 2018

  We made a reservation for the day trip with flight over the coral reef, snorkelling around and lunching on the cay. This was for a special occasion and we were looking for it for a very long time. It was the main reason we came to Cairns actually. We were supposed to be picked up at the hotel at 0745. At 0815 since no one had shown up I called Nautilus and was told that there were some technical problems but that someone would pick us up at 0845. We walked around and were back at the hotel at 0845. At 0900 since no one had shown up I called again and was told that the pick up car was delayed due to traffic. Eventually the car showed up and we were driven to Nautilus Aviation. At that stage we were welcomed by a very embarrassed officer who explained that there had been a technical problem on an helicopter which could not be fixed. Hence the trip had to be cancelled. We were proposed instead either to postpone to the next day - which was not possible since this was when we had to leave - or a 30’ flight at no cost to us. This is what we did. We were not charged and the company apologised. The flight was nice but nothing to compare to the full day trip. We also regretted very much the fact that no one had called us at 0745 to explain the situation. In conclusion, the company behave properly in trying to address the issue but the information did not come on time and the overall experience a great disappointment.

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  Jennifer G 5

  23 Jan 2017

  This tour was amazing!! It was once in a lifetime. Spend the money!

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  Xinwei R 5

  06 Nov 2016

  It's really worth the money. The entire small island was completely for us only! How great was it! Everyone we met was friendly and very knowledgable. I definitely will recommond this tour to my friends.

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  Jason W 2

  21 Oct 2016

  The opportunity to visit idyllic Vlasoff Cay is wonderful, however the reality of this happening seems incredibly slim.

  We booked this trip based on the plan fuelled by many lovely photos of visiting Vlasoff Cay, however we ended up on Turtle Beach. The tour company are thorough from every angle to ensure you understand that if Vlasoff Cay is occupied, then landing on Turtle Beach is the alternative - they make you sign numerous disclaimers agreeing you understand this. However, what they failed to do was advise from their experience, how unlikely it is that you will land there. We emailed quite a few times beforehand asking for the odds and even asked for photos of Turtle Beach so we could make an informed decision it's a lot of money! but didn't receive anything useful back. We even suggested leaving earlier in the morning to ensure we'd be able to land, but were told that we couldn't due to tides - our pilot on the day said the tides wouldn't have stopped us flying early.

  On the day we flew it seemed like they already knew we couldn't land there. This meant we flew out for 15mins over the reef and then landed on Turtle beach. The beach is lovely, but exactly like all the others along the coast. The 'champagne' was sparkling Jacobs Creek and the picnic was squashed sandwiches, they could do a much better job of this. It's also worth noting that the pilot stays with you, which isn't explained in the description.

  This trip has the promise of being amazing, but for us it didn't get anywhere close to that, and ended up being one VERY expensive helicopter ride and average picnic.

  We wouldn't recommend this trip.

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  Julianne_C 3

  12 Jun 2016

  I would give a three and a half star review. The Nautilus Helicopter staff were fabulous. The only downside was the flight was quite short and although the trip did go to the reef we all thought it would be further out where the day trippers go. Having said that the snorkelling was enjoyable, the little island we landed on was lovely and we had a delicious lunch. So well worth doing.

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  Jia H 5

  10 Nov 2015

  Amazing!! We ended up on Turtle beach, had our breakfast there and went snorkeling a bit.

  It was super nice and relaxing. The pilot was great and amazing she took us for a tour around the reef, just beautiful.

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  Anthony B 5

  11 Oct 2015

  Just do it
  5 of 5 stars Pending review
  Nautilus helicopters excelelnt trip out to the reef, what else can I write, you own little part of the Great Barrier Reef for two and a half hours.
  Both ground staff and our pilot Jenna provided excellent no hassle service, from check-in, to both the out-bound and in-bound flights.
  The condition of the helicopter look new, fresh out of the box so to speak very clean.
  Jenna provided a running comentry concerning the reef on both the outbound and inbound flights and answered any questions.
  Being educated in England with we know little or nothing of Australians geography or history.
  Food hamper was again excellent, nice to sit back, eat and watch the world go by on your own little atoll.
  The helicopters arrival temporary disturbs the resident birds who return minutes latter.
  The snorkling was just enough, you have to go to the edge of the sand bar in order to see any local inhabitants.

  Well worth it, excellent staff unlike those I encounter at offshore check in's around the world.
  Get your money out, just do it you will not regret it.

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  amanda_geloven 3

  09 Jul 2014

  The weather was the problem, the pilot did all he could to make the most if it but we couldn't have the picnic. I was dissapointed but it couldn't be helped. Wish I had more days there so I could have rescheduled in better weather.

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