Accessibility
Whalesong Cruises
Whalesong Cruises - Hervey Bay, Queensland's premium mid-sized, modern, environmentally friendly and multi-functional boat, providing unforgettable boat tour experiences all year round.
(07) 4125 6222 (Local freecall)
Whalesong Cruises - Accessible boat
Whalesong Cruises Hervey Bay wants everyone to be able to experience incredible close encounters with Humpback Whales, no matter their ability or needs. That's why our boat and operations, were designed with accessibility in mind.
We understand there are a number of physical, intellectual, developmental and mental health differences in abilities in our community. Being able to cater for as many people as possible, is Whalesong's goal.
We're working on providing special content for our hearing and visually impaired guests. At the moment, we can fully cater to guests with other physical and intellectual challenges as well as those with dietary requirements. Whalesong has been accredited through the Quality Tourism Framework as an Accessible Tourism Operator in these categories.
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Transport to marina:
If you're not arriving with your own vehicle, there are a couple of options to get to the marina (our courtesy bus is not wheelchair accessible):
- private shuttle/taxi - Hervey Bay taxis Ph: 131008
- low floor, accessible public bus - click here to via timetable for Wide Bay Transit or call Ph: 07 41286411. You're looking for bus route 705 or 716 (Buccaneer Dr at Miller St stop). The map below shows where the bus stops and how to get to the boat from there.
Parking: There is disabled parking at the marina. However, as there are only 5 carparks, we strongly recommend you arriving early at the marina. We cannot hold/reserve carparks for you.
Check out the video below to see how to access the office and the boat:
Please note: the wheelchair and wheelie walker used in this video are approx. 550mm wide - some of the widest standard aides on the market. There is no weight limit for these aides to embark the boat either.
Our commitment to you:
- Adopt the highest accessibility standards in all areas of operation to ensure maximum enjoyment for everyone.
- Respect everyone on board.
We (the entire Whalesong team: office and crew) will not:
- patronise or talk down to you
- never attempt to speak or finish a sentence for you
We will:
- address you in the same way as we talk to everyone else
- speak directly to you, even if you have an interpreter or companion with you
- accommodate your needs as much as we can
- will welcome your carer and assistance animal on board (and respectfully ask our other guests to respect your assistance animal as you wish)
- accept companion cards
- ensure you receive value for money and will want to come back time and time again!
Food Allergies and Intolerances:
In this day of increasing allergies and intolerances, as well as people just wanting to look after their bodies, we are happy to support them in anyway we reasonably can. In addition, to being asked for these requirements at time of booking, you will receive reminder emails to let us know about these dietary preferences. We will also check with you as they board, in case for some reason these preferences have an already been noted. However, it is ALWAYS best to have these requirements at least 48 hours prior to the cruise so we can be sure to accommodate your needs.
We are very particular about our Food Handling standards, and ensure cross contamination doesn’t occur. And some extreme cases where anaphylaxis could occur, we ensure there is nothing on the boat you can react to, e.g. we had a child who had an extreme allergy to peanuts. Even though we don’t serve peanuts on board, we have chocolate bars for sale, some of which contain peanuts. We completely removed these from the vessel to avoid any risk of contamination. Severe coeliacs also have their food prepped separately and are served first to avoid cross contamination. As well as the more general requirements of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy free, not free, GMO free etc … we are also able to accommodate certain religious dietary requirements too, e.g Halal.
Invitation to find out more:
Please feel free to explore our boat. We also invite you to come familiarise yourself with the boat and access to the boat. You're welcome to contact us to arrange a suitable time. We're also available to discuss any thoughts/ideas/questions you may have about accessibility and being able to enjoy a cruise with Whalesong Cruises: info@whalesong.com.au or (07) 4125 6222
Whalesong Cruises
Whalesong Cruises - Hervey Bay, Queensland's premium mid-sized, modern, environmentally friendly and multi-functional boat, providing unforgettable boat tour experiences all year round.