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@mac66 For Costa Maya, please set things up with my friend Catherine at Gypsea Divers. I promise you’ll have great dives and a lot of fun. The shop is right on the beach in Mahahual, so your non-diving family can have a great day too, away from the hyper-commercial cruise port. If you tell Catherine Harris sent you she’ll probably charge you extra 🤣 http://gypseadivers.com/ Harris Denver, CO

I suspect that the OP is talking about repeat Resort dives, but the “Scuba Diver” certification (as opposed to Open Water Diver) certifies someone to dive to a maximum depth of 40ft/12 meters, and only accompanied by an instructor. These are the same limits as a Discover Scuba dive; so the person with that certification can dive resort dives without the classroom and confined water instruction that a resort dove is supposed to (although often doesn’t) include. Harris Denver, CO

I couldn't agree with this more. You want a dive shop near home for training, equipment and advice. Of course one could argue I'm biased, but I don't own a dive shop, but I do see the value of the local relationship. Even if you do all your certification training while on a trip, you should still have a dive shop at home that you consider "yours". Harris Denver, CO

@Cruzin&Snuzin OK, you want tidbits, you'll probably be sorry you asked 🙂 I'm a dive instructor myself, and here are things I wish every potential student would do: Do research of what shops are in your area. You want someplace close enough that it's possible to have a relationship, but you don't need to select the closest place. A huge factor is does the shop have their own pool. If they do they can keep water temperatures at a level appropriate for dive training, and allow for trying different equipment during a class since all the shop gear is at the pool. Ask what training agency they are affiliated with You've obviously already heard of PADI, you'll likely also see SSI, and perhaps NAUI. All agency's certifications are accepted equally as each provide training in accordance with the standards of the World Recreational Scuba Training Council. At the student level there's no difference that is significant enough to be the determining factor in your decision. Full disclosure: I am an SSI Instructor. What equipment do they provide for class, and what do they insist the student purchase? A very common - although wrong IMO - technique is to insist that all students purchase a mask, snorkel and fins prior to class. Where I teach, we do the opposite,and discourage any purchases until the student has tried these items in the water, to make sure they have items (particularly masks) that fit properly and work well for them. Ideally, you'll visit the shop while a class is in the pool. Look at the instructor and the students. If you see a lot of kneeling/sitting on the bottom, they're not learning neutral buoyancy, which is the primary skill of scuba. You want to see students horizontal and face down, floating, rather than resting on the bottom. What options does the shop offer for class type. Where I teach we offer regular scheduled group classes, custom scheduled classes for families on their schedule, as well as semi-private and private (one-on-one) classes. All of these have different costs, and all have advantages and disadvantages. The cost difference is actually rather low, and may well be worth it if you do well with lots of individual attention. As an example at the shop where I teach the total cost for Class/Pool in a group class is $375.00. a semi-private class is $500.00 per person, and one-on-one is $575.00 per person. Of course this will be different where you are, but the idea is, for a reasonable amount of money you can get instruction tailored to you and your schedule. As for cost, ask what the price you're quoted includes, and what it doesn't. Some shops break out the cost of materials separately. They are required, so make sure you know the total. Specifically get a total for your entire training to the point you're ready to complete your certification dives. This includes your classroom and pool training, including any equipment needed, your on-line materials, and any miscellaneous fees (card printing fees, referral document fees, etc). I'm suspicious of shops that don't provide a simple straightforward price. It's not usually possible for a shop to provide you a price that includes your certification dives in the off-season, since you'll have many options about how to accomplish those dives. Now, on to what I think is the most important step, and it's one almost no one does. Shop for your instructor! Once you've got your choice of dive shop narrowed down, it's time to get your instructor. Most people don't even think about this step. They show up for class and that's the first time they hear the instructor's name. It's well worth making this an active rather than passive process. Ask the shop who the instructor will be if you choose them, and ask to meet the instructor in advance. This may take some schedule flexibility on your part. Almost all instructors are not full time employees of the dive shop, so they'll be making an effort as well to do this. If necessary, you could do this with a phone or Zoom call. Questions you should ask: How long have you been teaching scuba, and how many divers have you certified? You shouldn't rule out a newer instructor, instead look for a number of certifications that's reasonable for the length of time they've been teaching. If someone's been teaching 10 years and has only issued 50 certifications, they've