Barbados Catamaran Excursion Chart

[scomar]

excellent job.

I am going to hold on to a copy of this as we are sailing the Valor in Aug and will be stopping in Barbados.

THANK YOU!!!

I am glad you found it helpful. That is why I posted it. It may not contain every possible catamaran excursion possible, but like I said I made it for my own taste. Plus I like to have many options, be it cheap or expensive, but it has to be a good experience. I have leaned in life just because you pay more doesn't mean you always get more or better:)

[texkan]

We have sailed with Silver Moon (24 passenger) the last 4 trips to Barbados.

Great group to sail with, $90 per person on the 24 passenger cat.

 

2014 decided to go with Gina on Calabaza (12 person cat) $110 per person.

 

You can not go wrong with either of these groups. Both tend to fill fast as many people tend to book a year in advantage.

 

Sailed with Tiami first trip to Barbados. Felt the cat was a little over crowded. This was a snorkel excursion that was Sold thru the ship (Celebrity).

[Texas]

Our group of 5 sailed on the Silver Moon lll on April 11. We all agreed it was the best day of our cruise. They have two cats - one for up to 12 and a larger one that carries a few more.

Because there was a total of 13 in our group (all CC) - they gave us the larger cat. AMAZING. This is a first class company. The crew was exceptional and the boat is amazing. The crew took care of us like we were celebrities. The bar was stocked with top shelf liquor, they even brought out the blender and made frozen pina coladas in the afternoon. The lunch was delicious. The crew lead us on 2 snorkels - one with turtles. We have been home for several days and we telling our friends about our great day on the Silver Moon!

[Windinmahair]

Ahoy All,

 

All the people of Cruise Critic has helped made all my cruises a more pleasurable experience. So I thought I would give back to all of you. I have attached a catamaran excursion chart to help anyone narrow down their choices if you are looking for a catamaran excursion in Barbados. It breaks it down by name of tour company (click-able to take you to their website), what kind of tour they provide (I only have snorkeling/swimming with turtles listed), Duration of cruise with departure time and return times, the cost (the total cost shown is for two people just divide by two to get per person cost, as of 4-13-13) and Trip Advisor rating (click-able to take you to the full review). I made this specifically for my upcoming cruise but hope it can help you as well.

 

Scomar

 

I am glad you are adding Calabaza since their reviews are excellent. Could you please add Calypso Cruises to your chart? They are the new kids on the block so to speak but have glowing reviews. I have a feeling your chart will be around for a long time on Cruise Critic. Very nice job. :)

[Windinmahair]

I am glad you found it helpful. That is why I posted it. It may not contain every possible catamaran excursion possible, but like I said I made it for my own taste. Plus I like to have many options, be it cheap or expensive, but it has to be a good experience. I have leaned in life just because you pay more doesn't mean you always get more or better:)

 

Well said and very wise.

[Aplmac]

Wow ...hasn't this turned out to be a great idea!

 

Look at the amount of posts this thread has generated in just a short while!

 

...................................

 

Here are a few pics of various coastal cruisers in Barbados.

 

 

TIAMI ...stopped for lunch, somewhere up the West Coast.

 

 

 

TWO Tiami's ..stopped for lunch and snorkelling!

 

 

 

This is Cool Runnings ..offshore, making time!

 

 

 

Here's one of the Silver Moon's making her way out for the day

 

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[scomar]

Thanks APLMAC for the pics. It really adds to the chart. Tiami's look pretty crowded.

 

Thanks for making our cruise better.

 

Scomar

[valentinebaby1]

Does anyone know what company the "Five Star Catamaran & Turtle Encounter" through Carnival's excursions would be? Or has anyone done that one specifically and know how crowded it is? It's $100/pp with meal/drinks included and 5.5 hours...it looks like from the photo on Carnival's excursion page that it is the same boat as Tiami, so is it basically the same as Tiami's excursion but with the meal?

[texkan]

Pictures are very nice. Thank you for posting :)

[valentinebaby1]

Quick question for anyone who's been on one of these catamarans...are they pretty easy to get on and off of? it looks like they all have the steps and would be pretty easy...but just curious if anyone had any trouble?

[texkan]

Quick question for anyone who's been on one of these catamarans...are they pretty easy to get on and off of? it looks like they all have the steps and would be pretty easy...but just curious if anyone had any trouble?

 

Silver Moon has a ladder at the front of Cat. The ladder is at an angle that makes it easy to use. Very easy to access the water.

[valentinebaby1]

Silver Moon has a ladder at the front of Cat. The ladder is at an angle that makes it easy to use. Very easy to access the water.

 

Thank you for the quick reply!

