Frequently Asked Question’s
1. Will there be an opportunity to sail onboard?
We love the opportunity to hoist the sails and showcase the beauty of sailing to our guests, hence when appropriate we’ll do our best to sail.
It is difficult to sail when you are trying to interact with marine life. Careful manoeuvring of the boat is required to provide the best possible encounters. For this reason our marine life cruises can only offer sailing when returning from marine life interaction.
Whale Cruises: Occasionally at the end of the tour
Sunset Cruises: If weather permits
Private Charters: Available if requested
2. What time do you get picked up and returned to your Broome accommodation?
Pick-up and drop-off times will vary depending on the time of year and your location. All times will be noted on your booking confirmation at time of booking and will be updated with an exact time a few hours prior to departure.
3. Are there life jackets available on the vessel?
Yes, lifejackets are available on board. If you require one for use during your cruise please notify the crew. Otherwise, the crew will distribute if deemed necessary.
4. What do I need to bring with me?
Sunscreen, hat, bathers, towel, camera and cash or card for the purchase of beverages and Broome Tours merchandise. Ballena has a fully licensed bar from which guests can purchase both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from.
5. What about stingers and other harmful sea creatures?
At certain times, generally the wet season, stingers are more prevalent in the waters around Broome. We take the utmost care as to reduce the chances of any harm to our passengers through the use of the boom net and only allow passengers to swim during the months recommended by the authorities. We have a comprehensive 1st Aid kit on board and crew are equipped to deal with such situations.
6. Is there shade and seating available for all passengers?
There is a saloon onboard which is inside and air conditioned. The cockpit has an additional eight (8) seats that are shaded. Finally the bow has a large shaded area, this includes seating for an additional ten (10) guests and plenty of standing shaded space as well.
7. Is there somewhere I can store my belongings?
Guests are more than welcome to store any bags or belongings in our below deck wheelhouse/saloon area. As there is no availability for secure storage, all guests are responsible for any belongings brought aboard the vessel. Shoes can be kept safely on our courtesy bus.
8. How many toilets are available for passengers?
There is two (2) toilets onboard, both below deck, one on the port and another on the starboard side.
9. Is there drinking water on board?
Broome Tours has filtered chilled water provided onboard. The filtered water is produced from a desalination process and may taste slightly different to regular tap water.
10. What if I get sea sick?
If you are prone to sea sickness or worried that you might become sea sick, we advise seeing your local chemist and acquiring anti-travel or anti-sea sickness medication as a precaution and follow instructions according to the use of that medication. As a vessel is a moving platform, we cannot guarantee that you won’t experience sea sickness.
We take no responsibility for passengers becoming sea sick, but will do our best to seek out calm waters. We can provide sea-sickness tablets onboard and will always advise passengers if we are likely to encounter any unfavourable weather.
11. Will I need warm clothes?
During the daylight hours the temperature is generally very comfortable. However, in the winter months (June-August), once the sun has set, the evenings can become quite cool. A light weight long-sleeved top or jacket is recommended.
12. Can you accommodate passengers who are wheelchair bound?
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the experience, passengers will need to be mobile to board and disembark the vessel.
13. What payment do you accept?
Broome Tours requires full payment at time of booking, we accept Mastercard and Visa credit cards and Australian debit cards. Passengers booking through an agent or Broome Visitor Centre will need to check with provider on payment conditions. Any purchases made on board the vessel during a cruise can be paid using cash or card.
14. What food is available on board?
Broome Tours provides complimentary canapés for our guests to enjoy and lunch on specified cruises. There will be a range of choices to cover all dietary requirements, but they may contain traces of allergenic food items such as nuts, eggs or seafood.
15. Do you cater for those with dietary requirements?
Broome Tours endeavours to accommodate guests with specific dietary requirements by offering a range of canapés to choose from. Please note however canapés may contain traces of allergenic food items such as nuts, eggs or seafood. Dietary options can also be requested upon booking and will be subsequently catered for.
16. Is smoking permitted on board?
As a licensed premises and for the comfort of all passengers, unfortunately no. We are a non-smoking vessel.
17. What is the minimum age recommendation?
There is no minimum age restriction. However adults must be responsible for their children at all times. Also important to note, boarding and disembarking the vessel will be from the beach, so children may require assistance and adults may require use of both their hands. Children and infant life jackets can be found aboard the vessel. Please ask crew if you would like access to these.
18. Will we get our feet wet boarding and disembarking the tender?
Yes you will. We advise wearing slip-on shoes which can be left on our courtesy bus. You will be required to walk through salt water just above your ankles to board our tender, which will transfer you to and from ‘Ballena’.
19. What are the minimum/maximum number of passengers?
Broome Tours can operate with a minimum of five (5) guests and a maximum of 36.
20. What are your cancellation penalties and restrictions?
- Broome Tours Cruises: Cancellations made more than forty-eight (48) hours prior to departure date may be made without penalty and a full refund will be given to the customer. Cancellations made within forty-eight (48) hours of departure date, will result in loss of total costs.
- Private Charters: Cancellations made more than three (3) months prior to departure date (as logged in operator’s booking system) may be made without penalty and a full refund will be given to the customer. Cancellations made within three (3) months of departure will result in loss of specified deposit, and cancellations made within two (2) weeks prior to departure will result in loss of total costs.
The operator has the right to retain all deposits received up to the amount of the cancellation fee and invoices will be issued for any further amounts outstanding.
- Weather Cancellations: Cancellations made by the operator due to weather conditions will entitle the customer to a full refund of the Fare Price. Please note that if the customer made the booking for a cruise or Private Charter through a booking agent all refunds of deposits and booking fees are to be obtained directly from the booking agent. Such booking agent may at their discretion retain booking fee less than or equal to 100% price.
- Other Cancellations: Cancellations may be made at the Operators discretion due to mechanical breakdowns which may result in the vessel being unable to operate. If this occurs the customer will receive a full refund of Fare Price. Please note that if the customer made the booking for travel through a booking agent all refunds of deposits and booking fees are to be obtained directly from the booking agent. Such booking agent may at their discretion retain booking fee less than or equal to 100% of price.
- Failure to Board: It is the passenger’s responsibility to ensure that they arrive on time at the nominated point of pick up by the courtesy bus or for the departure of the tender for boarding of the vessel. Failure to do so will mean that the passenger forfeits the full fare price to the operator.