cruise operators

[Christi]

Does any one know off hand who Disney Cruise Line uses as their dive op for their certified dive tours?
TIA

Maybe I can help - at least help you figure out what options you will have.

1. What time does your ship arrive, and what time does it depart?
2. How many divers in your group?
3. Experience level of divers in your group?

A few notes:

95% of the dive boats depart for the morning trips between 7:30am and 9:00am

You'll need to give yourself an hour to disembark and get to the designated meeting spot for the dive op you end up selecting. With this said, if your ship is arriving at 9:00 or 10:00am - you've missed most boats.

You didn't indicate what time of year you are coming - so afternoon dives may or may not be an option. Most shops require a minimum of three or four divers to confirm an afternoon boat - which means that if you're coming during high season, chances are better - but during winter months, it does get dark early, so in reality, a two-tank afternoon dive becomes an afternoon/twilight or even night dive.

If you don't have four divers in your group already, you may consider trying to round up enough divers in advance from your ship to make up a group of four to six - and you'll be able to get any operation that has an extra boat available to schedule a custom trip with a departure time to meet your ship schedule.

The reason the ships charge so much is that they actually make MORE than the dive op providing the service does - and all they really are is the booking agent. Of that $140 you pay to the ship, the dive op most likely gets 35% to 40% of it, with the ship getting 55 to 60% - at least I know that's how it is with Carnival cruise lines, it's CRAZY! Disney may give the actual service provider more of a percentage.

As FishoutuvH2o stated, Disney usually docks downtown, which is in walking distance of the downtown pier where a handful of shops depart from. The shops that offer pick-up downtown are:
Aldora
Blue XT~Sea
Deep Blue
Aqua Safari

Other shops that have close departure points, but would require a short taxi ride are:
Albatross
Liquid Blue
Scuba with Alison
Blue Angel
Papa Hogs
Scuba Mau
Dive Paradise
Dive with Martin

I hope that helps give you some ideas and at least gives yo a starting point! The price range for these shops will range from $60 to $90 for a two-tank dive - so you're sure to find one that meets your budget and service needs. Just compare apples to apples if comparing prices

Have a great time!

 

[truck1]

Wow! I always thought you cruise ship folks were able to choose whatever dive op you wanted to. I've dove with many divers off of the ships and never heard this mentioned. I hope for your cruise you get your own choice without a charge from ship. Because the Disney ship has the advantage of docking at the northern terminal, Punta Langosta (and it plays "wish upon a star," instead of blowing our eardrums out and rattling stuff off of our shelves with a normal horn). This puts you about a 3-5 minute walk from the downtown pier that just about every dive op will pick-up from. I've watched the Disney ship dock many, many times, and, while I wouldn't take this as a fact, I want to say it docks early enough for you to have your pick of just about every dive op.

From what I have learned from going round and round with Disney and Stuart Cove ( I went thru this in August with a 4 day to Nassau.Even spoke to a supervisor and the shore excursions desk on the ship) its a contract thing between Disney and the dive op. In this case prob Sand Dollar and DCL. It doesnt matter what you want, its what Disney contracts.
When I initially emailed SC in the Fl office, even Bob missed it and was under the assumption that not only was there 2 prices for with and with out gear, but also that I could call them and say come get me for the shark dive.( Ship wasnt in port long enough for me to do that.) Next day he emailed me back and apologized saying that he was mistaken and that unlike most other lines, I had to do what Disney wanted, at Disneys price. Even if I came off the ship and was waiting on the street, they still would have had to say no becuase of the ship I was on so they could guaruntee I was back in time to meet the ship. The only way around that besides calling a taxi, was to walk to someplace like Hard Rock and catch a shuttle from there. For 140 pp it wasnt worth it for me to lug my gear, my fiances almost a mile to go diving.Thought about using there gear but since my future inlaws were with us on their first cruise, we decided not to dive and play tour guide instead.
No if I was on Carnival or RCL or most other lines, there would have been 2 prices and less restrictions.

The only good thing that I can see from using DCL to book a dive, is that if for some reason I am late coming back to the ship, the ship will wait. If I book on my own,and run late for what ever reason, then Ill have to find a way to the next stop or home.

I havent had a chance to talk to Sand Dollar yet, but definitely will in the next day or so along with Christi who had the post just before this one.

 

[truck1]

Maybe I can help - at least help you figure out what options you will have.

1. What time does your ship arrive, and what time does it depart?
2. How many divers in your group?
3. Experience level of divers in your group?

A few notes:

95% of the dive boats depart for the morning trips between 7:30am and 9:00am

You'll need to give yourself an hour to disembark and get to the designated meeting spot for the dive op you end up selecting. With this said, if your ship is arriving at 9:00 or 10:00am - you've missed most boats.

You didn't indicate what time of year you are coming - so afternoon dives may or may not be an option. Most shops require a minimum of three or four divers to confirm an afternoon boat - which means that if you're coming during high season, chances are better - but during winter months, it does get dark early, so in reality, a two-tank afternoon dive becomes an afternoon/twilight or even night dive.

