Princess New Waves SCUBA/Snork no more

[bensontc]

Hey divers. We just got back from 7 days on the Caribbean Princess. Had a great time. Lots of fun dives. However, we did get some bad news. The dive crew on board told us that Princess is going to be cancelling their New Waves program. They will still offer dive excursions but there will be no dive staff on board, no dive certifications and no dive lockers for gear rentals. Just on our cruise there were a bunch of people who got their "C" cards while cruising.

 

If you don't want to see this service disappear phone or email Princess with your concerns. :eek:

[BuzzF117]

Wow, I find it hard to believe they would do away with it unless there is going to be a subcontractor brought onboard to handle this. While diving on a Princess cruise in Feb I spoke with the ships divemaster and he was planning on setting up the dive ops on the Ruby when it starts cruising in the caribbean just as he did for the Crown when it came into the fleet.

[07rubicon]

I was one of the group on the CB getting my certification. I forgot to ask what number to call. Did you get a phone number or email.

[S&M in Pgh]

I know they had done away with it on the 10 day cruises by last November, but now on the 7 days as well? I have done the refresher course on board in the past and found it very useful. Not to mention having a dive master onboard to answer questions.

 

I will be calling and giving my 2cents.

 

Mike

[cb747]

Bensontic,

 

I'm going on an eastern Caribbean cruise in June. Did you scuba dive in Bermuda and Grand Turks? If so, what are your recommendations as I am not certified.

 

Many thanks, Chantal

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Bensontic,

 

I'm going on an eastern Caribbean cruise in June. Did you scuba dive in Bermuda and Grand Turks? If so, what are your recommendations as I am not certified.

 

Many thanks, Chantal

 

If you are not certified, many excursions also offer "Discover SCUBA" tours, a tour for the non-certified, shallow dive and excellent way to get your feet wet! DH did this tour with me (I am certified but wanted to spend the day with him) and we both had a great time.

[beemerrider]

Wow, I find it hard to believe they would do away with it unless there is going to be a subcontractor brought onboard to handle this. While diving on a Princess cruise in Feb I spoke with the ships divemaster and he was planning on setting up the dive ops on the Ruby when it starts cruising in the caribbean just as he did for the Crown when it came into the fleet.

 

 

You got some flalse info there my friend. It was Ernie who took out the Crown. He told me all about the set up and how much work it was. I was on the inaugural cruise for the Crown. I am a diver and met Ernie who was the only instructor on board at the time. He gave me a lot of good advice and was just a great guy all around. I don't know if he is still with Princess, but I sure hope so as he was very helpful and had a wealth of knowleadge. I hope to run into him again soon.

[BuzzF117]

Wow, I find it hard to believe they would do away with it unless there is going to be a subcontractor brought onboard to handle this. While diving on a Princess cruise in Feb I spoke with the ships divemaster and he was planning on setting up the dive ops on the Ruby when it starts cruising in the caribbean just as he did for the Crown when it came into the fleet.

 

 

You got some flalse info there my friend. It was Ernie who took out the Crown. He told me all about the set up and how much work it was. I was on the inaugural cruise for the Crown. I am a diver and met Ernie who was the only instructor on board at the time. He gave me a lot of good advice and was just a great guy all around. I don't know if he is still with Princess, but I sure hope so as he was very helpful and had a wealth of knowleadge. I hope to run into him again soon.

 

Not sure of the guys name but he was British..all I know is what a Princess empoyee told me.

[Sailfish]

Because I am leading a scuba group this fall aboard the Emerald Princess, I have been in contact with the people who run the program and recommend you also contact them to get accurate information - you can get info on how the program works and the phone number at our group forum.

 

The New Waves program is run by PADI for Princess - the cruise line contracts with PADI and places instructors on their 7 night only cruises. Because some ships are being repositioned this summer or are not scheduled to be in the Caribbean, only the Caribbean Princess will be offering the New Waves program this coming cruise season - none of the other ships in Princess' fleet will do so this summer. That said, since this porgram has been part of Caribbean Princess for a while, it probably will be offered on the ship indefinitely. There are other Princess ships that come fall, will also offer the New Waves program, but since their schedules have not yet been sent over to PADI, they are not yet on the books. PADI schedules instructors on Princess ships in the Caribbean seasonally, and does so quarterly only. So, from what I understand, Princess has not yet submitted the schedule of cruises for fall and winter 2008 to the people in charge of the New Waves program, but will in the months to come. It's also important to understand how the program works.

