St. John Catamaran Excursions - which one?

[Laura61]

Would you choose the "Champagne Catamaran Sailaway To St. John" or the "Full Day Catamaran Sail To St. John With Lunch" and why? What is the difference between these 2?

 

We will be bringing our DD7 with us. She really enjoyed the Catamaran sail in Grenada - although we anchored on a beach the water was still kind of deep and a little wavy for her so one of the crew members carried her on/off the catamaran. : ) So I would like to go on another one that we anchor on the beach. It sounded like the Champagne catamaran does not anchor on the beach but at a mooring near the beach then you would have to swim to shore?

 

I would appreciate any feedback from anyone who has been on one of these.

 

Thanks for your advice!

 

Laura61

[Host Caroline]

The only difference in the tour is really the lunch so you have to decide if that's worth it? They anchor in a spot that is very close to the beach and you don't have to snorkel in deep water. Depending on when you're going, there tend to be more showers in the afternoon so we "were" going to go on the shorter 1/2 day tour had we not been rerouted in Sept. I talked to the tour op because at one point the group was going to do it "independent" and then Princess lowered the price so decided to that since it was the same thing!

[Coolmama_1]

We did the 1/2 day tour and they served a light snack on the way back (cheese, crackers, fruit etc) It gave us time to shop in St. THomas and do other things.

Enjoy your cruise.

[Laura61]

When you anchored/moored were you able to walk onto the beach or did you have to swim for it?

 

The Champagne Catamaran Sailaway that you were on did not list a children's fare which is leading me to think that they don't want children on it?

 

Thanks for your reply!

 

Laura61

[BigDoug]

We just took the Champagne Catamaran to St. John on 10/18. We were on the Adventurer with Capt. Rocco and crew. We had about 25 people onboard. We went to Honeymoon Beach (Cove) on St. John. Here, we met up with the Tango with more cruisers onboard. We were anchored about 25 yards from the beach. About a third swam over to the beach. The rest of us snorkeled or sunned on the boat. The snorkeling was probably the best that I have ever done. Crystal clear water, sea turtles, sea urchins, and many, many colorful fish. There was virtually no wave action or current to speak of. We spent about 45 - 60 minutes snorkeling. The trip over took about 45 minutes. You are offered juices and soft drinks when you board. After snorkeling, there were adult beverages available (Painkillers - yum), along with the juices and soft drinks. The crew put out cheese, crackers, chips, salsa, fresh bread, and sliced fruit for a light snack. Later, champagne was offered to toast the trip. Capt. Rocco took us on a leisurely sight-seeing trip back. It took a little over an hour to return. It was a very good excursion and I thought very well priced. We only had one small child aboard our boat but the Tango had several onboard. The crew had plenty of gear in all size ranges. They fit my size 15 feet without a problem. I think a good time was had by all. I would definitely recommend this excursion for the snorkeling. If you want to explore St. John or just lie on the beach, this is not the excursion for you.

[Laura61]

Thanks BigDoug - your review was very helpful!

 

Laura61

[Coolmama_1]

Big Doug said it all! There were a few kids on our excursion but I do remember another group joining us that did have several children on board.

 

A big ditto on the painkillers!:D