Mi Dushi vs Jolly Pirates in Aruba

[dsnygrl]

Has anyone been on both of these that can offer a comparison? We are not big drinkers and I have heard the stories that these are party boats. We are traveling with a 5 year old and a 12 year old and don't want things to get too wild. :eek: Is there one that is better suited for children and a more laid back crowd?

[Giskard]

I am looking at either of these for our day in Aruba. Our 12 year old would love to go on a pirate type boat. Any comments would be appreciated.

deb

[grangermom]

I'm sorry I can't compare as I haven't been on mi dushi. However, we just did the Jolly Pirates excursion during spring break. We had 8 kids with us, ages 10-16. They had an open bar, but it wasn't a booze cruise at all. This might be because we took the morning excursion. It was a great trip, and I recommend it.

[dsciambi]

I also haven't done Mi Dushi, but my wife and I did Jolly Pirates in March and it was by far the best excursion of our entire trip. There was an open bar, but no one got out of hand or even noticably drunk, and the tour guides were fantastic. There were no very young children on our sailing however, I'd say the youngest were probably 12-16 (it's so hard to tell the difference between 12 and 18 though).

[bridkid]

we did Jolly Pirates on April 21st - they had an open bar but there was very little drinking - our daughter is 14 and we all had a great time.

[dsnygrl]

thank you all for your reviews, they have made us feel more comfortable.

[Sun Lover]

A couple people were complaining about Jolly Pirates saying it was way overcrowded, the boat was in bad shape, and they ran out of snorkeling gear. I'm wondering if they booked it on their own or through the cruiseline.

[marcia014]

Any further opinions or comments? Anyone have firsthand experience since May? I will be in Aruba in a little over a month, and will be travelling with my mother who does not like to be in water where she can not touch the bottom. She will be fine on a boat, especially with attentive crew on board with her while everyone else is in the water. What about the lunches provided - what was on the menu? Mom likes her traditional, standard American fare and no seafod for her. I am trying to figure out which one of these two excursions would be a better fit for the two of us. Thanks in advance for your help!

[dsnygrl]

Marcia, I was the one who started this thread. We went to Aruba 3 weeks ago and did the Mi Dushi. My review is on this thread about 15 posts down. It was wonderful. The crew was fantasic. They really really cared that you were having a good time. The lunch was catered by the Le Dome rest. in Aruba. Funny you should post this today and ask about the lunch because I emailed them this morning to see if I could get the recipes, it was that good. The crew took the dingy off the back of our boat at the last snorkeling spot and went to shore to meet the truck delivering our food. It was then plated up on the boat and served to us on real stoneware (not paper) plates. It was a cucumber salad, rice, corn on the cobb and a beef and chickendish. I asked the crew what the meat dishes were called and they teased us and said it was iguana. The beef was in a rich brown sauce and I would liken it to a stroganoff. The chicken was also cut in strips and in a light colored sauce. There was no seafood. We were on the Carnival Destiny and this was the best meal we had the whole trip, I woke up thinking about it this morning. We passed the Jolly Roger in our boat and when we saw it we were glad we picked the Mi Dushi. It was well woth the price.

[Choozin Croozin]

marcia - there are some smaller ships that do the same things as MiDushi and JP. I have been doing lots of searching and I am having the same trouble trying to make up my mind. Mi DUshi does not sail on Mondays so that takes care of that one for me. Part of me wants a smaller excursion and the other thinks JP sounds like fun. If you want the names of the smaller ships let me know. :)

[marcia014]

Thanks choozin' cruzin',

I would love some information about smaller ships that also do snorkeling tours. My email is marciasjunk at charter dot net. Thanks again!

[CVL105]

My grandmother has had a hip replacement and has a hard time stepping up onto things...will she have a hard time getting on and off the Mi Dushi ship?

 

Thanks!

[dsnygrl]

The Mi Dushi requires either 12 or 15 feet of water. That said, you have to take a small boat out to where the Mi Dushi is anchored off shore. You walk off the dock and down a step or 2 to get on the small boat, then when that gets to the Mi Dushi, you have to walk up 2 steps and across on to the ship. The smaller boat does bob a bit in the waves. There is a person on both boats available to help you. On the return it is reversed. Sorry I can not answer the question with a yes or no since I do not know what she can and can not do but I hope this helps.

[CVL105]

The Mi Dushi requires either 12 or 15 feet of water. That said, you have to take a small boat out to where the Mi Dushi is anchored off shore. You walk off the dock and down a step or 2 to get on the small boat, then when that gets to the Mi Dushi, you have to walk up 2 steps and across on to the ship. The smaller boat does bob a bit in the waves. There is a person on both boats available to help you. On the return it is reversed. Sorry I can not answer the question with a yes or no since I do not know what she can and can not do but I hope this helps.

 

Thank you...she can definately do steps...I just wasn't sure how big those steps are. If it's a normal step, she'll be fine! Oooh I can't wait! I am surprising my grandparents with this as part of their X-mas present while we're on the cruise. My grandfather has had a boat all my life and loves being on the water. Thought they would appreciate this!:D