Since I moved to St. Thomas a little over a year ago, I've had more and more contact with cruise ship guests and the operators that support them. I see on this board a fair number of divers that want to dive while on a cruise but they aren't sure if the cruise ship shore excursion is the way to go or if there is a better operator at a destination so I thought I would post a little of what I know in order to help clarify some of the issues surrounding going outside of the shore ex desk.
What does it mean to book through the cruise line?
The operators that have contracts with the ships have given the cruise lines a very specific and detailed explanation as to what services they will provide. This applies to all of the shore excursions, but I'll concentrate on the dive operators. The exact dive sites may not be named, but the 'type' of dive will. The exact schedule will be noted along with instructor/guest ratios, length of dive, depth of dive and the expected dive conditions. Keeping in mind that the boats are of mixed experience and since the primary concern of the cruise lines is to limit liability, the sites are likely to cater to the lowest common denominator which is the uncertified diver doing a discover scuba diving lesson (resort course).
The operators are also bound to returning the guests to the ship in plenty of time for them to make the ship's call which means that the schedule they've contracted to provide is very strict. For the guest this also means that the ship will wait for guests that have booked an dive through the shore excursions desk although there will be a penalty to the contracted dive operator.
What does it mean to book independently?
Because unaffiliated shops have not agreed to provide any specific service to the cruise ship guests, there is a great deal of flexibility/variation in what exact services will be provided and therefore won't have the same degree in consistency from port to port. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the location and the operator. By reading this you're already researching the shops you might use, so it's likely that with the good folks of Scubaboard's advice you'll be choosing the 'good' end of the spectrum, but it is something to be aware of. Some of the factors that a diver could benefit from by going outside of the shore excursion desk would be in site selection, tailoring the dives to the experience level of the divers, divemaster/diver ratios, and length of the dives.
Dive operators not affiliated by contract with the cruise lines may or may not be willing to schedule dives around the cruise passengers schedule depending on what time the ship arrives/departs and what the schedule already looks like for the day in question. Shops not operating under cruise ship contracts will also suffer no penalty for getting passengers back to the ship late and the passengers will suffer the consequences for missing the ship. Although I would hope that most, if not all, operators would understand that getting people back late is bad for business, there is no contractual obligation between the two for the ship to wait.
Other factors
How do you get to and from the dive boat? Ship's operators will gather up the divers and walk them to the boat or the shop and make sure they get on board and then back to the ship at the end of the day and while other operators may make similar provisions, it could be up to you to find them and get yourself back when it's all over. This could mean taking a taxi or walking to another shop on your own without the benefit of a guide.
The size of the boat and the number of passengers likely varies by port so I'll not comment on that or on the price since I just don't know those numbers but they are easy enough to find out depending on your itinerary.
Summary
Going through the ship's shore excursions desk is more certainly the safest in terms of being helped through the process and guaranteeing that you'll be returned to the ship that will be in port at the end of the day. You make give up diving many of the available sites and may be diving with people of less experience and the potential for shorter dives exists.
Choosing to book on your own means that you'll gain flexibility in many key areas but that flexibility could come at the cost of having to be more self-reliant in terms of getting to and from the dive boat.
There is no right or wrong decision, but before you decide to go one way or the other, it will greatly benefit you to look at your ports of call and choose the operator that makes the most sense for you based on your feelings about your ability to successfully navigate unfamiliar areas, your dive experience, and ultimately how you feel about the operators you choose to dive with.
I hope this little guide helps answer some questions you might have about cruising and diving!
Rachel
What does it mean to book through the cruise line?
The operators that have contracts with the ships have given the cruise lines a very specific and detailed explanation as to what services they will provide. This applies to all of the shore excursions, but I'll concentrate on the dive operators. The exact dive sites may not be named, but the 'type' of dive will. The exact schedule will be noted along with instructor/guest ratios, length of dive, depth of dive and the expected dive conditions. Keeping in mind that the boats are of mixed experience and since the primary concern of the cruise lines is to limit liability, the sites are likely to cater to the lowest common denominator which is the uncertified diver doing a discover scuba diving lesson (resort course).
The operators are also bound to returning the guests to the ship in plenty of time for them to make the ship's call which means that the schedule they've contracted to provide is very strict. For the guest this also means that the ship will wait for guests that have booked an dive through the shore excursions desk although there will be a penalty to the contracted dive operator.
What does it mean to book independently?
Because unaffiliated shops have not agreed to provide any specific service to the cruise ship guests, there is a great deal of flexibility/variation in what exact services will be provided and therefore won't have the same degree in consistency from port to port. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the location and the operator. By reading this you're already researching the shops you might use, so it's likely that with the good folks of Scubaboard's advice you'll be choosing the 'good' end of the spectrum, but it is something to be aware of. Some of the factors that a diver could benefit from by going outside of the shore excursion desk would be in site selection, tailoring the dives to the experience level of the divers, divemaster/diver ratios, and length of the dives.
Dive operators not affiliated by contract with the cruise lines may or may not be willing to schedule dives around the cruise passengers schedule depending on what time the ship arrives/departs and what the schedule already looks like for the day in question. Shops not operating under cruise ship contracts will also suffer no penalty for getting passengers back to the ship late and the passengers will suffer the consequences for missing the ship. Although I would hope that most, if not all, operators would understand that getting people back late is bad for business, there is no contractual obligation between the two for the ship to wait.
Other factors
How do you get to and from the dive boat? Ship's operators will gather up the divers and walk them to the boat or the shop and make sure they get on board and then back to the ship at the end of the day and while other operators may make similar provisions, it could be up to you to find them and get yourself back when it's all over. This could mean taking a taxi or walking to another shop on your own without the benefit of a guide.
The size of the boat and the number of passengers likely varies by port so I'll not comment on that or on the price since I just don't know those numbers but they are easy enough to find out depending on your itinerary.
Summary
Going through the ship's shore excursions desk is more certainly the safest in terms of being helped through the process and guaranteeing that you'll be returned to the ship that will be in port at the end of the day. You make give up diving many of the available sites and may be diving with people of less experience and the potential for shorter dives exists.
Choosing to book on your own means that you'll gain flexibility in many key areas but that flexibility could come at the cost of having to be more self-reliant in terms of getting to and from the dive boat.
There is no right or wrong decision, but before you decide to go one way or the other, it will greatly benefit you to look at your ports of call and choose the operator that makes the most sense for you based on your feelings about your ability to successfully navigate unfamiliar areas, your dive experience, and ultimately how you feel about the operators you choose to dive with.
I hope this little guide helps answer some questions you might have about cruising and diving!
Rachel