got a hobby. Understand, most instructors are certified to teach a variety of other courses besides open water, so there should be a pretty good number of certifications issued. How many scuba dives do you have and when and where was your last dive trip for fun? It's not uncommon for instructors to get to where they're just teaching by rote. If they're no longer diving for enjoyment this might be a red flag that they're not going to share the joy of the sport with students. How many students have you had that did not successfully complete training, and please tell me the reasons why? If your instructor says this has never happened, that's a HUGE red flag. You don't want an instructor that simply passes every student. On the other hand, the instances should be rare. Notice I didn't use the term How many "failed". Most of the time a student who doesn't complete a class makes their own decision, because a good instructor will work with a student having difficulty, until/unless the student decides they want to do something differently. If you choose a group class ask, How many students will there be in my class, and how many instructors or assistants? Standards allow for as many as 8 students to one instructor, and a lot of shops use this ratio, at least in the classroom and pool. It's too many in my opinion, and results in either very little individual attention, or a very long class, with a lot of down time. The specific answers to questions aren't as important as gauging how you and the instructor interact. Would you feel comfortable if this instructor was teaching you to drive a car or use large power tools? While scuba is a safe activity, there are critically important things that make it safe. This instructor will be the one deciding if you understand those things at a level that will keep you safe, and make the sport fun. While my student's goal is often "to get certified", I will tell them that for me their certification is almost irrelevant, as my goal is for them to "become divers". This means they take to the sport for life. Of course the certification is necessary, but lots of people are certified to dive, but aren't divers. They don't stick with it and really develop a love for the sport. I trust you see the distinction. Once you have the class and pool portion completed, it's time for your four open water certification dives. There are three basic ways these can be done: Local dives, On a trip with your instructor, or referral dives. Local Dives are usually done at some site not far from your shop, and for those of us inland, that means a lake or quarry. Usually the water's cold, and the visibility is poor. This often dissuades new divers from really embracing the sport. However, the plus side is you learn in conditions that make you more confident, since in the ocean you'll seldom see such poor viz. Of course the other advantage is convenience and lower cost. However, since we're now half way through November, this option doesn't exist for most of the US until Spring. On a trip with your instructor happens when the shop you take classes with sponsors a trip somewhere, and their staff conducts certification dives as part of the trip. These trips some times are solely for the purpose of getting certifications done, and other times may be combined with group trips the shop is running for other customers. The advantage is you go someplace more desirable,and have instructional staff you're already familiar with. Referral dives happen by your completing your class and pool work with your shop, and then you take a "referral form" to a shop in your destination. The form in essence verifies you've completed the class and pool work; and is then used by the instructor at the destination to document your completion of the open water dives. You then return the completed form, signed off by the instructor who conducted the open water dives, to your shop, and they issue your certification. If both shops use the same training agency (i.e. PADI to PADI or SSI to SSI) the process will be a little more streamlined since the second shop can simply issue the certification. Once you're certified, you can dive anywhere in the world. There is no requirement that your certification be issued by the agency used by the dive shop. This is because all the legitimate agencies adhere to the requirements of the World Recreational Scuba Training Council (WRSTC) and the ISO (International Standards Organization). Thus certified is certified. Again, there are differences in training methodologies, and I certainly think some agencies have advantages. However, none of these would be more significant that the difference you will benefit from by choosing your instructor to meet your needs. Harris Denver, CO http://www.divessi.com/pro/64612

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It’s been several years since I’ve dove with them myself, and they’ve changed ownership, but Maui Diving was good when I was there. We fairly regularly send open water students to them on referral, and they’ve all been happy as well. (www.Maui ding.com). Also at least ten years since I’ve dove with them, but Lahaina Divers ifs close to the tender dock. They were more expensive then, and tended to run larger boats than I liked, but they certainly weren’t bad. Harris Denver, CO

He would have to be either in a cabin with someone of age, or in a cabin adjacent to our connecting with his parents. if he shared the cabin with them perks generally include passengers 1 and 2 only. So he wouldn’t typically have an included drink package. Harris Denver, CO

