Planning cruise + padi referral! Pls help!

[Lilou]

Hello! Anyone know of a Caribbean cruise ship (3-4 stops over 1 week, departing from Miami, Aug 2012) where I can get my PADI Open Water Referral Certification? The theory and pool parts been done already.

Now this would be my first cruise so I dont know how exactly to manage completing the 4 dives necessary... can i book thru the cruise line offshore excursions (for diving)? is there a PADI dive store on board? I know the Princess Dawn does but thats from Australia I believe.. ideally, i would love to stop by any combo of Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize City.. I would be traveling as a couple and would prefer a ship age group 25-35 y.o., not a lot of kids.. lots of activities to do onboard, etc

Please help shed some light! I feel quite overwhelmed and im not sure where or how to start planning this trip! any input would be much appreciated! thanks a lot! ​

 

[scubadiver888]

Search the Cruises forum for "referral" and you'll find other people have asked this question. The typical answer is that cruise lines used to keep an instructor onboard the ship. If someone wanted to do a referral they would have the instructor go ashore for two dive excursions. During the time the instructor would do your 4 check out dives and certify you. Recently, cruise lines have stopped doing this. You can go to Miami a few days ahead of the cruise and get certified in Miami or you'll have to ask the cruise line to get you in touch with dive shops at the different ports then contact two shops to see if one shop will do dives 1 and 2 and the second shop does dives 3 and 4. Your instruction if done this way will not be optimal. I'd get certified in Miami if I was you.

Princess tends to be a little older than 25-35 age group but there aren't many (if any) kids on them. You might want to find Cruise Critic and ask this question in their forums.

 

[00wabbit]

After just getting back form a cruise in your similar age range, I think you would be much better off avoiding the cruise. Instead just go to Cozumel. I stay at the Palace resorts (all inclusive including alcohol) Iberostar is equally as nice. Then you can knock out your cert dives in 1-2 days and have the rest of the time in Cozumel to dive. There is plenty to dive there.

The cruise I was on left from San Juan and stopped for one day in St. Thomas, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Barbados, and St. Maarten. The downside was that you get off the boat at 8am and had to be back by 4:30pm. On the days I dove I got back to the ship around 2 which didnt leave a lot of time to see the city. Some cities had the cruise terminal in the industrial area so you were just limited to the generic shops in the cruise terminal and after diving you didnt really have time to take a taxi into town.

I would rather be in Cozumel where you can go out to the beach at night and listen to the ocean and the music. You can dive more variety as well. There is a nice little beach club on COzumel that has some super easy beach dives that would be great for certification.

Hello! Anyone know of a Caribbean cruise ship (3-4 stops over 1 week, departing from Miami, Aug 2012) where I can get my PADI Open Water Referral Certification? The theory and pool parts been done already.

Now this would be my first cruise so I dont know how exactly to manage completing the 4 dives necessary... can i book thru the cruise line offshore excursions (for diving)? is there a PADI dive store on board? I know the Princess Dawn does but thats from Australia I believe.. ideally, i would love to stop by any combo of Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize City.. I would be traveling as a couple and would prefer a ship age group 25-35 y.o., not a lot of kids.. lots of activities to do onboard, etc

Please help shed some light! I feel quite overwhelmed and im not sure where or how to start planning this trip! any input would be much appreciated! thanks a lot! ​

 

[jimw]

I saw a Carnival Paradise 5 day cruise out of Tampa with stops in Cozumel and Grand Cayman pretty cheap--lowest was $194. See www.vacationstogo.com and do a search for your criteria. Carnival is usually cheapest. You will need to arrange your own diving. Not a problem as there are multitudes of instructors in both stops. Good Luck. A trip for certification might be easier to do to SE Florida--Key Largo or maybe a little north of Miami in Broward or Palm Beach Counties................

 

[diversteve]

If you have an all day stop and are willing to pay extra for a private Instructor it might be possible within the constraints in one port. None of the cruise packaged dives will be more than 2 dives at a location so you'll have to arrange it yourself. IDK if an instructor will be willing to do two dives then pass you on to the next location for two more but I doubt it.

