Cruise Recommendations

Hello,
Any recommendations on a 4-5 day cruise out of FLA. to the western carribian?

One diver and 4 non-divers. ah. Only interested in the diving, the others can take care of themselves.

Using cruise setup or should I go with local ops?

Thanks

If you're sincerely interested in diving, don't go on a cruise.

If you must, here's a piece on cruise ship diving from my July '00 "Dive Workshop" column of "Rodales' Scuba Diving." The following is an edited copy of that item:

"Cruise ships are seen by many divers as despoilers of the both the environment & culture at their ports of call. The situation in Cozumel in particular is regularly lamented on several scuba bulletin boards. Nevertheless, cruising is among the fastest growing segments of the travel industry, and bigger & fancier ships are regularly launched, and new piers constructed.

These floating megaresorts generally offer scuba diving as one of many activities, but rarely is it a focal point. This places them the most removed of water borne diving, with dedicated dive live-aboards being at the top. Between these two are the smaller boats operated by the likes of the Windjammer & Law fleets, which cater to those wanting some serious diving, but also a relaxed atmosphere and other diversions. Cruise ships do afford some advantages, however, such as allowing: (1) groups with nondiving members to vacation together; (2) the diver to screen a number of locations cost-effectively and with relative ease; (3) divers who are not into a trip of hard core diving to get an N2 fix; & (4) a convenient venue for a resort course or OW certification--anything beyond this will be conduced by the shore ops.

If you decide to cruise & dive, you can: (1) go with a traditional ship and let them make the arrangements; (2) do the same but arrange for your own diving; or, (3) select a ship specifically oriented toward diving. If diving with an op arranged by the ship, it may be selected based on it's ability to adhere to the ship's schedule, the amount it kicks back, and other factors not related to getting the best diving. If good diving is a priority, you often will be best served by making your own arrangements prior to the cruise. This can require some effort due to the ship's need to keep a tight schedule. It may dock after most dive boats have gone out in the AM, and may depart before others return in the PM. In addition, cruise ship piers are often some distance from the areas where the best diving is located. Definitely make advanced booking if you decide to select your own op.

Princess, Celebrity and Windstar are among your best choices in dive oriented lines. On board dive centers have instructors, and offer at least a resort course, with other certs handled by the on shore op. They endeavor to get you to the better sites with the better shops at any particular port of call, although for very experienced divers they often are not the most advanced sites or personalized ops. Dive gear is typically available on board, and, if not, can be obtained from the local shop. Some ships include gear in the price of the dives, typically $80-90 for a two tank trip, but some charge for rental. Best to check beforehand if looking to save a few bucks, but remember that schlepping your gear from room to shore op everyday, and storing/drying it your cabin, can be a hassle. Also, some ships have odd rules, such as wanting a logbook as well as c-card, or requiring a refresher a course if you haven't dived a while.

Bottom line is, cruise ships are not dedicated dive venues, and will not satisfy those who want nothing but dive, dive, dive or advanced diving. They do, however, provide an opportunity to get in a few dives and several locations while enjoying the other amenities of this type of vacation."

Best regards.

DocVikingo

As usual, Doc knows the stuff.

Rich

I've spent 8 of the last 14 yrs working for a company that does marketing, PR and travel industry education for 25 cruise lines. The other years I did marketing and product development work for other travel industry companies. I get more cruise info then anyone needs to know.

Premier hasn't been in business since Sept. 2000. Windstar doesn't have a true Western Caribbean itinerary, but they do a nice 7 day out of Ft. Lauderdale that goes to Turks & Caicos, Bahamas & Virgin Islands (ending in St Thomas).

The lines that currently offer cruises from FL and have decent diving excursions, if you want to book with the line, are Norwegian Cruise Line (www.ncl.com), Princess (www.princess.com) and Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com).

My preference is land-based dive trips but, since I do have to cruise, we do on occassion dive while cruising. I've had better dives booking on my own with a local operator then going with the ship's excursion. It's usually been cheaper on my own and also less divers, more bottom dive and overall a better experience. In my opinion, it only pays to use the excursion if it's a tight port call or the times don't work with the times local shops go out.

Although cruising may not be the best choice for a dive vacation, it is a great way to keep a group of divers and non-diver happy, and, it's a great way to sample a few destinations in a week while only having to unpack once. Cruises do have alot a good things about them and the variety available on the newer ships (activities, restaurant options, entertainment etc.) do make them a wonderful family and group vacation.

Bon Voyage!

Our last two cruises have been Eastern and Southern Caribbean, not Western, but I DO make dives when cruising. Regardless of the the comments of others here, this CAN be done, and a good diving experiece can be had, in my humble opinion. The cruise line not mentioned by the others is one of my personal favorites, Celebrity.

