Ideas for Cruise Diving

[cowprintrabbit]

4) Storage - It would be great to have a place to store my dive gear instead of in my already small room, especially when it is wet after diving.

6) Onboard activities - Maybe fish identification, local site info, maybe even some skills training or games related to diving. Dive themed party for open discussion of dive related topics.

A hearty second on #4 and #6!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DiveMaven]

The best suggestions I've heard regarding gear rinsing and cruising are:

1) Talk with the staff about providing a hose that you can use to rinse gear on the pool deck after you dive. Plan rinsing your gear before having lunch, then get your lunch and sit in the shade with your rinsed stuff for an hour so it begins to dry out.

2) Get a veranda cabin and use it to dry your gear. It's easy to sling your BC on the back of a chair and either hang your wetsuit, or drape it on the seat of the chair. Lean your fins on your veranda door to dry. That just leaves your regs/computer/console and mask to hang out in the room for awhile to dry completely.

To answer some of the original question. The reason that we will book our dives with the cruiseline (Celebrity) is for the "insurance" of knowing that if we miss a port we won't be charged for the missed dive. We like knowing that when in port we will make the ship without difficulty, which helps us relax on our excursion. Also, when pricing different options, I have found that the cruiseship doesn't charge much more than booking on our own (at least for our itinerary). The difference is usually less than $10 pp and since the ship provides transportation, that difference is made up right there.

Celebrity cruises allows you to pre-book dives without 'proof' of certification. However, they have a disclaimer stating that you must have dove in the past 2 years and present a valid C card at the time of the excursion. I'd guess if you booked a dive, paid, and showed up at the shop without a valid C card that the line and charter would tell you "tough luck" and not refund money. Likely the charter would offer you an "intro to scuba" dive for at least the same money, but basically I think the responsibility is yours to prove you can participate.

In addition, when we dove in Maui in April, one of NCL's ships was in port. We had 5 divers from the ship on our charter. Some would consider our charter a "cattle boat" operation since it was a larger boat and we had 19 divers on board. Most people enjoyed going with a guide at Molokini crater, but there were 2 people from the ship (and 2 others) who spoke with the crew and planned their own dives. The DM simply insisted that they dive in buddies, but other than that, they were free to go on their own. When we asked what they paid to dive through the ship, their quote was the same as anyone on the street would pay.

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

These are good but some of these are harder to accomplish than others. I am looking more towards where Aeolus is going. Activities related to diving and things of that sort. As far as gear storage....a ship is not a huge place. We have dive lockers onboard for storage of our snorkeling equipment and on some ships, the lockers are big enough to hang maybe 4-5 sets of gear to dry but some of these lockers, like the one on the Majesty here, are not much bigger than a closet in your room. NCL already prebooks dives. We hold the tickets at our desk until the guest comes up to the desk to fill out the waiver and show their card. NCL requires that you have had one dive in the last year. Also, almost all of NCL's dives are two-tanks. I can only think of one excursion that is only one tank and that's a shark dive in Roatan. I also heard a suggestion about more advanced dives. One thing to understand about that is that a lot of operators won't take people they've never met into very deep or advanced dives. A lot of operators want to dive with that person a couple of times at least so that they know the person is capable of handling an advanced dive. What I'm looking for I guess is more stuff geared towards activites or things that will get people excited about diving from the ship. I've heard slideshows and parties so let's get more stuff like that. Thanks everyone so far for the suggestions!

 

[DEEPLOU]

These are good but some of these are harder to accomplish than others. I am looking more towards where Aeolus is going. Activities related to diving and things of that sort. As far as gear storage....a ship is not a huge place. We have dive lockers onboard for storage of our snorkeling equipment and on some ships, the lockers are big enough to hang maybe 4-5 sets of gear to dry but some of these lockers, like the one on the Majesty here, are not much bigger than a closet in your room. NCL already prebooks dives. We hold the tickets at our desk until the guest comes up to the desk to fill out the waiver and show their card. NCL requires that you have had one dive in the last year. Also, almost all of NCL's dives are two-tanks. I can only think of one excursion that is only one tank and that's a shark dive in Roatan. I also heard a suggestion about more advanced dives. One thing to understand about that is that a lot of operators won't take people they've never met into very deep or advanced dives. A lot of operators want to dive with that person a couple of times at least so that they know the person is capable of handling an advanced dive. What I'm looking for I guess is more stuff geared towards activites or things that will get people excited about diving from the ship. I've heard slideshows and parties so let's get more stuff like that. Thanks everyone so far for the suggestions!

I think the suggestion your looking for is the ship giving a discover scuba program in the pool to interest guests in the "resort program". or some how do the pool and instruction for the resort program on board.
For "certified" divers the ones who have not dove in months or year, offer a "tune up" in the pool prior to the excursion.
This of course would require ship to have tanks etc.

One cruise line I was on many years ago had some of these things, I don't remember which one it was.

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

I think the suggestion your looking for is the ship giving a discover scuba program in the pool to interest guests in the "resort program". or some how do the pool and instruction for the resort program on board.
For "certified" divers the ones who have not dove in months or year, offer a "tune up" in the pool prior to the excursion.
This of course would require ship to have tanks etc.

One cruise line I was on many years ago had some of these things, I don't remember which one it was.

Yeah, that would require gear and tanks because a lot of people don't bring their own gear. Especially since usually the people who need the refresher don't own their own gear. Royal Caribbean does DSD's onboard and from what I hear, they have a dive shop on board as well. Dive instructors on the RC have more to do with diving than we do. They also prefer instructors who are also EMTs with a certain number of certifications under their belt. NCL hires entry-level instructors along with seasoned ones. Although I am thinking of a way to at least sell snorkeling gear onboard. That would be nice to do. I have lots of ideas, just have to get them straightened out and on paper. I need all the help I can get. Thanks guys so far!