Assuming you can set it up outside the cruise line parameters - Belize is probably out as they tender you off the ship moored offshore - even the dive operators pick you up there - so not enough time.

It might work in Grand Cayman. Don Fosters is the cruise operator - they're about 1/8 of a mile from the cruise dock - you're tendered in there also. They're a bigger operation so possibly have an Instructor available that could work with you. Cheeseburger Reef is their on-site shoredive - probably where they do their non-cruise certifications. From their website:

Open Water Referral (Check Out) Dives are a great opportunity for those who would rather do their Open Water certification dives in the warm, clear Caribbean waters. You complete your entire academic and confined water training at home with your local dive shop, they issue you a "referral form" and then you come to Grand Cayman to do your 4 open water dives. These dives are usually done over 2 days (2 dives per day) with the first day from shore and the second day diving from a boat or shore allowing you both experiences

- usually might be able to be modified if you're willing to pay extra for private referral dives. You will be anyway as no one is going to do O/W referral dives for the price of a cruise package dive. Welcome to Don Foster's Dive Cayman Come Dive with Us

Another option there might be Eden Rock. It's about 100 yds. south of the Cruise port also - a shallow shore dive location so it might be possible to arrange 4 dives and still make your sailing time. You'll see your ship straight out from there the whole time. Cayman's Best Boat and Shore Diving

Some ships seemed to sail around 5PM - maybe find out who has the earliest arrival and latest departure. I just glanced at the schedule for next month - Carnival Liberty is in port from 5AM to 5PM. IDK if it's a Miami origin though. I don't cruise but I have read that in the tender ports it's a good idea to get in line early to get off the ship. We easily do 4 dives per day shore diving on Cayman - usually done by early afternoon - so I don't see why that couldn't work for you. Most Cayman operators are staffed to do 2 afternoon dives usually also. You can check here for your planned dates: http://www.caymanport.com/shipschedules.php

On Roatan the cruise operator is Anthony's Key. They're on the north side, the cruise port is south. It's a 45min. shuttle ride each way so that probably doesn't work. Plus they only have 1 shuttle run and leave time to explore their gift shop.

Try contacting Barefoot Divers - they're about a 10-15min. cab ride from either cruise dock (Mahogany Bay or Coxen Hole) I mention them because they work with cruise schedules, are a small boutique operation and with advanced notice could possibly arrange for you to do all four dives in one day. They have several boats and Instructors and normally would be only diving with people from the resort - not everyone that stays there dives. We did two dives with them one morning and were their only business.

They also have three 2-tank trips per day so there might be more flexibility in working within your time frame. Some start at 35' or so and go deeper so it could be possible for you to do shallower check-out dives without impacting any other divers. I don't think there's a shore dive off the resort - it's behind a breakwater and too shallow. They're also a PADI IDC so have the staff available to work with you. Also we found them to be extraordinarily accommodating. day dive packages|cruise shippers|full valet service

I think if you can make it work, Cayman is your best option though. Since there's shore diving nearby the Instructor doesn't have to deal with your first dive being off a boat.

good luck,

 

[Dsirmans]

I am looking to do this same type of thing, did you find something that worked?

 

[oly5050user]

3

If you have an all day stop and are willing to pay extra for a private Instructor it might be possible within the constraints in one port. None of the cruise packaged dives will be more than 2 dives at a location so you'll have to arrange it yourself. IDK if an instructor will be willing to do two dives then pass you on to the next location for two more but I doubt it.

Assuming you can set it up outside the cruise line parameters - Belize is probably out as they tender you off the ship moored offshore - even the dive operators pick you up there - so not enough time.