What I do is check Rodales and other Scuba sources for good dive operators on those particular cruise stops. I contact them via the internet or via telephone and set up my dives, making sure they know that I'm on a cruise ship. In St. Thomas in January, the dive boat came out to the pier and picked me up for the two dives. In other ports, the dive operators sent a car to the port, and hauled me to the shop to fill out paperwork and such, then put us on the boat. By diving this way, I stay away from the 'cattle boats' the the cruiselines contract with and ensure a better quality dive.

Needless to say, it's all a crap shoot unless you can talk to someone who has actually done it in those ports. I had good experiences in two of the three ports where I dived. In every case, I was finished diving and back to the ship about 1:30 or so, and had time to shop, or sit and have a couple beers on the way back to the ship.

There are lots of good dive operators and good dives out there, even in ports that are not KNOWN as dive destinations.

Contact me with questions, and I'll be happy to reply....

"Regardless of the the comments of others here, this CAN be done, and a good diving experiece can be had, in my humble opinion."

Who in this thread has said it couldn't be done or that a good diving experience couldn't be had?

Thank you.

DocVikingo

I wasn't looking to ruffle any feathers. Just posted my experience to date.

Is it that you don't like what I said, or how I said it? I'm sorry for both if it is a point of concern for you or the original poster.

If you have an issue, why not contact me off the board and let me know, rather than raise it here?

Many thanks,

For the most part I would have to agree with the Rodale article, however, I don't think that they researched the Norwegian Dive In completely, or it has improved since their initial article.

I just returned from a cruise with the NCL Sun, itinerary was Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. While diving is not their primary business I found that the Dive In crew did make diving and snorkel trips a very important focus of the cruise experience. I was not on this cruise primarily to dive, as my husband is a non-diver so I planned activiities in most of the ports to share with him. He does like to snorkle so we were able to do this together in two ports, do a land excursion in Belize to the Mayan ruins and I did a dive trip in Cozumel, with time left for us in town later.

NCL does have Dive In on most of their itineraries, however the Western Carribean seems to be more geared for divers. We had 32 certified divers in Cozumel, and were divided into two boats of 16 divers which was divided again into 8 divers with one DM on each boat. I did not feel this was a "cattle boat" experience, and the DM as well as NCL crew were very safety and environmental concious. My overall rating for this dive trip would be an A+. I have 102 dives logged, most with my local diving friends, so I have some experiences to compare with. The cost was $80 for two tanks, in the same ball park as the other dives mentioned.

The Dive In Manager was extra great to me in particular, due to a new policy by the dive operator in Grand Cayman I needed a physician letter to allow me to dive. Steve went over and above to assist me in trying to get a letter from home and when it did not come in time he offerred me a substitue spot in Roatan as a courtesy. Steve also offerred to assist me in Grand Cayman to set up with another dive shop once we arrived. I did not dive there, but spent the day at Sting Ray City and a Reef snorkle with my husband. I also, did not change my plans in Roatan to dive since I was there to be with my husband. All in all we had a great time.

I am already planning a cruise with them for next spring, to bring our youngest son and wife along. I will again do aleast a dive trip in one port.

All in all the choices on how to take a dive vacation are up to the individuals desires. I distinquish between my personal family vacations and a dive vacation, but can enjoy diving as an added extra on a family vacation. Just go out there and have fun the way you want is my motto. Happy diving!

It's not a matter of liking or disliking what you've said, it's a matter of accuracy.

I simply couldn't find any assertions in this thread that a good diving experience couldn't be had from a cruise ship. Thus, it seemed to me that you erected a straw man for some reason, and then knocked it down.

What I did find were comments that cruise ships are not dedicated dive venues, that diving is not a cruise ship's primary business, that the poster preferred land-based diving, that diving from a cruise ship was a reasonable accommodation when the presence of non-diving family member made it the vacation of choice, and the like, all of with which I agree.

I'd say that folks gave a pretty balanced coverage of the advantages & limitations.

Am I missing something?

DocVikingo

I have done a few cruises where I did diving. It can best be described as a shore excursion. You have to go therough all the delays of geting off the Ship and then transfer to a dive operator who will usually pick you up very close to the cruise terminal. This may involve more delays. Then you will get two very short dives for $20 or $30 more than you would have paid if you were staying at that location.

Upon return to the ship your dive knives will be confiscated, if they were not taken from your luggage earlier.

When you get back to your room, you will be competing for space with your wet dive gear.

If you mainly want a cruise, this may be OK. If you really want to dive, do something else.