Calabaza or Ships Excursion

[ciera123]

Thanks for the pictures and review!!! We have reservations with Calabaza on June 7 and we can't wait. It sounds like a wonderful day! :)

[Cinder Again]

I sailed with them Jan 23, and it was just as described above, perfect! Gina was there and did send on their thanks and recipes. We had 11 on board, plenty of space and delicious food and drink. Our snorkeling day was clear, and I got great underwater pictures.

I would not hesitate to use them again. They were fun and professional. Some of the larger charters were "rocking out" when they returned, but for me, the sound of the wind in the sails, and having food as well as drink made it perfect. The larger ships, were crowded, at least in my view.

[tiggerfan616]

We too just sailed with Calabazza in Feb and I cannot say enough about Gina, Danny and Chad. What a great day!!!

We were just leaving the turtles when the ships tour pulled up there had to be 45-50 people on board, way to crowded for me. Gina only takes 12 so book early. We did already for our visit in Feb 2012.

[Cruisin KLS]

Just returned from the 02/06 sailing of AOS. Booked Calabaza for our stop in Barbados on 02/08. Gina was very prompt in getting back to me from the very beginning. The cost was $100pp and it included transportation to and from the pier.

 

Picked us up at the pier on time and off we went. The boat is very nice. Like others said, they could definitely put more people on the boat but 12 is very nice. Gina, Danny and Chad were wonderful. Made us all feel at home. Served drinks from the time we got there until the moment we left. Beer, rum punch, fruit juice, water, soda...whatever you wanted. Banana bread was to die for and the fish cakes were wonderful also.

 

First stop was the reef. Then on to the turtles. Swimming with the turtles was amazing. Chad jumped right in and made sure we all had close encounters with the turtles. While we were anchored there, there was one other excursion as well. Didn't feel crowded at all.

 

The lunch was out of this world. That previous picture does not allow you to taste how great it was. During lunch, they anchored off a beach and you could eat and then swim in to the beach if you wanted to. Then there were brownies with chocolate syrup.

 

I do have to say that the weather when we were there was not ideal. It showered on and off most of the day. The crew really made the most of it and we didn't mind a little cool shower now and then.

 

Gina followed up with an email that included some of the recipes for the banana bread and the rum punch. We are going back to Barbados next year and I think that DH and I will book with Calabaza again. Booking with a small company is definitely worth the extra money for the experience and attention that you get.

 

-Kristi

[Sailmore]

I'll just add another thumbs up for everyone with Calabazza. We were lucky to have the weather on our side as well. Everything promised prior to booking was delivered and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day. I'll just second all the positive recommensations above.

[Cinder Again]

I didn't mention this in my review above, but we actually had a "non-swimmer" in our group, and although she didn't get in the water at the sunken boat site, she did get in with Chad's and the rest of the crew's help at the turtles, and she was so excited to safely see them. They took very good care of their guests, and it's a much more "exclusive" feeling, than a ships tour. I'd book them again, anytime I'm in Barbados.

[chocolatemaniac]

Our group of four sailed with Gina and her crew, Chad and Andrew, and it was wonderful! The catamaran is beautiful and spotless! We put up the sails and had a great sail, as opposed to some of the trips on catamarans that motorsail and never use their sails. The gourmet lunch was fantastic - chicken, fish, many salads, breads, fruits! Gina's rum punch is the best we have ever had!

 

Chad snorkeled with us and brought food for the turtles who came so close you could touch them. We also snorkeled in an area that has 3 ship wrecks, all teaming with beautiful fish. Some people chose to just remain on board and sun themselves while the others snorkeled and that was just fine too!

 

We left from the same harbor as some of the excursions that you book through the ships... we really felt sorry for those people, they were packed onto the boats like sardines, approx 30 to 40 people on some of them, while Gina limits her sailings to 12 guests. So much nicer!

 

When we got back home, Gina had emailed us all of the recipes for the wonderful lunch that she served, which was super nice of her!

 

We highly recommend this tour - you will not forget your wonderful adventure!

[Lizzie1213]

We loved Calabaza. I would recommend them 100%.

[morecruise4me]

Calabaza was our favorite excursion EVER! Can't recommend it highly enough!!!

[oxypete]

What a great day we had with Gina and Danny. Gina is great host and cook - we are using her recipes at home. Danny knows the waters better than the back of his hand and is an excellent sailor. The new boat is fast and comfortable. We have never been on a snorkel where the turtles come up to you!!! We really hated to see this day end.

[grgsgrl]

Calabaza is the reason we are returning to Barbado's. The kindness and awesomeness of the trip and the crew is hard to beat. We have booked for May 11th and can not wait

[bwatson]

Anyone going out with Captain Ron on April 7th?