It might work in Grand Cayman. Don Fosters is the cruise operator - they're about 1/8 of a mile from the cruise dock - you're tendered in there also. They're a bigger operation so possibly have an Instructor available that could work with you. Cheeseburger Reef is their on-site shoredive - probably where they do their non-cruise certifications. From their website:
- usually might be able to be modified if you're willing to pay extra for private referral dives. You will be anyway as no one is going to do O/W referral dives for the price of a cruise package dive. Welcome to Don Foster's Dive Cayman Come Dive with Us

Another option there might be Eden Rock. It's about 100 yds. south of the Cruise port also - a shallow shore dive location so it might be possible to arrange 4 dives and still make your sailing time. You'll see your ship straight out from there the whole time. Cayman's Best Boat and Shore Diving

Some ships seemed to sail around 5PM - maybe find out who has the earliest arrival and latest departure. I just glanced at the schedule for next month - Carnival Liberty is in port from 5AM to 5PM. IDK if it's a Miami origin though. I don't cruise but I have read that in the tender ports it's a good idea to get in line early to get off the ship. We easily do 4 dives per day shore diving on Cayman - usually done by early afternoon - so I don't see why that couldn't work for you. Most Cayman operators are staffed to do 2 afternoon dives usually also. You can check here for your planned dates: Ship Schedules

On Roatan the cruise operator is Anthony's Key. They're on the north side, the cruise port is south. It's a 45min. shuttle ride each way so that probably doesn't work. Plus they only have 1 shuttle run and leave time to explore their gift shop.

Try contacting Barefoot Divers - they're about a 10-15min. cab ride from either cruise dock (Mahogany Bay or Coxen Hole) I mention them because they work with cruise schedules, are a small boutique operation and with advanced notice could possibly arrange for you to do all four dives in one day. They have several boats and Instructors and normally would be only diving with people from the resort - not everyone that stays there dives. We did two dives with them one morning and were their only business.

They also have three 2-tank trips per day so there might be more flexibility in working within your time frame. Some start at 35' or so and go deeper so it could be possible for you to do shallower check-out dives without impacting any other divers. I don't think there's a shore dive off the resort - it's behind a breakwater and too shallow. They're also a PADI IDC so have the staff available to work with you. Also we found them to be extraordinarily accommodating. day dive packages|cruise shippers|full valet service

I think if you can make it work, Cayman is your best option though. Since there's shore diving nearby the Instructor doesn't have to deal with your first dive being off a boat.

good luck,

If an instructor tells you to do all 4 dives in 1 day he/she is violating standards. If they violate this 1 standard,what other things are they doing to cut corners? A student can only do 3 TRAINING dives in a day , need 2 days to complete ow certification dives. I caught an instructor on roatan doing all 4 in a day and she got all nervous when I told her she was violating standards.She gave all kinds of explanations, none were valid.

 

[DEEPLOU]

The key to these peoples problems is to: P L A N A H E A D !!!!!!!!!!!
Get Certified at home, then plan your cruise, (or other kind of trip)

I see this all the time, someone calls the shop "I am going on vacation next week, can I get certified between now and then?" NO, NO NO
Especially if you live in the "north" and it is after beginning of November.
It takes time to do your "academics", "practical training", and then the "certification" and in New York for example it is getting too cold to take students in for Cert dives.

 

[oly5050user]

The key to these peoples problems is to: P L A N A H E A D !!!!!!!!!!!
Get Certified at home, then plan your cruise, (or other kind of trip)

I see this all the time, someone calls the shop "I am going on vacation next week, can I get certified between now and then?" NO, NO NO
Especially if you live in the "north" and it is after beginning of November.
It takes time to do your "academics", "practical training", and then the "certification" and in New York for example it is getting too cold to take students in for Cert dives.

So very true DEEPLOU..Happens all the time..on a private basis we usually can get it done. It can be costly but don't blame us for your poor planning. We have our own onsite pool so confined water and academics no problem. OW training dives different story. For us to send an instructor to Dutch for 1 or 2 students is costly,especially if it is during the week.If I was to go I need a minimum of $800. for 1 student,$1,000. for 2....It costs me days from work,hotel,meals,gas,a kennel for the dogs while I am gone..It ain't cheap living in Westchester NY..It can be more cost effective for the student to charter a local boat in LI Sound at $350. a day and pay $300. for the training dives..Works out to almost the same cost except there is no 2 hour drive each ay to and from dive site.Maybe a 20 minute drive. Sometimes we can get a few more people wishing to go diving ,this way it lowers the boat charter fee..If it is after beginning of November there is then added cost and time for drysuit training.