 

The cruise line sub contracts with PADI dive instructors, so Princess Cruises assumes no liability. The cruise line along with PADI has stipulated that no more than 6 students can be certified on any voyage - not sure why, but that's what I was told. Because this program is in such demand on the ships where it is offered, you must contact PADI with your Princess booking ID as soon as possible to reserve your place. The charge for the course will show up on your shipboard account.

 

People in the program are required to complete the PADI course on DVD at home. Once on the cruise, you spend the first two days at sea in the morning reviewing and testing out of the course. Time is also spent in the swimming pool learning to use the equipment. The cost includes everything; all you will need is a swim suit and a towel.

 

I have more information about the program at the group forum. Please note that it's not been discontinued. The program, though will be limited to only one ship this summer. Usually, there are three ships (don't know which ones) that offer the New Waves program. I recommend you contact the people who run the New Waves Program and get your information first hand.

 

Good luck!!

[Sailfish]

Hey divers. We just got back from 7 days on the Caribbean Princess. Had a great time. Lots of fun dives. However, we did get some bad news. The dive crew on board told us that Princess is going to be cancelling their New Waves program. They will still offer dive excursions but there will be no dive staff on board, no dive certifications and no dive lockers for gear rentals. Just on our cruise there were a bunch of people who got their "C" cards while cruising.

 

If you don't want to see this service disappear phone or email Princess with your concerns. :eek:

 

By the way, when I contacted the people incharge of the New Waves program at PADI, they said they were replacing staff on the Caribbean Princess but knew nothing about the program being cancelled by Princess. They did, however say, that not all voyages will have instructors to do the certification class if they do not get 6 people to sign up for the course. Since you must pre-register for the program in advance of your cruise, only those voyages with enough people will have staff on the ship to conduct the class.

 

If you have a cruise scheduled in the near future, and are looking to get certified on the ship, you can find out easy enough by calling them to find out if there will be a class on your voyage!

[beemerrider]

Sailfish. I hate to say it but you got fasle info also. New waves is run by Princess, not PADI. Princess uses PADI as the certifying agency. You must be a PADI instr. to work for Princess. The Instr. are Princess employees. The Program is definitely being discontinued after Aug 24th when the Caribbean Princess does it's New England/Canada run. There will be no more divers aboard any ships in the Princess fleet. There are no divers on the Emerald and there will not ever be. Princess will not be submitting any schedules to PADI for the fall as there will be no more New Waves. Audrey Ibbotson will be the final lead diver on the Caribbean P.

 

Now if you still want the program to continue, I suggest you contact Princess and not PADI

 

I hope this helps.

[Sailfish]

Sailfish. I hate to say it but you got fasle info also. New waves is run by Princess, not PADI. Princess uses PADI as the certifying agency. You must be a PADI instr. to work for Princess. The Instr. are Princess employees. The Program is definitely being discontinued after Aug 24th when the Caribbean Princess does it's New England/Canada run. There will be no more divers aboard any ships in the Princess fleet. There are no divers on the Emerald and there will not ever be. Princess will not be submitting any schedules to PADI for the fall as there will be no more New Waves. Audrey Ibbotson will be the final lead diver on the Caribbean P.

 

Now if you still want the program to continue, I suggest you contact Princess and not PADI

 

I hope this helps.

 

I appreciate your information a lot; you definitely seem to know more about this than I do. I was provided with the information on who was conducting the program by a gal named Barbara who works in the shore excursion department at Princess - her boss deals with the dive operations on the islands that do all Princess' dives in the Caribbean. I was emailing her (and eventually calling her) about putting together a dive package for the group (wishful thinking on my part that they could meet all our requirements) in December 2007; we didn't end up going through Princess for the group's dive package. She was the one who referred me to the New Waves people and passed along their phone number. She also told me what their relationship was to Princess and how they operated. I'd like to believe that she knew what she was talking about, though what you are saying does not match what both the gal at Princess and the people at New Waves told me!

 

I sort of knew about the Emerald not getting the New Waves program, though the people at New Waves kept telling me not to count out the possibility, so I have been calling them every few months to check. I was I was told that only 7 days cruises have it, and it didn't seem likely that the Emerald will ever get it.

