Have read nothing but positives about shore excursions . . . any negatives?

[ladycaveat]

I've been reading this board for about a month . . . trying to decide with shore excursion to take on my April 2005 cruise. I've never been to the Grand Caymans and am really excited about that particular port. In September, in Belize, I got to snorkle with Stingrays and want to do it again. It seems that Capt Marvins, Capt Bryans, Soto and Nativeways all offer the same excursions and each have a lot of fans on here. The excursions they offer seem to be very similiar in both what they offer as well as price. From everything I've read, the crews are fantastic, the stingrays friendly and for many . . . it was the highlight of thier entire cruise.

 

Please don't take this the wrong way . . . but it is so hard to decide which to book because I haven't heard one negative thing said about any of these excursion companys. As a 57 year-old woman who will be cruising alone (knew there was something I missed about being married . . . he used to help me decide where to cruise to and which excursion to take . . . tee hee) . . . anyway, I'd love to read not only the positive . . . but a negative or two. Not that I'm a negative person . . . far from it . . . I can find good in any and every experience . . . but nothing is perfect. Aside from the time a tour starts (which precludes some from taking it) . . . I haven't read about one negative experience anyone has encountered. Did anyone have even a minor problem with the four shore excursion companys noted?

[zydecocruiser]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. They are all basically the same thing, no matter how they try to differentiate. They all go to the same sandbar. About the same snorkel spots. The price differential is not that great - particularly with Soto's raising prices next year.

 

The main differences:

Start and finish times

Catamaran or power boat

Booze on board or not

 

In the pictures I took at the sandbar, Soto's, Buccaneer, Moby Dick and some others are visible.

[ladycaveat]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. They are all basically the same thing, no matter how they try to differentiate. They all go to the same sandbar. About the same snorkel spots. The price differential is not that great - particularly with Soto's raising prices next year.

 

The main differences:

Start and finish times

Catamaran or power boat

Booze on board or not

 

In the pictures I took at the sandbar, Soto's, Buccaneer, Moby Dick and some others are visible.

 

Is/are Buccaneer and Moby Dick the names of boats or additional tour companies? Really don't care whether or not there is booze on board and because the ship gets into port at the crack of dawn . . . I'll probably go with one of the earliest departures. Now . . . between a catamaran and a power boat? Can someone tell me the pros and cons of each?

[zydecocruiser]

Additional boats/tours to help complicate your life. Actually, the only reason I mentioned them was because those two boats ended up in some of my pictures. Mr Moby seems to post on this board so would be better to answer any questions about his operation.

 

http://www.mobydicktours.com/

and

http://caymanislandsdiscounts.com/Stingray_City_Buccaneer_Excursion.htm

 

If you arrive at the crack of dawn, you may want a tour earlier than Buccaneer.

 

Catamarans - while there are power cats, I think the only Stingray ones are sailboats. Less noisy and slower than power boat. Tends to be more stable and drier when underway - particularly if the water is rough. Tends to have more room. Some people like to ride on the "trampolines" out front.

 

Power boats, sort of the opposite. Tends to get you out and back faster. Could be bouncier. Could be wetter. Might not have as much room to move around.

 

Think it comes down to more speed vs a little more comfort. Your mileage may vary.

[ladycaveat]

Thanks for the web sites zydecocruiser . . . ohhh, it is so hard to decide . . . thank goodness I have until April to make up my mind. What I'd really like to do is take each and every excursion offered and then write a review about each (both pros and cons) so others like myself wouldn't have such a darn hard time deciding which one to take.

[zydecocruiser]

Hmmm. But how could others know if they could trust you or not??

 

I don't think it is worth the stress you seem to be putting yourself through. You should have a good time on any of them. On any given day, one may be better than the others, but they should all be good.

 

I would try to find one that starts about 1&1/2 hours to 2 hours after your ship is scheduled to arrive. That will give you plenty of time to get a tender in without more stress. It's supposed to be a vacation.

