Which of these 2 cruises best for scuba?

We are trying to decide between these two cruises of the Western Caribbean, for Jan. or Feb. 2018:

HAL Rotterdam: Tampa, Key West, Roatan, Costa Maya, Santo de Castillo (Guatamala), Tampa

RCL Rhapsody of the Seas: Tampa, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize City, Costa Maya, Tampa.

Which would you prefer for scuba diving? We have not been to any except Costa Maya since we once spent a week in a house north of Mahahual. We are two sisters in our 60s. Active, out going, and interested in the ports, not so much shipboard activities. Any comments on the ships or itinerary are welcome. Thanks.

Absolutely....the Grand Cayman, Cozumel. Two great ports for scuba. Really great diving at both.

the first one has Roatan, which is also great, but I haven't heard great things about Costa Maya.

Thank you so much. I have wanted to go to Roatan for some time now as I hear the diving is great. But that trip also includes Key West which I have been to and think would be a waste of a port. In Belize we would probably visit one of the Mayan ruins. So the itinerary with both Grand Cayman and Cozumel will probably win out. I do like the sound of the Rotterdam for size though, about 1400, compared to just over 2000 for the Rhapsody. I really dislike large ships. Thanks!

I would recommend the Rhapsody itinerary. I just did almost the same cruise except it had Roatan instead of Grand Cayman. We dived at all 4 ports and in the Florida Aquarium as a "warmup."

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Thank you for the reply. Any dive shops you would recommend in these ports? I will check out the forums for these ports but I would be interested to know if you used the cruise excursions or if you booked it privately. Thanks!

Diving in Grand Cayman is decent. Walk over to Eden Rock 3-4 blocks from the docks, there is a dive shop there (edenrockdive.com) and the reef just off shore is decent diving. Cozumel has good diving at the national park there.

At Belize I would recommend doing the cave tubing rather than mayan ruins. Cave tubing is a lot of fun and the ruins at Costa Maya (Chacchoben) are better than in Belize IMO.

BTW, HAL tends to be for older cruisers. I'm in my 60s and was bored to tears on HAL when we went with my parents who were in their 80s at the time. I would recommend RCL, maybe look into Celebrity if you've not tried it. I like RCL but the music and vibe all around the ship for our generation is better on Celebrity IMO. It is something I miss when we go on RCL. Also Belize has some of the best scuba in the world, blue hole etc.

Another itinery for good diving is the ABC islands. Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. We went on a 9 night to the ABCs on the RCL Explorer last year. Bonaire and Curacao have excellent diving. I didn't dive in Aruba.

Of the two itineraries you shared, personally I'd pick the one with stops in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. As for shops in those two ports.. It's been awhile since I've dove GC, but when I did, I dove with Sunset House which was fine. In Cozumel, I dove with a few until I found Aldora, and it's love - I will only dive with them from now on.

Edited to Add: I booked these privately (not through cruise ships).

I just did the Roster, Belize and Cozumel RCL trip and we dove in Roatan and Cozumel. I can't say enough for how great Cozumel was. Sharks, eels, sea turtles and large rays on in one dive! Can't wait to go back. We skipped Belize due to it being a tendered port and a long ride to dive sites from shore.

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We just did the Rhapsody as well and are doing it again.

Diving in Roatan, Belize and Coz with a day at Maya Chan in Costa Maya.

All diving done independently of the ship.

Roatan: coconuttreedivers.com crappy weather led to poor viz so not the best conditions

Belize: there is only one in Belize city http://www.seasportsbelize.com/ Lionfish ceviche on your surface interval was AMAZING.

Cozumel: www.cozumelh2o.com/ <----- is why were going back to coz in October and then again in Jan.

Aruba diving was awful in January.

Grand Cayman I use Neptune Divers

Cozumel: Aldora

Costa Maya: Gypsea Divers

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I have done the RCCL trip and dove ALL the spots. Enjoyed every one.

As for shops my recommendations are:

Roatan: Quality Time Divers. You choose your group (it was me and the hubby only). Dives are based upon your skills, desires, and water conditions. They even offer an outdoor shower and towels before your departure.