 

I wonder why the people at New Waves are telling me (as recently as yesterday) conflicting information. I encourage you to contact them yourself at 1-800-919-9819 or newwave@padi.com.

 

Since I can't claim to know everything about the New Waves Program, I was conting on the information the folks from the program were telling me to be correct. I hate it when you read something on the internet and then someone comes along with information that is contradictory! Hats off to you if you are correct!

[beemerrider]

Hi Sailfish

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but those are the facts. I do have extensive knowleadge about diving in the Caribbwan, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me.

 

It is too bad that Princess has decided to cancel new waves, but if enough people e-mail Princess about it, who knows, they may reconsider.

[scubadiver888]

Hey divers. We just got back from 7 days on the Caribbean Princess. Had a great time. Lots of fun dives. However, we did get some bad news. The dive crew on board told us that Princess is going to be cancelling their New Waves program. They will still offer dive excursions but there will be no dive staff on board, no dive certifications and no dive lockers for gear rentals. Just on our cruise there were a bunch of people who got their "C" cards while cruising.

 

If you don't want to see this service disappear phone or email Princess with your concerns. :eek:

I just got back from a cruise with Celebrity and was surprised to find out they did not have a dive master onboard. No dive locker. Nothing. If you needed something the people at the shore excursion desk would email the dive operator at the next port.

 

At first this had me a little concerned but the cruise is over and I had a great time. I didn't need the dive locker but a few people needed stuff and just bought it from the local dive shop during the shore excursions.

 

I would think, if there is demand, they will put a dive instructor on a ship. But if they don't get enough people signing up they will not hire an instructor. This makes sense to me.

[clayhabitat]

Sailfish. I hate to say it but you got fasle info also. New waves is run by Princess, not PADI. Princess uses PADI as the certifying agency. You must be a PADI instr. to work for Princess. The Instr. are Princess employees. The Program is definitely being discontinued after Aug 24th when the Caribbean Princess does it's New England/Canada run. There will be no more divers aboard any ships in the Princess fleet. There are no divers on the Emerald and there will not ever be. Princess will not be submitting any schedules to PADI for the fall as there will be no more New Waves. Audrey Ibbotson will be the final lead diver on the Caribbean P.

 

Now if you still want the program to continue, I suggest you contact Princess and not PADI

 

I hope this helps.

Can you post a link for this information? There seems to be a conflict in info.

[scubadiver888]

Bensontic,

 

I'm going on an eastern Caribbean cruise in June. Did you scuba dive in Bermuda and Grand Turks? If so, what are your recommendations as I am not certified.

 

Many thanks, Chantal

Chantal,

 

I had a look at the cruises in June for Princess. Looks like you are going to be in Grand Turk, Bermuda and St. Thomas. All three ports have a New Waves Discover Scuba shore excursion. I have been diving in St. Thomas and it is quite nice. I've heard Grand Turk is just as nice. I don't know about Bermuda. It is very expensive plus the water will be colder in Bermuda. I'd do the Discover Scuba in Grand Turk or St. Thomas.

[scubadiver888]

Sailfish. I hate to say it but you got fasle info also. New waves is run by Princess, not PADI. Princess uses PADI as the certifying agency. You must be a PADI instr. to work for Princess. The Instr. are Princess employees. The Program is definitely being discontinued after Aug 24th when the Caribbean Princess does it's New England/Canada run. There will be no more divers aboard any ships in the Princess fleet. There are no divers on the Emerald and there will not ever be. Princess will not be submitting any schedules to PADI for the fall as there will be no more New Waves. Audrey Ibbotson will be the final lead diver on the Caribbean P.

 

Now if you still want the program to continue, I suggest you contact Princess and not PADI

 

I hope this helps.

I was on the Crown in December. They just got a new dive instructor and he was taking people out for certification. He was the guy who cleared all our C-cards as well for shore excursions.

 

While I was chatting with him he told me he was an employee of Princess. This kind of fits with what you are saying.

 

On a related note, I was on Celebrity Galaxy last week and different staff were telling me different stories. Some claimed the ship was going into dry dock then getting sold. Others claimed the ship was getting a cosmetic makeover then getting sold. Another twist was it wasn't getting sold until December. Bottom line, staff confidently told me completely different stories. They all seemed to think they knew what they were talking about. I'm not sure who you can believe.

