Silver Moon Cruise Tours

[Cruizer Bill]

Thanks you for your response. I asked them when they came home from school and they said "No way!" Even DH is reluctant to snorkel, and having to wear glasses to see anything doesn't help. I must admit to being a bit scared of all the sea creatures! Maybe they'll try it on the pirate ship excursion.

 

I've snorkeled on about seven occasions-- six times with -13 diopter vision (legally blind without correction). With that vision, it was a little bit difficult to see details underwater, but it was still a very enjoyable experience. Your vision will be magnified somewhat when you are looking underwater. I'd recommend snorkeling with a companion, so you won't worry about getting separated from the boat/shore and you can be guided closer to the fish and turtles. One time I borrowed an RX mask, which was corrected for -5 diopter vision (most folks who consider themselves near-sided are only -2 to -5 diopters). What a difference!! I could see reasonably well, even though it corrected less-than-half of my vision! So, if you are not TERRIBLY near-sided, you will probably see fairly well--especially if you can pass your eye exam for your driver's license without correction. If you are very near-sided, ask friends and the tour operator if they have an RX mask.

[Schoonerman]

I have enjoyed snorkeling for years. I am also nearsighted with a correction about -7 diopters. Several years ago I bought a set of prescription lenses and wish I had done it years ago. I was missing an amazing amount!

 

I got my single vision lenses (bifocals are available) at Sea Vision and opted to purchase a mask locally so I could insure a good fit. You might select a mask first and verify with the company if hey can fit it.

 

Try searching for prescription dive masks. A Leonard Maggiore, optician, claims to handle prescriptions as strong as -20 diopters. I can't vouch for this.

 

It has been wonderful -- an eye-opening experience!

[MXGirl]

We sailed with Silvermoon on the 24 person Cat in December.

We were on a 2 week cruise and this was the highlight of our trip.

The 24 person Cat was by no way crowded. It was wonderful, the food was great, the turtles were awesome. We will go back with Silvermoon on our next trip to Barbados.

[jlane]

MXGirl, Thank you for this post.

 

Our first time in Barbados, back in 2006, we booked the 12 man Cat w/Silvermoon. It was, by far, and still is, my favorite excursion.

 

We are back to Barbados this March and I booked again, but could only book on the 24 man Cat. I'm glad to hear that they still deliver on a good excursion.

 

JL

[rrshinn]

We were on the Silvermoon II last week and it was probably the best excursion we have taken. We only had 10 onboard, so it was like you were on your own private boat. Enough can not be said for Ben & Tony, very gracious hosts. We left the same time as the 24 person Silvermoon which looked nice, but I would gladly pay extra for the Silvermoon II. Very relaxing the perfect excursion. Kudos to Ben & Tony for keeping the boat spotless.

[Hockey19]

Everyone seems to be thrilled with Silvermoon. Would love to know some prices. Can anyone help?

[KAWS]

Everyone seems to be thrilled with Silvermoon. Would love to know some prices. Can anyone help?

 

We're taking this one:

 

Silver Moon Exclusive Cruise

 

A 5 hour lunch cruise, the boat sails at 9.30am and returns to dock at 2.30pm. Two stops are made for swimming & snorkelling, one with the sea turtles. This price is US$87.50 per Adult & US$57.50 per Child (12 & under). Transportation from your Hotel or the Cruise Terminal, drinks, a delicious buffet lunch and snorkelling - instruction and equipment are included. For your comfort, this cruise caters to maximum of 24 guests.

 

I think the 12 capacity boat is around $110 pp.

[rcprncss]

FYI- When we booked a couple of weeks ago for May, it was $90 pp for the 24 guest catamaran.

[Lsimon]

...I think the 12 capacity boat is around $110 pp.

 

Price is correct but I'll point out that both the boats they use for the 12 passenger and 24 passenger trips have a "capacity" of many more people. They don't fill the boats to capacity and as a result there is a lot of room on a very comfortable and uncrowded excursion on either trip. Both trips are more or less the same except for the boat and the location they anchor at for lunch - and there is no set location as they use one of several based on conditions and such that day.

