RCLs Jewel- 6 and 8 Day Western & Eastern Carib Doing B2B & Scuba?

[cruisecrasy]

Anyone tried any of the RCLs 'scuba' excursions on the Jewels 6 day Western - first port is Key West and 8 day Eastern Caribbean - first port is San Juan. - Have to use RCLs excursions 'cause of time factor in each port. Sure wld enjoy reading about your experience and recommendations as to dive ports u liked, etc...

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Happy cruisin' all!

[cruisecrasy]

Is there not a single person who has taken one of these cruises and used RCLs scuba excursion or for that matter anyone who has 'done' scuba on any RCL ship wld even be helpful. Really need information as I have never tried scuba in the Caribb. or taken an RCL excursion of any kind so whatever u wld care to share wld be most gratefully appreciated.

 

Happy cruisin' all!

[Tuckster]

I used the ships excursion on the Voyager in Belize back in '04 & enjoyed it although it was pricey. I book my own whenever time allows (Cozumel). Belize is a long boat ride & they pick you up & drop you off at the ship. If time is an issue, book thru the ship. If not, check out the local ops yourself.

[jtonra]

I did the 6 day western on Jewel last April and was able to schedule my own dive excursions with no problems at all. I dove in Cozumel and Costa Maya and could also have dove Grand Cayman but decided to do an excursion with my (non-diving) wife there.

 

You can see my review of Costa Maya dive here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=170632

 

Note that the dive shop named in the review was Blue Ha. The name has been changed to Dreamtime but it's still the same people running it as far as I know.

 

In Cozumel I dove with Eagle Ray. You can see my Coz dive review here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=170633

 

Hope that helps.

[cruisecrasy]

many thanks for the great info - its just what I need.

 

Really appreciate u taking your valuable time to share this with me..

 

Happy cruisin' all!

[w&k]

If you post your ports, we can probably be of more help.

 

Thanks!

 

Wendy

[cruisecrasy]

If you post your ports, we can probably be of more help.

 

Thanks!

 

Wendy

 

folks who had already tried scuba on the 6 and 8 day Jewels Carib cruises so didn't list them 'cause they wld already know the ports. Good point though that if listed everyone cld perhaps help me so here they are:

 

Key West

 

Cozumel

 

Costa Maya

 

Grand Cayman

 

San Juan, P.R.

 

St Thomas

 

St Maarten,

 

St Johns, Antigua

 

Nassau, Bahamas

 

Thanks in advance..

[w&k]

The RCCL shorex dive at Nassau is Stuart's Cove, and here is a link to my review of last month's trip. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=277392

 

We took the RCCL shorex dive at Key West about 5 years ago, but I don't remember the name of the operation. The boat, captain, and divemaster were fine. The first dive was complete, utter, and total crap. The divemaster was quite embarassed because they intentionally took us to a dead reef because they were expecting the stereotypical cruise diver. They took us out underneath the intracoastal to dive some pillar corals for #2, and that was cool.

 

Same trip, we did the the shorex at Cozumel with Sand Dollar Sports. Quite a good operation for something of that size. Dives were time-limited, but the ratio of divers to divemasters was good - 6 divers per DM.

 

I spoke with a person that used the shorex in Grand Cayman last April. They said the dives were fine, but time limited, and the boat was a bit crowded. He was more than a bit envious when we told him about our dive that day.

 

I realize this sounds a bit dismal for shorex operators, but there are good ones. We have booked the same operator we used in St. Kitts as a shorex last year for our upcoming trip in March.

 

There are lots of tips on this board for independent operators, if you want something a little more custom. It is nice to not have to do your own arrangements and transportation, though.

 

Have a great time wherever you dive!

 

Wendy

[ColumbiaMDCanadian]

Cruisecrasy, when are you going?

 

We're doing the 6 day Jewel on the 19th of March. Based on what we've read on this board, we're not booking any of the ship's excursions. From what I've read, the places with a good reputation are accustomed to dealing with cruise passangers and cruise ship schedules.

 

We're planning to dive/snorkel in Coz for its reputation and Grand Caman for Stingray City. We've booked something for Coz already (scuba with Alison). The stop in Key West is kinda' limited since we're not prepared to rush off when we dock at 7am - realistically for us on vacation it's a 10 to 3 stop! We may do a sail/snorkel tour there since there isn't much on key west for kids IMO...

 

Looking at the 8 day, I wouldn't think there is much hope of doing any diving or snorkeling in San Juan or Nassau but the other ports seem to have plenty of time.

[cruisecrasy]

Cruisecrasy, when are you going?

 

We're doing the 6 day Jewel on the 19th of March. Based on what we've read on this board, we're not booking any of the ship's excursions. From what I've read, the places with a good reputation are accustomed to dealing with cruise passangers and cruise ship schedules.

 

We're planning to dive/snorkel in Coz for its reputation and Grand Caman for Stingray City. We've booked something for Coz already (scuba with Alison). The stop in Key West is kinda' limited since we're not prepared to rush off when we dock at 7am - realistically for us on vacation it's a 10 to 3 stop! We may do a sail/snorkel tour there since there isn't much on key west for kids IMO...