 

Regardless, other cruise lines (Celebrity) operate Discover and Certified dive excursions without any diver instructors onboard the ship. Princess can as well. This is just potentially bad news for people wanting to get certified.

[07rubicon]

I was part of the New Wave program to get certified two weeks ago. Audrey was our instructor and told us the New Wave program and dive locker will no longer be offered after August. She is an employee of Princess and will be working in tours after the dive program is no longer. Her boss, forgot his name, confirmed this to all diver's signed up for dive excursions. He recommended we contact Princess and let them know how we value the New Wave Program for certiifications, and scuba review classes as well as the dive locker. Princess will still offer dive excursions but no equipment or having a dive master on board.

[Sailfish]

We run a scuba cruise every year and because we make arrangements to dive in all the ports of call on our own, we don't invlove the cruise line. A few members had asked about the New Waves program, but all made the decision to get certified before the cruise, so they can join the dive group - a smart move on their part, in my opinon.

 

Most people in my group bring their own dive gear and get rooms with a balcony, so equipment issues and wet gear storage doesn't seem to be a problem. We dive in each of our ports. Since we negotiate transportation to and from the ship into our dive package, we simply roll out of bed in the morning, get off the ship as a group and meet up with the dive operation at the pier. The few people that need gear can get it from the dive operation.

 

I am not too familiar with the New Waves program or the certification program offered by other cruise lines, but I can't imagine spending the entire cruise dealing with class and pool sessions and the required open water dives. I know there appears to be a demand for this sort of thing, but I would recommend people make better use of their time on the cruise having fun diving in the ports of call instead!

 

Thanks again for clarification!!

 

Suzi

[scubadiver888]

We run a scuba cruise every year and because we make arrangements to dive in all the ports of call on our own, we don't invlove the cruise line. A few members had asked about the New Waves program, but all made the decision to get certified before the cruise, so they can join the dive group - a smart move on their part, in my opinon.

 

Most people in my group bring their own dive gear and get rooms with a balcony, so equipment issues and wet gear storage doesn't seem to be a problem. We dive in each of our ports. Since we negotiate transportation to and from the ship into our dive package, we simply roll out of bed in the morning, get off the ship as a group and meet up with the dive operation at the pier. The few people that need gear can get it from the dive operation.

 

I am not too familiar with the New Waves program or the certification program offered by other cruise lines, but I can't imagine spending the entire cruise dealing with class and pool sessions and the required open water dives. I know there appears to be a demand for this sort of thing, but I would recommend people make better use of their time on the cruise having fun diving in the ports of call instead!

 

Thanks again for clarification!!

 

Suzi

Suzi,

 

Is your scuba cruise open to anyone? Do you know when your next scuba cruise for 2009 is going to be? I've tried arranging my own dives when I go cruising but half the time the dive operator cancels on me because I'm not a large enough group; I'm large but I still only count as one :p.

[Sailfish]

Suzi,

 

Is your scuba cruise open to anyone? Do you know when your next scuba cruise for 2009 is going to be? I've tried arranging my own dives when I go cruising but half the time the dive operator cancels on me because I'm not a large enough group; I'm large but I still only count as one :p.

 

Our scuba cruise this year is in November 2008; the one in 2009 is still in the works, but I expect we'll go again in late fall or winter just before the holidays. I do them for Cruise Critic once a year, and make arrangements to dive in each port independent of the cruise line. To get an idea of what this year's cruise is like (next year's will pretty much follow the same format), please check out our group forum here at Cruise Critic. Please let us know if you want to be placed on the 2009 mailing list by sending off an email request; as soon as we have a date set (in a couple of months), I'll let you know.

 

 

All Cruise Critic members and their family and friends are welcome.

[cb747]

Hi Darrell,

 

Thank you for the post. I sent you an e-mail. Chantal

[NeurosurgeryNP]

I just got off of the CB last week and spoke with the only remaining dive instructor on board. She did confirm to me that the New Waves program would be phased out and ended by the end of August, August 24th she told me she would be off the CB and not replaced (she did mention that she applied for antoher ship position within Princess and I do hope that she will get the position). The other ships apparently are the same from what she told me.