Silver Moon Cruise Tours

[telefonclockdesk]

letsgoplaces, thanks for the re-confirmation! As the song goes..."the waiting is the hardest part." Tom should have been talking about snorkeling instead!

[oc323]

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

 

I used them the first week in Jan. and it was $110.00 PPerson. They were wonderful

[2Fltravelers]

I used them the first week in Jan. and it was $110.00 PPerson. They were wonderful

 

That's the price for Siver Moon II- the 12 passenger. The other Silver Moon (24 passenger) is $85 the last time I checked.

[jellyfish]

We have contacted Silver Moon and are booking in May (the 12 passenger). It sounds like a great day! Just wondering, when you anchor near the beach for lunch, are you close enough to swim to the beach? Thanks!

[Lsimon]

We have contacted Silver Moon and are booking in May (the 12 passenger). It sounds like a great day! Just wondering, when you anchor near the beach for lunch, are you close enough to swim to the beach? Thanks!

 

It would be a long swim. One out of three times we were anchored off a large home or such - not a beach.

 

[jellyfish]

Thanks for the reply. I was just curious. My husband are really looking forward to this. I'll be celebrating my birthday while we are on the Silver Moon. Can't think of a better way to spend it!

[pwkreis]

For those that have been on Silvermoon cruises have any of you been on the "other boat"?? From what I understand they have a third boat they use and I just wanted to know if it is the same experience as the Silvermoon 1 + 2?

 

We are looking at this still but are a little concerned that because the first 2 are booked we will be getting a lesser experience. Don't get me wrong...any day in the Caribbean beats a winter day in Canada :eek:...just don't want to be disappointed.

 

thx for now

[Lsimon]

For those that have been on Silvermoon cruises have any of you been on the "other boat"?? From what I understand they have a third boat they use and I just wanted to know if it is the same experience as the Silvermoon 1 + 2?

 

We are looking at this still but are a little concerned that because the first 2 are booked we will be getting a lesser experience. Don't get me wrong...any day in the Caribbean beats a winter day in Canada :eek:...just don't want to be disappointed.

 

thx for now

 

Actually Silver Moon I was sold over a year ago. They now operate Silver Moon II and III. They might have a third boat as well, as I know there are more than 12 people on our cruise roll call that say they are booked on a 12 person sailing.

[smilexpert]

We were just on Siver Moon II with 12 people last week. It was the best! The crew caters to your every need and want. It was raining, and Captain Ben kept sailing to keep us away from the rain. He was awesome! We saw tons of turtles, we were the only boat at the two snorkel places we went! It was absolutely Fabulous!!! I highly recommend the tour!

[dreamcruiser53]

My husband and I were on the Silver Moon Feb 13th and of all the tours etc. we did during this cruise...Silver Moon was the very best! The crew couldn't do enough for you, lunch was excellent and service was perfect. There were about 21 of us on board, but you were made to feel like you were the only ones on board. We paid $90pp U.S. they picked us up outside of the cruise terminal on time and everything was 1st rate. I would certainly do it again, no question about it.

[louisenana]

;)We have been home a week and I actually got pictures back from the trip (not just on a CD) on Serenade of the Seas. We were on Silvermoon on MArch 5, the best day trip of the vacation! The catamaran had on 12 people aboard with 3 crew. The boat is spotless, food wonderful and the attention made me feel special. If you have not snorkeled before they will give you a lesson, size up your feet for fins and feed the fish and turtles as you swim. I would do this trip again, it was great.;)

[jellyfish]

Thanks for the recent reviews of the Silvermoon! It's going to be a great day. We will be there on May 6 and I can't wait!

[phdiva]

Four of us (ages late-30's through mid-80's) went on the 12-person Silver Moon Deluxe Cruise (two snorkel stops plus lunch for $110 U.S. per person) on March 8. It was an awesome day.

 

The weather along the west coast didn't cooperate, so Captain Ben took us to some two sites to the south. He and his assistant, Tony, found us some turtles. I got great pictures.

 

I must admit that I was concerned that I would be "out of my league" because the descriptions and reviews on this board made the excursion sound so elegant. If you're worried about this, there's no need to fear! Ben and Tony and our fellow guests were all down-to-earth, fun, friendly people. It was a wonderful day and worth every penny. I'll definitely book with them again the next time I'm in Barbados!

[GarageTwoThree]

I emailed them and was quoted 90 and they stated I could be placed on either boat. I wonder if they have seen a reduction in bookings and are looking at consolidation

[mjyanne]

Actually Silver Moon I was sold over a year ago. They now operate Silver Moon II and III. They might have a third boat as well, as I know there are more than 12 people on our cruise roll call that say they are booked on a 12 person sailing.

 

Silvermoon II is the boat used to take 12 people. It was the boat they used to use for their 24 person trips. Plenty of room for 12. Weather could have been better but the crew (Captain Ben and Stacy) were great. This was my 4th time sailing with them and would do it again without hesitation.

[Aplmac]

It would be a long swim.

One out of three times we were anchored off a large home or such - not a beach.

