Capt Bob - Soualiga Destinations

[Travel Girl TX]

Has anyone done this tour? Would appreciate a review since we are leaving in 3 weeks and we're thinking of doing this tour.

 

We just got back from our Caribbean cruise and took the Capt. Bob trip on St. Marteen last Tuesday.

 

The trip was incredible! Capt. Bob is extremely hard-working and ensures that everyone is well taken care of and has a great day.

 

I would do this trip again!

 

I will answer any questions if you have them.

[Hogladyrider]

We just got back from our Caribbean cruise and took the Capt. Bob trip on St. Marteen last Tuesday.

 

The trip was incredible! Capt. Bob is extremely hard-working and ensures that everyone is well taken care of and has a great day.

 

I would do this trip again!

 

I will answer any questions if you have them.

 

Would like to hear about your stops and food and beverages you were served.

[Travel Girl TX]

We stopped at Creole Rock for snorkeling which had quite a few fish. The yellow and black tang fish would come right up into your face. Next stop was Pinel Island for lunch and beach time. Bob took your order and then told you when to meet up in the restaurant to be served. The food choices were chicken, ribs, or a vegetable wrap. All came with choice of rice or fries and included a salad. After some time feeding the iguanas in back of the restaurant and beach time, we were back on the boat to Tintemarre Island which has a beautiful white sand beach. Close to the airport we stopped in front of a beach and snorkeled with a lot of schools of fish. Sorry, I can't remember the fish type. Finally, we went to the area right by the airport runway and saw 1 big American Airlines jet and a few smaller planes land.

 

Throughout the entire trip Heinekin, Coors, Diet Coke, Coke, bottled water, and maybe Sprite were readily available from the coolers. There was no chance of running out as the front storage area was full of more drinks ready to be cooled. You had to buy your drink at lunch and they were $5 for a mixed cocktail and $7 for a frozen cocktail. Not sure of the cost of soft drinks or water at the restaurant.

[micdee]

Travel girl, thanks so much for the review. We've booked this trip for March. I have a few questions if you don't mind.

 

Can you tell me how long it took to walk from the cruise ship pier to the marina where the boat is docked? How long did the trip last? Did you get a chance to snorkle on Pinnel Island?

 

Thanks

[12Cruise]

Hi Travel Girl TX - your day spent with Capt. Bob sounds awesome. Could you please tell me does he use a sailboat, or a power boat, or a catamaran?

 

Also, are you picked up in Phillipsburg by Capt. Bob or do you have to take a taxi somewhere to meet him?

 

Thnx!!

[Travel Girl TX]

Travel girl, thanks so much for the review. We've booked this trip for March. I have a few questions if you don't mind.

 

Can you tell me how long it took to walk from the cruise ship pier to the marina where the boat is docked? How long did the trip last? Did you get a chance to snorkle on Pinnel Island?

 

Thanks

 

We were docked at the furthest pier and had a mid-ship exit point so that added 8- 10 minutes to our walk time for a total of about 20-25 minutes at a fairly fast paced walk. Check in is at 9:30 for a departure at 10. However, since everyone was there by 9:35, we left then and returned at 4. Scheduled time is 10 - 4. We did not snorkel at Pinel Island and I am not sure it would be feasible during your time there as the good snorkeling place is a bit of a swim from the beach.

[Travel Girl TX]

Hi Travel Girl TX - your day spent with Capt. Bob sounds awesome. Could you please tell me does he use a sailboat, or a power boat, or a catamaran?

 

Also, are you picked up in Phillipsburg by Capt. Bob or do you have to take a taxi somewhere to meet him?

 

Thnx!!

 

It was an awesome day that we're still talking about. He uses a 36 ft speedboat. Capt. Bob provides detailed walking directions to the marina that is, depending on which pier your ship is docked, a 15 - 25 minute walk from your ship. It was nice to walk there and not have to worry about taxi transfers back to the ship.

[12Cruise]

Thnx Travel Girl TX - I got an e-mail back from him, it sounds like an awesome day and a great way to circle the island. That is pretty cool. Can't make up my mind if I want something like this or to just be lazy and go to the beach. ;)

 

Happy Tuesday!!

[Seavoyage]

We were docked at the furthest pier and had a mid-ship exit point so that added 8- 10 minutes to our walk time for a total of about 20-25 minutes at a fairly fast paced walk. Check in is at 9:30 for a departure at 10. However, since everyone was there by 9:35, we left then and returned at 4. Scheduled time is 10 - 4. We did not snorkel at Pinel Island and I am not sure it would be feasible during your time there as the good snorkeling place is a bit of a swim from the beach.

 

Hi Travel Girl TX -

 

Thank you so much for your awesome review - can you please advise

 

How many people were on your boat?

How big the boat was?

How many stops did you actually make? What was the time frame at each stop.

How long was your snorkel time at the beach? Was the water really deep? Did you need a vest? Did you bring your own snorkel gear?

 

Besides what you listed does Captain Bob offer wine or rum punch on the tour (non-beer drinker here)...:rolleyes:

 

Did you make a deposit with him before hand or did you pay that day?

