Blackbeard Cruises

[cfw218]

I'll be going on Blackbeard this July. Any tips or comments will be greatly appreciated.

 

[MAKO_80]

I am heading out SEP 1 out of nassau. I know its peak hurricane season but i bout trip insurance with DAN so I am not worried at all. I think october is the best time to go just because of all the wind. but i have heard early may is nice to.

 

[vonder]

My dive buddies and I spent 7 fantastic days on Blackbeard's in March 2012 with Cap'n Red, Brandon, Tyler, Emma and the rock star chef Jess. First off, my buddies and I are use to boat diving (one of them owns a 32' Chris Craft and we dive Catalina all summer long) and it was a treat to be so well taken care of. I prefer this type of trip to a luxury one, because everyone really gets to know each other. Anyway, we dove 3 - 5 times a day, were fed (and liquored) well and saw some amazing terrain. The diving was pretty phenomenal, but it did vary from location to location. The sheer variety of terrain and wildlife makes the Bahamas outstanding. The water temp was 72 - 78, visibility ranged from 50 - 150 feet, and the crew and food were all amazing.

We set up a facebook page here: Black Beard Bahamas March 2012 | Facebook

I highly recommend Blackbeard's for the price, the people, the diving and the experience.

 

[coolazul]

I heard, they are real agressive about tips, they want $3-400+ per person. That is way over the normal 10% and makes this trip much less of a bargain.

 

[grf88]

I heard, they are real agressive about tips, they want $3-400+ per person. That is way over the normal 10% and makes this trip much less of a bargain.

Not my experience at all. I have been twice and they seemed very happy with tips in the $200 range and it was well worth it. Both times the crews went out of their way to make sure everybody enjoyed their trip. This year I had basically the same crew as Vonder and they were great, don't know how Jess is able to feed everybody so well from that tiny galley.

 

[RTee]

Not my experience at all. I have been twice and they seemed very happy with tips in the $200 range and it was well worth it. Both times the crews went out of their way to make sure everybody enjoyed their trip. This year I had basically the same crew as Vonder and they were great, don't know how Jess is able to feed everybody so well from that tiny galley.

I generally concur with your comment.

I used Blackbeard in Feb 2011 (Morning Star). For some folks, it was their second time around. We did not get the crew we had initially requested (as a group). It seemed it was the maiden voyage for this crew as a whole (first solo outing for the DM) and they did a great job. As I have said previously, I am glad I did it as a group and not as onesies and twosies considering the severe absence of privacy except when using the heads...lol. In our case there was only once outsider and he happened to be a very experienced diver (and instructor) from Spain and the 18 divers plus crew got along very well together. I think it was a slightly different story on the Pirate's Lady which went out the same time as we did (composed of onesies and twosies).

My general impression is that I am glad to have done it and still cherish fond memories but my next liveaboard will be, as a minimum, one step up. In terms of pricing, with all things considered (airfare, hotel, charter, surcharges and tips) I would probably opt for an all inclusive in a place like Cozumel offering a 20 - 21 dive package, for example, if travelling as a couple.

Tips...it is very important aspect of the crew renumeration and they did let us know periodically during the week we were there. In fact the last reminder was in the form of a personalized envelope they had for each one of us at the end of the trip containing our shark dive waiver form and a hand written note on the envelope specifying the average range of tipping amountwhich seems to be in line with your post.

 

[amoses]

I'll be going on Blackbeard this July. Any tips or comments will be greatly appreciated.

I am seriously considering booking the last week of July - July 27 through August 2. Which week are you going.

Is anyone else planing on going in July?

 

[drbill]

I was on the Morning Star last week and knew absolutely no one as the trip was almost all "onesies." I had a great time, the passengers aboard were lots of fun to travel with and the crew was great. Dive sites for the most part were pretty shallow (some max depth of 20 ft) and the coral heads were not in great shape, but I still got plenty of video footage. The shark dives were great for gathering footage of Caribbean reef sharks.

The crew never stressed tips during the trip, only once we got back in Nassau and then it was a very simple and reasonable statement rather than being at all pushy. The food was great thanks to Martine. Brandon and Luke had good senses of humor and Tim was very approachable and willing to talk with the guests at any time.

We had some wind the first few days, but generally pretty good conditions for January!

 

[amoses]

I pulled the trigger this week and booked a week with Blackbeard July 27 to August 2. Can't wait. If anyone else is going, let me know. They said there was one small group booked and quite a few "onesies" with about three spots left.

 

[Vorin]

I am booked for March 15-21. I am going as a "onsie" and a newbie onsie at that.