Scuba cruise--need help

[rjdm]

I'm going on a 7 day cruise on the Celebrity Consellation ship to the southern carribean in December. Should I go with the offered scuba excurtion or try to book my own with local dive shops? If the latter do you have any suggestions on how to coordinate? I'm an experienced diver and I really like pelagics but enjoy macro as well. I've never been on one of these large cruise ships before. I want to dive as much as possible and have quality dives. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Vtdiver2]

I'm going on a 7 day cruise on the Celebrity Consellation ship to the southern carribean in December. Should I go with the offered scuba excurtion or try to book my own with local dive shops? If the latter do you have any suggestions on how to coordinate? I'm an experienced diver and I really like pelagics but enjoy macro as well. I've never been on one of these large cruise ships before. I want to dive as much as possible and have quality dives. Any help would be much appreciated.

There's good and bad to diving from a cruise ship using the ships excursions. The good....if you run late, they hold the ship til you get back. Normally the boat pulls up to the ship and you leave before anyone else disembarks.
The bad.....it can be twice the price you'd pay locally, and if you do some checking before your trip, it may not be the operator you'd choose to use. I've used cruiseline operators in Coz, Grand Cayman and Belize. Two were great operators I'd recommend again ( Belize & Cayman), but one I wouldn't ( Coz, their rental equipment was poor)
Another issue to consider is what equipment to bring. Do you really want wet scuba gear stinking up your cabin? I brought my reg, computer, mask & fins...rented the BC and dove in T shirt & shorts.
Good Luck
C-Dawg

 

[rjdm]

Any dive operator recommendations for:

Casa De Campo, Dominican Republic
1:00 PM
11:00 PM

20 Dec 2005
Tue
St. George, Grenada
9:00 AM
5:30 PM

21 Dec 2005
Wed
Bridgetown, Barbados
7:00 AM
4:30 PM

22 Dec 2005
Thu
Basseterre, St. Kitts
9:00 AM
6:00 PM

23 Dec 2005
Fri
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
8:00 AM
5:30 PM

 

[DiveMaven]

Try Blue Island Divers or Admiralty Dive in St. Thomas. We dove with Blue Island on our last Celebrity cruise and they pick you up at the cruise ship dock, right next to where the cruise ship "cattle boat" does. Admiralty picks you up in the same place.

After our Celebrity cruise last December, we decided that big ship cruising and diving don't mesh well for us. We were fortunate enough to have (the only) balcony on-board the ship, which we found was indespensible for our dive gear. If you don't have a balcony, you're going to have a real hard time drying your gear due to the size of the rooms and bathrooms.

Although I agree that renting a BC and possibly wetsuit is easier for the wet gear thing, I have to say that the condition of some of the BCs we saw as rentals in the Caribbean would have made me nervous.

We quickly decided that if we want to cruise, we're going to cruise. If we want to dive, we'll either stay at a resort or book a liveaboard cruise. Hence, our booking on the Nekton Pilot in Belize this December!

 

[Vtdiver2]

......Although I agree that renting a BC and possibly wetsuit is easier for the wet gear thing, I have to say that the condition of some of the BCs we saw as rentals in the Caribbean would have made me nervous......

I agree completely. As I stated in my last post, I was only renting BCs, and the one I used in Coz was in very poor shape. The pockets were ripped out in the bottom, and at depth I had a trail of bubbles following me from the dump valve. I told them when I returned it, yet watched them put it back on the wall, ready for the next sucker.
If I were to do some diving on another cruise ( trying to combine a family vacation with a dive trip), I thought I'd probably bring one of those plastic bags with the zipper that you use to store blankets etc. I'd store my BC and wetsuit in it while on ship, then rinse it before use once off the ship to get rid of any musty smell.
I haven't tried it, but it might work, and keep your cabin from smelling like a locker room.
RJDM, let me know if you do try it on your trip, I'd be interested in knowing if it works,
C-Dawg

 

[diveborg]

I'm going on a 7 day cruise on the Celebrity Consellation ship to the southern carribean in December. Should I go with the offered scuba excurtion or try to book my own with local dive shops?

Maybe This Post will help you in making a decision.

My own opinion is to make your own arrangements, especially if you are looking for a more advanced dive experience. Also, if you own your own gear, definitely take it with you. You know your own gear better than the rental stuff and can be sure of it's condition and service history.