Grand Cayman: Off the Wall Divers. You know they care when they call you at home before your departure to make sure things are right (yes, from Grand Cayman).

Belize City: There is only one shop in the city. Sea Sports Belize. Nice shop within walking distance of the tender port. I would dive with them again. All other shops are at Ambergris Cay (you can take a short (hop) plane ride there for an extra $100 (I think it was) and dive there.

Costa Maya: Gypsea Divers. Very nice. Quaint little dive shop with good personalized service. I have dove with them numerous times. (note: Nitrox is not available here).

Cozumel: Good luck. I have dove there twice and have not found my diving home there yet!

Good Luck and enjoy your trips!

I know Grand Cayman intimately as I have a house on Little Cayman.

Do NOT dive at Eden Rock. By Cayman standards, this is a terrible dive site, nearly dead even before the accident. In general, the sites off the southwest part of the island are not as good, they are not as interesting and there is a lot of pressure on them because the biggest dive resorts are there.

The very best diving on Grand Cayman is on the North Wall, and it is world class. If you are a serious diver you want to dive with an operation that is either based on the north end of the island or one that goes out of the marina in North Sound, the "internal" sound that fills the center of the island. Look for an operation whose website advertises they dive the North Wall then write to as many as you have to in order to find one who will work with your schedule. I advise staying away from the big operators like Foster's or Sunset House and definitely avoid Red Sail Sports like the plague. You will get better service and better diving from a small operation that puts 6-10 divers on a boat. A serious dive operation may not have rental gear, but they should be able to arrange it for you if you book in advance. It is worth the trouble of renting gear from a big shop then going to dive with a small one. Trust me!

My experience of Cozumel is extensive but much older. I second what everyone has said about Aldora. They are THE class act on Cozumel, or at least they were. See if they will work with you. The operators pretty much all go to the same range of sites, although Aldora is more likely to go to the further/deeper sites as long as they don't have any novices onboard. If Aldora won't work with your schedule I suggest looking for current reviews. Try undercurrent.org, it might even be worth buying a subscription.

I have traveled Belize and the bad news is that the exceptional Belize diving is WAAAAAAY offshore on the atolls. There just isn't any first-class diving that you can get to on a cruise ship schedule, I'm sorry. Take a jungle tour instead, the rain forest and rivers are really beautiful.

I have heard wildly conflicting things about the diving in the vicinity of Costa Maya, i.e. Mahahual. I'm going to be there in January on a cruise so would appreciate any info I can get. I once spent a month touring the Yucatan and stopped at a lot of the beach towns but that was 25 years ago and I'm sure I'm in for quite a shock. It was really sleepy back then.

Thank you all. I am the original poster and it has been many months since I have looked at this thread. Our cruise on the Rhapsody is now just over a month away. In October we spent 10 days on Cozumel and dove with Tres Pelicanos and will dive with them again while on our cruise. Aldora could not accommodate us as we don't get in until 10:00am. Still looking for recommendations for Grand Cayman since we want to dive there. Thanks!

Thank you all. I am the original poster and it has been many months since I have looked at this thread. Our cruise on the Rhapsody is now just over a month away. In October we spent 10 days on Cozumel and dove with Tres Pelicanos and will dive with them again while on our cruise. Aldora could not accommodate us as we don't get in until 10:00am. Still looking for recommendations for Grand Cayman since we want to dive there. Thanks!

Kathi,

I have a strange recommendation for Grand Cayman. Strange because I haven't dove with them. I was booked with Epic Divers for a late October cruise. I was super impressed with the responsiveness to emails, and willingness to provide for port pick-up and return. Alas, conditions prevented our ship from tendering there that day, so we weren't able to actually dive. nonetheless, I am convinced they're the answer for grand Cayman. Try emailing Freddy at freddy@epicdivers.com. I imagine you'll be well taken care of.

As others above noted, for Mahahual, Catherine and Abel at Gypsea Divers are my strong recommendation.

Harris

Denver, CO

Harris

harris, Thank you for the recommendation. I will definitely email him. We decided not to dive at Mahahual this time. Diving at Grand Cayman and Cozumel only. Going to enjoy a beach day at Mahahual since every other port we have an activity planned. Can't wait!