Are the Jolly Pirates reliable?

[geovet]

I have already booked with Jolly Pirates for later this year. When I researched a little further back, I found that some people had some problems. Does Carnival still contract with them? One of the past problems was canceled independent booking when Carnival later contracted with them. Also, some poor communication when bad weather or overbook and had some people turned away after traveling to their location. Thanks for any insight.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We went with them a few years ago and had no problems. They do contract with cruise lines and if your cruise line has a contract with them for the same tour you may have to book through the cruise line. When we went the cruise line was offering only the shorter (no lunch) tour. We were on the longer tour, so there was no problem.

 

We are now booked once again for our upcoming cruise in May. We have a group of 10+. We were originally booked on the shorter afternoon tour and had a private island tour booked in the morning, but JP contacted us and told us that our afternoon cruise was cancelled and offered us the longer morning tour (lunch included) at the afternoon rate. That was a good deal. We had to change our morning tour to afternoon. Thankfully, we had enough notice to be able to do that. Now we have to hustle to get to their pier on time, but they said they would make sure we made it onboard.:cool:

 

They have been around for quite awhile and the reviews are mostly positive. Our experience before was very good, also. If you see the exact same tour offered by your ship you could ask them if there will be a problem. Otherwise relax, and don't worry. Be happy!:D

Edited January 16, 2014 by Sunny AZ Girl

[OCruisers]

When Jolly Pirates is under contract with a cruise line, that's the only way it can be booked. Normally, there's not much of a price difference ... especially since the cruise line provides transportation to and from Jolly Pirates.

 

LuLu

[lmtrn2001]

It was my understanding that Carnival no longer contracted with them due to liability with them having the swing off the front of the boat.

 

We booked with them independently in Oct 2012 & had a BLAST!! Crew was great, snorkeling was amazing & drinks were flowing!! We would not hesitate to book with them again!!

[Warrior64]

Thinking of booking with Jolly Pirates while there. What is the best way to get there from cruise port and how much is it?

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thinking of booking with Jolly Pirates while there. What is the best way to get there from cruise port and how much is it?

 

We took a taxi there from the ship last time and the bus back. Next time we will stick with a cab. Just our preference.

 

Here is their website. The prices are dependent on what tour you take.

[Warrior64]

How far is the drive from cruise ship? and how much is taxi? Thanks!

[Warrior64]

Just an FYI, I had to cancel our Jolly Pirate tour. We will be there off the Carnival Breeze in April, but arrive at 8:00, which is 9:00 local time. The excursion leaves at 9, so wouldn't make it! Cant believe with a ship that size coming in they wouldn't adjust times??? Guess they don't need business that bad, so now off to find something else to do in Aruba :)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Just an FYI, I had to cancel our Jolly Pirate tour. We will be there off the Carnival Breeze in April, but arrive at 8:00, which is 9:00 local time. The excursion leaves at 9, so wouldn't make it! Cant believe with a ship that size coming in they wouldn't adjust times??? Guess they don't need business that bad, so now off to find something else to do in Aruba :)

 

Good to know. Our ship (The Jewel of the Seas) being based out of San Juan is on the same time zone as Aruba, so we should be ok.

[oceanblue11]

We did Jolly Pirates in Aruba in 2011. We booked privately prior to going on the cruise and it was awesome. Tons of fun. Great snorkelling. Good rum punch. The rope swing was a ton of fun. We got a hilarious video of my 6'8" hubby going off of it!! I'd book with them again. We are planning to book Panama Canal for March 2015 LA to Fort Lauderdale. Has a stop at Aruba again.

[CP Tech]

I wish the pirate battle that they have the video for was a regularly offered tour.

 

I'd sign up our whole group.

[Jacob's Mom]

Just an FYI, I had to cancel our Jolly Pirate tour. We will be there off the Carnival Breeze in April, but arrive at 8:00, which is 9:00 local time. The excursion leaves at 9, so wouldn't make it! Cant believe with a ship that size coming in they wouldn't adjust times??? Guess they don't need business that bad, so now off to find something else to do in Aruba :)

 

Are you coming from Miami? With the recent time change, Aruba is currently the same time as Eastern Time Zone. In April, Aruba and Miami are on the same time zone.

[Warrior64]

Yes, I did find that out and rebooked our excursion :) Thanks, kinda odd Jolly pirates wasn't aware of this when I originally booked??

[serene56]

Just an FYI, I had to cancel our Jolly Pirate tour. We will be there off the Carnival Breeze in April, but arrive at 8:00, which is 9:00 local time. The excursion leaves at 9, so wouldn't make it! Cant believe with a ship that size coming in they wouldn't adjust times??? Guess they don't need business that bad, so now off to find something else to do in Aruba :)

 

 

aruba is the same time as Eastern time.

 

where did you see that its an hour difference?

[serene56]

Yes, I did find that out and rebooked our excursion :) Thanks, kinda odd Jolly pirates wasn't aware of this when I originally booked??

 

 

Aruba is a laid back kind of country-- along with the people.