Magnetic Island Sunset Cruise Prices: What Each Evening Trip Costs

Seven sailing products cover Magnetic Island: three sunset or twilight sails and four daytime boat days, six departing from Nelly Bay and one from Townsville. Reading their prices side by side is harder than it should be, because the cheapest headline figure belongs to the one trip where nothing to drink is supplied. This guide untangles that, using only the from-prices stated on each booking page, all in USD per person.

What Does A Magnetic Island Sunset Cruise Cost?

Across the seven bookable products, from-prices run from $78.58 to $199.95 USD per person, with a median of $125.58. The three sunset trips cluster tightly between $78.58 and $101.73. The four daytime sailing and boat-day products span $125.58 to $199.95, reflecting longer durations, included lunches and, in one case, included ferry tickets.

The first thing to understand is that these are all "from" prices, per person, exactly as stated on each booking page. The price you see below is the number the booking page shows when you select a date.

The second thing is duration. A sunset trip here is short by design: ninety minutes for the Pilgrim Sip and Sail and the Townsville Sunset Sail, two hours for the Aquascene Sunset and Shipwreck cruise. The day products run about four, about six, and five hours respectively. Comparing a ninety-minute sunset sail against a five-hour boat day on price alone is misleading, which is why this guide separates the two families.

Since two of the three evening trips board at Nelly Bay rather than the island's northern beach, the guide to where sunset cruises actually depart from on Magnetic Island explains how to reach the boats from Horseshoe Bay.

Ratings sit consistently high across the lineup, but pool sizes vary a lot, so always read the count beside the star figure. The Pilgrim Sip and Sail carries 5.0 across 272 reviews, the most reviewed of the sunset trips. The Aquascene Sunset and Shipwreck cruise holds 4.9 across 75 reviews, and the Townsville Sunset Sail 4.7 across 27. Among the day products, the Aquascene Discovery is the most reviewed of all seven at 5.0 across 1,506 reviews.

Which Sunset Trip From Nelly Bay Is The Cheapest?

By headline price, the Aquascene Sunset and Shipwreck cruise from Nelly Bay is the cheapest at $78.58 USD per person for two hours. But its fare covers the boat trip and the wreck history commentary only: drinks and snacks are not supplied, you bring your own. That makes the true cheapest-with-drinks trip the Townsville Sunset Sail at $80.68, though it departs from the mainland.

Two of the three sunset trips leave from Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island itself. The Aquascene trip meets at the Peppers Resort outside deck, a one minute walk to the left of the Nelly Bay ferry terminal, and sails the coast between Nelly Bay and Cockle Bay to the SS City of Adelaide wreck. The Pilgrim Sip and Sail meets at the Nelly Bay deck outside the Boardwalk restaurant at Peppers Blue on Blue, by the car ferry ramp. Both are genuinely walkable from the ferry terminal, which matters if you are staying in Townsville and coming across for the evening.

The Aquascene fare includes nothing to consume, while the Pilgrim fare includes unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks plus light refreshments. Whether that gap is worth closing depends on what you would spend on drinks to carry aboard yourself, and on whether two hours or ninety minutes suits your evening better.

There is one scheduling wrinkle worth pricing into your plans: the Aquascene sunset trip runs on selected dates only, tied to the combination of high tide and sunset, on a select few nights each month. The booking page gives an example time of 4:15 to 6:15pm on selected days April to August, with times adjusted for sunset at other times of year. If your travel dates are fixed, check availability early rather than assuming a nightly departure.

What Do The Higher-Priced Sunset Trips Include?

The Pilgrim Sip and Sail, at $101.73 USD per person, is the most expensive of the three sunset trips and the most inclusive: unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, light refreshments, and the Environmental Management Charge, the reef tax, listed as included. The Townsville Sunset Sail at $80.68 includes two alcoholic drinks per person and bottled water. The $78.58 Aquascene fare includes neither.

