How much bag?

[Wolfie_47]

In November I will be going on my first cruise (Carnival) to Cozumel and also making my first boat dives. Should I attempt to take my large dive bag to the dive boat or should I take only the necessary gear in a mesh bag. The large bag would probably be easier to use because of the casters and/or the back pack straps but I don't want to be a boat hog. Any advice? :06:

 

[diver_paula]

Mesh bag... you won't have much room to store the big one in your cabin. Or use the big bag, pack it with more than SCUBA gear but also but the mesh bag in it for use on the boats.

 

[Scuba Duffer]

Buy a mesh bag with shoulder straps. The last time we were on a cruise, we dove with a guy that had to bring his HUGE dive bag - complete with the rollers. I laughed as we watched him try to navagate the crowds disemabarking the ship. The look on the dive boat crew's face was good when he showed up with it too! Then, he got annoyed because there was nowhere dry to store it on the boat. What a hassle!!!

 

[Furner]

When diving on a cruise, is there usually a chance to stow your gear onboard the cruise ship after diving, and then going back to enjoy the town?

 

[diverkristi]

If you haven't been to Cozumel before, a nice option is to go to Chakanab (not sure if I spelled it right) State Park. About a $5 cab ride, and about $10 to get into the park if I remember correctly. There is a nice beach with chairs, and several scuba rental booths right on the beach. It's super reasonable for some laid back easy and inexpensive diving. They have a dolphin encounter there, as well as some nice gardens to walk through.

If your trip is a Western cruise be sure to either dive or snorkel Stingray City in Grand Cayman. That is the have to do excursion. And if Jamaica is also on the itinerary....just stay on the ship.

Have a blast on your cruise! I love them! Try Royal caribbean next time though. The food is better. Shows are better on Carnival though.

 

[Wolfie_47]

Thanks for all the info. Some interesting points were brought up that I hadn't considered, like storing the big bag in the cabin, hadn't thought about the amount of room that would take, however, we do expect to pack some of the "hard" stuff in there too.
Kristi, can you shore dive from the park you're talking about? We will be in Coz for 15 hours so I'll have plenty of time to get in some extra dives beyond what the cruise package offers.
Furner brings up a good point also, I guess I just assumed that I would be able to come and go from the cruise ship as often as I wanted is this a correct assumption? Wow... I just figured out that the more answers I get, the more questions it generates! :11:

 

[diverkristi]

Yes. You can shore dive. Very nice and laid back shore diving there.

You can come and go as you like from the ship, however it all takes time.

In Cayman, they "tender" you back and forth in a small boat because the big boats can't dock right there on the island, so it REALLY takes time if you go back and forth.

Thanks for all the info. Some interesting points were brought up that I hadn't considered, like storing the big bag in the cabin, hadn't thought about the amount of room that would take, however, we do expect to pack some of the "hard" stuff in there too.
Kristi, can you shore dive from the park you're talking about? We will be in Coz for 15 hours so I'll have plenty of time to get in some extra dives beyond what the cruise package offers.
Furner brings up a good point also, I guess I just assumed that I would be able to come and go from the cruise ship as often as I wanted is this a correct assumption? Wow... I just figured out that the more answers I get, the more questions it generates! :11:

 

[diver_paula]

On the Norwegian cruise I was on there wasn't anywhere to store the gear. I rinsed it out in the shower and then had it splayed all over the room and bathroom trying to dry. It spent most of the trip that way given I dove or snorkeled on three of the four stops. & had to make sure it was totally dry for the trip home. It was a pain! Next time I don't think I'll take a wetsuit and most likely not my BC. They take longer than anything to dry. With only doing two dives a day and not always on consecutive days the core body temperature wouldn't get too low. & with the limits a cruise puts on dive profiles I won't care if the BC is the best fit or not. Although my wings don't take up as much room as a BC would.

Paula

 

[Scuba Duffer]

No - you won't be able to stow your gear anywhere but your room. Unless you have a balcony cabin - I would highly recommend only taking your regs and renting the rest. If you are in an inside cabin - the hassle simply isn't worth it.

Cozumel is a top dive destination in the world. So, in light of that, why not do as much diving out on the main reefs as possible - especially if this is a once in a while chance! You will find lots of operators right at your pier. Do a little research ahead of time. Yes - Chaukenaub (or however the heck you spell it) is a great place with nice reefs. But it doesn't compare to being out there and divin the likes of Palancar or San Fran!

 

[hdcline]

In November I will be going on my first cruise (Carnival) to Cozumel and also making my first boat dives. Should I attempt to take my large dive bag to the dive boat or should I take only the necessary gear in a mesh bag. The large bag would probably be easier to use because of the casters and/or the back pack straps but I don't want to be a boat hog. Any advice? :06:

My son and I just got back from a cruise that visited Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We sailed with Royal Caribbean taking all our gear in a bag large enough for two people. We didn't have any problems getting on and off the ship. One thing we did do was to take our dives with private dive shops (Papa Hogs in Cozumel and Neptune Dives in Grand Cayman) which will be a lot cheaper than if you go with the cruiseline. By going private there won't be many divers on the boat giving you more room. In Cozumel there were only 6 divers including my son and I. In Grand Cayman it was only my son and I giving us plenty on room for all our gear. In the cabin, we had to hang our wetsuits and BCs where ever we could for them to dry. We used towels to put under the wet gear so it didn't could much of a problem, because while the gear was drying we were out of the room.

Wishing you a great cruise,