Restless Native Catamaran Cruise?

[SunshineGoddess]

Hi all!! My husband and I are sailing on NCL Crown on August 28th, and we are thinking about some of the excursions. We are interested in the Restless Native Catamaran Cruise.

 

Has anyone does this excursion?? I am a pretty decent swimmer, but my husband is not. The description states that "You’ll snorkel in shallow water in a secluded and picturesque cove – the perfect spot for those who like to have their feet on a soft, sandy bottom before the swim begins!"

 

Does anyone know deep the water is??? Will a non swimmer be able to manage this excursion i.e. getting on and off the boat, snorkeling or getting to the shore? We really think this sounds like a wonderful excursion but my husband is fearful about the swimming part.

 

Can anyone offer any tips?? or details about this??

 

Thanks,

Bonni

[patnjohn]

I have never taken that tour, but my husband is a non swimmer. He wears the floatie type vest that they supply & he has never had a problem. We have snorkeled all over & in some pretty deep water too. He was in the Marines & nearly drowned during some test where they put you in a pool with all your gear. He went straight to the bottom. A sinker for sure. I don't think your DH will have a problem. We are also thinking of this excursion on our Zenith 9/24 cruise. Have fun!

[SunshineGoddess]

I suppose that my DH could be classified as a non-swimmer. He is afraid to go in water over his head, and prefers it to be waist high!! He did go in the water at the beach, but he was hesitant about going in too deep!

 

He wants to do the Restless Native Cruise, but he is fearful of the climb off the boat into the water. He does not want to go if it is over his head. And he wanted to know if the snorkeling could be done in shallow water (about chest high).

 

I think this could be a really fun excursion!! Just hope that it meets my DH's requirements!! LOL

[Jeanne S]

Hi all!! My husband and I are sailing on NCL Crown on August 28th, and we are thinking about some of the excursions. We are interested in the Restless Native Catamaran Cruise.

 

Has anyone does this excursion?? I am a pretty decent swimmer, but my husband is not. The description states that "You’ll snorkel in shallow water in a secluded and picturesque cove – the perfect spot for those who like to have their feet on a soft, sandy bottom before the swim begins!"

 

Does anyone know deep the water is??? Will a non swimmer be able to manage this excursion i.e. getting on and off the boat, snorkeling or getting to the shore? We really think this sounds like a wonderful excursion but my husband is fearful about the swimming part.

 

Can anyone offer any tips?? or details about this??

 

 

 

Thanks,

Bonni

 

 

You do not go to a beach rather a cove which is about 4-5 feet deep. This would be the best excusrion for a non swimmer and the family that own and run this are very nice.

[Bonnie Voyager]

I was on Restless Native a couple of weeks ago. It was GREAT! And when they stop for the snorkeling portion of the tour it is just a matter of feet from the shoreline at a calm cove. You walk down a ladder into water that is about waist deep and can either continue to walk right to the shore, swim and snorkel in the shallow water, or follow a guide into the deeper water for more extensive snorkeling over reefs and into caves! Here is a link to my review of my Bermuda cruise which includes more info about Restless Native as well as an additional link to photos of my cruise which includes some of Restless Native...

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=208815

[Jeanne S]

And when they stop for the snorkeling portion of the tour it is just a matter of feet from the shoreline at a calm cove.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=208815

 

Is not that much of a shore line though and definately not a beach, just a little sand before the cliff.

[SunshineGoddess]

I can't wait to show DH these posts, and the pictures of the excursion!! I think he is gonna be pleased to know we can do this and he will be safe.

 

He was gonna call NCL and speak to someone, and I told him that I would get a BETTER and more RELIABLE answer here on these boards!! And I was right!!!

 

Thanks to all!!!

[Bonnie Voyager]

Definitely tell him not to worry! There were small children on the excursion with us and even they got off the catamaran and splashed around in the water! You will have either a "noodle" to swim with or a life vest (or both if so desired). No swimming was actually required even to do the snorkeling. It was more like orchestrated floating ;) ! To see any fish in the shallower water you had to float near the edges of the water by the cliffs, which was also pretty shallow. You could stand up there, but you would be standing on coral, plants, and such and you wouldn't want to do that, but your hubby could float just float over, look at the fish, and then float a few yards back to the soft sand and then stand up without harming the coral and/or plants. He would never be in water over his head but he would still be snorkeling and seeing fish! The water was beautiful the day we were there. It was a great excursion. When we first boarded the catamaran I thought it was going to be too crowded, but once everyone was onboard and had spread out between the inside cabin and the hammock area on the front of the catamaran there was plenty of room. Also, even being out on the hammocks, the sun/shade would come and go and the breeze was lovely, so it wasn't uncomfortably hot. I recommend you drop your belongings inside the cabin where they tell you, and proceed right away out to the hammock area and find yourself a comfortable spot for the ride. Many people stay in the cabin because when you are boarding you see the drinks and cookies set up in there and folks thought they would have to be in there to get them and they probably were trying to avoid the full sun. But, those of us out on the front of the catamaran were served everything we needed right from our spots! Never any need to get up and walk inside! And as I already said it was not totally sunny or excessively hot out on the front with the occasional shade from the sails and the ocean breeze. It was a lot of fun and the folks running the tour were just sensational! Very knowledgable about Bermuda in general and about marine life of the area.

[Jeanne S]

Also, even being out on the hammocks, the sun/shade would come and go and the breeze was lovely, so it wasn't .

 

There are no hammocks on the Restless Native, only Nets. Would this be what you mean by hammocks? They were described as hammocks in a Radisson Brochure so when we boarded, did not find any and asked the tour owners/guides where the hammocks we were told that there had never been hammocks on the RN.

