Snorkeling for Fat People

[Texalana]

I will be on the Jewel of the Seas in March and all the snorkeling excursions that are offered by Royal Caribbean, in Antigua, have a 250 lb. weight limit. :( Does anyone know of a snorkeling trip that will allow fatter people? I've never encountered this before.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Host Star]

I will be on the Jewel of the Seas in March and all the snorkeling excursions that are offered by Royal Caribbean, in Antigua, have a 250 lb. weight limit. :( Does anyone know of a snorkeling trip that will allow fatter people? I've never encountered this before.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

I replied to this earlier, but my post never showed up :(.. anyway,, I have never heard of such a thing.. i was recently on Radiance of the Seas and did several snorkel excursions and saw people whom i would say were in excell of 250 lbs... I would write to the rci shore excursion desk for an explaination.... the only thing i can think of is they have small boats and there is a weight restriction on the excursion boat.but in that case they should limit the no. of people . but i have never heard of this before

[Texalana]

Thanks for your reply, Star - I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who finds this strange. I've never heard of it either! I mean, can ALL of the boats be small? Did you go snorkeling in Antigua? I booked one of the excursions and I figured I could verify once onboard and cancel if I have to. Do you know how I can email the RCL Excursion desk?

 

Thanks again!

 

Texalana :)

[Host Star]

Thanks for your reply, Star - I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who finds this strange. I've never heard of it either! I mean, can ALL of the boats be small? Did you go snorkeling in Antigua? I booked one of the excursions and I figured I could verify once onboard and cancel if I have to. Do you know how I can email the RCL Excursion desk?

 

Thanks again!

 

Texalana :)

 

 

shorex@rccl.com i'm pretty sure that's the email addie i have used before

[Nancy_Hawks]

I've been snorkeling several times with Royal Caribbean (not in Antigua though), but I don't recall reading that there was a weight limit. I weigh more than 250lbs. and never had a problem. I've snorkeled in St. Thomas, Aruba, Grand Cayman. I have yet to sink a ship. :)

[Texalana]

Thanks, Nancy :) I have been on several, too, and have never encountered this problem. This seems really odd. That's why I booked one anyway and I'm hoping for the best.

 

I emailed the RCL shore excursion department at the address that Star posted and I'll let you know when/if I hear back from them.

 

Texalana :)

[monicajay]

I was on a private (not cruise-line) snorkel trip to stingray city and there was one ++ size woman who could not get up the rope ladder to get back on the boat. It was very embarassing for her and the crew had to get in the water and push her up while the captain pulled from the top. Of course she did get back up but had such a hard time she did not get back in the water for the 2 other stops.

 

Just something to think about.

[foneguy]

for snorkling size does not matter, i would just call rccl and speak to someone, i emaoiled them over a month ago still no responce.....i feel the same as others if the boat has a weight limit, limit the num. of people, even my little boat is tagged by the uscg to the number of people.

what type of snorkle trip was it you were looking at? whle in cozumel last yr, my dw and i were on a catameran snorkle trip, there are stairs in the bow of the boat which mad it easy for all ages, and sizes to enter/exit the water!!!!!

[Sheffie]

I suggest that you use Eli's Eco Tour. I am a fluffy person, and when we used them last year their boat was very easy to get in and out of. It is a great snorkeling/ eco excursion. I know that when we went to Hell's Gate they told about a 300 pound man who had done the climb there. I would use them again in a New York heartbeat!

 

I have pictures in my photos of the fun time we had.

[chipandjohn]

Sorry guys, in the past couple of years I've seen this a lot. I've just topped that mark and every excursion I look at I make sure it doesn't have a restriction. Although if it just a snorkeling trip I'll go anyway.

John

[Nancy_Hawks]

Sorry guys, in the past couple of years I've seen this a lot. I've just topped that mark and every excursion I look at I make sure it doesn't have a restriction. Although if it just a snorkeling trip I'll go anyway.

John

I usually obey the weight limits. I don't think I'd every go parasailing, or those zip line excursions. But snorkeling? How dangerous can it be? We float for crying out load!

[Sheffie]

I usually obey the weight limits. I don't think I'd every go parasailing, or those zip line excursions. But snorkeling? How dangerous can it be? We float for crying out load!

