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Snorkel gear

Boatingmom

By Boatingmom,
in Princess Cruises

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Sox Fan Cruiser

Sox Fan Cruiser

Posted
Posted

I do! We had to for French Polynesia as the tours don't provide snorkel gear. We have done so ever since. You can get a snorkel, mask and fins with a mesh carrying bag and it takes up little space.

 

I would much rather use mine than grab from the bucket of masks/snorkels they provide on most snorkeling excursions. The quality is better and it fits better.

 

Also, if you wear glasses, you can have your mask set to your prescription and you can leave the glasses behind. I don't like wearing my contacts on a day to day basis but I use them when I snorkel (as I did not get a prescription mask).

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RetiredNTraveling

RetiredNTraveling

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I recently bought a set to take on our Hawaii, Samoa & Tahiti cruise next year. I just can't imagine picking a snorkel out of a barrel of them and stuffing it in my mouth.

I received some great advice from Snorkel Mart as to what I should buy and took their advice.

Now I look like the following and am ready for everything! animated_Goofy_floating_in_swim_ring.gif

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Kinkacruiser Holiday Sharing Rare

Kinkacruiser

Posted
Posted
I recently bought a set to take on our Hawaii, Samoa & Tahiti cruise next year. I just can't imagine picking a snorkel out of a barrel of them and stuffing it in my mouth.

I received some great advice from Snorkel Mart as to what I should buy and took their advice.

Now I look like the following and am ready for everything! animated_Goofy_floating_in_swim_ring.gif

 

 

Love the Goofy gif. Do make sure you visit the drift snorkel off Tahaa Is (a boat ride from Raiatea). It's a brilliant 'ride' and worth doing the run twice. Enjoy :)

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richstowe Great Review Rare

richstowe

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Each and every trip , cruise or beach , we discuss this issue . I lean to bringing my own , DW less so.

She is not as enthusiastic about snorkeling as me and isn't crazy about wasting space and weight

on the equipment . I hate paying money for often inferior equipment .

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

Posted
Posted (edited)
I recently bought a set to take on our Hawaii, Samoa & Tahiti cruise next year. I just can't imagine picking a snorkel out of a barrel of them and stuffing it in my mouth.

I received some great advice from Snorkel Mart as to what I should buy and took their advice.

Now I look like the following and am ready for everything! animated_Goofy_floating_in_swim_ring.gif

 

 

 

Kinda like blowing the whistle on the life jacket. :eek:

 

 

We used to bring everything, but now its down to the mask only.

Edited by Colo Cruiser
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rjack22

rjack22

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Posted

We just had this same debate. I just ordered a snorkel set for me today. My husband has a old set.

 

What decided me was a couple of things. First on this cruise there will be five snorkel opportunities. Two of our excursions provide gear, the rest did not. Second I was leery (although I have done it before) to use mouthpieces that has been in someone else's mouth. And lastly because we will have room to fly with them because we get two pieces of luggage each for free and if we need to can take an extra bag for the gear. In my opinion snorkel gear (with fins) takes up significant space in your luggage not to mention weight. But for us on this cruise it makes sense to take our own.

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Mommypig

Mommypig

Posted
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I always bring my mask -- I am very nearsighted so my mask has a -7.0 diopter so that I get to see the pretty fishes too. I also like my snorkle because it has only been in my mouth and has a better purge valve than the cheapo ones on most excursions. It is possible to get short travel fins, but they don't give quite the same propulsion as longer fins. I don't tend to do much in rough or really deep water so I generally don't wear them, but if I was going to be out in open ocean I would definitely bring them.

 

Since Princess provides coin operated laundry facilities, we tend to bring much less clothing and much more stuff to do (we tend to take longer cruises). It is amazing how little clothes you really need in warm destinations. So there is plenty of room for the snorkle gear.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

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SOCALS

SOCALS

Posted
Posted
Who brings their own gear?

 

When you are 6'6" and have a size 15 shoe, you bring your own gear. Most operators don't have high quality, clean and large size snorkel gear. Funny story, was on a Mexican Riviera cruise several years ago. The tour operator in broken English and Spanish asked why I brought my own. I my best Spanish, I replied "do you have size 15 fins"? Of course the answer was no. The largest size they had was 12.

 

Plus agree with those about prescription masks and the cleanliness of the snorkels.

 

I will continue to bring my own. :rolleyes:

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Tahoe Boater

Tahoe Boater

Posted
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We used to bring our own snorkle gear on cruises, now we bring our own scuba gear. Same reasons as above. Germs, quality, performance, comfort and of course.....price.

 

We dive some days when we are able and we snorkle when we are unable to arrange a dive trip.

 

I would also bring a few spare parts with you if you travel with your own gear. An extra mask and fins strap are good to carry. We had a mask issue on a trip one time first day in port and were unable to find a replacement.

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compozer

compozer

Posted
Posted

Tahoe Boater,

 

I had to do a double take. i could have written your post.

 

If you really enjoy snorkeling, you really should purchase a good mask. Go to a local dive shop. You will have a better experience - no leaks, fogging, etc.

Also, think about taking a snorkeling class if you are afraid, not sure or have had a bad experience. And if you are introducing children to the sport, let them take a class. They don't cost very much and they will be so much more comfortable. I am sure most of us have been on an excursion with at least one child screaming that they want to go back.

 

Enjoy

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WisCruiser2

WisCruiser2

Posted
Posted
We just had this same debate. I just ordered a snorkel set for me today. My husband has a old set.

 

What decided me was a couple of things. First on this cruise there will be five snorkel opportunities. Two of our excursions provide gear, the rest did not. Second I was leery (although I have done it before) to use mouthpieces that has been in someone else's mouth. And lastly because we will have room to fly with them because we get two pieces of luggage each for free and if we need to can take an extra bag for the gear. In my opinion snorkel gear (with fins) takes up significant space in your luggage not to mention weight. But for us on this cruise it makes sense to take our own.

 

Our snorkel gear (including fins) fits in the bottom end of our suitcase, takes up a couple inches & not really that much weight. We've always been under the limit, so I don't think you'll need an extra bag but if you do, nice to know you can use it! Our first cruise, with our daughters, was in 1999, before airlines got so picky about bags -- one daughter brought a whole suitcase full of shoes!!:eek:

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eandj

eandj

Posted
Posted

We bought equip for a 9 day land trip on West Bay beach where we did walk in snorkeling twice a day. :)

We carry along just the snorkel masks if just planning an excursion or two which offer the flippers when cruising. Love having a good clean fit of my own.

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Times Prince

Times Prince

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After some difficulties with fit and the "soda straw" snorkels, we bought our own equipment. First snorkels with splash guard and purge valve, which worked fine for a long time, then later the whole set, including a prescription lenses mask for my wife so she could see the fishes. Sanitation was also a factor.

 

A local dive shop sold us expensive gear (e.g. mask for $69) and I recently replaced the masks and snorkels with Cressi gear from Amazon. with both costing less than the previous mask.

 

Fins from dive shop are large, and take up about half of a 24" suitcase.

 

Bringing our own gear often means we are in the water quickly (everything fits), and allows us to do shore snorkels in places like Cozumel and Roatan for the cost of a cab ride. When on a Princess excursion in St. John, we got an extra half hour in the water while everyone else was making sure equipment fit.

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topspot

topspot

Posted
Posted

We also bring our own gear for all of the above reasons. When packing, socks or underwear fit nicely in the foot section of the fins. We use every inch of space when we pack. DD needs her wetsuit, she has no "natural insulation" and gets cold easily.

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