I'm a diver, so nothing here would be specifically applicable to snorkeling, and the companies I recommend are not likely to combine snorkeling and scuba on one boat. However, since you asked "and/or diving" here's what I have: St Maarten: Not the best diving , but not bad. After the last big hurricane (Wilma I think) a lot of operators went out of business. The last time I was there, I dove with Aqua Mania. They were OK, but nothing to rave about. I see now there are other options. Unless you’re diving in every port, this might be one to do other things. If you’re keen to see sharks, the site there “Proselyte” has had reef sharks every time I’ve been. St. Lucia: St. Lucia is always highly rated for scuba. I don’t find it to be in the absolute top tier of Caribbean diving, but it’s certainly good. I like Eastern Caribbean Divers The pick up very close to the ship, regardless of which dock you’re at. Scuba Steve’s is more widely know, but I like the service from Eastern Caribbean better. Egat and Donovan there will set you up. https://www.easterncaribbeandivingstlucia.com/ Barbados: This one’s easy. Great diving and a great operator. Peter Grannum at West Side Scuba Centre. If you like wreck dives ask about the Stavron Ikita (Stav). Peter will pick you up just outside the port, and you’ll have a great day. https://westsidescuba.com/ Martinique: The one time I’ve been there I did a couple of shore dives. I had other diving arranged, but the ship changed the docking time. I would say the diving is good, but I don’t have any good recommendations for operators. St. Kitts: St. Kitts isn’t known as great diving, but I always have a super time there. Pro Divers St. Kitts has their boat in the marina immediately adjacent to the pier, and the dives are usually a reef dive with some sharks, and then one of several wreck dives. Margot and Austen are the owners, and I like everything about how they operate. They can be slow to respond to emails, so build in a little advance to your plan. https://prodiversstkitts.com/ St. Thomas: There are a lot of good wreck dives in the bay where the ships dock. The company I used to use there went out of business. I’ve dived with Aqua Marine there, which did a port pick-up and return. They’re over in the next bay, about 15 minutes away, where the sites are all reefs. So if wreck diving isn’t your priority, they would be good. https://www.diveaquamarine.com/ If snorkeling rather than diving is your interest, You should be able to find a bunch of options on St. Lucia, and there is great snorkeling from shore there at numerous places. For Barbados Carlisle Bay is very popular for snorkelers, as it's fairly shallow and there are several sunken ships there, so there's a fair amount of sea life. St. Thomas has a lot of beaches known for snorkeling accesible by taxi, and with gear rental available. Harris Denver, CO

I don't have a strong recommendation for Roatan. I haven't dove there on a cruise since pre-Covid. On my last trip there in June, we dove with Infinity Bay. They were good, but I doubt they'd do well with cruise schedules, as they use larger boats. For Cozumel I would highly recommend Sherief Sanad. He recently opened Humarine, after 12 years as an Instructor/DM with Aldora. He will make your Cozumel dives absolutely top-notch, and he is willing to work with cruise divers. (https://humarine.com/) I have dove with Catherine and Abel at Gypsea divers in Mahahual (Costa Maya) countless times. If you're looking for fancy you won't find it there, or anywhere in Mahahual. However, they're great people who are in the business because they love diving and divers. Definitely say Harris recommended you if you go. (http://gypseadivers.com/) Harris Denver, CO

There is a lot of speculation, and precious little concrete information regarding how the move-up bids are handled. There are some obvious factors that would make sense to apply: 1, The amount bid 2, The value of the room that you would be leaving. e.g. If I bid to move from an inside, and you bid to move from a veranda, your vacated room is much more likely to re-sell than mine. 3, They have announced a multiplier, based on Captain's Club level. The maximum is a 5% increase for someone who is zenith, so in effect I would say it serves as a "tie-breaker. If you and I bis the same amount, and your Captain's Club level is higher than mine, your bid will win. 4, Presumably, if they have the vacant room that someone bid for, even the minimum bid amount, they would award it. The $50.00 minimum you bid is money in the bank for Celebrity, and they're overhead is exactly what it was, even if they can't then fill your former room. Add to that the fact that a certain percentage will enjoy the level of service in an upgraded category, and never go back on future bookings. Harris Denver, CO

Hopefully your positive test was documented, and not just a home test. You should have both the dated positive test result and a Certificate of Recovery. With those two items you're exempt from testing for 180 days from the positive test (presuming it was at least 11 days prior to sailing. "Guests who have recently recovered from COVID-19 may present a Certificate of Recovery and proof of the positive PCR or Antigen test result taken between 11 and less than 180 days prior to the sail date in order to board and be exempt from testing. The Certificate of Recovery can be presented as an NHS COVID Pass, EU Certificate of Recovery or as a letter from a healthcare provider." Harris Denver, CO