This is the like-for-like comparison that matters more than the headline ranking. Three sunset trips, three different drink policies, and the price ladder flips once you price in what you would otherwise buy or bring.

Group size is the quiet variable in that table. The Townsville Sunset Sail caps at 6 guests, the smallest of all seven products. The Pilgrim sunset trips cap at 12, and the Aquascene sunset trip at 18.

The Pilgrim Sip and Sail also runs monthly full-moon dates: the operator lists these as the same product extended by up to 30 minutes to watch moonrise, returning after dark. Those dates are worth knowing about if you are choosing between months, and the operator's own full-moon dates for late 2026 include 24 November and 24 December. Our guide to seeing the full moon rise on a sunset sail breaks down the timing in detail.

For a deeper look at what the fares cover beyond drinks, see what is included on a Magnetic Island sunset cruise.

Can You Take A Sunset Cruise From Townsville, And What Does It Cost?

Yes. The Townsville Sunset Sail costs from $80.68 USD per person for ninety minutes, departing the Townsville Yacht Club and Marina in South Townsville. It sails Cleveland Bay, passes Magnetic Island, and is the only sunset trip of the three that does not require a ferry crossing, because you board on the mainland.

For a reader comparing prices, this trip is the one that removes a whole cost category. Every Nelly Bay departure assumes you got to the island, and for most visitors that means the SeaLink passenger ferry from the Breakwater Ferry Terminal, about 20 minutes across, with up to 17 services a day. The ferry fare is separate and is never bundled into a sunset cruise price on any of the three evening products. To see how that ferry fare stacks up against each evening trip's own price, the full breakdown of Magnetic Island sunset cruise costs compares all three side by side.

What the $80.68 fare buys is a sailing yacht with a listed skipper and deckhand, two standard alcoholic drinks per person, described as sparkling wine, and bottled water. Plan dinner separately and check the booking page for food details. The maximum group is 6, the minimum age is 2, and hotel pickup is stated as not included, so you make your own way to the marina.

The choice between a Townsville departure and an island departure is as much logistics as money. If you are staying in Townsville and want the simplest evening, the mainland departure wins on total cost and effort. If you are staying on Magnetic Island, or want the Nelly Bay harbour at dusk, the island trips win. Our longer comparison of Townsville or Magnetic Island sunset cruise departures works through the trade-offs.

How Do The Day Sailing Trips Compare On Price?

The four daytime products run from $125.58 to $199.95 USD per person. Both Aquascene five-hour day tours cost from $125.58 and include snorkel gear, wetsuits or UV suits, paddle boards and food. The Pilgrim lunchtime cruise costs from $167.68 for about four hours with lunch and alcoholic drinks. The Pilgrim sailing day from Townsville tops the lineup at $199.95, and it is the only product whose fare includes return ferry tickets.

These are not sunset products, but a reader weighing prices often cross-shops them, because the step up from the sunset fares buys five hours on the water instead of ninety minutes.

The two $125.58 Aquascene products are near-identical but separate: the Discovery day and the Circumnavigation tour both carry a 5.0 rating, from 1,506 reviews and 237 reviews respectively, both cap at 30 guests, and both offer a different-date-or-full-refund outcome if the operator judges the weather unsuitable. The Pilgrim lunchtime cruise holds 5.0 across 196 reviews, caps at 12, and lists snorkel gear as an exclusion rather than an inclusion.

The $199.95 Pilgrim sailing day from Townsville is a special case in the whole lineup: it is the only fare that includes the return ferry between Townsville and Magnetic Island, meeting guests at 10:00am on the Nelly Bay deck after the included morning ferry. When you compare it against a $125.58 day tour, remember the day-tour buyer still has to buy their own ferry ticket on top. It carries only 8 reviews so far, too few a pool for a star claim, so judge it on its inclusions rather than a rating.

If the day-product decision is really about time on the water rather than the evening sky, our overview of Magnetic Island day cruises and sailing trips maps the full set.

