Fantasy Daysail Recently?

[SuzyL]

I seemed to have stumbled onto some bad reviews for this excursion (not too savvy working these boards yet...usually just a lurker;) ) when all I had previously viewed were very good reviews. Now that the cruise is so close, I'm nervous about all the excursions I've booked, but particularly this one because I'm the one that convinced my 3 fellow cruise mates to do this rather than the ship's Champagne Catamaran to St. Johns. Has anyone recently been on the Fantasy daysail that can give me some input? The bad reviews I saw were not very specific and I can never tell if people may just be picky about certain things that I wouldn't care about, or if there are complaints that would make it bad in anyone's eyes.

 

When we first decided to do a cruise, I was excited about the ship's excursion until I read about the smaller ships doing a more intimate version of the same thing. I will just be really disappointed if this particular excursion ends up being a flop! :(

[Utah5]

Sailed on the Fantasy in early December. I too read the negative reviews and was a bit worried.

 

A few of my own observations:

 

1. Not that it was a big deal, but did not recieve banana bread upon boarding as some others had.

 

2. Brian and Pam do not sail much together anymore. You will probably have only one of them with an additional first mate. I was looking forward to both as advertised on their website.

 

3. The Fantasy is not the ship that Bill Clinton sailed on. Brian captained another ship that sailed with Clinton. Again not a big deal but a little misleading on website.

 

4. Snorkeling spot near St. John was great. Saw squid, turtle, sting ray etc.

 

5. We had younger kids and did not feel they were overly kid friendly. We snorkled to a beach only to be told by security guards that no kids were allowed.

 

6. Lunch was good but geared for adults. (Caribbean Curry Chicken with Rice)

 

7. Not a bad experience but my advise would be to make clear your expectations. If you want the music louder, ask them to turn it up. If you want a drink, don't be shy to ask. Overall, the great snorkeling and scenery made up for what we felt were short falls in hospitality. We plan on day sailing in St.Thomas again but probably would try another outfitter next time. I have heard great things about Jester Jim. www.sailjester.com

 

Hope this helps.

[4cruzin]

We are just back from a sail on the Fantasy. I have to agree with everything that Utah5 posted. We really enjoyed the day but felt there was a bit of "service" missing. We sailed in tandem with High Pockets and noticed a big difference in Captain personalities. Don't get me wrong Captain Pam is really nice but not a real outgoing person. Captain Kathleen is exactly the opposite - very bubbly, talkative and cheery.

 

We saw great things when we snorkeled. The lunch was great but my 13 year old didn't care for it. (the curry chicken) We didn't have a guide in the water with us but since we were beside High Pockets we tagged along with them.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to book High Pockets next time but I probably wouldn't book the Fantasy again unless no other options were available. It was definitely better than going on a boat with a HERD of people!

[MichRN]

I contacted Highpockets yesterday to see if they were available for the date that I am in port. Captain Cathleen e-mailed me back stating that they were already booked but she highly recommended the Fantasy day sail and captain Pam. She even forwarded my information on to Captain Pam and she has already contacted me with all of the details. I asked her if I could place a 24 hr. hold on the date and she said no problem. Now I don't know what to do. I also contacted Interline daysail and they also have the date available. They are about $15 cheaper than Fantasy. I really want to have a great time, especially since it isn't exactly cheap to do this. Does anyone else have any information on either of these? Help me out!

[kaschwarz]

I guess it depends on the ages of your group. My husband and I sailed with Capt. Pam on 12/21. My kids are 25, 21 and 19. She had a crew of two, Russell and Stephanie. Russell sat with the kids on the bow and pointed out things of interest. Stephanie and Pam both talked to my husband and I. But we are talkers too, so we never have trouble meeting people. I guess we didn't go on expecting to be entertained, but rather to see the sights and get a chance to snorkel. Which we did. And it was GREAT. Loved both the spots they took us to. Enjoyed the day immensely. We were the only ones on the boat, since it takes 6, and there were 5 of us. My son even caught a fish off the back of the boat.

 

I thought the lunch was good, course, sitting out in the sun, eating lunch after snorkeling, was heaven. :) And my kids being older were maybe not as picky. Ok,take that back, my eldest is VERY picky, and even she liked the lunch.

My kids felt it was one of the highlights of the whole cruise.