 

Very nice pics on board -and underwater too!

Love those turtle shots,man!

 

I have a Swimming with the Turtles group on Facebook -at URL..

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=132093095789

which you might want to take a look at (assuming you're 'on Facebook'?)

and I was wondering if I might beg your permission to use a few of your turtle pics on the group?

(the group always needs fresh signature pics!) - please??

 

Email me at pcdoctor@caribsurf.com if need be?

 

.

[Lsimon]

...I was wondering if I might beg your permission to use a few of your turtle pics on the group?

(the group always needs fresh signature pics!) - please??

 

Feel free to use any - although it would be nice if you could attribute them to my site and/or provide a link. We Sailed the Silver moon 6 days ago and the trip was as wonderful as ever!! Not sure how the pictures will turn out as the water was a little green and cloudy by the turtles- good to see them but not as good for photos. We'll sort through them and post any good ones on our photo site in a week or two.

[kleen1]

If you choose to do only one excursion-pick Silver Moon! It is worth the money for the experience you get. Everything was first class! We saw many turtles and so many fish near the shipwreck. The food was delicious. I especially liked the flying fish-just the right amount of breading and spices. I also liked the rum punch. At the end we enjoyed pina colads, even virgin ones for the children. While on the boat they put a fishing line out and caught a small tuna. My boys enjoyed that. The captain put the catamaran on auto pilot for awhile and let my 10 year old "drive" it. He liked that!

[fantabulous]

Thanks to everyone for the posts, suggestions and pictures! It has been extremely helpful.

 

I have been planning, reading and researching for weeks to plan our cruise. Rightly so! This is our first cruise and first time to marvel the Caribbean. My husband and I want us to visit the port highlights. In Barbados, the turtle swim and snorkle is a must. I have already booked the Tiami cruise through Royal, but I can cancel since I'm two weeks out. After finding Cruise Critic, I looked into other companies like Shasa and Silvermoon. I am sure we would thoroughly enjoy any of these choices since each offer a cat, snorkle, turtles, etc, but it appears we cannot go wrong with the Silvermoon. The Silvermoon has a pamper and luxury feel which, to me, is what our vacation is for! I just emailed Silvermoon to book our tour. I hope they have openings available!!

 

Just FYI.... after reading some posts, there were a few misconceptions about the costs of the Silvermoon versus other companies. These are all FIVE hour excursions.

 

 

Silvermoon: $90/person or $110/person (depending on the 12 or 24 person cat)

 

Tiami: $99/person

 

Shasa: $75/person

 

As you can see, the Tiami and Silvermoon excursions are very comparable. I guess it really depends on what you are looking for.

 

Although the Silvermoon is a great choice some don't want to pass up, I thought I'd add the Tiami and Shasa also offer THREE hour excursions. I read where some other cruisers want to have ample time for shopping or the beach. You can see these excursions at www.funbarbados.com. The 3 hours excursions would probably be best for you.

[KAWS]

 

Silvermoon: $90/person or $110/person (depending on the 12 or 24 person cat)

 

Tiami: $99/person

 

Shasa: $75/person

 

As you can see, the Tiami and Silvermoon excursions are very comparable. I guess it really depends on what you are looking for.

 

 

Tiami and Silvermoon are NOT comparable unless you're strictly talking about price. Silvermoon has a maximum of 24 people for the $90 and 12 for the $110 excursion and even on March break they didn't sail at full capacity. There were only 16 people.

 

Tiami had so many people on it we couldn't even count them! We saw Tiami and said many blessings that we were on Silvermoon. We took the $90 excursion and it was one fabulous day all the way around. Stupendous service and not once, repeat not once did anyone say anything about tips or bugging us to "tell our friends" or made us yell out "Silvermoon rules!" or anything else cheesy like that. They left a tip jar on the counter and never said a word about it.

 

You will not be disappointed if you go with Silvermoon. I'd go again in a heartbeat.

[fantabulous]

Tiami and Silvermoon are NOT comparable unless you're strictly talking about price. Silvermoon has a maximum of 24 people for the $90 and 12 for the $110 excursion and even on March break they didn't sail at full capacity. There were only 16 people.

 

Tiami had so many people on it we couldn't even count them! We saw Tiami and said many blessings that we were on Silvermoon. We took the $90 excursion and it was one fabulous day all the way around. Stupendous service and not once, repeat not once did anyone say anything about tips or bugging us to "tell our friends" or made us yell out "Silvermoon rules!" or anything else cheesy like that. They left a tip jar on the counter and never said a word about it.

 

You will not be disappointed if you go with Silvermoon. I'd go again in a heartbeat.

 

 

 

Kim,

 

Yes, I meant the prices of Tiami and Silvermoon are very comparable. I thought that was implied from the the listed prices before that sentence. Obviously, I do not feel the cruises are very comparable or I wouldn't be canceling with Tiami and booking Silvermoon. I too agree Tiami sounds overcrowded. I didn't say that in my post because because previous people discussed it. Also, I don't have my own personal experience to be biased (yet) or recommend one over another.

