Jolly Pirates vs Mi Dushi - which is best??

[kichan]

I would have posted this in the Aruba forum, but it's not very active, so I'm hoping to get a better response here. I'm considering either Jolly Pirates or Mi Dushi for my upcoming AOS cruise, but I heard that a Jolly Pirates ship recently sank (although there were no injuries).

 

Has anyone been on either, and have advice on which is preferable? DD (11) and I have never snorkeled before, but are willing to give it a try.

[polodad]

We were on AOS 5/6 and did the RCI afternoon Sail, Snorkel,Swing excursion thru Jolly Pirates. It was 1 of our best excursions ever. The bus ride to/from Palm Beach is super, we wound up tipping the driver. The crew onboard the boat is great. The snorkeling is wonderful whether you use Mi Dushi or Jolly Pirates the best snorkeling location is the German shipwreck, Antilla. Unfortunately, at the Antilla location the water is a tad rougher, you will have to swim vigorously to enjoy it. The swing part at the end is loads of fun & I'm sure your daughter will love it. Have a great trip, definitely bring a camera on the outing.

[marienbad]

We have been to Aruba often (we have a timeshare) and have always enjoyed Mi Dushi.

[anteldel]

Jolly Pirates has two boats. One of them did recently tip over in a freak storm. It didn't sink, no one was hurt and it is being repaired.

We did their snorkel trip in Feb 2007 and are planning to do it again Feb 2008. We loved everything about them and would highly recommend them.

[Qino2]

Did the Mi Dushi in January, it was totally awesome! Crew was great and there was plenty of space onboard. Book directly with them to save some money.

[lanabanana]

We did the Mi Dushi and loved our day with them. We were anchored next to Jolly Pirates for lunch and I noticed that they were much more crowded on their ship compared to us. The lunch on the Mi Dushi was also REALLY good! I often choose excursions based solely on the food reviews. :)

 

My husband loved the rope swing. (I think both boats have one). He said it was his best day ever. I felt their crew was very invested in making sure we had a really good experience.

 

Good luck!

[kichan]

Thanks everyone for your opinions. I've decided to try Mi Dushi.

[ravenjls]

We did the MiDushi in June and it was one of our favorite highlights of our week stay in Aruba...the crew was fun, the drinks were free flowing, and the food was very delicious. They too have a rope swing for the passengers as well as did tricks off it. My daughter actually got on a crews back and they did a flip in the air. They were also very safety conscious. Do check out their website as you can get a good discount if you book online ahead of time.