 

As I tell my DH who has a hard time floating, "You are rock. I am balsa wood." :D

[Texalana]

I just received this reply from my email to RCL:

 

Dear Guest,

 

Kindly note, that we must comply with the tour operator imposed age/height and weight restrictions within their insurance. The system for pre-booking is designed as such that it will not allow anyone to book a guest under the age/weight/height limit. For security purposes, we are unable to override the restrictions in place. Unfortunately, the Snorkeling Shore Excursions offered in Antigua do have a weight restriction and we are not able to override them.

 

If you need further assistance please contact customer service at 1-800-529-6918.

 

Thank You

Shore Excursions & Explorations! Department

 

Silly me - it's for SECURITY purposes! I should have known - isn't that the answer for everything these days? :rolleyes:

 

Texalana :)

[Nancy_Hawks]

I just received this reply from my email to RCL:

 

 

 

Silly me - it's for SECURITY purposes! I should have known - isn't that the answer for everything these days? :rolleyes:

 

Texalana :)

 

Must be those strictly enforced 9/11 security codes.

[Sheffie]

I wish that I could remember the excursion . . . but, there was this Western excursion that had the same silly weight restriction. There were a couple of us who e-mailed RCI and basically said that we thought this was discrimination. (We did it in a nice, non-threatening way.) It was amazing how the restriction was lifted soon afterwards.

 

Security reasons? Come on! Give me a break!

 

Maybe we need to start a new letter writing campaign!

[foneguy]

security; " where you going?.....allright go ahead...":p

[Queenie24now]

Heck, book direct rather than going thru RCCL-I bet the weight subject will not even come up

a. cheaper

b. more in the water time , for your buck

c. smaller groups

d. get to pick the time YOU want to go

 

security reasons:mad: :p :rolleyes: don't think so

[Host Star]

has anyone ever seen a scale and been forced to weigh themselves upon arriving at the snorkel excursion ??????:D

[Texalana]

That's exactly what I was thinking, Star! That's why I figured I would take my chances. I'm not THAT much over the limit anyway.

 

Some of y'all are cracking me up with your responses! :D

 

Texalana :)

[foneguy]

dont look now but the extursion police ae monitoring this thread :p :p

fyi they are also the fassion police on formal night too

[w&k]

I actually noticed the snorkeling weight limits in the fall when we were making a stop that was not worth diving. My intention was to book one of the booze snorkel trips, but all of them had weight limits ranging from 200-250. I'm somewhere around 250, and DH is 6'5" and 280-290.

 

No problem for zip-lines, kayaking, horseback, etc. where the equipment is limiting. But for SNORKELING of all things??? What a load of hooey.

 

Anyways, the solution is simple: learn to dive! I've never seen anything about large folks and dive boats, and I've been on some of the smallest boats running.

 

As long as you are physically able to dive (no ear issues, etc.) and can climb a ladder, come on! I've been diving with folks from early teens to 70+, 80lbs to 400+.

 

I may not be the cutest one on the trip when clad in head-to-foot lycra, but I'm usually the first one off the boat, and the last one back on.

 

Don't worry about it and have a great time!

 

Wendy

 

dive pix

http://community.webshots.com/user/wendyandkeith

[zqvol]

I just received this reply from my email to RCL:

 

 

 

Silly me - it's for SECURITY purposes! I should have known - isn't that the answer for everything these days? :rolleyes:

 

Texalana :)

That is not what that says. It says that the tour operator sets the limits based on their insurance and RCCL will not override the limits.

 

Has nothing to do with the type of security you are thinking.

[Wikinger]

Seems to be like a mix-up of the words 'security' and 'safety' ;)

Safety-wise weight could be an issue. As you always have to use worst-case-scenarios when it comes to safety and insurance/liability issues they may have set that weight-limit just in case that someone faints or becomes fully inconscious and has to be lifted back into the boat. As a diver and former paramedic I can definitely tell you that you'll encounter huge problems (Pardon the pun :p ) when you have to handle an unsconscious obese person. That's difficult enough on dry land, but trying to get such a person out of the water - No way!! Especially when it's a small boat and there's waves.