Acquarius Sea Tours

[MickeyNicki]

Anyone ever use Acquarius Sea Tours for snorkeling and stingray tour? They have a tour we are interested in, a good price, and a little longer than other tours that I found. Thank you in advance for any information you may be able to provide.

[RZ3]

Anyone ever use Acquarius Sea Tours for snorkeling and stingray tour? They have a tour we are interested in, a good price, and a little longer than other tours that I found. Thank you in advance for any information you may be able to provide.

 

We're taking a tour with them in two weeks. They've got great reviews here and on Tripadvisor. I'll post my review once we return.

[MickeyNicki]

We're taking a tour with them in two weeks. They've got great reviews here and on Tripadvisor. I'll post my review once we return.

 

Thank you! Are you taking the morning or afternoon tour. I reserved the morning, but am worried we will not have enough time to get there. I hope 45 minutes is enough time to desembark and get to the meeting spot.

[RZ3]

We booked the morning tour as well and have the same concerns. Apparently the tendering process there isn't too bad so we should be OK.

[RZ3]

We were off the ship and waiting by 8 am. The ship anchored a little early so it was no issue at all. Just get in line for your tender ticket as early as you can and it shouldn't be a problem.

 

As for the tour, it was worth the money, but there isn't a lot to it. It was Mario and another guy who piloted the boat. They served some cold cheese pizza and had some juice at the end of the trip. No frills at all. The boat is decent and of a good size. We spent a nice amount of time at each spot.

 

Pickup - I ended up having to call Mario because it was 10 minutes after our meeting time and neither I nor another family who were scheduled had seen him. Not liking that I had to call, but it was only 1 minute on my phone and shouldn't break the bank. He gathers everyone and meets out at a bus stop outside the terminal area so his hired taxis can take everyone to the dock.

 

Snorkeling - We stopped for quite a while to snorkel in 12 to 15 feet of water. They have gear and vests or noodles for those that need them. Lots of pretty coral and fish as well as a couple of rays swimming aroung. Mario got in held the ray for us to touch.

 

Starfish point - Disappointed at first because there were no starfish on the beach, but Mario dove into deeper water to pull up some starfish for us.

 

Stingray city - There were hundreds of people in tours around us, but they made sure we had our own area behind the boat to handle the ray. They lined everyone up for couples, family, and individual shots with it and spent time talking about the rays. Feeding a ray was interesting. It's like a really strong vacuum cleaner sucking the food from your hand.

 

Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves. However, do not expect the tour to be a high-end event catering to your every need. They offer a boat and a smaller crowd to do what others are doing with 100 of their closest friends. Mario was a very nice person and had lots of information to share. It was worth the money and I would do it again, but it was not at all what I expected.

[MickeyNicki]

We were off the ship and waiting by 8 am. The ship anchored a little early so it was no issue at all. Just get in line for your tender ticket as early as you can and it shouldn't be a problem.

 

As for the tour, it was worth the money, but there isn't a lot to it. It was Mario and another guy who piloted the boat. They served some cold cheese pizza and had some juice at the end of the trip. No frills at all. The boat is decent and of a good size. We spent a nice amount of time at each spot.

 

Pickup - I ended up having to call Mario because it was 10 minutes after our meeting time and neither I nor another family who were scheduled had seen him. Not liking that I had to call, but it was only 1 minute on my phone and shouldn't break the bank. He gathers everyone and meets out at a bus stop outside the terminal area so his hired taxis can take everyone to the dock.

 

Snorkeling - We stopped for quite a while to snorkel in 12 to 15 feet of water. They have gear and vests or noodles for those that need them. Lots of pretty coral and fish as well as a couple of rays swimming aroung. Mario got in held the ray for us to touch.

 

Starfish point - Disappointed at first because there were no starfish on the beach, but Mario dove into deeper water to pull up some starfish for us.

 

Stingray city - There were hundreds of people in tours around us, but they made sure we had our own area behind the boat to handle the ray. They lined everyone up for couples, family, and individual shots with it and spent time talking about the rays. Feeding a ray was interesting. It's like a really strong vacuum cleaner sucking the food from your hand.

 

Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves. However, do not expect the tour to be a high-end event catering to your every need. They offer a boat and a smaller crowd to do what others are doing with 100 of their closest friends. Mario was a very nice person and had lots of information to share. It was worth the money and I would do it again, but it was not at all what I expected.

 

Thanks for letting me know how it went! I am wondering if this is the tour company I should stick with now. There are many to choose from, and I really don't like that you had to call to meet them. That would make me very nervous.

[CruiseGirlKS]

I hear nothing but good things. We are looking forward tontrying. :)

[RZ3]

We didn't have to call him, but were concerned because of the emphasis they put on our confirmations about being on time. When I spoke to him on the phone he was only about 60 seconds away. There had been some confusion because our ship was originally supposed to tender at the main port, but had arrived early and tendered to the south port instead. He'd gone there to collect anyone who was lost first before heading our way.

 

The other family and mine had gone to the defined meeting place as described in our confirmations. It was only a couple of minute walk.

 

In any event, I would not change plans because of it. The trip was wonderfully uncrowded and the digital pictures they provide are great! You will appreciate just how uncrowded it is once you see the large numbers of people crowded onto other boats. Mario said that not only is it a poorer experience for the guests, it creates a safety concern since most boats only have a couple of staff on them to give guidance to literally 75 to 100 people. Mario and Duane, his assistant, were definitely conscious about safety and the environment of the animals we were around.

Edited January 27, 2014 by RZ3
meant to say south port