darnheather
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 28, 2013
Spoiler: I was not happy with this excursion.
My daughter (17) and I got off the Fantasy yesterday. As part of our cruise we took the St John Catamaran Champagne Snorkel excursion. IMHO it was not worth $200 for the two of us. First we boarded open air shuttle buses which took us up and over the island. The roads were very bad and it was obvious that any tourism money that comes in is not being used for the infrastructure of the island or the every day people.
The entire excursion was 4 hours and we had one hour to swim and snorkel.
When we arrived at the docks and boarded the catamaran there was some water set out which was nice. During the trip to the island they did serve punch. They have to pull up to a buoy and float there as it is not possible to dock. There were three ways off the boat: jumping, unstable stairs, or an inflatable dingy that could actually go to the island. I wasn't really prepared for this as I thought we would go to the island and have chairs but that wasn't the case and as we had to swim over we couldn't towels or anything. Therefore, we spent our entire time in the water.
We saw a couple of turtles and some anemic looking fish. Some people did say they saw a ray. There were no tropical looking fish. It was just sad. I honestly wanted to cry.
Back on the boat and there was only a marine toilet. We weren't supposed to wear shoes onboard but no way was I going there without them. There was no water for washing hands just a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Once underway the crew started serving rum punch, soft drinks, and "champagne" (the cheapest Californian sparkling beverage). I did have a cup of the rum punch but mainly just needed water. Then they set out the snacks which were cheese, salami, crackers, and fresh fruit. I didn't have any of that, but my daughter said the pineapple was very good.
About twenty minutes from the port the asking for tips started. I was really shocked. I tip when getting individual service of any kind, but was surprised that the crew would be doing this, "We survive on tips." patter on a group excursion. Maybe this is normal now and feel free to tell me I'm wrong in the comments, but I had no cash and was not going to Venmo them the 20% they were asking for. That would have been an additional $40.
The shuttle back was a different route and was even worse. I had surgery in July and honestly think I pulled some internal tissue. The fact that the island people are not getting the benefit of tourists made me even more sad.
So I do not recommend this excursion. If you do decide to go I don't recommend for children under 12 as there is really nothing on the island (no water for example) and everyone should be strong swimmers.
My daughter (17) and I got off the Fantasy yesterday. As part of our cruise we took the St John Catamaran Champagne Snorkel excursion. IMHO it was not worth $200 for the two of us. First we boarded open air shuttle buses which took us up and over the island. The roads were very bad and it was obvious that any tourism money that comes in is not being used for the infrastructure of the island or the every day people.
The entire excursion was 4 hours and we had one hour to swim and snorkel.
When we arrived at the docks and boarded the catamaran there was some water set out which was nice. During the trip to the island they did serve punch. They have to pull up to a buoy and float there as it is not possible to dock. There were three ways off the boat: jumping, unstable stairs, or an inflatable dingy that could actually go to the island. I wasn't really prepared for this as I thought we would go to the island and have chairs but that wasn't the case and as we had to swim over we couldn't towels or anything. Therefore, we spent our entire time in the water.
We saw a couple of turtles and some anemic looking fish. Some people did say they saw a ray. There were no tropical looking fish. It was just sad. I honestly wanted to cry.
Back on the boat and there was only a marine toilet. We weren't supposed to wear shoes onboard but no way was I going there without them. There was no water for washing hands just a bottle of hand sanitizer.
Once underway the crew started serving rum punch, soft drinks, and "champagne" (the cheapest Californian sparkling beverage). I did have a cup of the rum punch but mainly just needed water. Then they set out the snacks which were cheese, salami, crackers, and fresh fruit. I didn't have any of that, but my daughter said the pineapple was very good.
About twenty minutes from the port the asking for tips started. I was really shocked. I tip when getting individual service of any kind, but was surprised that the crew would be doing this, "We survive on tips." patter on a group excursion. Maybe this is normal now and feel free to tell me I'm wrong in the comments, but I had no cash and was not going to Venmo them the 20% they were asking for. That would have been an additional $40.
The shuttle back was a different route and was even worse. I had surgery in July and honestly think I pulled some internal tissue. The fact that the island people are not getting the benefit of tourists made me even more sad.
So I do not recommend this excursion. If you do decide to go I don't recommend for children under 12 as there is really nothing on the island (no water for example) and everyone should be strong swimmers.
