Oasis Cruising cancels $10 million vessel’s entire week of inaugural Brisbane River voyages

Just two days after an exclusive invite-only launch party was canned, Brisbane’s newest party boat has now scrapped its opening weekend voyages.

Onboard the Oasis party boat. Picture: Supplied.

Brisbane’s newest party boat has suffered a double false start.

The Oasis has called off its opening weekend voyages just two days after an exclusive invite-only launch party was also canned.

Guests were only informed of the decision to call off the party a few hours before its scheduled start time on Wednesday night.

The man behind the $10 million project has pleaded with customers to “bear with us” and promised the Oasis vessel will “stand out above any other boat in the country”.

The Oasis was brought up from Adelaide to Brisbane and has been completely stripped and refitted over the past two years.

An artist’s impression of the Oasis coming soon to the Brisbane River. Photo: Supplied.

It was due to have its maiden voyage on the Brisbane River on Wednesday night for its invite-only launch party, with local travel and hospitality industry identities on the guest list.

However, that afternoon, the event was cancelled, with the vessel’s owner telling The Courier-Mail, they were simply not ready in time.

“Despite our best efforts, the boat just wasn’t ready for tonight’s invite-only launch. We look forward to the first weekend on water this coming Saturday and Sunday,” they said.

On Friday, however, Oasis Cruising also canned its public weekend voyages, with managing partner Dave Auld telling The Courier-Mail he wanted the vessel to be “perfect”.

“We’re right at the finish line now, and we want to finish correctly and make sure we deliver on our promise,” Mr Auld said.

“There is nothing wrong with the boat’s mechanics, it is already to go, but I’m really focused and want to make sure everything is perfect and deliver on my promise.

“It is not anything specific, there’s just a few little things – the finishing touches, because of the size and magnitude of the boat.”

Oasis’s interior decoration. Photo: Supplied.

Mr Auld said all the required licences are in place, but it is a case of putting the finishing touches on the vessel’s decor.

“It is not a big deal, but it is time-consuming… it is a huge boat, we’ve never done anything like it before.”

Customers who had booked on Saturday’s and Sunday’s cruises were contacted on Friday and offered priority re-booking or refunds.

Mr Auld said Oasis would now launch next weekend – April 29 and 30.

“My message (to customers) would be to bear with us, we’ve promised the best thing in the country and we will deliver, we thank you for the support,” he said.

The company operates the Seadeck vessel in Sydney. They brought the boat up to Brisbane during 2017 and 2018 and decided to expand the business to the River City permanently.

Mr Auld said residents living along the Brisbane River were forefront in mind during Oasis’s design.

“During our 2017/2018 trading, we got to understand the noise restrictions and the importance of lessening the impact on residents,” he said.

“A lot of thought and time and money has gone into this … we are extremely mindful of this.

“Our sound systems are focused to the centre of the rooms – it is a state-of-the-art system with controls on every level.

“So the sound system sounds crisp, but it does not have a massive impact of the sound bouncing across the river.”

The Oasis open, airy deck will also have a retractable awning. Photo: Supplied.

Oasis will have three party decks, all offering a different experience.

“Every level is completely different aesthetically,” Mr Auld said.

“All have their own DJ boxes and bars. But the bottom deck is brown leather seating, the middle deck is a tropical theme, and the top deck is pastel colours.

“When people buy a ticket they can go onto any level, there are no restrictions – there is a different feel on different levels, but still great music and offerings.”

The vessel’s design has also taken into account the Brisbane climate, with the open deck having a retractable awning that can close in five minutes. There are also opening glass panels on the sides and airconditioning throughout.

“We never plan on relocating the vessel, we have a berth down at Hemmant, we will be a permanent fixture on the Brisbane River,” Mr Auld said.