 

But you are on the right track - keep going back to GC until you have tried several and I think you will conclude that it just really doesn't matter which one you go on, as long as they have any kind of track record. People don't stay in business very long if they can't deliver what they promise.

 

I've been to the sandbar three times with three different operators and haven't had a bad experience yet.

 

If you can hook up with some people on your same ship (try the Roll Call section), it will matter even less which one you go on.

[ladycaveat]

zydecocruiser, in all honesty . . . I'm really not stressed about this. Hey, I'm a criminal defense attorney . . . this is rest and relaxation for me. Tee Hee! This will be my sixth cruise, and on the last one, September 2003, I swam with dolphins in Cosumel, snorkled with stingrays in Belize and shopped till I dropped in the Bahamas. I booked both my shore excursions online before my trip and went through the same thing I'm going through now. But, for me, planning my cruise is nothing but sheer fun (what ship to take, where to go, what shore excursion to take, what clothes to take, etc.) I've decided on the ship (Triumph), where (Western Caribbean . . . again) and now it's on to the excursions. Heaven help me when I start thinking about what clothes to take. I know whatever tour I plan to take in Grand Cayman, Cosumel and Ocho Rios will be great . . . I've never been disappointed yet (how could anyone be disappointed when on a cruise?). I just really enjoy reading and asking questions about the various excursions others have been on. I just wish I could hear about some negatives others have experienced. But then again . . . if their experience was like mine . . . it's hard to come up with anything that isn't positive. I guess the only negatives I can think about on my last cruise are that the dolphin swim ended too soon and in Belize . . . that the two little nurse sharks swimming around the boat swam away when we entered the water to "play" with the stingrays. <G>

[zydecocruiser]

Aha. Avoiding the the original question as to whether your reviews would be honest, trustworthy and unbiased. Your Honor, please instruct the witness to answer the question!

 

Honestly, every trip to the sandbar I have taken was worthwhile. With time, of course, any bad is forgotten and the good remembered (or is that the otherway around?). In my experience, it is the former.

 

On my last adventure, the bad was that I adopted a group of 23 to make a party of 24. Actually, that was not a bad, that was part of the good - knowing other people on the same tour. Not taking a ship excursion was a good because the ship shore tours to the sandbar were cancelled. The bad was that all of us (well 22/24 I think) took the first tender and were waiting on the boat for a while - of course we were early. The "perp" did wait on a few people on another ship (I think) that were not as premature as us. We did leave pretty much on time (9:30 am), but perhaps an hour after we could have left. It was still a full tour with two snorkel stops and a third at stingray sandbar for cheap.

 

My previous adventure was a ship purchased excursion to the sandbar and a snorkel stop. It was not one of the huge meat wagon boats, but the water was a little rough (no big deal to me), but sitting downstairs, I was drenched with water coming over the side on the trip out - no big deal, right? You're going to get wet anyway. The downside here was that my towels (plural?) were drenched. Did not realize they bundled the towels in twos, so I had two wet towels instead of one. Made my snorkel bag that much heavier. Bur my bad, not theirs.

 

First time was on a catamaran, ship based tour. Very relaxed sail out and back. No extra snorkel stop(s). Water was over my head when I entered - had to swim a little to the sandbar. Fewer people than on power boat cruise ship based tours. Obviously (well, hopefully), the first is always the best. Until something better comes along...

 

The prosecution never rests!

 

What tour did you take in Belize for the shark/rays?

[ladycaveat]

zydeocruiser . . . so the procecution never rests? Well, neither does the defense! I took an oath when I passed the bar . . . that I would always be honest, trustworty and unbiased . . . well, maybe not in those words but you know what I mean. An attorney must always be ethical (thus the reason for those dreaded yearly CLEs . . . as in continuing legal education with an emphasis on ethics). So of course, when I write my article about the pros and cons of shore excursions . . . everyone will believe me (which reminds me of a "joke" . . . what's the difference between an attorney and a shark? Nothing . . . both are bottom feeders). Obviously said by someone who didn't need a defense attorney. Opps . . . I digress. Sorry . . . Tee Hee!