[KAWS]

FYI- When we booked a couple of weeks ago for May, it was $90 pp for the 24 guest catamaran.

 

Glad we booked when we did then. That extra $5 that we'll be saving will be added to their tip at the end of the day. We all win!

[Xoe]

We took the Silver Moon snorkel on Saturday January 10, and loved it. Both Silver Moon catamarans are lovely; we were on the smaller one with a 12-passenger limit, and had only 8 that day. The larger one was near us part of the time, and it too had plenty of space. Both stops were lovely. The turtles were friendly, seeking the food the guides provide and seemingly willing to be touched.

 

The on-board lunch was delicious and plentiful. Prices for dining out on Barbados are higher than we'd expected, so we concluded that the Silver Moon excursion was a bargain as it included transportation between our hotel and the dock, the snorkeling, and a fine lunch. GO FOR IT!!

[rcprncss]

Xoe, thanks for your review! It sounds wonderful!

 

KAWS, it's good that you did book earlier! We just couldn't decide. I don't know when they raised the price. But I agree about saving $, every little bit counts these days. :)

[pwkreis]

Has anyone done both of these snorkel sails? How do they compare? We have heard good about both but would like to know the real deal here.

 

thx

[Lsimon]

Has anyone done both of these snorkel sails? How do they compare? We have heard good about both but would like to know the real deal here.

 

thx

 

The boatyard is a beach bar/club on a big beach with a real party atmosphere and music. Unless something has changed it is not a day sail excursion. http://www.theboatyard.com/home.html

 

While I've head nice things about the other day sails on Barbados I've never heard from anyone that has taken Silver Moon that they like another better. Silver Moon is the gold standard there and there are only two reasons to take a different one: 1) cost or 2) Silver Moon was already sold out when you went to book.

 

Essentially all of the turtle/snorkel sail excursions go to the same spots to see the turtles and snorkel and these spots do get a bit crowded at times no matter who you go with. It is the boat, crew and what they do before and after the turtles and snorkeling that sets these trips apart from one another. Do be aware that Silver Moon is a relaxing laid back trip - it is not a music and dancing party boat.

[2Fltravelers]

We're taking this one:

 

Silver Moon Exclusive Cruise

 

A 5 hour lunch cruise, the boat sails at 9.30am and returns to dock at 2.30pm. Two stops are made for swimming & snorkelling, one with the sea turtles. This price is US$87.50 per Adult & US$57.50 per Child (12 & under). Transportation from your Hotel or the Cruise Terminal, drinks, a delicious buffet lunch and snorkelling - instruction and equipment are included. For your comfort, this cruise caters to maximum of 24 guests.

 

I think the 12 capacity boat is around $110 pp.

 

We were on the Silver Moon II (12 pass.) on January 15th. We paid $110 pp (USD) which included all snorkel gear (but no towels) but we booked it in September so I don't know if the price has gone up. It was worth every penny! We were picked up at the cruise terminal at 9AM and taken to the dock 3 minutes away. We were 8 people (all but 2 from cruise critic) and a crew of 2. It was as though we had chartered a private boat for the day. The 24 passenger Silver Moon was near us but the difference is noticeable. While Silver Moon II has alot of shaded area it did not appear that the other boat had nearly as much and the sun was HOT!! II seems much newer although we were told that it's 8 years old but it looks like new. There are 2 bathrooms below, one side for men and one side for women. When you board you are served fresh, warm banana bread and a selection of drinks. The first snorkel area is about 20 minutes from the dock where you can see the green turtles which were being fed by our captain, Ben. We were there for about 30 minutes. The second stop, about 10 minutes away, is where you snorkel near a submerged wreck for another 30 or so minutes. From there we traveled for a while longer, near the other 2 stops and had lunch- fried flying fish, curry chicken, rice & beans, pasta salad, fruit, couscous, bread, wine, rum punch, pina coladas. You could swim off the back or just relax in the front on the trampolines. For dessert we had homemade carrot cake. We were back at the dock and taken by van back to the pier terminal around 2:30PM. It was a beautiful, fun and 1st class excursion that we would do again.

