Diver Friendly Cruise?

[DiveMaven]

So which are the best diver friendly cruises? Not including live-aboards, which cruiselines offer the most excursions, best support for divers, etc?

We're booked on a Celebrity cruise this winter and aren't real impressed with the dive excursions offered. Heck, they aren't even offering a dive excursion in the Bahamas! Don't know that I would have booked with them anyway, but it's nice to have the option, you know?

We're considering a Princess cruise for 2005 to the Southern Caribbean and they seem to be much better for offering dive excursions. Again, not sure we'll book with them, but the option is good to have.

Any opinions one way or another??

 

[diveborg]

I've been on Royal Caribbean and Princess and they seemed just about the same, diver indifferent. Princess's dive program does have it's own website www.newwaves.com The cruise lines just sell shore excursions using dive operators they contract with at each island. I have only once gone with the ship's excursion, that was in St. Maarten back when you had to tender ashore. All the rest of my dives have I arranged on my own, which I usually recommend doing.

I would happily go on a Celebrity cruise. They are supposed to have excellent food I wouldn't care what dive excursions they offered.

 

[DiveMaven]

We're going on our 5th Celebrity cruise and yes, they have great food, no question. <G> We definitely prefer to book our own dive excursions, and have on our upcoming cruise, other than our Key West dive because of our times in port. Because of the port times, I just think it's nice to have the option of diving with the ship if we want, and was disappointed when dives weren't offered in the Bahamas nor Tortola.

One reason I wanted this cruise was to dive the Rhone (not to mention getting away at Christmas), and when it wasn't offered, I was pretty bummed. After checking most of the local dive ops, I quickly realized we probably couldn't dive since our time in port is short. Fortunately someone on Cruisecritic sent me to UBS Dive Center in Tortola and we were able to arrange a private charter out to the Rhone. Not only will we be on our own time schedule (and get back to the ship on time), but it'll just be 2 of us on the dive with our DM....and the price is only $5 more pp than the ship would have charged for their cattleboat dive! <VBG> Can't wait to go now.....

 

[Diver Kat]

We've done 5 Celebrity cruises and have always booked our own diving - preferring to avoid the cattleboats. The one time we did book a dive excursion from the ship, it got cancelled prior to departure. We're taking a Princess cruise in Nov. but again booking our dives independent. They include the gear in their prices, but as I prefer using my own, so I hate to pay extra for what I'm not using.

 

[Wendy]

send a PM to naturediver, I think that's the screen name. He works on a royal carribbean ship as a DM. I'm sure if you cruise with him you will have a good time.

my friends and i arranged our own diving while in port in coz.

 

[Kat]

Take a look at www.windstarcruises.com

They have a cruise on their ship the Wind Surf, which sounds very diver friendly. The cruise runs Jan. 16th - until the end of March. It is a small cruise, only 308 passengers, on masted sail yacht. All cabins have a window, no inside rooms.

Here is the itinerary:

Sunday: Cozumel, MX
Monday: At Sea
Tuesday: Isla de Utila
Wednesday: Puerto Cortez (tour drop off)
Omoa, Honduras
Thursday: West End, Roatan
Friday: Belize City (service call)
Saturday: Costa Maya, Mexico
Sunday: Cozumel, MX

 

[Natasha]

Naturediver works on NCL not Royal Caribbean.
Last I heard he was on a ship in Hawaii.

 

[Tiff]

What does anyone know about the Windstar Cruises and specifically the Windsurf. I too read the itinerary for their cruise that starts in January. Sounds diver friendly, but I am curious if any of you have ever taken one of their cruises for diving?
Any feedback would be great! thanks! -Tiffany

 

[diveborg]

What does anyone know about the Windstar Cruises and specifically the Windsurf. I too read the itinerary for their cruise that starts in January. Sounds diver friendly, but I am curious if any of you have ever taken one of their cruises for diving?
Any feedback would be great! thanks! -Tiffany

Here is what I know about Windstar. They are a division of Carnival Corp. They have 3 ships that look like they could sail, but in reality I think that they usually motor and the sails are mostly there for looks. Have to keep to the schedule you know. As far as cruise ships go, they are small, not more than about 380 passengers, mostly upper income couples. No kids allowed on the ship. The dress is "casual elegant" which mean no ties for guys, but no jeans either. Think Polo shirt crowd. They have open seating dinners. All the cabins have windows/portholes, there are no inside cabins. Their diving excursions (only 2 per day) are expensive, but they are very convenient since they include all gear except wetsuits. The crew set up all the gear and you show up 10 minutes before the boat leaves and you are ready to go. The dives all leave from the ship which has a large water sports platform in the stern. It is a door that folds down to make a big floor. Windstar cruises are not cheap, starting at $1295 per person and that doesn't include the diving which will add $120 per day if you go with their excursions. They do offer a "deal" on a package of dives, for $360 you get what looks like 7 dives and a t-shirt.

here is the web page on for the cruises that leave from Coz windstar cruises

Also keep in mind that this cruise doesn't include diving in Coz, for that you have to spend the night before or after the cruise on Coz in a hotel, another added expense.

Personally for that kind of money, I'd rather do a live aboard and get more diving included. And it would be betting diving too, not the limited bottom time, guided dives you would probably get on a cruise. But that is just my opinion. If you were traveling with a non-diving partner, and you had the money, a Windstar cruise would be really nice.

 

[irishstout]

My wife & I have been on two Windstar Cruises. We really enjoyed them both but did not dive on either cruise. We have actually been on the Windsurf & Windstar ships and enjoyed both but the Windstar is smaller ~150 passengers. The service and food are excellent. It is much more intimate than the larger ships based on our experience.

We have booked the Jan 16th Cruise and are looking forward to it as it was a very good price and is someplace we haven't been. While the dives are somewhat expensive, we are also looking forward to the above water places on the itinerary. We are going to Cozumel early and will dive on our own and if the ship diving is not satifactory, will look for a LDS in port.