If you don't have four divers in your group already, you may consider trying to round up enough divers in advance from your ship to make up a group of four to six - and you'll be able to get any operation that has an extra boat available to schedule a custom trip with a departure time to meet your ship schedule.

The reason the ships charge so much is that they actually make MORE than the dive op providing the service does - and all they really are is the booking agent. Of that $140 you pay to the ship, the dive op most likely gets 35% to 40% of it, with the ship getting 55 to 60% - at least I know that's how it is with Carnival cruise lines, it's CRAZY! Disney may give the actual service provider more of a percentage.

As FishoutuvH2o stated, Disney usually docks downtown, which is in walking distance of the downtown pier where a handful of shops depart from. The shops that offer pick-up downtown are:
Aldora
Blue XT~Sea
Deep Blue
Aqua Safari

Other shops that have close departure points, but would require a short taxi ride are:
Albatross
Liquid Blue
Scuba with Alison
Blue Angel
Papa Hogs
Scuba Mau
Dive Paradise
Dive with Martin

I hope that helps give you some ideas and at least gives yo a starting point! The price range for these shops will range from $60 to $90 for a two-tank dive - so you're sure to find one that meets your budget and service needs. Just compare apples to apples if comparing prices

Have a great time!

Maybe I can help - at least help you figure out what options you will have.

1. What time does your ship arrive, and what time does it depart?
   Ship is supposed to arrive at 930 am and departs at 630. Would need to be back onboard at no later than 6pm. I am putting in a reservation tonight for the Oct 16th 2010 Disney Magic.Unless Disney emails back and says that the last wedding spot (yes I am getting married on that trip) is taken.Then all bets are off.
2. How many divers in your group?
   At least 2. Possibly more.
3. Experience level of divers in your group?
   
   Iam AOW rescue nitrox, and my fiance, will be OW and nitrox.

The reason the ships charge so much is that they actually make MORE than the dive op providing the service does - and all they really are is the booking agent. Of that $140 you pay to the ship, the dive op most likely gets 35% to 40% of it, with the ship getting 55 to 60% - at least I know that's how it is with Carnival cruise lines, it's CRAZY! Disney may give the actual service provider more of a percentage.

I doubt that Disney gives more to the op. They might pay the full price per diver, but prob not more.(I used to work for Disney)

I hope that helps give you some ideas and at least gives yo a starting point! The price range for these shops will range from $60 to $90 for a two-tank dive - so you're sure to find one that meets your budget and service needs. Just compare apples to apples if comparing prices

Yes it does give me an idea on where to start.Thank you. The main problem I had with the price, is that I was bringing my own gear. If they had said that ok with your own gear its say 125pp it would probably be a different story. I just couldnt justify paying $280 to dive with my own gear, for a 2 tank dive that may not go out (The Wonder on the 4 day is in Nassau on Mon, and the only ship in town.)When I could have done something else like the harbor cruise we did, or booked the shark dive.

 

[CZMDM]

Here in Cozumel many cruisers use op's not sold through the ship. Due to arrival times you may need to make a private charter, but if you have a couple of people you can do that and still save money over what you would pay through cruise services.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

Maybe I can help - at least help you figure out what options you will have.

1. What time does your ship arrive, and what time does it depart?
   Ship is supposed to arrive at 930 am and departs at 630. Would need to be back onboard at no later than 6pm. I am putting in a reservation tonight for the Oct 16th 2010 Disney Magic.Unless Disney emails back and says that the last wedding spot (yes I am getting married on that trip) is taken.Then all bets are off.
2. How many divers in your group?
   At least 2. Possibly more.
3. Experience level of divers in your group?
   
   Iam AOW rescue nitrox, and my fiance, will be OW and nitrox.

The reason the ships charge so much is that they actually make MORE than the dive op providing the service does - and all they really are is the booking agent. Of that $140 you pay to the ship, the dive op most likely gets 35% to 40% of it, with the ship getting 55 to 60% - at least I know that's how it is with Carnival cruise lines, it's CRAZY! Disney may give the actual service provider more of a percentage.

I doubt that Disney gives more to the op. They might pay the full price per diver, but prob not more.(I used to work for Disney)

I hope that helps give you some ideas and at least gives yo a starting point! The price range for these shops will range from $60 to $90 for a two-tank dive - so you're sure to find one that meets your budget and service needs. Just compare apples to apples if comparing prices

Yes it does give me an idea on where to start.Thank you. The main problem I had with the price, is that I was bringing my own gear. If they had said that ok with your own gear its say 125pp it would probably be a different story. I just couldnt justify paying $280 to dive with my own gear, for a 2 tank dive that may not go out (The Wonder on the 4 day is in Nassau on Mon, and the only ship in town.)When I could have done something else like the harbor cruise we did, or booked the shark dive.