 

Think the name of the excusion I took in Belize was Coral Breeze. I remember that it was the Shark Ray Alley Tour (thus the reason I was sad when the only two little nurse sharks we saw swam away when we entered the water). After our dive, we were taken to Caye Caulker for lunch and drinks. Very hot (weather) and little to see . . . a tiny town with nothing but bikes or golf carts to get around in (I think the two policemen were the only ones with the carts) and tiny little "shops" which, I might add, had the nicest people . . . not the least bit aggressive. You could walk from one side of the island to the other in about two minutes and length wise . . . about fifteen minutes. It was so funny to see an inlet at the "end" of our side of the island where the island was split in two by a hurricane . . . the sign said "Mermaid Crossing." We were told that it was the second largest barrier reef in the world. I remember that they (Coral Breeze) sent me a tote bag, glass and rum cake from Belize because I filled their boat for our tour. I posted on the crusie critics boards for months prior to my cruise and by the time we boarded, I had about eighteen others signed up. I think there was a total of 21 that went out and only two weren't from our ship that I had convinced to take the excursion with me. We had a ball and because we all "knew" each other both from the cc boards and the few days together on our ship . . . it was like a big private party.

 

I think you have convinced me to go with the catamaran . . . I love sailing (used to own a 22' Catalina) . . . nothing better than a nice relaxing sail back after a fun day/morning of snorkling. I do remember, however, that Coral Breeze (power boat) took us directly back to the ship (didn't have to line up with others taking the little boats from Belize). We just pulled up aside the Galaxy, hugged our hosts goodbye and felt like royalty.

 

Would love to hear from those that have snorkled with stingrays in Belize and Grand Cayman. From what I've been reading . . . Grand Cayman is the best. If it comes even close to what I experienced in Belize . . . I'll be in Heaven!

[zydecocruiser]

I prefer the Grand Cayman stingrays and the nurse sharks in Belize. how''s that for an answer.

 

For one person's account, I would look at this video (dunno if I would try without broadband access):

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=64838

 

I've yet to come across a nurse shark in Grand Cayman, but they should be around somewhere. We couldn't find the moray eels a couple of weeks ago - there were supposed to be 2 in the area, but the water was a little rough.

 

Was supposed to be with Coral Breeze in Belize, but they cancelled on me with no advance notice - not enough people. I did end up on a different (and not the best) tour to shark/ray alley.

[ladycaveat]

Oh zydo . . . thank you so much for that video . . . it was fantastic! Compared to what I experienced in Belize . . . well, it was like comparing a tadpole to a whale . . . that/those stingrays were huge! And the interaction was like nothing I experienced in Belize. There . . . our diver/guide held one tiny (by comparison) stingray for each of us to pet. We were in water well over out heads so while trying to "pet" the stingray . . . we were fighting the current. To be able to stand on a sand bar and actually have the interaction shown in the video was . . . well, let's just say . . . I can hardly wait. Darn, that was amazing! And . . . the nurse shark/sharks was exactly what I had hoped would happen in Belize . . . unfortunatley, both of those little nurse sharks swam away as we entered the water. Ohhhh . . . that video was so wonderful . . . I'm so glad I finally got high speed . . . .

[ladycaveat]

Wait a minute . . . were those nurse sharks filmed in Belize or Grand Cayman?

[zydecocruiser]

The nurse shark in the video was GC, but not at Stingray sandbar. I would think maybe the barrier reef or aquarium or coral gardens.In Belize you can find the nurse sharks, but you have to swim away from the sandstorm and human depth charges. I think those have been tortured one too many times by the guides holding them up.

 

p.s. it ain't my video. the stingray experience is a reasonable facsimile of what you should see...

 

That is something else that surprised me about Belize - where we were you could stand up to interact with the stingrays, but they still let you wear fins - kicks up a whole lot of sand and makes the risk of a sting higher. At the sandbar in GC, fins are a No No. In the deeper waters, they are ok.