 

[diveborg]

6) Onboard activities - Maybe fish identification, local site info, maybe even some skills training or games related to diving. Dive themed party for open discussion of dive related topics.

I never thought of this, but it is and exellent idea. A meet and greet for fellow divers would help foster that sense of community that I really enjoy with other divers. I might make the cruise dive excursion more fun to be able to dive with people you actually know. Since I'm the lone diver in my family, I usually end up meeting my buddy du jour when I get on the dive boat.

 

[Kat]

The certified divers on the NCL cruises need an incentive to go on the ships excursions, instead of booking their own diving. Maybe 1 free dive with every 3 booked and a cool diving T-shirt or hat. And a bar tab comp (just kidding.)
People like to think they're getting something for free. If you can get the certified divers on the cruise to start with, than you've won half the battle. Now give them a reason why your excursion is better than what they could book themselves.

 

[scubaspider]

I'll admit that I havent throughly read this tread but just skimmed, but I would like to add my 2 cents. I am highly against cruise ships, I have never been on one but have heard they are an excellent vacation. The problem is they are destroying coral reefs by resorts allowing cruise ships to park near the resort for more business. When they do this, they crash into the reef which physically damages it on impact. Depending on the duration of the say, it scares fish and blocks sunlight for the photosynthesis process in corals, which can lead to bleaching if this consistantly occurs. Thus, if you would like to continue experiencing coral reefs first hand, please dont take a cruise, this just adds to cause of the destruction of reefs. It is predicted that in 2030, only 30% of coral reefs will be remaining in the world.

Thanks

 

[6Gill]

I'll admit that I havent throughly read this tread but just skimmed, but I would like to add my 2 cents. I am highly against cruise ships, I have never been on one but have heard they are an excellent vacation. The problem is they are destroying coral reefs by resorts allowing cruise ships to park near the resort for more business. When they do this, they crash into the reef which physically damages it on impact. Depending on the duration of the say, it scares fish and blocks sunlight for the photosynthesis process in corals, which can lead to bleaching if this consistantly occurs. Thus, if you would like to continue experiencing coral reefs first hand, please dont take a cruise, this just adds to cause of the destruction of reefs. It is predicted that in 2030, only 30% of coral reefs will be remaining in the world.

Thanks

Well scubaspider you are entitled to your opinion. These things do happen I guess, however; in my opinion I don't think the situation as you descibe it is accurate. Nor, do I think that the few accidents, etc. that may happen, outweigh the benefits to the local economy, jobs created and of course the pure joy of cruising for those that enjoy that type of vacation. I'm also quite sure that a lot more damage to the environment of the sea, reefs, etc. are done by the locals and other factors.

Many people enjoy this type of vacation, especially disabled, seniors, people who don't like to fly, etc. It can be a very relaxing vacation if you want it to be, or filled with shore excursions and adventures to include snorkling and scuba diving. I especially enjoy the fact that you only have to pack and unpack once for the trip and no hectic trips to and from airports and all that includes (Security, etc.) every other day as well as different hotels, cabs, etc.

I also enjoy the social life, food and the general shipboard life on a well run cruise ship. Of course, I also enjoy my cabin on the ship, where I can sit on my small balcony and watch the sea pass by, while enjoying a nice beverage and/or snack or if I choose kick back and lay on my bed and watch first run (free) movies on the TV.

I've been on (4) cruises now and have two already planned and purchased. I'm sure that my wife and l will continue to cruise as long as we are able to. I also try to take at least one pure SCUBA diving trip a year to a tropical destination(s) aside from any cruise trip. (My wife doesn't swim or dive.)

So, I doubt that many people who like to cruise are going to quit crusing, because of the factors you mention.

My advice to you, is to try a trip on a major cruise line, who knows you might just like it!

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

I'll admit that I havent throughly read this tread but just skimmed, but I would like to add my 2 cents. I am highly against cruise ships, I have never been on one but have heard they are an excellent vacation. The problem is they are destroying coral reefs by resorts allowing cruise ships to park near the resort for more business. When they do this, they crash into the reef which physically damages it on impact. Depending on the duration of the say, it scares fish and blocks sunlight for the photosynthesis process in corals, which can lead to bleaching if this consistantly occurs. Thus, if you would like to continue experiencing coral reefs first hand, please dont take a cruise, this just adds to cause of the destruction of reefs. It is predicted that in 2030, only 30% of coral reefs will be remaining in the world.

Thanks

I'm not sure who you've read about crashing into coral but I never hear about it. All of the cruise lines that I see, Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival, Disney, Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, all work the same. If it's too shallow to dock then we anchor offshore where it's deep enough and then use tender boats to shuttle passengers back and forth. Maybe some smaller cruise lines have done that before but major cruise lines can't afford an accident like that. The navigation of these things is amazing and I doubt very seriously that there are many of these incidents of ships crashing into coral. I do know firsthand that some small operations are worse. I've seen operators that destroy the reef and I've seen fishfeeding dives (which I don't like) and how they affect the sealife. I just got back from a snorkeling trip a few hours ago and today, like any day, we had no problems with guests grabbing things or touching coral. Of course you do have people who pick things up or stick their handprint on a beautiful piece of brain coral, but you can't put that all on cruise ships. Those people come from ships, week long vacations on their own, locals, etc. No single branch of tourism can be blamed for the destruction of coral, it's all over the place. Hopefully it won't be around forever. I'm doing my part as best I can by leading the best trips I can with the most information about the reef I can give.