Zipline, Gumbalimba, and Snorkel???

[BBG]

I will be on the Grand Princess in April and am planning my trips. The ship has two Zipline (canopy) tours that look okay. One is a combo with Tabyana Beach and the other is a combo with Gumbalimba Park. After reading the boards it sounds like both tours use the same zipline and end up on the same beach (Tabyana). However, it appears you have to go directly to Gumbalimba Park on one tour and only to the beach on the other. I hear the snorkeling is fantastic at Tabyana but I would also love to see the monkeys and the birds at the park! Is there a way to access the beach once you are in Gumbalimba or Gum. from the beach so I could do all three (zip, snorkel & monkeys)? :cool: If anyone has had experience with this tour or a similar one, please give me some advice. Thanks!

[lavafun]

I too am trying to figure this out, we are leaving on april 14th

[robertscj]

The two excursions do use the same zip-line but are different beach areas. You actually end on the beach in Gumbalimba Park (www.gumbalimbapark.com) and CATCH A BUS to Tabyana Beach (www.tabyanabeach.com) as part of the tour. The two beaches are about a 25 minute walk apart. As you can see the beaches are different. One is white sand all the way out into the water with only minimum coral (until you go further out). The other is almost white sand and has sea grass and lots of coral formations. Snorkeling at Gumbalimba Park is $10 rental and free with your own stuff. A complimentary guide is provided. The clear kayak tour and SNUBA go off the Gumbalimba Beach.

[BBG]

Thanks for the links above...it was a little difficult to tell which beach was the way you described however. (maybe I missed something on the website) So in your opinion-and anyone else who reads this-which is the better option for snorkeling, which one might be less crowded? Last question...if I were to do the Tabyana beach tour, could I walk to Gumbalimba (25 minutes) and buy a separate admission to the park after I had finished snorkeling at Tabyana??? Sorry so many questions but I really hate missing out!!!

[robertscj]

Gumbalimba Park and it's associated tours (SNUBA, Clear Kayak, etc.) are only offered on the cruise lines. The walk-up option is not available on "listed" tours. You can walk up to the Gumbalimba Park beach and rent snorkels but you cannot walk up into the park without booking on the ship. The beach along West Bay can't be closed from around 30 feet from the water's edge. At Gumbalimba they don't monitor the beach area like at Tabyana. Yet Tabyana is only a small section of West Bay beach. You can go and hand out anywhere along the 3/4 mile stretch of beach or walk along the beach from West Bay to Gumbalimba park. It's a nice walk from West Bay to Gumbalimba or vice versa.

[robertscj]

All the Gumbalimba website is of the Gumbalimba Park and it's beach area (see the rough map on the Gumbalimba site...FYI you can't go up into the cave, bird, gardens or monkey area but you can hang around the shops , restaurant and beach) and all of the Tabyana Beach site is of Tabyana...yet the view in the pictures of Tabyana extends past the physical boundaries of Tabyana. Remember Tabyana is only a small section of West Bay beach and what you get with Tabyana is the use of the facilities and chairs, etc. The actual beach and water is open to everyone.