[Cruisin KLS]

Quick question for anyone who's been on one of these catamarans...are they pretty easy to get on and off of? it looks like they all have the steps and would be pretty easy...but just curious if anyone had any trouble?

 

Only been on Calabaza but there are steps on the back going down to a ladder. Very easy to get on and off.

[Cruisin KLS]

Does anyone know what company the "Five Star Catamaran & Turtle Encounter" through Carnival's excursions would be? Or has anyone done that one specifically and know how crowded it is? It's $100/pp with meal/drinks included and 5.5 hours...it looks like from the photo on Carnival's excursion page that it is the same boat as Tiami, so is it basically the same as Tiami's excursion but with the meal?

 

I think most of the ships use Tiami. For $110 you can take Calabaza that only books 12 people and the food and drinks are much better. So is the hospitality and attention.

[JerseyMom5]

Calabaza is wonderful! We went with them in March and it was a fantastic day. They arrange to have you picked up in a taxi at the port at 9 am and take you to their dock which is about 10 minutes away. You set sail at 9:30 and return to the port via taxi at 2:30. Taxis are included in their cost of $110 per person. Also included are all your drinks and lunch which was delicious and homemade. They take you to swim with the turtles and then to another site with two shipwrecks which are abundant with fish. There is shade onboard for those that prefer it. Whether or not you will have time to do something else that day will depend on your ship's schedule.

[Winedogs]

I truly cannot say enough great things about the day, Gina & crew and their hospitality! We too booked almost 1 year in advance and paid $110. Here is the review I gave Calabaza:

 

I read many reviews, and had previously sailed on Silvermoon, so we had high expectations. Gina, and her crew Ben and Danny surpassed our expectations!!

 

It is as described by so many here, warm banana bread, drinks and service to die for from the start! The seas were unusually rocky during our entire week at sea on our cruise, and this day was no exception. Gina was honest, and said the visibility may not be good, and swells can affect the turtles, and other times not at all. They are natural turtles, in their environment, so I could not have expected any different answer, and greatly appreciated her candor.

 

There was an hour or so sail out to Payne's Bay and the crew offered snacks and drinks along the way, and pointed out different sights along the way. When we arrived, immediately Shelly (a resident, friendly turtle) popped her head up and brought 2 of her friends. We had an AMAZING experience, and the 3 turtles swam around our group of 12 for at least 1/2 an hour. I could have never left. I truly was so happy, and grateful for such an experience, I cannot put into words the joy I felt, and still feel when I describe it!

 

Due to the swells, we headed back to close to the port, Carlisle Bay (I believe) where we snorkeled over 2 different sites and enjoyed a GREAT lunch. After lunch the catamaran stayed anchored, and we could swim or relax on the boat for about an hour. The day was paced perfectly and could not have been enjoyed more by our family.

 

I truly feel a visit to Barbados without sharing at least 1 sail with Gina and her crew would be an insufficient trip! I know when we return for a land vacation, Gina will be the 1st reservation I make after our accommodations

 

Since it was a little choppy and the catamaran was anchored, were you close enough to shore to swim there and get off if you didn't want to endure the rocking motion of the cat? I really want to go on this trip, just am a little anxious about any extreme motion:confused:

[aimodels]

The west coast is generally pretty calm. Remember also that cats are more stable and don't rock as much as monohulls.

 

Cheers, P:)

[WaggesAZ]

Since it was a little choppy and the catamaran was anchored, were you close enough to shore to swim there and get off if you didn't want to endure the rocking motion of the cat? I really want to go on this trip, just am a little anxious about any extreme motion:confused:

 

Not at all, we swam to shore and back with no issues. It was choppy over by Payne's Bay, but the swells by Carlisle were not even an issue. Having lunch and staying on the cat it was little more than gentle rocking at best. You will have a great time! :D I can email you a few pictures of the distance, but I do not have my photos hosted anywhere so I can't post them here. My email is waggesaz.cc@gmail.com if you would like to see the distance. :D

[petersonwith3]

OP - this chart is great! do you do these types of charts for each of your excursion days? Do you have any others? I am planning our trip for 14 and this would make life so easy!

[scomar]

OP - this chart is great! do you do these types of charts for each of your excursion days? Do you have any others? I am planning our trip for 14 and this would make life so easy!

I'm sorry I do not have any other charts. It will depend on the port we are at if I make a chart. Some ports for us will be a no brainer if there are not many excursion we like to go on. There were so many catamaran cruises to choice from I decided to make the chart to make it easier to choose.

 

Have a great cruise!

[Ladybug525]

Scomar,

 

Thank you so much for posting! I hope to see more of your postings. My adult daughter and I are cruising on Valor in July and have been trying to make sense of what shore excursions to take part in. Would love to see more of your suggestions for other ports.

 

Thank you again!