 

Looking at the 8 day, I wouldn't think there is much hope of doing any diving or snorkeling in San Juan or Nassau but the other ports seem to have plenty of time.

 

Nice of u to take your valuable time to help. Really appreciate the info..

Do u feel there is enough time in all the 6 day Western ports to make it to and from the dives in time for sailaway? Have heard some 'horror' stories..& am getting a bit nervous. Nice to hear from someone who has been there done that or will soon!! Appreciate it if u wld post here after your cruise - will be looking for it..

 

Happy cruisin' & diving - may it be your best yet!!

[cruisecrasy]

The RCCL shorex dive at Nassau is Stuart's Cove, and here is a link to my review of last month's trip. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=277392

 

We took the RCCL shorex dive at Key West about 5 years ago, but I don't remember the name of the operation. The boat, captain, and divemaster were fine. The first dive was complete, utter, and total crap. The divemaster was quite embarassed because they intentionally took us to a dead reef because they were expecting the stereotypical cruise diver. They took us out underneath the intracoastal to dive some pillar corals for #2, and that was cool.

 

Same trip, we did the the shorex at Cozumel with Sand Dollar Sports. Quite a good operation for something of that size. Dives were time-limited, but the ratio of divers to divemasters was good - 6 divers per DM.

 

I spoke with a person that used the shorex in Grand Cayman last April. They said the dives were fine, but time limited, and the boat was a bit crowded. He was more than a bit envious when we told him about our dive that day.

 

I realize this sounds a bit dismal for shorex operators, but there are good ones. We have booked the same operator we used in St. Kitts as a shorex last year for our upcoming trip in March.

 

There are lots of tips on this board for independent operators, if you want something a little more custom. It is nice to not have to do your own arrangements and transportation, though.

 

Have a great time wherever you dive!

 

Wendy

 

from u and many thanks for same.

 

Happy cruisin' & diving - as if it cld be anything else..!!

[captainron]

Hi,

We were on the EOS in Nov 04 and did a shorex dive booked from the ship. The dive was done in conjunction with Sand Dollar Sports.

 

Laura's staff are absolutely super. They meet you at the end of the pier (when it existed) at Puerto Maya, then minibus you down to their dive resort about a 12 minute drive away.

 

Gear is issued and tested and then loaded on boats. Ours was small and we had 2 divemasters and 8 of us (4 per). They provided you with bottles of water for hydration. Open water entry is by rear somersault off these boats. The only thing I didn't like was hauling your butt out of the equipment while in the water...no ladder and had to step on leg of outboard motor to get back in the boat for the trip back to resort after the dive.

 

Our dive master was Viktor who was awesome. Straight down to about 50 feet where it was a somewhat sandy bottom. Gear check, and then off we went. We dove Santa Rosa Reef which is a continuation of the underwater shelf up the southwest part of the island form Playancar. It is a relaxing easy drift dive with a current of about 3 knots, so you float like a butterfly for 35-40 minutes (depending on depth).

 

Wore a light weight full length short sleeve wetsuit, which was handy as rubs against coral caused a few burns on the arms. Vis was about 120 feet vertical and water was quite warm. It was pleasant to get out of the wetsuit and have a shower after the dive.

 

After exploring around 50 feet we saw yellow Angels, Blue Tang, Barracuda, and an unusual looking lobster (not like Maine or Nova Scotia). Lots of polyp coral and yes...fire coral and a few arm burns (itched for a few days). Did go through some underwater caves which were more like underwater arches (80 ft long) but not long enough to log as a "cave dive".

 

We worked our way down the ledge to about the 70 ft mark and still lots of marine life. Then, we reached "the wall " at which point four of us more experienced divers tugged on Viktor's fins to let him know we wanted to go over the edge of the wall. We kicked up and over, and down we went to about the 120 ft mark. Could see clearly for about a quarter mile ahead and all the way to the surface and beyond. We know the vertical vis because at the 120 ft mark ,we all rolled over on our backs to see the fish, other divers and boats above us, all the time being gently pushed along by the current. At about the 750psi mark on our gauges, we eased our way up to decompress for at 15 feet.

 

I strongly recommend Sand Dollar to anyone going diving in Cozumel. They are a great crew to go with. There you go Laura and you know I'lll be back next time too.

 

Have a great dive in Coz and keep blowin' bubbles.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[ColumbiaMDCanadian]

Wow, you're planning ahead!

 

I'll let you know how it went when we return. I'm not as nervous about the schedules - I have emailed both the places in Coz and GC and they've assured me that they're accustomed to working with cruise passengers and cruise schedules.

 

We're going to be a group of 8 (5 divers and 3 snorklers) and it seems most of the private groups have boats that accommodate 8-10 people. Great for flexibility (time and location) and none of the hassles of the dreaded cattle boats!

 

As far as equipment, we're all planning to wear full suits for protection (and, from what I heard, use some Safe Sea lotion since apparently March is a good time to get stung... One concern I have is rinsing and storing everything in the limited space of a cruise cabin. Some good tips on the board we plan to try (use the pool showers!).

 

For now: I'll get back to you!

Mauro