Blackbeards vs. Juliet liveaboard

[Mitch H.]

Blackbeards had AC when I was on it in April. The food was 10/10. The service right up until we paid our tip was 8/10. The accommodations were EXACTLY as has been described and there were no surprises there. Unfortunately, the diving was MAYBE a 5/10. The reefs were extremely bleached out with little aquatic life and we had quite a few repetitive dives at the same sites. That's not a bad thing if there is something to see, but it was pretty disappointing diving. Coming from me that is really saying something. The highlight was definitely the washing machine and shard feed.

ETA: My dive buddy took her Advanced Open Water with them and it took several phone calls and emails to get them to do the paperwork on it. As I recall, it took three weeks for them to file it with PADI. PADI requirements are for it to be done within a week.

 

[RhodeDiver]

So Blackbeards doesn't have air conditioning? Somehow in all the reviews of it I read, I managed to miss that. Good to know.

Yes it does have A/C

 

[All Star Liveaboards]

So Blackbeards doesn't have air conditioning? Somehow in all the reviews of it I read, I managed to miss that. Good to know.

Blackbeard’s offers great diving and camaraderie at a budget price. The accommodations are dormitory style and fully air conditioned. The ages of our passengers range from young to old. Some of our passengers have done over 20 trips and are in their late 50's now. Nassau has easy and affordable flights with quick clearance through customs. We are able to jump start our diving right away, instead of crossing the Gulf Stream. The Exuma Cays are a must see chain of island in the Bahamas. We offer up to 19 dives plus eco-adventure opportunities. You won’t find a more affordable deal in the liveaboard diving world! Dive safe and dive often wherever your travels take you! www.allstarliveaboards.com/blackbeards

 

[Michael Rosebrook]

My cousin has been the engineer on the Cat Ppalu and the Aqua Cat within the last year, the horror stories he tells about the septic system an toilets on both boats are pretty scary.

 

[Wookie]

My cousin has been the engineer on the Cat Ppalu and the Aqua Cat within the last year, the horror stories he tells about the septic system an toilets on both boats are pretty scary.

I was blessed to be able to sell the Spree this summer. It was a mixed blessing, we were on track to have our most profitable season is many years, but after 3 consecutive trips covered in poo, the offer came at the right time. It isn't the boats, it's older clientele with tender butts who bring their own Charmin or God forbid baby wipes that plug the system to death. 12 years of smooth sailing until this year. Then, massive plugs. The plumbing didn't change......

 

[randpchi]

Never been on the Juliet but have done Blackbeards twice (trip 3 coming up in Oct.) and the Avalon once. Not sure what the Juliet offers in the way of comfort but the Avalon was worth the added cost.

Blackbirds does have a/c, meals are good and they do cater to dietary requests. The crew has always been great, can't say enough about them.

There is always "that guy" on the boat but the majority of divers make a real effort to to be polite.

 

[radioles]

I just came home from a week on board Juliet in Bimini. This is my 11th trip on Juliet. I have not been on Blackbeard's. I have seen them at sea and concur with what some here have observed as "camping" at sea. When I have seen their boats, the deck seems awfully packed with humans and I understand there are limited showers and very limited heads (bathrooms). Juliet is a great operation with private two-person cabins and two ensuites available. On the trip I just concluded, the conditions in Bimini were unusually windy and choppy. The response from Captain Nate Riley and crew was to go north or south to find the best conditions on each day. They go out of their way to get you the best experience possible. I had a problem with a free flowing octo and DM Liz traded out an octo from my backup reg to fix the issue. I dove a rental reg for one dive while the situation was addressed. The food is consistently good and better than I eat at home! Below decks has A/C which is a wonderful comfort when you are in Bimini in August! I could go on and on, but I'll leave you with the fact that this was, again, my 11th trip on Juliet. I did an Aggressor in the Exumas earlier this year and have another Juliet trip coming up in Jan. 2017. Yes, it is THAT good.

 

[Midge907]

Awesome, thanks for all the great replies!!! I'm always looking at different trips, and I think the Juliet is getting toward the top of the list. I can fly from Fairbanks-Seattle, then Seattle- Fort Lauderdale on Alaska Air on fairly short notice, so I like the idea of maybe taking advantage of last minute deals if they work out. I'm in the process of selling my coldwater dive gear that I use locally, that way I will have more money and time to hopefully take more then 1-2 dive trips per year in warm water locations. Usually any issues on finding a shared room for a solo diver?

 

[drrich2]

I did an Aggressor in the Exumas earlier this year and have another Juliet trip coming up in Jan. 2017. Yes, it is THAT good.

Radioles:

Now that's an interesting comparison. The Bahamas Aggressor is pretty 'cheap' by Caribbean live-aboard standards, and I believe offers considerably more dives than Blackbeard's or the Juliet do. While the B.A. is more expensive than the Juliet, it's not by a huge margin, and if I'm right & you get more dives for the trip, could be worthwhile.

Since you've done both, how'd the compare?

Richard.

 

[KathyV]

If you are prone to seasickness than the deep-water crossing from Florida to the Bahamas can be brutal. I have done it 4 times on 3 different liveaboard boats and I was really sick each time. The sickness goes away eventually, you don't actually die - you just wish that you could!

But I still would never do another trip on Blackbeards even though they now depart from Nassau. I am glad that we did it once when we were young and really poor but I definitely prefer a little comfort, privacy, and fresh water!

I'm not complaining, it was a terrific bargain, the crew worked very hard and we have some great memories, but once was enough for me.