Kris

[4cruzin]

I contacted Highpockets yesterday to see if they were available for the date that I am in port. Captain Cathleen e-mailed me back stating that they were already booked but she highly recommended the Fantasy day sail and captain Pam. She even forwarded my information on to Captain Pam and she has already contacted me with all of the details. I asked her if I could place a 24 hr. hold on the date and she said no problem. Now I don't know what to do. I also contacted Interline daysail and they also have the date available. They are about $15 cheaper than Fantasy. I really want to have a great time, especially since it isn't exactly cheap to do this. Does anyone else have any information on either of these? Help me out!

 

Pam and Kathleen are related. Pam is Kathleen's step-daughter! We had a nice day with Fantasy. If I had a choice I would do Highpockets but if not then I would do Fantasy again, you'll have a great day.

[MichRN]

Thanks for your help. I went ahead and booked the Fantasy. I'm looking forward to it!

[Utah5]

"I guess we didn't go on expecting to be entertained, but rather to see the sights and get a chance to snorkel."

 

It was not a matter of expecting to be entertained! It was a matter of Fantasy not delivering on a "personalized, custom tailored day" as advertised on their website.They knew well in advance that we had younger kids yet still took us to a beach where we were told no kids were allowed. When our youngest did not enjoy the lunch, we were tossed a jar of peanut butter so we could make her a sandwich from the left over french bread. "Expert snorkel lessons, Underwater Look Bucket, Learn to sail an IOR rated Sloop, Dinghy Trip to Beaches," we did not receive nor was offered any of the above! This is not meant to scare anyone away. We had a nice time and would probably do it again. But, as I said in my previous post, make clear your expectations upon booking.

[caribbean crazy]

Has anyone experienced any seasickness on this excursion? We are booked on the Fantasy in June and am wondering how long the actual sailing portion of the day is. Does the captain try to avoid rough seas?

[Tiffofirechick]

Motion sickness will only occur if the seas are choppy, and rarely if then. We were out on a choppy day and didn't have one problem.

 

Here's another alternative for the daysails...(and I'm going to actually start a thread on this too) The Independence. We had booked High Pockets and due to a technical problem, the wonderful Capt. Kathleen didn't want us to miss out on a good day and was able to book us on the Independence with Capt. Pat.

 

Let me tell you what, we had an amazing day-EXCELLENT customer service-if I drank as much as I was offered I'd still be floating away. The ship is just beautiful-the lunch was excellent-and Capt. Pat knows where to go to snorkle. She has all the snorkle toys and gear that you could want. Our crew for the day was Bill, who actually crews on High Pockets, and he gave us an escorted snorkling tour(s). We actually opted out on the last snorkling tour because we were having such a good time on the boat and talking with Capt. Pat. The boat is in great shape with good changing facilities. The best part though, is just using the sails and gliding back. Capt. Pat is very conscious about getting you back to the dock when you say you want to be there... in fact she will have you back at whatever time you say.

 

A bit about the private daysail captains... they all work together and help each other out. When we were standing at the flagpole waiting for our ship, we met the other captains who met us with a friendly Hello! and told us what a great day we'd be having. If you schedule a daysail through the ships, the ships take their "cut" of the funds and really mess over the private business people trying to make a living. It is VERY easy to get a taxi to American Yacht Harbor and back. I can see why people tend to "swear their allegiance" to one boat or the other and use them everytime they go back. For one, we can't wait to go back... and for two, we will use Capt. Pat.

 

You can find the Independence @ www.independence44.us

[SuzyL]

First, thanks for all that replied to my OP. We are back and I guess I'd have to say I was a little disappointed in the daysail...but it certainly wasn't bad by any means. I think the sea was a bit windier than usual our entire cruise and even in that protected area. That, of course, is no fault of the daysail. We had Captain Brian and first mate Russell. Russell was very knowledgeable and pointed out all the different islands and gave us some real history. We only made it to Caneel Bay to snorkel, where Russell was pointing out fish. But, hey, I have to admit when I'm sitting in a sailboat and my head is practially in the water from the tip of the boat, I'm a bit spooked! My problem, not theirs. It was a beautiful day and I surely don't regret my choice. If I were to go again, I think I'd take a ferry to St. John's and check out some different beaches. Again, the windiness affected where we could go and get decent snorkeling. I'd just want to be sure I could see something different the next time, no diss against Fantasy. Altho, I have to agree that what they offer on their website and what they deliver are not quite the same.