[travlpat]

Was the snorkeling equipment adequate or should we bring ours? Was the flex tube new?

[jlane]

It was the captain of the Silvermoon (back in 2005) that taught me how to snorkel. He took the time with me individually in the water and got me to get past my fear of looking into the water and breathing air.

 

I used their gear and felt that it was clean and new to me.

[2Fltravelers]

Was the snorkeling equipment adequate or should we bring ours? Was the flex tube new?

 

It all looked fairly new. They also had flippers but you couldn't use them while snorkeling near the turtles at the first stop.

[pwkreis]

The boatyard is a beach bar/club on a big beach with a real party atmosphere and music. Unless something has changed it is not a day sail excursion. http://www.theboatyard.com/home.html

 

While I've head nice things about the other day sails on Barbados I've never heard from anyone that has taken Silver Moon that they like another better. Silver Moon is the gold standard there and there are only two reasons to take a different one: 1) cost or 2) Silver Moon was already sold out when you went to book.

 

Essentially all of the turtle/snorkel sail excursions go to the same spots to see the turtles and snorkel and these spots do get a bit crowded at times no matter who you go with. It is the boat, crew and what they do before and after the turtles and snorkeling that sets these trips apart from one another. Do be aware that Silver Moon is a relaxing laid back trip - it is not a music and dancing party boat.

 

Sorry it is actually Heat Wave Tours, but we found the link on the Boat Yard Site...

[telefonclockdesk]

Alright, after reading 7 or so pages of posts on the great times everyone has had on the Silver Moon charters, I couldn't wait another minute and had to book. I sent an email yesterday inquiring about availability and they got back to me in less than 24 hours! I filled out the quick confirmation form they emailed me and we are going out on March 17th on the 12 person 5-hour lunch excursion. Cant' wait!

 

My DW and I have been going back and forth on what to do for our excursion when we get to Barbados that day. We had pre-reserved through the cruise, but after reading about all of the wonderful trips people have had on SM and comparing the value of the cruise-offered trip, it appears that we have made the right choice.

 

Looking forward to this trip very much! Can't wait to see those turtles!

[rcprncss]

2FldTravelers, thanks for your great review!!! :) I am looking forward to this excursion!

[2Fltravelers]

2FldTravelers, thanks for your great review!!! :) I am looking forward to this excursion!

 

I'm sure you will enjoy it!

[pmcue]

We are booked on March 31st and was wondering if you have time after to go to the Boatyard. We would like to do something afterward, but do not want to have to travel far. Anyone have other suggestions?

[rcprncss]

PMCUE - On our cruise, we are there from 0800-5pm. We are told to meet the tour guide at 0900. It's a 5 hour excursion, so that means it would end at 2pm. We have to be back on the ship 30 minutes prior to leaving. So that would leave 2 1/2 hours. It's cutting it close. We went to Boatyard and really enjoyed our day there, but that is all we did. The day we went was some kind of holiday and we only got to shop at a tented area near the port. What time is your ship there? You can maybe go there for 1.5 hours if you don't want to shop. :)

[letsgoplaces]

I'm one of the people who has posted a raving review of Silvermoon. I'm sure ( to telefonclockdesk) that you read it but wanted to say I'm really happy you booked with them. We have been all over the world and to the caribbean many times and it stands as the Highlite of our trips. I too learned how to snorkel on that trip just like the previous poster. I can't swim. So I was nervous about everything and yet the guys were so caring and calm and taught me with such patience that not only did I learn how to snorkel but now it's my favorite thing to do. EVERYTHING about that trip was peaceful, calm,wonderful as well as memorable for each one in my big family. I'm so glad you decided to go with them. You SHOULD be excited.

You will have the time of your life.