need advice for Carnival Triumph- eastern caribbean

[Qtpie54346]

We are going on an eastern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Triumph June 2-9. Does anyone have suggestions on which dive shops to book through or go through the ones on the ship? We usually book on our own because its cheaper and less crowded.

Grand Turk- I think we might book with Blue Water Divers. I read suggestions for this shop in previous threads... Definately open to other suggestions though!

St. Thomas- Blue Island Divers vs. Admirality- which one should we go with? I believe both of them will pick you up at the cruise ship port...

San Juan, Puerto Rico- I've read that San Juan isn't really the spot for diving on the island so we might not dive this port. Anyone suggest otherwise? We are traveling with non-diving friends so we might hit some of the other tourist stops! Any suggestions for things to do?

Half Moon Cay- I've heard that the diving is pretty good (when the weather is nice) for a shallow dive on this island. I can't find any info though on anyone to book with (including the ship's excursions). I've heard that diving was maybe cancelled by the ships on this private island because the dive op didnt have enough liability insurance? Anyone know what the deal is on how to book a dive here? We bring all our own equipment, just need tanks and weights.

Thanks for the help!

Kim

 

[BurBunny]

Definitely would book for Grand Turk and St. Thomas. In St. Thomas, both Blue Island and Admiralty are good choices - I'd see who has availability, talk with them both and decide from there.

San Juan is just too logistically difficult - the better diving is on the other side of the island and timing for most ships is way too short to do.

Half Moon Cay is a private island - the only operator is the cruise line. So you're limited in what you can do. Very shallow dive, okay if you're desperate for more nitrogen, but you'll have 2 islands with much better diving before you hit here. This is a fabulous beach day - I'd recommend making the most of the other offerings there instead.

 

[Qtpie54346]

Thanks Amber! Keep the suggestions coming! We are looking for interesting non-diving things to do as well on each island since we have non-diving friends coming with us. We'll try to pack in as many activities possible, but ifs there's not time for a dive and something else, we'll pass the advice on to our friends!!

 

[BurBunny]

For non-diving activities in San Juan, you're only there from 7-3, so I'd recommend heading out to the fort (just fun and interesting), do some wandering around in Old San Juan (of course taking in your fair share of the free rum samples which are seemingly everywhere) or take the Bacardi Rum tour.

At Half Moon Cay, if you want the ultimate beach day, rent one of the cabanas for your own "butler" who brings you drinks, food, snacks, you get fresh water shower, A/C and beach toys. If not, consider the clamshell shelters for just a tad of shade. Walk the beach, consider the horseback riding, take the nature hike, go parasailing or jet skiing, or just snorkel or swim off the beach which has the softest sand I've ever experienced. They do have a new stingray experience if you've not done that before - it's amazing to feel them.

 

[tstormdiver]

I don't know about the other destintions, but I have dove at Half Moon Cay, when I cruised with Holland America (a Canival subsidiary). It's the cruiseline's private island, so your stuck with going through the cruise excursions. The dive was decent at about 40'. When I went, I was the only diver to show up for the trip. The only negative was that the DM's were a little put out that they had to go out with only 1 diver. I believe they thought I was out of ear shot at the time, but I heard them complaining about it & thought it was rather unprofessional. Hopefully they were just having a bad day. Once we got to the dive site, though they showed me a great time around a small reef. All in all, for my first ocean dive, it was great (with the excption of the little rift above). You may need to call the cruiseline about the excursions. It should be on the web site, but sometimes they're a little slow getting it on. Personally, I thought the island was quite beautiful & easy to get from place to place. The only minus was that you had tender over (take a lifeboat ferry) from the ship to the island & the waves were rather rough that day.

 

[CAPNVINNY]

cant speak for the other stops but Admirality in St Thomas is a good op,Laura and Duane take good care of divers and its a six pack op so no cattlecars

 

[Qtpie54346]

I don't mind going through the ship for Half Moon Cay- I just hope its still available!! I heard they cancelled scuba on the island for maybe liability reasons...

 

[diverdowndh]

I used SeaEye diving on Grand Turk, they were pretty awesome. Joanna ran the shop last year when I went, the DM's were Grumps and Smitty. Both were short on conversation but really good, safe divers. I definitely recommend them!

 

[tstormdiver]

I don't mind going through the ship for Half Moon Cay- I just hope its still available!! I heard they cancelled scuba on the island for maybe liability reasons...

I went with Holland America a couple of years ago, so it's possible it may have changed.

 

[lazyturtle]

You're not going to the eastern Caribbean. Grand Turk and Half Moon are not in the Caribbean Sea, they're in the Atlantic Ocean, St. Thomas and Puerto Rico are both in the Northern Caribbean.
In St. Thomas ALL dive shops will pick you up at the dock, it's a cruise ship economy there. If you're experienced on deep dives and like wrecks ask for a trip to the WIT Shoal. AVOID the barges: they're bland and overdove. I don't know Blue Island Divers, but I do know that Admiralty had a smaller boat (maybe 6-10 divers onboard).
Don't book through the ship, book with the shop directly. The ship usually gets a 40-80% share of the money when you book with them, and they choose the operator based on the lowest cost (thus the highest customer/guide ratio), whearas you want the business that offers the lowest customer/guide ratio.