First things first. . . Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!!!!!arty:

I applaud you on your planning skills. A year prior is impressive. I'd be patting myself on the back if I managed to plan something a week in advance. And I'm sure my dive op would be happy if I just called 2 days before I want to dive and not the night before. But, a year out is hard to plan for. Contracts with dive shops come and go. I just watched Aqua Safari get pushed out by Aqua World at the Palace hotel and I'm still baffled. AS was a fine operation and well liked. I'd be curious to know exactly why. But I digress. If Sand Dollar is in fact the dive op of choice for Disney, I would personally consider trying to find a way to dive with a different shop. For me it's because SD is a large cattle boat operation. And they will often dump a lot of people on the same reef at once. If you happen to be on the reef when this happens (like we were) it can be a scary experience. It feels like your being carpet bombed. If you're in the group that just got dropped, a lot of your dive is going to be spent avoiding all 20-25 new best friends.

 

[Prop Joe]

Try this operator. I think most of your questions will be answered in this link...
Diving from Cruise Ships

 

[jayjoans]

The only good thing that I can see from using DCL to book a dive, is that if for some reason I am late coming back to the ship, the ship will wait. If I book on my own,and run late for what ever reason, then Ill have to find a way to the next stop or home.

..and this is just what they want you to be afraid of. This is why they can charge 200% of cost, lump you with a bunch of other rednecks, herd you on an off buses, minimize your time to do the fun thing so everybody can have a chance, dumb the experience down to the lowest common denominator and make sure every extra cent does NOT stay in the port you're visiting helping out the people and families that live there. This is a very effective scare tactic and it preys on people's worst nightmare, the ship leaving them on some foreign island with no luggage. Visiting Senor Frog's would be exposing yourself to more risk of missing the ship than going diving with a reputable op.

Our very large family of 25+ has used cruises for family reunions for the past 12 years, and only on the FIRST one did we fall for this because we didn't know better. For the other 11 cruises to all parts of the Caribbean we have ALWAYS used local providers that I have found and contracted with separately at typically 50% of the cruise line cost, and in every case a provider that has come highly recommended on Cruise Critic or other firsthand experiences. So cheaper, better, less crowded and the money goes into the pocket of the guy on the ground.

In every instance, we have never felt at risk of not returning to the ship on time. These providers make a large portion of their living off of cruisers, so they know the drill. They understand that missing a departure would be the kiss of death due to the internet. We've been in some sketchy situations and everything has turned out fine, I would personally trust any dive op on Christi's list to get you back to the ship on time without a second thought, they're all that good. Even in the case of a boat malfunction, they would be on the radio and another boat would appear in minutes.

In this case, I would get almost as much joy making sure that Disney didn't get another buck out of me as I would going on the dive itself (..and I liked Disney)

 

[bdklein]

Try this operator. I think most of your questions will be answered in this link...
Diving from Cruise Ships

I used Aldora when I dove from my cruise ship stop last December. They were very easy to work with as a cruise ship diver. Since they have many boats, and you will be docking near their facility, and are happy to accomodate cruise ship passengers, as long as there is no issue with DCL I strongly suggest you go with Aldora.

 

[truck1]

I used Aldora when I dove from my cruise ship stop last December. They were very easy to work with as a cruise ship diver. Since they have many boats, and you will be docking near their facility, and are happy to accomodate cruise ship passengers, as long as there is no issue with DCL I strongly suggest you go with Aldora.

Thanks for the recomendation. I am going to contact Disneys op first, then do some investigations to see what they say and go from there.

First things first. . . Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!!!!!arty:



I applaud you on your planning skills. A year prior is impressive. I'd be patting myself on the back if I managed to plan something a week in advance. And I'm sure my dive op would be happy if I just called 2 days before I want to dive and not the night before. But, a year out is hard to plan for. Contracts with dive shops come and go. I just watched Aqua Safari get pushed out by Aqua World at the Palace hotel and I'm still baffled. AS was a fine operation and well liked. I'd be curious to know exactly why. But I digress. If Sand Dollar is in fact the dive op of choice for Disney, I would personally consider trying to find a way to dive with a different shop. For me it's because SD is a large cattle boat operation. And they will often dump a lot of people on the same reef at once. If you happen to be on the reef when this happens (like we were) it can be a scary experience. It feels like your being carpet bombed. If you're in the group that just got dropped, a lot of your dive is going to be spent avoiding all 20-25 new best friends.

Thank you. I figured Id get a head start now, though with my luck, the op will change by the time we sail.

Ive been carpet bombed before in the Keys. I was on the Benwood and when we anchored, we were the only boat on the reef/wreck. Then I started to notice more divers (there was only 6 of us to start) then realized that there was snorkelers too. That was fun trying to sort my buddy from another group that had gotten dropped while we were down.And fend off the snorkelers while trying to ascend the line.

Here in Cozumel many cruisers use op's not sold through the ship. Due to arrival times you may need to make a private charter, but if you have a couple of people you can do that and still save money over what you would pay through cruise services.

I dont doubt it wit some of the prices that are charged. I doubt mind paying a little more for a dive on vacation, but at least work with me on bringing my own gear, etc. Thank you.