 

http://barbadosahoy.com/whynot.htm

 

 

Brian

[Swimmomof3]

Hi. Do you tip either Gina or the Crew?

 

Thx.

[ncsteeler]

Hi. Do you tip either Gina or the Crew?

 

Thx.

 

We tipped $20 and bought a T-shirt, but IDK what is customary. Seemed most of the folks in our group tipped pretty close to what we did. It was an awesome day.

[Rutheth]

Hi,

 

We are going to Barbados in May and I would really like to swim withe the sea turtles, however my husband does not swim and I would need to go alone. I have read lots of positive feedback about Shasa but I am wondering whether it would be safer and easier to go on the ship's excursion - Tiami, Sail, Turtles and Beach??

 

Any comments about doing an excursion alone would be much appreciated. Thanks :)

[MindTheGap1918]

Hi,

 

We are going to Barbados in May and I would really like to swim withe the sea turtles, however my husband does not swim and I would need to go alone. I have read lots of positive feedback about Shasa but I am wondering whether it would be safer and easier to go on the ship's excursion - Tiami, Sail, Turtles and Beach??

 

Any comments about doing an excursion alone would be much appreciated. Thanks :)

 

I do excursions alone when my fiancee goes scuba diving. Most likely others from your ship are booking a day with Shasa as well or you can always ask on your ship roll call to see if anyone wants to book a group to go. I sailed with Shasa in January and loved it. They provide transport to and from the catamaran. Shasa also limits to 12 people which is a little more personable than the ship excursions. If you book the 5 hour trip, they also provide the best lunch EVER. :)

[GSRDPM]

We just returned from a day with Calabaza on March 17th and the sail included transportation to and from the pier. Gina gave very clear instructions as to when and where we were to meet our driver. We were returned to the pier after a wonderful day with about 2.5 hours to spare. While sailing with her we saw the Tiami, Cool Runnings and two Silvermoon cats. Tiami looked huge compared to the others and appeared to have a ton of people on board, but a family seated next to us in the dining room said there was still plenty of space. We had 11 on Calabaza.

[misand]

I do excursions alone when my fiancee goes scuba diving. Most likely others from your ship are booking a day with Shasa as well or you can always ask on your ship roll call to see if anyone wants to book a group to go. I sailed with Shasa in January and loved it. They provide transport to and from the catamaran. Shasa also limits to 12 people which is a little more personable than the ship excursions. If you book the 5 hour trip, they also provide the best lunch EVER. :)

 

Silly question but do these catamarans have bathrooms?

[GSRDPM]

Silly question but do these catamarans have bathrooms?

 

Calabaza has two.

[MindTheGap1918]

Silly question but do these catamarans have bathrooms?

 

Yes, Shasa does have a bathroom. Toilet only. Take hand sanitizer.

[rupertfrog]

We have done a catamaran on several islands on each of our 4 cruises .... Calabaza was a Class-Act!!! We totally enjoyed the experience and the "small" number onboard made for a wonderful experience. We would definitely do it again.

[wilson4]

:)I would highly recommend Calabaza in Barbados. This was the highlight of our whole Caribbean cruise.

We were picked up from the port and after a short road transfer we were on this lovely boat, which is very spacious. Banana Bread was served as we sailed the short distance to our first stop, which was an amazing swim with sea turtles. We then sailed on to swim over a shipwreck where there were masses of fish. Drinks, including a lovely rum punch flowed freely all day.

We moored off a beach for a wonderful Caribbean lunch and there was time to swim off the boat to the beach. My 11 year old twins had great fun diving off the boat and swimming to the beach. The crew looked after us well and were great fun. Finally we sailed along the coast. The weather was not good but that did not dampen the fun and the children even got to sit with the captain and sail the boat.

A great day which has created lasting memories!!

[tobeyjc]

We just came off the Emerald (Oct 19-29) and had booked the catamaran cruise with Calabaza. Gina (the owner) was a superb host and we had a wonderful time! A wonderful boat, with only 12 guests, a huge lunch, free rum punch (awesome!), beer, 2 snorkel stops ( feeding turtles and a reef) including gear. This was an awesome trip and worth every penny! We would highly recommend Gina and Calabaza tours!

 

 

did you swim with the turtles or just play and feed them?

[cheaptravel]

I would love to go on the Calabasa tour so my husband can enjoy the snorkeling. I have problems with my ear and don't swim but am fine with staying on the boat. So they don't mind if someone stays behind on the boat while the others snorkel ?

[gkjta]

We took the Calabaza tour in March and several people, including myself, did not get in the water. I was completely happy with watching everything from the boat and could see fish and turtles from there.