 

Thank you in advance for your time and kind reply.

[Travel Girl TX]

Seavoyage,

Here you go.

 

How many people were on your boat? We had 12 and that is the maximum.

How big the boat was? 36 foot speedboat

How many stops did you actually make? 5

What was the time frame at each stop.

Creole Rock to snorkel from the boat, 30-45 minutes

Pinel Island for lunch and beach time, 1 1/2 - 2 hours

Tintemarre Island for beach and swim, 30 minutes

Stop to snorkel with fish and feed them, 30 minutes

Stop to see jets land - did not leave the boat, 20 minutes

How long was your snorkel time at the beach? no snorkel from the beach, all snorkel opportunities were from the boat.

Was the water really deep? At Creole Rock the water was 15 - 25 feet deep, 3 feet deep at Pinel, 14 feet deep at Tintemarre, and 15-20 feet deep at fish feed stop.

Did you need a vest? I am a strong swimmer and do not need a vest, but some people would use "noodles" to help them float which were provided. Did you bring your own snorkel gear? No, we used his equiment.

 

Besides what you listed does Captain Bob offer wine or rum punch on the tour (non-beer drinker here)...:rolleyes: No, I'm a non-beer drinker too so I stuck to the Diet Coke and water. I did buy a delightful drink at the restaurant.

 

Did you make a deposit with him before hand or did you pay that day? Yes, I made a deposit of about $42 with Paypal in advance and then you had the option to pay it all at that time or the remaining balance in cash on the day of. I paid the remaining balance in cash at the dock as Paypal charges a 3% processing fee.

 

Travel Girl TX

[drewdie]

We booked an excursion with Captain Bob but were unable to go out due to rough seas and just bad weather. We contacted Captain Bob once our ship arrived in port, and he immediately picked up and told us of the cancellation. We really appreciate his concern for safety over profit. It is always a little nerve racking to book private excursions, and we depend on the reviews that we read on this site to help us make decisions. We went out with Captain Bob a few years ago when he was with another company, and had a wonderful day. While we were very disappointed not to be able to do our excursion, we would always rather be safe than sorry. Bottom line- Captain Bob is a good guy who offers a great trip. Highly recommend! Oh- and he also refunded our deposit- something other tours have not done when canceling. Will definitely book with him in the future.:)

[Leafs Fan]

Does anyone have Captain Bob's email address or website? Interested in contacting him for my upcoming stop.

 

Cheers

[Leafs Fan]

Cancel that I was able to find him on the web.

 

Cheers

[Seavoyage]

Hi Travel Girl TX -

 

Sincerely appreciate the information - I did get in touch with Captain Bob. He seems so very nice and we would certainly look forward to an excursion with him - maybe by then he will add some rum punch to the drink menu:D - Thank you again and HAPPY SAILS

 

We have a little over 3 more months - uggg it's so cold here would love some warm weather!!:cool:

[Travel Girl TX]

Seavoyage,

 

You're welcome. The thoughts of your upcoming cruise should help keep you warm! I know you'll enjoy your day on Capt. Bob's excursion.

 

Respond back to this board if he adds rum punch to the available drinks.:D

 

Travel Girl TX

[cmn2d]

We had a wonderful time with Captain Bob last week. It was seriously the highlight of all of our excursions. Full review to come soon!

[micdee]

We had a wonderful time with Captain Bob last week. It was seriously the highlight of all of our excursions. Full review to come soon!

 

So glad to hear you had a good time with Capt. Bob. Looking foward to your review, as we are booked with him in March.

[texkan]

We just got back from our Caribbean cruise and took the Capt. Bob trip on St. Marteen last Tuesday.

 

The trip was incredible! Capt. Bob is extremely hard-working and ensures that everyone is well taken care of and has a great day.

 

I would do this trip again!

 

I will answer any questions if you have them.

 

Read all the posts and have a question. Travel via speedboat. Was it a fast, rough ride??? I prefer the sailboats. If Capt Bob does not speed across the water, might work for me.

 

Does the boat have easy access from the water???

[Travel Girl TX]

Read all the posts and have a question. Travel via speedboat. Was it a fast, rough ride??? I prefer the sailboats. If Capt Bob does not speed across the water, might work for me.

 

Does the boat have easy access from the water???

 

Hello Fellow Texan,

 

It was a fast ride on the speedboat in the open water. It was rough at times after Creole Rock snorkel to Pinel Island and back on the return through this area. However, Capt Bob did his best to minimize the bumps by slowing down when you could see the wave had formed. It is a fun, bouncier ride up front and not as bad in the back. The majority of the ride was smooth and fast.

 

The water access is off the back. You have to step over the back seat to get to an area to jump in. This is also where the ladder is connected off the side and back. You have to climb the steps and pull yourself up to get back into the boat.