The inclusions split along operator lines rather than price. Both Aquascene day tours serve non-alcoholic drinks only, while both Pilgrim day products include alcoholic drinks with lunch. None of the four daytime fares therefore offers snorkel gear and alcohol together: the gear, with wetsuits or UV suits and paddle boards, belongs to the two $125.58 Aquascene tours, and the drinks belong to the $167.68 and $199.95 Pilgrim trips. A reader who wants to snorkel and a reader who wants a drink with lunch are looking at different products, whatever the price ladder suggests.

The two Pilgrim day products are closer than their headline figures suggest. Both include lunch and alcoholic drinks, and both list snorkel gear as an exclusion, so the choice reduces to time and transport: the $167.68 lunchtime cruise runs about four hours from Nelly Bay, while the $199.95 sailing day from Townsville runs about six and folds the return ferry tickets into the fare. Count the ferry ticket you would otherwise have to buy, and the stated gap between the two narrows.

Between the two Aquascene tours, the shared $125.58 from-price and five-hour duration leave the booking page as the only place to tell them apart. Both cap at 30 guests and hold a 5.0 rating, so the practical difference sits in the itinerary and the review count: 1,506 behind the Discovery day, 237 behind the Circumnavigation tour.

One naming trap catches buyers at the top of the price ladder. Despite its title, the Pilgrim sailing day from Townsville does not board on the mainland: it departs from Nelly Bay, and only the ferry crossing, folded into the fare, involves Townsville. The actual mainland departure among the seven belongs to the Townsville Sunset Sail, an evening trip run by a different operator.

Group capacity moves opposite to price across the four daytime products. Both Aquascene tours carry up to 30 guests, while the Pilgrim lunchtime cruise and the sailing day cap at 12, so the two cheapest daytime fares also buy the largest groups.

Gear hire is not a cost on either Aquascene day. Wetsuits or stinger UV suits are supplied depending on season, alongside the snorkel lesson and paddle boards. The Pilgrim days exclude snorkel gear entirely, so the premium there buys duration, lunch, alcoholic drinks and a smaller group.

Does The Price Include The Ferry To Magnetic Island?

No, with one exception. Six of the seven products expect you to be on Magnetic Island at your own cost, and the booking pages of both Aquascene products state plainly that the ferry ticket is not included. The single exception is the $199.95 Pilgrim sailing day from Townsville, whose fare includes the return ferry tickets between Townsville and Magnetic Island.

For every Nelly Bay departure, the practical chain is: SeaLink passenger ferry from the Breakwater Ferry Terminal in Townsville to the Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal, a crossing of about 20 minutes, with up to 17 services a day. No booking page in the lineup quotes a ferry fare, and no sunset cruise price on this site bundles one. Pilgrim notes on its own page that its ex-Townsville cruise times are aligned to the SeaLink timetable and that it can package ferry tickets, which is the only operator coupling of its kind.

Getting home matters as much as getting there. The last ferry from Nelly Bay back to Townsville departs 10:00pm daily, and 11:00pm Wednesday to Saturday only. Since the sunset trips are short, ninety minutes to two hours, an evening sail from Nelly Bay comfortably fits before the last mainland-bound sailing, even in midsummer when sunset runs as late as 18:56. Aquascene's own page tells Townsville-based guests to check their connection against the timetable, good advice for all three operators.

One company distinction saves real confusion: SeaLink runs the passenger ferry, while Magnetic Island Ferries is a separate vehicle ferry operator from 42 Ross Street in South Townsville, a crossing of about 40 minutes. Aquascene explicitly warns passengers not to mix up the two companies. For most sunset cruisers without a car, the passenger ferry is the relevant one.

What Extra Costs Should You Budget For?

Beyond the fare, the three likely extras are drinks and snacks on the $78.58 Aquascene sunset trip, your ferry ticket on six of the seven products, and your own transport to the departure point, since hotel pickup is stated as not included on five of the seven booking pages. The Townsville Sunset Sail makes no mention of food, so plan dinner separately.

