Nativeway Tours

[Howards_girl]

COuldn't agree more!! This was our experience also. :)

[Jungle Jane]

gosh where'd my pics go?

[okpoke]

Our group did this tour and it was awesome!! The only downfall was the rough sea that day...but hey that's not their fault. They treated us like kings!

[TeacherSus]

My boyfriend and I went on this tour Wednesday 2/13. I was really excited to do this excursion because of all the positive reviews I have read on Cruise Critic. Many people one the message board said it was the highlight of their trip. I can honestly say that this was in no way the highlight of my trip. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the tour a 5. It was difficult to locate the Native way tour guide on the pier because he was holding the sign low instead of up high were it could be easily viewed. We took a short bus ride to a pier where we got on the boat to begin the tour. Sting Ray City was full so we went snorkeling first. Snorkeling gear was provided but you have to ask for a life vest, which I recommend because the seas were rough. We stopped near a coral reef, but we did not see many fish at all. My boyfriend was really disappointed because he was really looking forward to seeing a lot of colorful fish; he even bought an underwater camera to take pictures. Most of the group felt the snorkeling spot was not ideal, some said they did not see any fish at all. Next we stopped at Sting Ray City; this was the only part of the tour where the guides actually spoke. They caught a couple of sting rays and allowed every one to hold and feed the sting rays. This part was fun, there were plenty of sting rays to see and touch. Next we ordered lunch and headed to Rum Point. The lunch was good I had chicken tenders and the BF had a cheese burger. Rum Point was not at all what I expected. There were a lot of trees, which meant that there was not a lot of sun light, and there were a lot of people on the small beach. After we ate our lunch we sat on some beach chairs, where sand fleas crawled all over us. By the time we left we both had rashes on our arms and chest from the fleas. My boyfriend and I each ordered a drink which cost us $25 USD before tip, it was actually cheaper to order drinks on our ship then it was at Rum Point. After about an hour we headed back to the pier where the tour guide asked for a tip before we got off the boat, he also offered conch shells to people who wanted them. Overall the trip was ok, but I would not say that it was the high light of our trip. Maybe it was just an off day. I will say that the boat was not crowded, like many others we saw out at sea that day, and when the tour guides did speak they were friendly. I am not sure if I would do this tour again or recommend to a friend. Just my honest opinion.

 

That's so strange because we were on the same tour, SAME DAY, and had a TOTALLY different experience. I don't think they were running two boats that day either, but our guide certainly did not ask us for a tip. Are you the couple from Tennessee? Was Vernon your tour guide? I went with my husband and another couple and we thought it was a FANTASTIC day trip. We enjoyed two snorkeling stops with Vernon pointing out things all along the way. Stingray City was crazy! VERY wavy and TONS of rays around, but again, Vernon was super helpful and patient.

 

I thought lunch at Rum Point was great. There were LOTS of choices. I had the blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich, my husband had the catch of the day. I was super impressed that lunch was included...the price for lunch alone was about $15...we paid $60 TOTAL for transportation, guides, lunch, etc...a great deal.

 

Rum Point was crowded, but we just snuck off to the left to a "private" resort and camped out on their chairs for an hour. No one said anything and we didn't notice ANY bugs at all.

 

I'm always surprised about the different perspectives people can have about the exact same cruise, excursion, etc. Rays, Reef and Rum Point was a great day for us and I would HIGHLY recommend it.

[TeacherSus]

I forgot to add that by booking through Nativeway we were part of a group of 15 with two guides. There were a lot of boats at Stingray City, most "double-deckers" with 60 or so people on each. For less money (a similar excursion through our cruise would have been $95) we had a much more personalized and relaxed tour.

[TeacherSus]

So I must have vacation on the brain...In thinking about it I realize our excursion was Tuesday the 12th.

 

What a difference a day can make!