 

However, I do believe that if you are up for a good time, people would enjoy any of the three companies. Partially, it does depend on what you're looking for. Some people like big groups, parties and meeting lots of people. My husband and I, on the other hand, would like to relax and enjoy a more personalized tour which is what the Silvermoon has to offer.

 

I hope I clarified myself for future readers. I only wanted to update the latter part of this thread so people will see their options and make their own informed decision. There are so many threads on this website, it took me a while to see that there were three different companies, the prices of each and differences or uniqueness of each company.

 

We are looking forward to Barbados and the Silvermoon! I believe it will definitely be a highlight.

 

 

Whitney

[triggerhoppe]

The experience was nothing short of awesome. There were a total of nine people on the boat, including myself and my friend. The crew (three guys) were VERY attentive, always making sure we had whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. At our disposal there was rum punch, pineapple rum punch (delicious), beer, wine, and soda. We went to swim with sea turtles, which was absolutely incredible. There were about a half-dozen turtles, their shells being anywhere from 3 to 6 feet in diameter, swimming so close that you often had to swim out of their way because they would come right up to you. They don’t let you wear flippers, but even then it was hard not to bump a few turtles with your feet. Be careful. We got back onboard, and were immediately greeted with banana bread so fresh out of the oven that you had to wait to let it cool. Then more drinks. Then it was time for a shipwreck, which was cool but about thirty feet down so it was hard to swim to. We got back onboard and sailed towards Simon Cowell’s beautiful summer home which costs upwards of $50k a week to rent, and anchored outside it. It was a gorgeous view on the coast of Barbados. Lunchtime. There was grilled seasoned chicken, fried mahi-mahi, shrimp, potato salad, wild rice, fresh rolls, salad, pasta salad, and a few other things I’m probably forgetting. I had a chardonnay with my meal, and then it was time for some sun baking on the front of the boat. By the way, there was always room on the outside of the boat, it was never crowded. After a while, freshly baked carrot cake was brought out, also delicious. After doing some cannonballs off the side of the boat and lounging in the open Caribbean Sea on a provided large foam noodle, it was time to head back (I was by myself in the water, and the crew member said with a smirk "all aboard, sir." I looked around and everyone on the boat started laughing :D. Got some nice tanning done on the way back to the pier. All in all, this was worth every penny, A+.

[jellyfish]

Hey Triggerhoppe!

I was on the Silvermoon with you the same day I believe (May 6) and I agree with everything you said! It was such a great day and a birthday I'll remember forever. Even though my husband was unable to go, you and everyone else helped to make it a special day for me. The turtles, all the fish we saw, food and drink were the best. I felt so spoiled, especially when they brought out the nice cold washclothes. The Silvermoon is a class act. I have a few pictures of you and your friend I'd like to send to you. Send me an e-mail at DebbGoo@aol.com

 

Debbie

[triggerhoppe]

Hey Debbie, yes of course I remember you! I hope you and your husband enjoyed the rest of the cruise, it was fun being on the Silver Moon with you! :)

[jtmalt]

We cruised with Silver Moon II on May 12, 2009. This was our second trip with them (we had also sailed with them last year). Once again, it was a great experience.

 

We were met promptly at our cruise ship dock by our driver, who transported us on the quick ten minute ride to the Marina. Captain Ben and First Mate Nick met us and escorted us on board. A total of 10 people were sailing that day.

 

Silver Moon II is a 45' catamaran that takes a maximum of 12 people (there is plenty of room, as this is the craft they originally used for their 24 person excursions). The cat is in excellent condition, scrupulously clean, with a roomy, shady cockpit and a spacious bow with a large trampoline.

 

As soon as we started motoring out, Nick served up our choice of beverages accompanied by warm banana bread. As soon as we cleared the harbor, Ben set full sail.

 

Weather conditions were near perfect as we headed over to Payne's Bay for our snorkel with sea turtles. The bay was crowded with other day sails, since two cruise ships were in port, but Ben anchored off to the edge of the area, and Nick jumped in to attract some turtles over to our spot away from the crowds.

 

A few large turtles accomodated us, and one of them had to remoras attached to its' shell, munching on whatever remoras munch on. Visibility was great, and we really enjoyed the snorkel.

 

Next, we headed over to the shipwreck and reef. Visibility was much better this year, and we saw a wide variety of fish and coral formations. I should note that Nick was a great snorkel guide, guiding us to the best areas, keeping himself visible, and making sure we were following whenever he moved on.

 

We sailed over to Sandy Lane and anchored for lunch. The catered lunch was delicious, with Mahi Mahi, chicken, salad, and sides, along with some of Dexter's famous hot sauce (I wish we could buy this and bring it back to the States with us!). The food was delicious, and although I missed the flying fish we were served last year, the new caterer did a great job.

 

Finally, the beautiful downwind sail back to Road Town. Carrot cake and pina coladas were served as we enjoyed the beautiful sail back.

 

Once again, a great excursion. Ben made us feel like valued friends, and Nick is a fine addition to the crew and a top notch snorkel guide. Once again, a very highly recommended trip!