I posted my dive experiences on my web page. Feel free to see what my thoughts were concerning the dives.
http://home.kc.rr.com/damir/
1) We booked our dives through Royal Caribbean
2) We were the first ones off the ship since our group met in a lounge and therefore were given priority to disembark because of our "tour". We literally passed the entire line getting off the ship. there was not any problem getting to the cruise operator. Both in G.C. and Coz. they were right next to the ship.
3) The dives were fantastic for the most part...see my pics and reviews on the website
4) Gear was great for my buddies that rented
5) The cruise had a FANTASTIC dive shop and I frequently spoke to the dive masters on board.
6) Those that I spoke with that actually got certified on-board said they had a great experience. The D.M.'s did the pool training on-board.
7) This was the best of both worlds in my opinion. We had the times of our lives on the cruise...no stress, relaxed, and fantastic service.
8) Although there were inexperienced divers on-board, this was not a problem. There were 17 of us diving Coz. and we were split up into 2 groups. One D.M. put the folks with their own dive gear in one group (I think he felt that we were more experienced...which we were) and the other dive group was with another D.M. The D.M. made all the difference. I can say that our D.M. made it a point to stop and show things he saw. the other "inexperienced" group felt that they didn't see as much as we did.
Although I am a diver and also prefer to do "dive trips", this was a refreshing experience also. It really depends on what YOU want to do on vacation. If it's a "dive vacation" then this probably isn't the best way to approach it. If you want the best of both worlds, then by all means enjoy and take advantage of diving.
Would I book a cruise again? Absolutely. Would I dive if I had the opportunity when cruising? Undeniably.
http://home.kc.rr.com/damir/
1) We booked our dives through Royal Caribbean
2) We were the first ones off the ship since our group met in a lounge and therefore were given priority to disembark because of our "tour". We literally passed the entire line getting off the ship. there was not any problem getting to the cruise operator. Both in G.C. and Coz. they were right next to the ship.
3) The dives were fantastic for the most part...see my pics and reviews on the website
4) Gear was great for my buddies that rented
5) The cruise had a FANTASTIC dive shop and I frequently spoke to the dive masters on board.
6) Those that I spoke with that actually got certified on-board said they had a great experience. The D.M.'s did the pool training on-board.
7) This was the best of both worlds in my opinion. We had the times of our lives on the cruise...no stress, relaxed, and fantastic service.
8) Although there were inexperienced divers on-board, this was not a problem. There were 17 of us diving Coz. and we were split up into 2 groups. One D.M. put the folks with their own dive gear in one group (I think he felt that we were more experienced...which we were) and the other dive group was with another D.M. The D.M. made all the difference. I can say that our D.M. made it a point to stop and show things he saw. the other "inexperienced" group felt that they didn't see as much as we did.
Although I am a diver and also prefer to do "dive trips", this was a refreshing experience also. It really depends on what YOU want to do on vacation. If it's a "dive vacation" then this probably isn't the best way to approach it. If you want the best of both worlds, then by all means enjoy and take advantage of diving.
Would I book a cruise again? Absolutely. Would I dive if I had the opportunity when cruising? Undeniably.
