Shasa or El Tigre

[flashcruise]

We are unable to do Cool Runnings due to our time in port, and Silver Moon is booked. Would anyone have any experience with Shasa as opposed to elTigre? What are your thoughts? Thanks for your help!

[grobbins]

We just booked ElTigre for our upcoming 2/2 cruise on the Serenade and I can tell you that their response time via email was outstanding and their reviews here on CC and other boards are all very good. I will post a review when we return. They were recommended to us by Cool Runnings, who were already booked.

[jdm]

We did Shasa catamaran tour over New Years week. Very good at responding to my questions. They were good at providing the transportation to get to catamaran and nice to be on a catamaran that only holds 12 people. We did see only one turtle, but that is all that I needed to see and the photo I have of it is fantastic. We were let off on a beach and a gentleman was waiting for us to take us back in his cab. Well organized and efficient.

[scunny bunny]

We have been in touch with Jason & Tessa ( Shasa ) recently and they have been very good at responding to our emails. Must say our first choice was Silver Moon but they are fully booked so have booked Shasa after reading good reviews and like the fact they only carry 12 people.

[JaySantos]

We just got back from the crown princess yesterday. We booked with Jason on Shasa and it was great. There was 10 in our group and we would all do it again in a heartbeat.

[inai]

We went with Shasa last November 2007 and we had 8 people on our cat./snorkeling trip. We saw many turtles, other tropical fish and several "tarpon":eek: . The trip was very personalized and Jason was excellent. We arrived at the snorkeling sights far before the mega catamarans that hold something like 100 people, and we would leave for another spot when they arrived scaring off the fish and turtles. We are going again in March and may book with Shasa again.

Ina

[tango9]

HI, we are booked with a five hour tour with Jason in a few weeks. Does he serve the lunch on the catamaran or on the beach? and how was the beach? Thanks

[waiting2retire]

I did the five hour catamaran tour with Shasa (Jason) in November and it was the best excursion of our cruise!! Jason serves lunch on the catamaran (and it was delicious :) ). While he was getting the lunch set up, we went for a swim, then a stroll along the nice quiet beach. There are homes along the beach, but there were only three or four other people on the beach when we were there. I couldn't get enough of the beautiful water, so went back in for a quick dip while the others relaxed onboard after lunch was finished.

 

A fabulous day with Jason that I would highly recommend!

 

Bonnie

[ArubaGal]

We sailed on El Tigre in March. Nick and Nick and crew were nothing short of awesome. I accidentally dropped my brand new Coach prescription sunglasses in the ocean, and Nick #1 dove overboard to retreive them. At our 1st snorkelling stop, Nick #2 personally assisted our friend(a non swimmer) with a boogie board, life vest and snorkel mask, and pulled her around in the water and explained all the fish, coral, etc. They were extremely professional at all times, served up some great rum punch , a great lunch, and did not say a word about our 3 hubbies finishing off the entire stash of beer! Our little group highly recommend El Tigre. You will not be disappointed! It was the best day of our entire 11 day cruise! PS The sea turtles were so cool.

[ArubaGal]

We sailed on El Tigre last cruise. Nick and Nick and crew were nothing less than awesome! It was a small group of about 14, of which 5 hotel guests had booked it as a half day excursion only, and were left off at a small beach after a few hours. We were on the full day sail which included a very nice lunch. Plenty of food. Great rum punch, and plenty of beer, which our 3 hubbies polished off the entiresupply of beer. The crew teased that it was quite a feat to come back with an empty cooler.:D At the marina, I accidentally dropped my brand new prescription Coach sunglasses in the water. Nick #1 immediately dove overboard to retreive them. Then, at the 1st snorkelling stop, Nick #2 assisted our non-swimmer friend with her first snorkelling experience, providing her with mask, life vest and a boogie board. He took the time to personally pull her around and point out and explain the various fish and coral, etc. Had it not been for him, she would have stayed on the catamaran. Our group of 6 all agreed that it was the best day of our 11 day cruise, and that El Tigre was the perfect choice. We all higly recommend them. They were very professional and a great group of guys! PS For the gals out there, Nick and Nick were quite easy on the eyes!;) An added plus!