[iswimlikearock]

I cannot say enough good things about Capt Bob and his tour! My parents and I took the excursion Wednesday, January 25 while docked in St Martin aboard the Navigator of the Seas. We followed the directions in the email which were exact and we had no problem locating the dock or the boat. Capt Bob welcomed us with open arms. Unfortunately there was a party of 4 that did not show up on time. The email clearly stated to be on the dock at 10:15 AM. We waited until 10:45 and they still were not at the dock. Capt Bob made a decision to leave, as he didn’t want us to lose any more time out of our day.

 

My party of 3 was joined by a wonderful young couple who we immediately became friends with. The tour was amazing, lunch was awesome at Pinel Island, and the snorkeling was great. Don’t miss the fish feeding swim! I was cold, which is no fault of Capt Bob’s but he convinced me to get in the water and I’m so glad I did!

 

We were back to the ship in plenty of time. We even had some time to shop at the dock before all aboard. I would not hesitate to book this tour again the next time I’m in St. Martin!

 

Please let me know if you have any questions... but HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!

Edited January 31, 2012 by iswimlikearock
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[SeaGypsies]

I cannot say enough good things about Capt Bob and his tour! My parents and I took the excursion Wednesday, January 25 while docked in St Martin aboard the Navigator of the Seas. We followed the directions in the email which were exact and we had no problem locating the dock or the boat. Capt Bob welcomed us with open arms. Unfortunately there was a party of 4 that did not show up on time. The email clearly stated to be on the dock at 10:15 AM. We waited until 10:45 and they still were not at the dock. Capt Bob made a decision to leave, as he didn’t want us to lose any more time out of our day.

 

My party of 3 was joined by a wonderful young couple who we immediately became friends with. The tour was amazing, lunch was awesome at Pinel Island, and the snorkeling was great. Don’t miss the fish feeding swim! I was cold, which is no fault of Capt Bob’s but he convinced me to get in the water and I’m so glad I did!

 

We were back to the ship in plenty of time. We even had some time to shop at the dock before all aboard. I would not hesitate to book this tour again the next time I’m in St. Martin!

 

Please let me know if you have any questions... but HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!

Was not having shade on the speed boat all day between stops a problem for anyone? Thats the only thing holding me back from booking this excursion. :o

[DisneyDarwin]

Seven friends and I recently took Captain Bob's all day outing, and I can only echo what has already been said....it was one of our best days ever on the water. Travel Girl has done an excellent job describing the trip and answering questions, but I am happy to provide more info if I can.

 

We were accompanied by 2 other couples for a total of 12. The boat accommodates that number perfectly; we were never cramped. One question was about sun and shade. There is a partial cover over the cockpit, and two of our fair skinned passengers rode there. The rest of us just slathered on the sunscreen and were fine the next day. Re snorkeling, there is one primary stop at Creole Rock, and that was adequate. We did use our masks again to look at the large schools of fish on an afternoon stop. We fed them crackers and they schooled right around us (and on us!), which was terrific. As for the other stops, I'm sure you could use masks, but I don't know if there is anything to see. The trip to Pinnel Island was a bit bumpy. However, one of our crew has chronic back problems, and she was fine on the trip. Bob does a good job to avoid a jarring ride. Like others, we typically prefer sailing, but we got to see LOTS more and enjoyed the speed on the open water. The food and staff on Pinnel are very good, and we can heartily recommend their rum punch. We made the trip from our ship's gangway to Bob's dock in about 20 minutes at a medium pace, coming and going. It's really pretty close, but it takes 8 to 10 minutes to walk out of the dock area. We had a non-swimmer with us, and Bob took very good care of her. He got very close to shore at Pinnel so she could step down and touch the sandy bottom and walk the remaining few feet to the beach.

 

Again, the best recommendation is that I would do it again...tomorrow! Enjoy. I'm happy to answer questions if I can.

[texkan]

Thanks for the info on Capt Bob. Six of us have booked Capt Bob.

He suggests a 15 minute walk from ship dock to his boat. Guess we will need to walk fast :)

[mamoni]

We really enjoyed our day with Captain Bob last month....the man was a riot and really did his best to make sure everyone had a great day.

 

He's got plenty of beer (Coors Light and Heineken), Soda (Coke and Diet Coke) and water. You can get mixed drinks on Pinel Island which is the lunch stop. Capt Bob doesn't want you to take the beer from the boat to the restaurant.

 

He had a table at the restaurant reserved for the group and he also took on the role of waiter. Save some of your leafy greens if you want to feed the iguanas after lunch.

 

The snorkeling was OK, but still enjoyable. St. Martin isn't really known for their snorkeling anyway. Pinel Island was such a treat, a little secluded bit of paradise. We made a stop to see the airplanes but the boat decided to head off to try to beat a rain cloud that was threatening us. I really enjoyed the stop to swim with the fish. And don't worry, they don't hurt. Great photo opportunity!

 

We hope Captain Bob is doing this tour again next year since we already have another cruise booked and can't think of a better way to spend our day in St. Martin.

 

Rosemary

[soaringfalcon]

This sounds like it might be exactly what we are looking for.

 

What is the approximate cost?

 

Do you have the option to get off at Maho or do you stay on the boat?