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Deluxe Lobster Lunch & Champagne Cruise - Anyone ever do this?


redneony
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  • 2 weeks later...

I want to book this tour. But have a question for anyone who has been on this "Mystic Catamaran".. What is the access to the bathrooms like? Stairs? Ladder? I did send an email to the tour operator but thought maybe someone here could answer.

 

Sailing with my 78 year old mother and just want to know what we can expect.

 

Thanks for any info. Sailing in November so have plenty of time.

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RMM .... Sorry about the loss of your dad. How nice your mother will be cruising with you in November.

 

On the Princess Web Site there is a description of this tour. Beside the description, click the box to the left that says "Show All Excursion Details" which will answer many of your questions. There are 7 steps that look like stairs to get off Mystic at the beach stops. There is also a video you can watch which shows the steps and people getting off at the beach.

 

Hope this will help. Have fun planning.

 

LuLu

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  • 3 months later...

Now that ships calling on Antigua are back in the Caribbean for the season, hoping to get some comments from any who have taken the "Deluxe Lobster Lunch & Champagne Cruise".

 

We are booked on it for January but would still appreciate hearing for anyone who has taken it.

 

LuLu

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  • 2 weeks later...

We did it last week through Royal Caribbean and really enjoyed it. Our catamaran was the Mystic 2. There was beer, wine, and strong rum punch for the entire excursion. Lunch was 1/2 of a big lobster grilled on deck while we were swimming at the 2nd stop, rice, potatoes, mixed veggies, and salad. Champagne was served during lunch.

 

We had a total of 3 stops...the 1st and 3rd were on beaches, while the 2nd we anchored off shore. The catamaran tour can have up to 40 people, but ours had 22 and 13 of those were from our roll call. There are both shady areas and open deck.

 

Lisa

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We did it last week through Royal Caribbean and really enjoyed it. Our catamaran was the Mystic 2. There was beer, wine, and strong rum punch for the entire excursion. Lunch was 1/2 of a big lobster grilled on deck while we were swimming at the 2nd stop, rice, potatoes, mixed veggies, and salad. Champagne was served during lunch.

 

We had a total of 3 stops...the 1st and 3rd were on beaches, while the 2nd we anchored off shore. The catamaran tour can have up to 40 people, but ours had 22 and 13 of those were from our roll call. There are both shady areas and open deck.

 

Lisa

 

Lisa .... Thanks so very much for reporting back! :)

 

Sounds good to us and we're looking forward to doing this on Emerald Princess in January!

 

LuLu

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this looks really nice. I will continue to watch the reviews.

 

Was on the excellence in march and it has scared me silly to do anything in antigua again! We, and most on our fellow excursion mates, had the most horrifying experience. I swear they laced the rum punch with drugs! Within an hour of a couple rum punches, people were puking, passing out, one lady could not find her husband and he had passed out in a locked bathroom (the crew traveled back 30 minutes to a beach looking for him, all the while he was locked in the privy on the boat), etc....it was just horrible! And the snorkeling was the worst we've ever experienced...actually scraping our belly on coral and unable to step down because of sea urchins everywhere!

 

Antigua was very beautiful when sailing around the island...and since we are going back next january on another cruise, we don't want to hide out on the ship all day, but hopefully find an excursion that will make all the bad memories of antigua fade away.

was this excursion with the ship or creole??

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  • 3 weeks later...

Unless you prefer to do your excursions through the ship, you can do something very similar with Glen of Creole Cruises.

 

We did this and it was a wonderful day with a great lobster lunch on the beach as well as a couple of snorkeling spots and a hike to the top of Great Bird Island (??).

 

Someone else mentioned doing this earlier and I heartily agree!

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  • 2 weeks later...

We are sailing on the Carnival Breeze 2/2/13. The Champagne & Lobster Lunch excursion through the ship is sold out. Does anyone know if Creole serves champagne, or just rum punch? Has anyone been on both for comparison? And, if the Mystic is the same for the ships, is it likely to be unavailable to book privately?

 

 

Also wondering if anyone knows of any whale watching excursions from Antigua.

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  • 1 month later...

Back from our January 29, 2013 taking this excursion through Princess. Had a great time! Especially nice because the catamaran, Mystic, was not crowded and there was ample room for all and plenty of space to move around.

 

Our first beach stop was 1 1/2 hours at Deep Bay Beach which was lovely. Many went snorkeling ... others just enjoyed the beach.

 

Once most were back from swimming and snorkeling they could begin serving

champagne, beer, rum punch, etc. We docked off of Morris Bay while the lobster was being grilled. It was perfectly cooked. Tables and chairs were set up so eating was very comfortable. After lunch Mystic pulled into the beach area so those who wished could get off for a while. Most did not.

 

Music was played on the return. The crew and some of the passengers danced. Unfortunately, it something called "Caribbean Rap" rather that traditional Caribbean music. Yet, it was lively and sort of fun.

 

Everyone we were with on this excursion seemed to have had a VERY good time! :D

 

LuLu

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Hi: Does anyone who took this tour remember the name of the "champagne" served? Might do this trip witha friend but the other person is very particular about the kind of "champagne" they drink. Thanks. :D

 

They will want to bring their own, we've never seen high-quality champagne served on a daysail. :p

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This looks really nice. I will continue to watch the reviews.

