How do cruises work? For divers..
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jonhall
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There are several SB members who dive quite often from cruise ships who can give you some advice, but here is some advice from a guy (me) who did a lot of research before his last cruise where he was going to do a dive at one of the stops (just for the experience) only to have it cancelled by the vendor the cruise ship used.
You basically have 2 options: (I've added some considerations for both)
1. For the ease of scheduling, see if your cruise ship is offering a scuba diving excursion. EASIEST & WORRY FREE
* Cost may be a few dollars more - I found differences of up to $20-$30 - than if you booked with the same op the cruise uses.
* Transportation to the op - if the op isn't around the marina where your cruise ship stops - will likely be provided.
* The dive sites you go to will probably be pretty easy dives - not saying they will be bad, just what's considered easier dives.
*If there is a cancellation for a reason you have nothing to do with, you get an immediate refund from the cruise ship. When that happened to me, I could have easily booked another dive at a different stop through the cruise ship or called one of the ops I'd researched to see if I could get in. I didn't worry about it because I knew I was going to Grand Cayman a few months later - April 2020 - to dive - of course that didn't happen either, darn pandemic! With only 2 stops on your cruise, there may not be much of an opportunity to reschedule.
* If you do or don't have your own gear, there will be a form, provided by the cruise ship before your dive, to fill in for the dive op so they know what gear you will need.
* The cruise ship will communicate with you where to be be and by what time the morning of your dives.
2. Research dive ops in the area that cater to cruise ships. I would share mine with you but Bahamas and T&C were not on my cruise stops.
* You can find ops that cater to cruise ship divers for less than the cruise ship excursion.
* Transportation may be provided by the op OR you may have to take a taxi to the dive op. Best case scenario is the ops dive boat is a few minute walk from your cruise ship. Worst case scenario is 30 minute taxi ride that you have to pay for on top of the diving.
* Dive sites may still be what are considered easier dives. I found some ops that take cruise ship divers to certain sites only. Some experienced cruisers who visit the same dive ops over and over may have a different experience because the op knows them.
* If there is a cancellation by you or for some other reason, you may lose a part (or all) of what you paid and you have to deal with the op about getting a refund. Find out the dive ops cancellation policy for cruise divers. See what your travel or dive travel insurance covers in the event of a cancellation.
* You must communicate with the dive op about what gear you will need.
* If you need to communicate with the dive op, be sure to have a phone/wifi to call, text, or email while at sea.
Hope this helps.
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A perfect response.
mi000ke
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One additional issue to consider: If you use the cruise line's excursion then if they are late getting back to the ship for whatever reason, the ship will wait. If you book independently you will be at the risk of being stranded if you return late.
That said, back when I did a bit of cruise diving (haven't done a cruise in many years now), I almost always booked independently. Often the most recommended dive op was not the one the cruise line worked with. Also I would look for a smaller boat that could cater to the level of diving of my cruise buddies and me, and could work within the ship's arrival and departure schedule. Most of the dive ops in any port of call will be used to working around the cruise ship schedule. In fact, every one I booked always asked for the schedule and would let me know if they could accommodate it. Never had problem. Just contact them well before you leave and confirm once you begin the cruise.
I did one cruise cruise ship excursion dive, primarily because the in-port schedule was very tight and they were picking up and dropping off at the dock. While the diving was good, the best part was that I met a few other divers on the ship and we had beers and shared dive stories that night. So there can be a plus to using the cruise line's excursion especially if the schedule is tight.
Didn't do Nassau or T&C, but you can get great recommendations on dive ops here at good old SB.
That said, back when I did a bit of cruise diving (haven't done a cruise in many years now), I almost always booked independently. Often the most recommended dive op was not the one the cruise line worked with. Also I would look for a smaller boat that could cater to the level of diving of my cruise buddies and me, and could work within the ship's arrival and departure schedule. Most of the dive ops in any port of call will be used to working around the cruise ship schedule. In fact, every one I booked always asked for the schedule and would let me know if they could accommodate it. Never had problem. Just contact them well before you leave and confirm once you begin the cruise.
I did one cruise cruise ship excursion dive, primarily because the in-port schedule was very tight and they were picking up and dropping off at the dock. While the diving was good, the best part was that I met a few other divers on the ship and we had beers and shared dive stories that night. So there can be a plus to using the cruise line's excursion especially if the schedule is tight.
Didn't do Nassau or T&C, but you can get great recommendations on dive ops here at good old SB.
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Error, incorrect information, sorry
I think cruise ships are limited to Grand Turk right now and banned through the end of Sept. Both AquaTCI and Flamingo dock on the south side of Provo and would be a great option if you have enough time. Provo Turtle Divers are not currently running an open boat and are private charter only so that won't be an option for you unless things have changed since I last talked to them last month.
ThatDogDontHunt
Oscar Meyer Weiner
Provo does not have cruise ships. The ports are too shallow for cruise ships.
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This is correct, ignore my previous comments about diving from Providenciales
SlugLife
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There's some good information in this thread. The problem with cruise-ships is generally that you can't be late, and have limited shore-times. If you are late, you might find yourself having to find other transportation. Personally, I would only dive on a cruise, if it was connected to the cruise-ship. Scheduling the dives and being back to the ship on time would otherwise be too complicated and risky for my personal tastes. There's a lot of setup/takedown time in Scuba, and depending on how dives are scheduled or done, there might be a lot of waiting to dive, to drop off equipment, transportation, and more. Inviting that kind of stress on vacation just seems like a bad idea.
My personal taste would probably be to have cruise-vacations be cruise-vacations, and save diving for dive-vacations or other ones that aren't on such strict schedules.
My personal taste would probably be to have cruise-vacations be cruise-vacations, and save diving for dive-vacations or other ones that aren't on such strict schedules.
I've dived on two cruises in the last few years. I booked all the dives through the cruise company's booking system along with the other excursion packages so it's convenient and often some package excursion deals to be had as well. A couple of trips were on large-ish boats (Cozumel and Anthony's Key), some smaller ones out of Costa Maya, but all had capable DMs and the dives were great.
Quite often the dive excursions will leave at the same time as the other morning excursions so you could be back by early afternoon after the two dives, leaving you time to do other things in the port.
I also did my PADI OW onboard a cruise ship years ago and did the final dives in Nassau - it was an extremely memorable dive on the TOTO wall with many reef sharks around from a previous feeding.
Cruises are meant to be stress-free, so the minor extra premium for convenience and peace of mind (not missing the boat, cancellations, questions, etc.) is worth it. Also, they are fairly big on customer service, so you'll get a decent dive operator or the cruise lines will hear about it. I like using cruises as a bit of a recon to check out places I might want to go back to visit longer.
Quite often the dive excursions will leave at the same time as the other morning excursions so you could be back by early afternoon after the two dives, leaving you time to do other things in the port.
I also did my PADI OW onboard a cruise ship years ago and did the final dives in Nassau - it was an extremely memorable dive on the TOTO wall with many reef sharks around from a previous feeding.
Cruises are meant to be stress-free, so the minor extra premium for convenience and peace of mind (not missing the boat, cancellations, questions, etc.) is worth it. Also, they are fairly big on customer service, so you'll get a decent dive operator or the cruise lines will hear about it. I like using cruises as a bit of a recon to check out places I might want to go back to visit longer.
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