I can tell you that it doesn't. Cruise ships returned effective October 11, 2022. I just yesterday booked dives with Grand Turk Diving. Usually when cruise lines cancel scuba excursions, it's a lack of sufficient numbers signing up; or an inability to find an operator that will work at the price the cruise line is willing to pay. Harris Denver, CO

Considering all you've said, I'd definitely do the 2-tank with Blue Reef Divers with the pick up at Mr. Sancho's. That way you get to spend more time with your group, and you'll be closer to the better dive sites. The ship's excursions are notorious for for going to the closest sites to the pier, which are good, but not the best of Cozumel. With a 10:00 am pick-up you'll likely be back by about 1:30 at the latest, so you should be fine to go back to the ship with your group. Harris Denver, CO

It's the Celebrity travel insurance. You should definitely have some type of travel insurance, whether you prefer Celebrity's or third party is up to you. Harris Denver, CO

@njsmom Of the ports listed, you'll have the best luck in St. Maarten. I responded on your other question about San Juan, and I'm afraid you won't have much luck there. I've not yet been to Puerto Plate (Amber Cove), but there are apparently no dive operators actually diving in proximity to the cruise ports, although they have desks there. I've got a cruise the in November, and ran into a brick wall trying to actually book something. For St. Maarten, I've most recently used AquaMania. They were OK but not great. What happened in St. Maarten was a Hurricane a few years before COVID really impacted everything, and most dive operators went out of business, then COVID drove another nail in the coffin. In looking now I see several operators seem to be up and running; so AquaMania would probably be fine for you, but I would likely look at other options (i.e. they were fine but not great). I'll be there in November, but it sounds like your cruise is before ours. Although it doesn't have a reputation for great diving, I've always found St. Maarten to have good sites, with some wrecks, and usually you see reef sharks, which I imagine your newly certified son will really enjoy. In the next few weeks I'll be doing some more dedicated research into dive operators there, so feel free to email at the link in my signature, and I'll share anything I find out. Harris Denver, CO

@njsmom I haven't done the Carnival excursion, but I once did a shore dive at the Hilton, which is immediately next door. $139.99 is a ridiculous amount for a dive at this site. The dives would be off the beach, and the fish have all been acclimated to being fed. I've never heard of any good diving in Puerto Rico within the immediate San Juan area, so when I've been there, I don't bother trying to dive. However, San Juan makes a great embarkation ports for scuba cruises. Harris Denver, Co

@CNSfromHI Since you don't want to use a travel agent (I also handle my own bookings, so I understand), I'd suggest rather than simply calling the main number, you call and get a Celebrity "Certified Vacation Planner". That way you'll have a personal point of contact for help, but you can still make any changes after hours or what not by calling Celebrity. To do this, call Celebrity at 888-307-8413, then option 3. leave a message, and they;ll get back to you. Harris Denver, CO

Thanks Pat, That's exactly what I've found too. We'll find something else to do there. Harris Denver, CO

I actually have heard of this Google you mention. But thanks for the suggestion. 🙂 What I've run into is the shops that show up are not actually operating out of Puerto Plata, but instead require lengthy cab rides to their actual locations. Harris Denver, CO

@Pat.D Did you have any success finding a dive operator for Puerta Plata? Harris Denver, CO

Along with the other changes to move transatlantics from Bermuda, The Edge Oct 24, 2022 now will stop in Ponta Delgado, Azores instead of Bermuda. Harris Denver, CO

And 10 minutes later I got the email. Edge is going the the Azores instead of Bermuda. 🙂 Harris Denver, CO

I'm on Edge 10-24. I'd be thrilled to trade Bermuda for Lisbon, or for the Canary Islands, or the Azores, or where ever. Harris Denver, CO

Catherine always makes it diving with friends, rather than just diving. Gala is another gem. It's been fun to follow her progress from new Divemaster Student, to the pro she now is. I'm glad you were able to become part of the Gypsea family! Harris Denver, CO

@rotman253 Cozumel (Specially the town, San Miguel de Cozumel) is a pretty major tourist destination. Your family will surely be able to find plenty to do there. The various beach clubs, and nicer beaches are a bit south of town, but can be accessed easily by taxi, or through either cruise ship or private excursion. In Costa Maya, whether you dive or not, it's worth the cab ride into Mahahual, and the beach there is very nice. Harris Denver, CO