[davesis]

Hi sunshine we were in Bermuda the week of July 17 and we went on the restless native catamaran snorkle tour , it was excellent on the way out they give an nice talk on the fish and coral etc you'll see plus they have hot chocolate chip cookies and drinks then they anchor in about 3 feet of water in a small bay where you can snorkle or swim. my wife and our friend don't swim or snorkle but they still went into the water and lounged with floats while the rest snorlked then on the way back they serve delicious rum swizzles! all in all 5 stars out of 5 stars :) :)

[Bonnie Voyager]

Jeanne S, when we were on Restless Native they DID call those nets hammocks. Yes, that is the same area that I was refering too.

[Bonnie Voyager]

 

Sunshine, I don't know if you can see the photo or not, but it gives a good view of the area at the front of the catamaran that I was refering to. In this photo the sails were down (that's what that pile of white stuff is...the sail!) Anyway, we sat in the area all the way to the bottom left corner of this photo, with our feet in the hammock. We were sitting on a sloped deck area and our backs rested up against the front window area of the catamaran. It was comfortable and we enjoyed the view too. If you can't see the photo here is a link to the page where I found it...

 

http://cruises.about.com/library/pictures/bermuda/blbermuda22.htm

[Bonnie Voyager]

http://community.webshots.com/photo/216500104/216500104dxwVqt

[Jeanne S]

Jeanne S, when we were on Restless Native they DID call those nets hammocks. Yes, that is the same area that I was refering too.

 

 

Who is they? The passengers or the owners staff? I had a conversation with the Blonde wife (who does the snorkeling)of the Captain (the one who ran GIbb's Lighthouse for 20 years and lived in the adajacent house. She moved to Bermuda several year back and married into the family). Having never seen a Hammock on a Cat excursion I mentioned this was in the brochure and was told by both of them that there had never been hammocks on the RN and they had no idea why anyone would call the nets hammocks. So unless they have taken to calling them hammocks this year, they had denied this.

[Jeanne S]

Jeanne S, when we were on Restless Native they DID call those nets hammocks. Yes, that is the same area that I was refering too.

 

 

Who would that be? The passengers or the owners’ staff? I had a conversation with the Blonde wife (who does the snorkeling) of the Captain (the one who ran Gibb’s Lighthouse for 20 years and lived in the adjacent house. She moved to Bermuda several years back and married into the family). Having never seen a Hammock on a Cat excursion I mentioned this was in the brochure and was told by both of them that there had never been hammocks on the RN and they had no idea why anyone would call the nets hammocks. So unless they have taken to calling them hammocks this year, they had denied this.

[Bonnie Voyager]

Well, I supposed someone would call them a hammock because the definition of hammock is -a piece of net that is suspended on the sides for the purpose of sitting or laying. They look like hammocks to me. I don't remember who called them hammocks on RN, but someone did. We didn't have the lady that you are talking about. We had some young girls that supervised the snorkelling and a lady who moved to Bermuda a few years back did the "Bermuda History" portion of the tour. I don't think whether they are called hammocks or not has any relevance to the original poster's question though as long as they understand the area that I am referring to, which I think they do. I must admit though, I am a little confused as to why it makes any difference at all what anyone calls those things. :confused: I suppose that maybe after you brought it up to them last year, they started referring to them as hammocks? I have no idea though.

[helenp2]

Can anyone tell me if there are any seats with support (easy to get in and out of). I am traveling with my Sister (68) and a little out of shape but she is a terrific swimmer and also has snorkled extensively. I have some serious concers however with her getting in and out of those net seats. Thanks

[Votech]

Are there bathroom facilities on the Restless Native Catamaran????

[Jeanne S]

Maybe they went and looked up the defination as I also always thought hammocks were suspended in the air - as in tree to tree. We have tied up these nets on private vesssels in this fashion, laid anchor and laid out in them. So we assumed they were going to do likewise. Haad been going on cats for over 30 years, yet never heard the nets described as Hammocks until this excursion. Thanks for looking this up.

[Jeanne S]

Are there bathroom facilities on the Restless Native Catamaran????

 

Yes and you will be given detailed instructions on exactly how to flush! I also wanted to mention the cheese and crackers were very good.

[Bonnie Voyager]

There is bench seating with backs inside the "cabin" of the Restless Native. There are also bathrooms onboard. I didn't see the bathrooms, but I can't imagine they were much more than a tiny room with a commode and hopefully sink. I do know there are bathrooms though.

[Bonnie Voyager]

Jeanne, did you like the rum swizzles? I actually didn't like them (it didn't stop me from drinking 3 of them though :eek: ). I had never had a rum swizzle before so I don't know if its just a taste I haven't acquired or if it was a bad batch. I think they tasted like they were made with passion-fruit and mango or something like that which I normally like, but it had a really "off" taste to me. It was hot, we had just been snorkelling for an hour (or so), and the rum swizzles were cold and wet! Other people were commenting how good they were, so it was probably just me. Maybe it was because my mouth was full of chocolate chip cookies! ;) Now those were yummy!!! I would have liked a glass of cold milk though! :D

[patnjohn]

Thanks Bonnie Voyager - we have booked Restless Native for our Sept 24th cruise on Zenith, thanks to your lovely photos & great description. :cool:

[SunshineGoddess]

Thanks to everyone who answered my question!! My DH is quite excited about the Restless Native now!!! We got our confirmation for all our excursions, and are counting down!!!

Only 18 more days!! (plus 2 hours and 4 minutes, but who is counting?? LOL)

[Jeanne S]

Thanks Bonnie Voyager - we have booked Restless Native for our Sept 24th cruise on Zenith, thanks to your lovely photos & great description. :cool:

 

You may also want to consider (as you are sailing on Zenith and swim) the Turtle Bay excursion to Turtle Bay and Private Island out of St Georges on Rising Sun II.