 

Was on the Excellence in March and it has scared me silly to do anything in Antigua again! We, and most on our fellow excursion mates, had the most horrifying experience. I swear they laced the rum punch with drugs! Within an hour of a couple rum punches, people were puking, passing out, one lady could not find her husband and he had passed out in a locked bathroom (the crew traveled back 30 minutes to a beach looking for him, all the while he was locked in the privy on the boat), etc....it was just horrible! And the snorkeling was the worst we've ever experienced...actually scraping our belly on coral and unable to step down because of sea urchins everywhere!

 

Antigua was very beautiful when sailing around the island...and since we are going back next January on another cruise, we don't want to hide out on the ship all day, but hopefully find an excursion that will make all the bad memories of Antigua fade away.

 

Wow, that's the first negative comment I've seen on the Excellence. That was actually one of our two favorite daysails in the Caribbean, and we've done several over the years. We're looking forward to sailing with them to Barbuda and around the island when we stay on Antigua this year.

I'm wondering if someone in your group was responsible for something or what the real cause was as that soyunds very fishy. Very strange story indeed, including the description of your snorkeling experience! :rolleyes: :p

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Hey guys,

 

I'm a little late in reporting back. We sailed out on January 19th on the Breeze. I left a review on Carnival's site. I'ma copy and paste. :)

 

 

-----

 

 

After doing a lot of research, I booked this excursion based solely on the rave reviews it got. So here's another one.

 

 

I can't imagine what else you could possibly want from an excursion. Antigua is gorgeous with awesome beaches, and if you book this tour, you visit at least 2 of them for an hour each, and the beaches we visited were extremely private. We were the only ones there both times. On our tour, we also stopped a little ways off of an island for an hour and swam in the deep. Everyone was jumping off the cat and having a great time.

 

 

And, on top of the great beach and swim stops, this tour is actually a pretty nice tour. The catamaran is speedy and you see a ton of islands in a way that you just can't do properly on a land tour. We even putted through inlets leading to private residences to see how the other side lives up close (and we're SO jealous!!)

 

 

Now -- the lunch so amazing that it takes up half the excursion's title -- 'the deluxe lobster lunch'. It looks exactly as pictured on the site here. Same sides and everything. The sides need salt (IMHO) and their shakers don't work great, but who really cares when you're scarfing down the LOBSTER. For the record, I don't even care for lobster and this was one of the best things I've ever eaten. I don't know why people don't grill lobster more often. Hubby and I are still talking about it weeks later.

 

 

And, finally -- the booze. There is champagne, as the title indicates, but most people didn't even know it because they introduced it on the way back to the ship... after the rum punch. The rum punch. It is STRONG. You WILL have a good time on this tour, and if the awesome guys running it, the lunch or the beaches didn't make you giddy enough, the rum punch will seal the deal. And this is why a huge catamaran full of people is a good thing -- because rum punch makes you and everyone else super friendly (and, arguably, better dancers).

 

 

I know there are lots of catamaran tours available in virtually all the islands (we took one in Tortola the day after), but this one is something truly special. All in all, it represented what the Caribbean is all about to me -- gorgeous beaches, breathtaking views, turquoise water, seafood, carefree good times with great folks, raggae and sun. We will DEFINITELY be booking this again the next time we visit Antigua.

 

 

 

TIPS

 

* DO WEAR SUNSCREEN. REAPPLY OFTEN. Can't stress this enough. Even in the Winter months the sun will bake you. I've never had such a bad sunburn.

 

* Don't fret too much about the weather turning sour. When we first took off, it was gray and raining. It only lasted a half hour or so. Then it was beautiful. Ask the locals and they will tell you, it never rains long on the islands.

 

* The bathrooms on the catamaran are located underneath and only accessible via an extremely steep set of stairs. And, after all the rum punch, the wait can be considerable. Also, the stairs up to the catamaran when being let off at beaches and swim spots are a tiny bit treacherous, especially when your feet are wet. Those with accessibility issues should consider booking a different tour.

 

* Sitting on the front of the catamaran while it's moving will ensure you will get wet. If this is not your thing, secure a spot elsewhere.

 

* The beaches are more on the rocky side, which we loved because there were lots of shells to hunt for. If you have sensitive feet, bring your water shoes.

 

* The operators tell you upfront that this is not a snorkeling excursion. If you have your heart set on snorkeling, this is not for you.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...
Was looking forward to this on our Carnival Freedom cruise- but when I go online at Carnival.com it says it's sold out for our sailing- does anyone know- can you book this directly through the operator?

 

You probably cannot- but there are many fabulous independent party excursions to do in Antigua, including lobster lunch sailing tours. Antigua was a really easy island to do a independent excursion- we chose to go with Adventure Antigua on their eco tour (excellent lunch, but not lobster) and they picked us up in a boat right by our ship!

 

I have no doubt this excursion is fun- but when we drove by their boat it was jammed packed. Ours had only a few people on it.

Edited by skittl1321
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It did seem crowded at first. We were one of the last people to get on, so we were like.... wow. We're not keen on crowds at all, however, as the day went on, it didn't seem crowded at all. These tour operators are pros. Everyone was having fun together. I'm glad there were so many people because we had a blast! It's a HUGE catamaran. I'd say there were 30-40 people aboard when we went. There was plenty of food and booze for everyone, and all the beaches they take you to are private or secluded so the only people who are on the beach are the people who are on the cat with you.

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  • 3 months later...

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