The Aquascene Sunset and Shipwreck cruise is the one product in the lineup where you bring your own beverages and nibbles. The booking page says exactly that: nothing is supplied. The other two sunset trips cover drinks in the fare: two drinks on the Townsville sail, unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks on the Pilgrim trip. Check the booking page before bringing your own. Our page on bringing your own drinks on a Magnetic Island sunset cruise covers the rules product by product.

Next, transport at both ends. Hotel pickup is stated as not included on five of the seven trips and is not mentioned for the two Aquascene day tours, so plan on making your own way to the boat either way. On the island side, both Nelly Bay sunset departure points sit within a one to two minute walk of the ferry terminal, which keeps that cost at zero for foot passengers. Aquascene also notes free parking at the Magnetic Island car park, with the caveat that it can be full on certain days, so allow extra time if you have a car.

Finally, cancellation terms are uniformly generous and worth knowing before you pay anything. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure is stated on all seven booking pages, so an early booking holds your date at minimal risk. Aquascene goes further on weather: its booking pages offer a different date or a full refund if conditions are unsuitable, a policy specific to that operator.

When Is The Best Value Month For A Sunset Cruise?

The from-price shown is the lowest current fare, so check your date: value is about timing, not discounts, as sunset shifts from 17:41 in midwinter to 18:56 in midsummer, and Townsville's wettest months, February at 312.9 mm mean rainfall and January at 274.4 mm, carry more rain days than the dry August to October stretch. The same fare buys a longer, drier evening in the cooler months.

The sun clock matters because these trips are short. A ninety-minute sail timed to sunset starts in golden hour, which begins around 17:12 in mid-June or 18:27 in mid-January. Civil dusk follows sunset by roughly 20 to 30 minutes, so even the latest summer sail is over well before the 10:00pm last ferry. Nothing about the fare changes across the year, but the experience around it does.

The rainfall figures come from the Bureau of Meteorology's Townsville station, the closest long-term record, since the island itself has no BoM table. The same record puts mean daily maximums at 31.5 °C in January against 25.2 °C in July, a real comfort difference on an open deck. Aquascene's sunset dates are tied to high tide as well as sunset, so in some months the affordable $78.58 option simply runs on fewer nights. If your dates are flexible and your budget is tight, check that product first and shape the trip around it.

For the full month-by-month breakdown, see our table of Magnetic Island sunset times by month, and for the seasonal argument in full, the best month for a Magnetic Island sunset cruise. The island sits within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, as Queensland Parks and Wildlife notes on its Magnetic Island National Park page, which is context no price table quite captures.

Evening trips include the Pilgrim Sip and Sail at $101.73 per person, the Aquascene Sunset & Shipwreck Tour at $78.58, and the Townsville sunset sail charter from the mainland at $80.68. You can check availability on the Pilgrim trip, or compare all three side by side below before deciding.

September makes its case on rain-day counts rather than rainfall totals. The same Townsville record averages 1.2 days of at least 1 mm of rain in September and 1.4 in August, against 12.7 in February and 11.7 in January. Pair that with a mean maximum of 27.9 °C and sunsets running 18:04 to 18:10, and September comes out the driest month on the count, warmer than July's 25.2 °C afternoons.

Evening temperature swings more than the fare does. Mean minima sit at 24.4 °C in January against 13.9 °C in July, a gap a two-hour trip on the water feels more than the afternoon maximums suggest, so a midyear sail deserves an extra layer that a January departure does not.

One seasonal date matters less than travellers fear. Stinger season, 1 November to 31 May per Townsville City Council, overlaps the wetter months, but none of the three sunset trips includes swimming, so those dates need not shape an evening choice. The wetsuits or stinger suits Aquascene lists by season belong to its two five-hour day tours, not the evening trip.

Common Questions About Magnetic Island Sunset Cruise Prices