★★★★★ ★★★★★ Misrepresentation and poor performance. Sue Abbett 4 September 2026 Sadly, after experiencing the delights of whale watching from Hervey Bay, this was by comparison totally abysmal. A phone call the night before to cancel the booking from the company did not inspire, as quite aside from the inconvenience there was not much of an excuse given. One of the passengers said that this was the second time their trip had been cancelled. It meant many of us had to get up at 4 in the morning which was bad enough, but when we arrived at the given departure point there was nobody to greet us or explain the situation, so we were all left wondering whether the cruise would happen at all, when the boat finally arrived - late - it was not the Sun Goddess that was advertised but a sad looking boat that desperately needed TLC and upgrading. We were offered mediocre coffee and little packets of biscuits - that was it. We then motored out to sea and found three whales and stuck with them. They were fairly far from the boat and I have no doubt the continual banging of a cabin door would have been clearly heard by these sensitive animals. They made no attempt to come nearer to us as the whales in Hervey Bay did, and while I understand there is a distance limit for boats to keep from the animals, there was no attempt by the captain of our boat to explore further afield. The crew were by and large good, but the crew member showing us how to don the life vest was a joke. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing, and given the condition of the boat hardly inspired us with confidence. This was my daughter’s first experience of whale watching and we were both so looking forward to sharing it together. Calling this tired old boat and the service on board a ‘luxury’ was so far from the truth that it was laughable. I suggest they rethink how they operate. I would not recommend this to anyone. Take a trip to Hervey Bay and see what real whale watching is all about. So disappointing. Customer Experience null 17 September 2026
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Staff not interested Jeff 18 August 2026 Wow what a waste of time and money that was I wouldn’t give it 1 star. The staff didn’t seem to care and we didn’t see any whales and the call it a Whale watching experience? Wow what a joke just got our money and didn’t care! Don’t waste your time or your money… spend your money on petrol and go for a drive and view the sights Customer Experience Hi , thanks so much for your feedback. We are always looking for ways to improve so I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. 19 August 2026
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Not as advertised Georgia 12 July 2026 The boat was a lot more dated and different than pictured. There was not enough seats and it was overbooked. No complimentary drinks or snacks as stated and options aboard were slim & expensive. Customer Experience Hi Georgia, we're sorry to hear the experience didn't match what was advertised and that the onboard facilities fell short of expectations. We’ll be reaching out to the supplier directly to better understand what happened. Thank you for sharing your feedback. 20 July 2026
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Recommended Whale-tastic Trish 15 September 2025 Lovely afternoon. Staff polite, whether perfect and the whales were happy to show us their moves. Was informative and relaxing. Customer Experience Hi Trish, it is always great to hear about the wonderful experiences our customers have, thank you for sharing! 22 September 2025
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Disappointing Ruby 27 July 2025 Didn’t get to see the whales as the areas where you could view from was over crowded.. unfair advantages on the boat was not value for money bought extra tickets for other family members to join us.. they were also disappointed Customer Experience Hi Ruby, thanks so much for your feedback. We are always looking for ways to improve so I really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. 28 July 2025
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Recommended Whale Watching was fantastic Wayne 14 July 2025 Staff and boat was fantastic. The boat we went out on was bigger than we expected. They found were the whales were, and what a experience that was with the show the whales put on. Customer Experience Hi Wayne, thank you for your feedback. We appreciate your kind words and are thrilled to hear about your positive experience! 14 July 2025
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Appalling customer service Kate 16 October 2024 They cancelled the service without telling anyone. No one would answer the calls. The customer service and the way they operate was just appalling. Avoid this company if you can. I made my reservation at 5:14 PM on 28/09/2024, but apparently, they told me emails were sent to guests at 4:11 PM that same day. Were those who booked after that time even notified of any updates? To make matters worse, I received a reminder at 7:29 AM on 29/09/2024 for an 8:30 AM boarding, despite the cancellation. Why send a reminder if the event is canceled? I emailed to question these and they just stopped replying. Customer Experience Hi Kate, thank you for your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear about the issues with communication around your booking. We understand how disappointing this experience must have been and appreciate you bringing it to our attention. Could you please email us at info@redballoon.com.au, we’d be happy to help you look into the remaining refund. 16 October 2024
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Very disappointed after driving 2 hours Toni 2 September 2024 Absolutely disgusting service and response to disappointed customers Got the family out of bed at 5.30am, drove 2 hours, arrived very early, paid for parking, and was waiting with about 40 others who were all totally unaware that this company had cancelled the tour. My partner rang the office and confirmed that the tour was cancelled. There was no email, text or phone call, advising of the cancellation. 40odd people can't have missed an email. I understand things happen, however both my partner and I were given completely different stories when we rang and the customer service representative I spoke to just wanted to argue with no sign of empathy or apology. Basically too bad so sad. I have requested a refund and was told "oh...we can't do anything about that as you booked through Red Balloon" Dwight at Red balloon was very helpful. I certainly will not be booking with them again and I will be advising everyone I know to not go through them. Not happy about the lack of professionalism, empathy and the treatment received when expressing the disappointment. Customer Experience Hi Toni, I am sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your experience. I’ve passed your valuable feedback through to our experience operator. We’re always looking for ways to improve, so I really appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback. 2 September 2024
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Recommended Absolutely wonderful Stephanie 12 August 2024 Was such an amazing and informative experience my husband, myself and our 3 children (6,4,2) all absolutely loved it! Customer Experience Hi Stephanie, we’re so happy to hear about your positive experience! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. 12 August 2024
★★★★★ ★★★★★ Disappointed took a long time to find whales and t Lee 8 August 2024 Not the best experience expected so much more on and off the boat Mya Hi Lee, I am sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your Luxury Whale Watching Yacht Cruise. I’ve passed your valuable feedback through to our experience operator. We’re always looking for ways to improve, so I really appreciate you taking the time to provide feedback. 8 August 2024