Cool Runnings or Shasa

[merlin217]

We're in Barbados for the first time in July this year and want to do a catamaran snorkel. We prefer a smaller boat with fewer people and I've narrowed it down to Cool Runnings and Shasa.....Shasa says 12 on their tours and Cool Runnings says "limited number". Does anyone know how many people go with Cool Runnings? And....the biggest question.....can anyone recommend one company over the other and why?

 

Thanks

[Karysa]

We're in Barbados for the first time in July this year and want to do a catamaran snorkel. We prefer a smaller boat with fewer people and I've narrowed it down to Cool Runnings and Shasa.....Shasa says 12 on their tours and Cool Runnings says "limited number". Does anyone know how many people go with Cool Runnings? And....the biggest question.....can anyone recommend one company over the other and why?

 

Thanks

 

I will let you know how our trip with Cool Runnings went on the 14th of March when I return.:)

[merlin217]

Awesome...thanks!!! I hope you have a great time!

[Josie2]

I have never been with Shasa but have been with Cool Runnings at least a half-dozen times. They are awesome. Great crew, great food and drinks, lots of turtles and swimming/snorkling time. I think the most I have seen on the cat is about 24.

[lnrc]

We did a trip in February and it was the best excursion ever!! had about 25 people on board.

[gaelan]

We booked in Decemeber last year for a small catamaran tour but we turned out to be the only people on the trip. The owners were very helpful and made arrangements for us to go on the Cool Running trip instead and we had a terrific time. There were about 25 people but the boat is quite big so you do not feel cramped. The crew were excellent and the food and punch were good. Only thing is that they played the music a little loud on the way back to port and everyone (yes us too) were up and dancing as we came back into the harbor quite the site no doubt...so if this is not your cup of tea you may think otherwise..... I would not have any hesitation recomending Cool Running

[Karysa]

We're in Barbados for the first time in July this year and want to do a catamaran snorkel. We prefer a smaller boat with fewer people and I've narrowed it down to Cool Runnings and Shasa.....Shasa says 12 on their tours and Cool Runnings says "limited number". Does anyone know how many people go with Cool Runnings? And....the biggest question.....can anyone recommend one company over the other and why?

 

Thanks

 

We had a great time on Cool Runnings last week but it was far from quiet. It was not a drunkfest but there was singing and dancing going on. It wasn't crowded but there were probably 35 or so people on board. The crew were fantastic and the swim with the turtles was a favorite memory of our cruise.

[jesse1326]

we just did the cool runnings tour on wednesday and we had a great time. there was about 20 people and the staff was great and the food was good too. Ryan, one of the staff made it very enjoyable for my girls. Sea turtles were great, coral reef was a little tiring for the kids. we then stopped for lunch and swam to the beach. Just be careful for the tiny jellyfish, my daughter swelled up and we had to get benadryl quickly.

[LuckyZ]

We just did Shasa last week and I would have to say that the turtle snorkeling is very good, but the shipwreck snorkel isn't so good. Plenty of fish to see but we got bit many times by sea lice. We thought it was jellyfish but Jason mentioned it was likely sea lice. He said it wouldn't do anything bad to us, but it felt weird and annoying so we ended the shipwreck snorkeling early.

 

Can't say it's a fault of Shasa as almost all catamarans stop here and all likely have the same problem.

[AUNTDEBBA]

Just came back from Barbados. We did Calabaza and it was one of the best snorkel trips I've done. They take no more than 12 but a great time was had by all.

[Reba 954]

We were in Barbados last week and had a fabulous experience with Elegance Cruises.....they were reccomended by another boat because they were full, and I am so glad we ended up with them. The boat is 41 ft and I believe it is 14 people they limit it to. It is really a beautiful boat, the crew is great and very friendly, and the lunch served was fabuous. the website is http://www.elegancebarbados.com/ I cannot say enough good things about them. It was a great day swimming with the turtles, diving and then a gentle sail. It is definitely worth checking out!

[Bama323]

We cruised with Shasa on March 28. I liked the fact that it was a smaller group of 10 people. Everything was nice and it was a good trip. No complaints.

[FAKE Inge]

We used Shasta on April 4, 2012 off of the Victory and had a great time. I highly recommend them. The boat is smalll but easily held our group of 10 plus Jason and Chad. Bonus- you are among the first groups out to see the turtles in the morning. Below is a little video of our day with turtles.

 

[freewilly]

We sailed with Jason and crew on April 11th. He had a wonderful Taxi service pick us up at the port. The driver told us interesting information about the island and got us safely to the beach. There we boarded the boat, our group included 3 kids and 6 adults. The low number made for a fantastic day! We were the 1st to reach the turtles and had a beautiful time visiting with the fascinating creatures. We then went to the "wreck site" and saw the coral and more fish. Jason is professional and his boat was clean. He even took some pics. of us with the turtles. Jared his mate was Great too, he was so patient with my kiddos. When the day was over; a very clean Taxi and informative driver returned us to the ship! FIVE STARS from the Wildthings!

[chismrules]

Fake- Thanks for posting your youtube, I noticed I didn't see anyone wearing vest(maybe just the ones I saw)did you have them. And does anyone know what they were feeding the turtles and fish. We are snorkeling on our own later and would like to bring the right food if possible.

[katavenger]

We just returned from our trip on the Victory. We scheduled a trip with Shasa for 5 people. We expected there to be others, but when we got to the boat, it was just our group. Jason and his mate were great. The mate was in the water with us the entire time...feeding the turtles and fish so that they would be close for us to see. He also was great about pointing out certain fish and coral so that we didn't miss anything. Jason asked us if we wanted music and what style before he played anything on the boat. The snorkle gear and boat were both clean and well-kept. And...the punch was awesome! I would highly recommend Shasa!!!

[aggiemom11]

We went on the Elegance in April. It was the hi-light of out trip. The boat and the crew were amazing. They limit the boat to 12-14. The food was wonderful and they have a premium bar on board. We even saw whales on our trip. You will not be disappointed with Elegance.

[AZPam]

Another high recommendation for Shasa! Went with him on May 16th and can't say enough good things about them. We only had 8 and it was the perfect number. Nobody was crowded and they took excellent care of us.