Bannister Island Excursion Choices

[GatorGambit]

Hey everyone,

 

We're trying to decide between two excursions to Bannister Island:

 

Option 1: RCI "Private Island Beach Break" to Bannister Island. Is my assumption correct that the tenders take you directly from the ship to the island and back? If so, do tenders back to the ship run continuously, or do they only run back to the ship after the 4 hour "excursion" to the island is over?

 

Option 2: Private Coral Breeze Tour to Bannister Island. This one appeals to us because it also offers a snorkeling option that some in our group would like to take advantage of. We would have to tender to the Tourism Village first and then to Bannister Island, and then do the whole thing in reverse to get back to the ship. Has anyone done this, and how did it work out? Do they also run ships continuously back to the Tourism Village, or just at the end of the tour?

 

Another question is that we will have a 1 year old and possibly a 4 year old with us. Is Bannister Island a good choice for kids?

 

If anyone has done the Coral Breeze tour, would you be able to take the kids with you snorkeling and "baby swap" - letting one parent snorkel for a while while the other one stays with the kids, then swap out?

 

Thanks!

[shipty2]

Bannister Island is an excellent choice for kids. The water is shallow and clearly marked as to where you can swim etc. There are also washrooms and showers and a restaurant there. We went with a private excursion with a company called "ecological tours" for $35 per person which is transportation and your beach chairs and umbrella.

 

How much is the same excursion with he ship?

 

We saw on cruise critic before hand that the office of this company is right on the pier where the tender drops you and it looks like a blue cabin. There are many people outside wearing the same blue shirts selling the tours.