Cathy

Has anyone taken this shore excursion? What was the snorkeling like? Reef conditions? Good variety of fish? Any comments would be appreciated.

Vic

I don't know about Captain Nautica but the snorkeling expeditions depend on duratioon. The short ones tend to go to St. John which is nice. The longer ones go around Peter's Island in the area of the BVI. The problem it that if you land on any of the BVI's you must pay a fee. It's not a lot but many resent paying a fee for a very short visit.<BR><BR>They obviously find good snorkeling spots. An advantage of the area around Peter's Island is that they harbored pirates in their many caves.

Cathy

I would be taking the half day to St. John. With the new security measures, there is not emough time to do the BVI trip.<BR><BR>Captain Nautica's trip goes to Honeymoon beach and Christmas Cove. Are these spots good? Was the trip worth the $70 price I have seen on shore excursion lists?

Barbarax

I'm not sure why you want to go snorkeling on a boat. The ship provides trips to St. John's Trunk Bay. It's maybe the most beautiful beach in the Carribean. It's right inside the National Park. They have a scuba trail with markers and lots of things to see. It's also well supervised by the National Park Service.<BR><BR>We've done excursions on cruise ships and I'm alway nervous when you're dependent on someone other than those contracted by the ship.<BR><BR>The contractor has it all planned out. He'll get you on board before sailing.

Cathy

Actually, Captain Nautica's IS a ship excursion. This is not the same as Captain Marvin's in Grand Caymen. This is a boat snorkel to St. John from St. Thomas. 3-4 hours long.<BR><BR>I am trying to decide whether I should take this ship excursion or save my money and relax at the beach. <BR><BR>The beach at Trunk Bay is spectacular, as I have been there many times. But as an avid snorkeler, I want to see vibrant active reef, not one that is half dead due to overuse.<BR><BR>As far as being independant as opposed to taking the ships excursion, Barbarax, you don't know what you are missing! Contractors for ship excursions are not perfect. As a matter of fact, a couple of people died last year on cruise ship excursions. I have been on ship excursions where people were injured (Dunn's River Falls). Independent tour agents know they are competing with the cruise ship and if they fail to deliver, they go out of business. I have never experienced being left behind. Plus I get more for less money.<BR><BR>Anyway, back to my question. Has anyone in Fodor's land taken the Captain Nautical shore excursion while in St. Thomas? This is an excursion that supposedly won an award from Princess cruise lines.<BR><BR>Anyone take this excursion?

Barbara

I agree that buying a shore excursion from the cruise line is no guarantee and they tend to be more expensive. However, presumably the cruise line sets some standards based on feed back from their passengers. After all, one significant element of cruise satisfaction are the shore excursions.<BR><BR>What I meant was that shore excursions that require various forms of transportation especially to another island require planning. I'm on vacation, I'd rather let someone else do it.