Bonaire with Sunwing.ca - the good, the bad.

[carol_swimmom]

So I have previously posted that we have to do 6 days at buddy's and then move the eden beach at the end of the week

The good - flight was early staff were courteous. No luggage was lost.
We were comped into elite plus - priority boarding and enough leg room that I could exit the row without making my husband stand up. Flight was not full. We had Noone else in our row.
Surprise - sunwing package includes buddy's breakfast!

The bad -we still have to move. Noone else with same package had to move just us. Don't understand why, but c'est la vie.

 

[Trailboss123]

Thanks for the update-- Enjoy your diving!

 

[flyboy08]

But you'll move on a full belly! Have fun and dive now.....no more bitchn

 

[Diving_Parrot]

Good. Hopefully both ways. Did they let you pick between up front and the exit rows?

 

[carol_swimmom]

Good. Hopefully both ways. Did they let you pick between up front and the exit rows?

Yes. Pick the wing exit row. Up front was not as good, no overhead bins.

 

[Diving_Parrot]

Yes. I unfortunately spend more time in the air than underwater, which is why I was curious. We always book the exit row with Sunwing when I must book with them. Row one of course you can't keep your carry-on in front of you and the flight attendants take up the first overhead bins. Rows 2 to 4 or 5 seem to have a couple less inches leg room than exit rows. And people can't recline into exit row obviously. The 2 carts show up at row 1 and exit row (14 or 15?) at the same time so you are first to be served. If I'm spending 4k on a trip for 2, I'm spending an extra $40 pp each way to be somewhat comfortable on a 5 hour flight.

Glad you stuck with it and dinged them for a $160 upgrade. Frig Sunwing.

 

[carol_swimmom]

Yes. I unfortunately spend more time in the air than underwater, which is why I was curious. We always book the exit row with Sunwing when I must book with them. Row one of course you can't keep your carry-on in front of you and the flight attendants take up the first overhead bins. Rows 2 to 4 or 5 seem to have a couple less inches leg room than exit rows. And people can't recline into exit row obviously. The 2 carts show up at row 1 and exit row (14 or 15?) at the same time so you are first to be served. If I'm spending 4k on a trip for 2, I'm spending an extra $40 pp each way to be somewhat comfortable on a 5 hour flight.

Glad you stuck with it and dinged them for a $160 upgrade. Frig Sunwing.

We had row 15 on the way out (great) and row 1 on the way back ( not so great)
The row 1 seats were narrower and uncomfortable and not as much legroom. And our stuff was overhead back around row 5. So I totally agree exit row is the way to go.

BTW if anyone is interested in taking a chance, sunwing has Buddy Dive package on for April departure for 1100 CAD. Air, hotel, breakkies and unlimited tanks plus 12 boat dives.

We didn't bother doing any boat dives. I prefer to keep my own schedule and go slow as we are photographers.

 

[tursiops]

We didn't bother doing any boat dives. I prefer to keep my own schedule and go slow as we are photographers.

I don't think there is any conflict between Bonaire's boat dives and being a photographer. The boat takes you to the site -- many of which you can't get to otherwise -- you do your photography dive, you get back on the boat to go back to the dock. Going slow is up to you; no requirement to follow the guide.

 

[carol_swimmom]

I don't think there is any conflict between Bonaire's boat dives and being a photographer. The boat takes you to the site -- many of which you can't get to otherwise -- you do your photography dive, you get back on the boat to go back to the dock. Going slow is up to you; no requirement to follow the guide.

Still prefer to do our own thing and last year we were cut off at 60 minutes more than once.

 

[Doctorfish]

Buddy Dive boat diving did interfere greatly with photography in December for us. The boat dives were much more regimented then in the past and one was forced to stay with the group. Having a crowd also resulted in having people climb up my rear whenever I stopped to take a few shots. Also, we were cut off at 60 minutes.
The solution which we took after 2 days of this was more shore diving.