Island Girl charter

[DonnaK]

I'm looking for people to share their experiences with this company.

 

Also, is the full-day worth it compared to half-day? What more does the full-day offer?

[mspmcpie]

My bf and I did the full day with Island Girl last year in November. It was GREAT! It was one of the best excursions we did on our cruise. We booked with 2 other couples from our roll call and it was just the six of us. Snorkeling was beautiful, lunch was delicious, and overall the day was very relaxing. I can't recommend them highly enough! If you have any more questions just ask. :-)

[DonnaK]

I'm so glad to read your endorsement! I'm just waiting for Mike to get back to me so we can proceed with our reservation.

[topspot]

:D We sailed with Island Girl two years ago, and then again two weeks ago. Both times did the half day sail. First time it was just me, DD and DH. Two weeks ago DD, and I were combined with another family of 4. It was even better the second time. Mike's had a new guide on the boat this time. Heather was awesome. Great snorkeling. On the half day sail plenty of soft drinks on the way to the site. Rum punch, beer, soft drinks on the way back. Snack was cheese, crackers and apple slices.

I was talking to Heather on the sail back about the full day and she said the difference is they snorkel at two sites, and the lunch is chicken sandwich (I think she said grilled chicken) and some salads. If we go to St. Thomas again, I will do the full day.:D

[OasisFamily2011]

We just did the full day sail on July 5th, and I can not say enough fantastic things about Mike and this day sail. We had 6 including myself, DH, SIL, BIL, and my two kids age 5 and 7. Everybody had so much fun, and the adults all told me it was the favorite part of the cruise. I would not hesitate to book this again.

 

Mike picked us up at the Dock at Crown Bay, and we had a short dinghy ride to the Island Girl. We snorkeled at two different sites, saw turtles, a ray, tons of fish, sea urchins and other sea life. Heather did a great job identifying the different fish etc.

 

We were well taken care of on the ship. Mike and Heather made sure we had plenty to drink, the snack was cheese and crackers with apples, lunch was grilled chicken sandwiches with pasta salad. We had brownies for dessert.

 

The boat is a 45' sailboat. It had plenty of space for the 6 of us to relax and not be on top of each other. I think this daysail would be great for anybody looking for a low key, more personalized snorkeling experience. The benefit of doing the full day is that you can spend as much time as you want in the water. Do the full day, you will not regret it!

 

For anybody thinking about bringing young kids-- mine loved it, and I had no worries about safety once we were aboard. Mike had pool noodles, and I towed my 5 year old behind me while I snorkeled. He loved to jump in and swim in the ocean, but had no interest in snorkeling. My 7 year old is a good swimmer and was able to keep up with the adults just fine. Heather was an extremely competent snorkeling guide and did a great job keeping an eye on everyone.

[DonnaK]

Awesome reviews. We did end up reserving the full day

 

Questions: Were the beverages included in the price?

 

Was it difficult to get in and out of the water?

[topspot]

Beverages inculded. Getting into the boat you climb up a straight ladder on the side of the boat, about five or six steps up. Getting into the water, you sit at the edge of the boat, and jump in.

You will not be disappointed. You can tell Mike and Heather that Monica and Dana said hello.

[cropping cruiser]

Beverages inculded. Getting into the boat you climb up a straight ladder on the side of the boat, about five or six steps up. Getting into the water, you sit at the edge of the boat, and jump in.

You will not be disappointed. You can tell Mike and Heather that Monica and Dana said hello.[/quote

 

The prior posts were very helpful. As for getting in and out of the boat, I have arthritis in knees and some back problems. How difficult is it to climb the ladder ? Is it a big step onto the boat ? Also, how far is the drop into the water ? DH is not a good swimmer and usually won't even go in the water at home but will in the Caribbean. Have been trying to video pictures or videos of the boat.

Thanks for your help !

anne

[topspot]

Climbing the ladder: If you can climb a ladder on dry land the one on the sailboat will be moving slightly up and down depending on the waves that day, so when you climb out of the dingy there will be some motion.

 

Getting into the water: it is about a six foot or so drop into the water. The water is quite deep where the boat moors. If you DH is not a good swimmer, will this freak him out?? You will have a snorkel vest, and they will give you a pool noodle if you'd like.

 

Climbing the ladder to get out of the water: Needs slightly more arm strength (like climbing a ladder out of the deep end of the pool). If you can climb a ladder from the deep end of the pool, you should be able to climb the ladder from the boat.:)

 

They don't force you into the water. If one of you wants to snorkle and the other doesn't, Mike stays on the boat, and Heather goes into the water.

[Ricochet]

Everybody on here gives this charter high remarks, and we will be there soon so we might do it as well. I have a question or 2 for folks that have used them recently. Their website mentions the use of sea scooters, but some posts on here said they do not have them anymore. Are they still available as part of the package deal?

 

http://www.yachtadventures.biz/cruise_ship_avail.htm

[derby bears]

We will be sailing Island Girl in Feb. 2012. When Mike sent our confirmation they noted that they no longer have the sea scooters. Hope this helps, enjoy your cruise.

[Ricochet]

We will be sailing Island Girl in Feb. 2012. When Mike sent our confirmation they noted that they no longer have the sea scooters. Hope this helps, enjoy your cruise.

Thanks, we got confirmation as well about the sea scooters not being available any longer. We plan to sail with them at the end of this month. :)

[kitty1]

We plan to sail with them in November. We liked the fact that Mike only takes 6 people. (There are 6 ships in port and 2 are the Epic and Allure, so we were trying to avoid the "big herd"). We did something similar as a ship excursion 2 years ago and loved it... This time we decided to book it on our own.