[Lois R]

Hi,:) I have a friend who used El Tigre back in November and she

said they were awesome as well.

 

Are Silvermoon, El Tigre and Shasa, and Cool Runnings all pretty much the same?

Smaller boats with less folks so all are more personalized?

 

I have not snorkled in many, MANY years:eek: though I do know

how to swim;) and I keep thinking Barbados would be the

best choice for trying it.

 

I sail in March and am starting to book excursions.

 

Any input would be appreciated:D

[grobbins]

I'll post a review for El Tigre when we get back from our 2/2 on Serenade. I am perhaps the world's worst snorkeler,(although I can swim) so we will see... I think we never quite picked the right thing for us to do on previous trips to Barbados.. I am excited to try El Tigre.

[edsatty]

Sailing on Serenade of the Seas in March with 13 year old daughter, so kind of nervous about not booking through Royal Caribbean, but the reviews for El Tigre and Shasa sound great. Do they have a website or how do you book them?

[Lois R]

I'll post a review for El Tigre when we get back from our 2/2 on Serenade. I am perhaps the world's worst snorkeler,(although I can swim) so we will see... I think we never quite picked the right thing for us to do on previous trips to Barbados.. I am excited to try El Tigre.

 

I emailed El Tigre over the weekend and never received

a reply:rolleyes:. I had quite a few questions and still no answers.:(

[scrappin' crazy cruiser]

Lois ~We are on the 2/15 sailing of the Galaxy and will be going out on Cool Runnings. I will post a review when we get back

[cdnjules]

I emailed El Tigre over the weekend and never received

a reply:rolleyes:. I had quite a few questions and still no answers.:(

 

Lois we just booked with them and had no problem getting an answer to my many questions. Not sure what email address you used but try this one jcorbin@eltigrecruises.com Jessica is the person that I went through or call her at 246-417-7245. I have read alot of good reviews :)

[Lois R]

Lois ~We are on the 2/15 sailing of the Galaxy and will be going out on Cool Runnings. I will post a review when we get back

 

 

Hi, thanks:)

[Lois R]

Lois we just booked with them and had no problem getting an answer to my many questions. Not sure what email address you used but try this one jcorbin@eltigrecruises.com Jessica is the person that I went through or call her at 246-417-7245. I have read alot of good reviews :)

 

 

Thanks,:) I will try it and see what happens.

[waiting2retire]

If you go to www.funbarbados.com and click on "sailing tours", there are links to many of the catamarans available, including Shasa and El Tigre.

 

Jason (Shasa tours) should really put his photo on his website. I bet it would bring him lots of extra bookings ;)

 

Bonnie

[tango9]

We just had a 5 hour tour with Shasa. Great day. 8 of us on the cat. It is rather small and , of course, no bathroom, but great swimming/ went to see turtles and another snorkel spot which was not so great. Lunch was great, music too. We had lunch in a quiet bay and also close enough to the beach to go there and hang out a bit. Beautiful beaches and clear blue water.

[ccemom]

We just returned yesterday from our first cruise ever. We took a catamaran sail with Jason O'Neal of Shasa Catamaran tours. It was awesome! His cat only holds 12 people and there were only 8 of us aboard. Jason is a very friendly, out-going captain with a passion for his island. We took the 5 hour cruise, which included snorkeling over a reef, snorkeling with the sea turtles, a swim and a walk on a beach, and a delicious lunch, which consisted of Blue Marlin, chicken, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, green salad and dessert. There was also an unlimited supply of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the cruise. My friend was very nervous about snorkeling and Jason took her under his wing and taught her how to get over her feeling of claustrophobia. He swam by her side for over 30 minutes, and by that time she was confident enough to go on her own! It was a lovely day and a memorable experience. If you are looking for a more intimate, personalized excursion, then Shasa is for you! Just google Shasa Catamaran, Barbados, to check out his web site!

PS. There actually is a bathroom. There's a little port-a-potty down in the bottom. My husband was desperate and used it!