Aqua Trax Review

I will begin this review by saying that my husband and I owned triple seat SeaDoos for many years. I was looking forward to enjoying the thrill of riding jet skis in a tropical atmosphere but I was afraid it was going to be a putt putt ride along the shoreline after reading the tour description on the HAL site.

Our excursion took place on the Presidents Cruise.

We met the others from our group at the information booth at the Welcome Center. The age range was quite varied but all of us were looking forward to this excursion. There was a short tram ride to the lagoon and there we found a supervised cabana area with benches where we could leave our personal belongings safely. Of course, I would suggest that those be sandals, towels, sun screen and not the family jewels but there was a supervised area available. I also believe there were storage compartments on the personal watrercrafts but remember things can get wet in those bins.

After a short instruction talk from our guide the ten of us boarded our Honda three seater water craft. Please remember that only ONE passenger is allowed per craft. Three seaters are quite stable but with multiple passengers this changes. I am sure some parents will want to take children along with them but this is NOT allowed and rightfully so. We follow our guide out into the open waters of the large lagoon area. We were told to stay in a line safely distanced apart. I was toward the end of the line and I quickly saw that several of the "younger" participants were timid about accelerating so I just carefully passed them to get caught up with lead group. The top speed on these personal water craft is about 35 miles an hour. This is fast enough to have a good time out there but safe enough considering the size of the group. Most of the touring is at full speed. We had one eco stop where we examined some wildlife along a shoreline. This was a nice brief break. I would say there was a full 35 minutes of riding. Just to advise you that the entire excursion takes place in the lagoon area and not in the open ocean. I give this tour a thumbs up! I would do it again in a heartbeat! :-) Life is short .. have a ball!

P.S. The tickets stated that you needed to bring a valid drivers license. We take responsibility for overlooking this note. But once we arrived on HMC I went to inquire whether this was really necessary or just there to protect adults from underage kids from trying to sneak in. Someone made a phone call and we were told we MUST have the license. So my husband took the tender back to the ship.. got both our licenses and stood in line for tenders again. He was lost an hour and a half of his snorkeling time to get these only to find out nobody wanted them at the water trax check in center???? My suggestion is to make sure you have them in case that policy is enforced in the future.

Thanks for this review. I just signed up for it for my March cruise but have never been on one of these things before so was a bit timid myself. :)

Thanks for the review and the advice about the driver's licenses.

after reading your review, i'm really interested in this excursion. do you know what times this excursion goes out? is it every hour? every 2 hours?

thanks

According to HALs site, they offer this excursion at 8:30, 9:30, 10:15, 11:15, 1:15, and 2:15.

It's great to hear that some of you are interested in this exhilerating excursion. When selecting a time please remember that there is a cook out at lunch time. My suggestion is the 10:15 or 11:15 sessions. Book early because this has only about ten in a group.

I know when I booked it I wasn't sure what to expect. I was hoping my description helped some of you to decide whether this was the right adventure for you!

spcl4cs_gal ... be brave!! I heard that on one of the later groups a few of the timid riders had to go with a second guide because they were going so slow! Sounds like girly-men to me!!

:D Girly-men! It's always interesting to see someone's true self in situations like riding a waverunner isn't it? :D I am on the horseback riding excursion in the morning so decided to go with the 1:15 aqua trax tour. Ten to a group should make it fun. Was there ever a course to test your skills so to speak, as HAL has listed in the excursion description?

Yes, I noticed that the HAL website made reference to a course to test your skills. There were some buoys in the lagoon area but those designated areas to avoid. My guess is the test is in staying caught up with the group with all the twists and turns the guide provides. He did an excellent job of making this a fun and challenging experience yet managing to keep safety a priority.

Now another thing you might want to consider is wearing sport sunglasses on the PWC. There can be some glare and a bit of splashing.

Here is one more comment. We were told there was no need for cash on HMC unless you wanted to buy stamps and mail something. That is completely true but my husband and myself usually like to give a gratuity for good service. At no time did I feel they were soliciting tips but I was sorry we didn't think about bringing some cash for expressing our appreciation.

Now for all of you signing up for this excursion I will be looking forward to your reports back about your experiences! I don't want to hear that any of you ended up in the girly-man/girly-girl group!! (I better be politically correct)

Sport sunglasses? Hmmm I wear prescription glasses and my sunglasses are the magnetic type. Hey, what's a little water anyway?? :D

So this excursion isn't just a relaxing cruise into the lagoon I take it. Are these things difficult to handle...or is there a chance they could tip over? (Dumb question I know but I haven't been on one before remember!) :)

First I will say that HAL chose 3 passenger Hondas. These are remarkably stable personal water craft with one rider aboard. None of the participants of our group came even close to tipping over. When making turns just don't make a sharp turn. .. ease around the curve at a bit of a slower rate.

Now as far as your glasses I would suggest using a spare pair if possible. Another safety consideration would be to wear a croakie. That's a safety strap to secure them in place. I honestly think it would not be a bad idea for your horsebackriding excursion too.

You will do fine!! Relax and enjoy yourself!

Ok then....will give you a report once I return from the cruise. :D