Cruising and Diving - How to?

[magicwanz]

I have had mixed results on cruise ship dive excursions.

The Carnival "5 Star one-tank certified dive" at Coki beach in Saint Thomas was one of the worst diving experiences I ever had. I paid either $75 or $90 3 years ago and it turned out to be a shore dive where you geared up in the sand and had to fight through a large number or snorkelers just to get out to depth.

Carnival has a LOT of nerve calling the Coki beach dive a "5 Star" dive.

I apologize for being a smart a$$ in advance, but...

What part of "BEACH DIVE" didn't you understand when you signed up for the excursion???

"Certified BEACH DIVE at Coki Point. Approximately 3 hours... This one tank dive is conducted from the shore on the east end of the island at Coki Point Beach. Dive depths range from 35 to 55 feet." -from The Bahamas and Caribbean Shore Excursions by Carnival

BTW, no where does Carnival designate this as a "5 Star" dive. The contractor (dive operator) Carnival hires is designated by PADI as a "5 star" dive center. This rating is given to the dive center by PADI, not Carnival.

On a side note, I am surprised you did not choose the Certified Scuba Scooter Adventure which is offered on the itinerary the same day and time of the beach dive. If you are not a fan of beach diving this seems to be a better choice. It's pretty cool, you get a short lesson on the proper use of their scooters, then you do a scooter dive (to like 60 ft. or so).

 

[ronbeau]

I apologize for being a smart a$$ in advance, but...

What part of "BEACH DIVE" didn't you understand when you signed up for the excursion???

"Certified BEACH DIVE at Coki Point. Approximately 3 hours... This one tank dive is conducted from the shore on the east end of the island at Coki Point Beach. Dive depths range from 35 to 55 feet." -from The Bahamas and Caribbean Shore Excursions by Carnival

BTW, no where does Carnival designate this as a "5 Star" dive. The contractor (dive operator) Carnival hires is designated by PADI as a "5 star" dive center. This rating is given to the dive center by PADI, not Carnival.

On a side note, I am surprised you did not choose the Certified Scuba Scooter Adventure which is offered on the itinerary the same day and time of the beach dive. If you are not a fan of beach diving this seems to be a better choice. It's pretty cool, you get a short lesson on the proper use of their scooters, then you do a scooter dive (to like 60 ft. or so).

It dd when I took it 3 years ago.

In case you think I am anti-Carnival my family has been on many of the 7 day cruise Carnival offers in the Caribbean.

The dive was way over-priced and Carnival has obviously rewritten the description in the last 3 years.

I understand what beach dives are. I have done a lot of them in Bonaire, Curacao and less exotic places like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

You are reading the current descriptionn not the one offered when I took the cruise. Did it occur to you that Carnival might have rewritten the description based on customer complaints?

Also, it did not say PADI 5-start it said 5-star. I wouldn't put much stock in PADI's 5 star rating. It seems any PADI facility that has any stars in a 5-star or Gold Palm Resort.

Also, when you pay that amount of money for a single tank you don't expect to have to fight your way through hundereds of people just to get int he water.

Factor, in inflation and that dive was way over-prced and over-hyped by Carnival. My god, they didn't even have water to drink.

 

[robstrash]

Going on a Princess cruise from NY to Caribbean next month. Was looking at the St. Thomas diving from the ship and it's $99 and includes equipment. The place we used last time is $99 plus any equipment (they pick up at cruise dock). This is the first time we are not bringing all our gear so will probably just go with the cruise line. The other stop where we dive is Turks and Caicos and since we have only 5 hours in port and arrive at 1pm, we are definitely using the cruise line for that dive. If I can find a highly recommended private operator that is not too far from the pier, I will usually use that.

In the past we have done both private and through the cruise line. Generally, the cruise lines will limit your depth more than private but that's the only major difference we have seen. One time the weather was bad and at the last minute the cruise ship docked on the other side of the island (forget which island it was). Luckily we had booked the through the cruise line so didn't have to worry about getting to the private place. Also, it's easier to cancel the cruise ship excursions if needed as you usually have 24 hours to cancel with no fee. My wife got sick during a cruise once and I had to go pay for the internet cafe to email the private places to cancel.

One other thing I have noticed - the cancellation policy is sometimes different if you book online through the cruise company before the cruise. I have seen a 20% cancellation fee when you book via online in advance but no fee when you book on the ship. No idea why the difference but they didn't make it obvious. Therefore, I log in once a week to look at the Princess site and see how many scuba slots they have left. If I see that they start going down (under 10), I will book in advance, otherwise I will book as soon as I get on the ship.

 

[robint]

okay, just to clarify - a PADI 5-star facility means that they teach all courses offered by PADI. It has nothing whatsoever to do with services like dive boats and dives offered. PADI is a certification agency only.

 

[magicwanz]

It dd when I took it 3 years ago.
The dive was way over-priced and Carnival has obviously rewritten the description in the last 3 years.

Yes you are correct. Three years ago the excursion was called the "Five Star Certified Dive". St. Thomas excursions However, a simple inquiry regarding the logistics of the dive could have avoided any confusion at the time. Some might call this proper dive planning, e.g. a predive plan.

You are reading the current descriptionn not the one offered when I took the cruise. Did it occur to you that Carnival might have rewritten the description based on customer complaints?

Obviously it has been rewritten, most likely due to the fact that Carnival is very receptive to their customers feedback. They could not have predicted improper or lack of dive planning, however when it became a problem they made adjustments to the dive description.

Factor, in inflation and that dive was way over-prced and over-hyped by Carnival. My god, they didn't even have water to drink.

I agree, no water is a huge problem. Proper hydration is required in order to conduct a safe dive for many reasons. In this case you would certainly be justified in your disappointment/frustration. I hope the issue was addressed so it won't happen the the future. Personally, I have never been in a "no water" situation on any of their dives.

 

[wreckchick]

To clarify the RCL policy on St. Thomas diving, there is one operator that services all the cruise ships that come here. They mix discover scuba divers and certified divers on every boat, there is no separation although that may not be the case at other ports.

I did some work with the Key West operator that was mentioned and they are prohibited from offering beer to the cruise ship guests by contract. I always thought it was lame to offer it everyone else but it is what it is.

As far as what to bring on the ship for diving, the easy answer is: as much or as little as you want! All dive shops you deal with will have everything including masks, snorkels, fins, wetsuits (if you want), etc. You should bring a towel and sunscreen and find out in advance what beverages and/or snacks are available and you can supplement that if you like. Other than that, bring a c-card and a smile!

Rachel