Scuba with Celebrity

[JCA]

I am on the Connie on 12/18/2006 and am interested in their scuba excursions for certified divers. Has anyone had any experience with the companies they use and the quality of the dives.

 

J

[reklawr]

Hi JCA, I usually do at least one Scuba excursion on every cruise but I have never booked through Celebrity. I generally do some research on the ports of call and decide which one I will scuba.

Go to the SCUBA thread here on CC and start your research.:D

Click on this link for the scuba thread:

Cruise Critic Scuba and snorkeling

[Eleris]

Was just on the Connie for the 10/27/06 Western itinerary and went diving the entire trip. I usually book through the ship to avoid being left behind since 2 tank dives can be time consuming. The prices were reasonable and the diving was good and different in every stop. If you have specific questions please let me know. We brought our own equipment but most places will rent all the gear. I love the option of trying new locations since every dive was something completely new.

 

Ellen

[skyview851]

We have booked both cruise-sponsored dives as well as independants. If it's a port that we are not familiar with, or there are no recommended dive operators, we usually book thru the ship. If an operator gets great reviews on the scuba board, we will usually book with the independant dive shop. If you book thru the cruiseline, and your group is running late, the ship will usually wait for you. The cruiseline does not extend this policy to independant tour operators of any type. Any injuries that occur on a ship sponsored dive are also handled differently that those that occur with an independant. Each has it's merits, and I can't say that either has a clear advantage, IMHO.

[DancerOT]

I have gone diving with the ship's excursions several times. Most of the time I feel very safe with who the ship chooses. Once, in Jamaica, I was concerned that the dive team hired had been smoking a commonly found grass before taking us on the dive. However, in every other port I have been extremely impressed with the companies hired. I had difficulty with my personal goggles on one dive in Saint Martin and the dive master helped me. I sometimes have difficulty properly clearing my ears when I dive and in Grand Cayman and Cozumel they waited for me to clear, instead of rushing me on. The video I was able to purchase from the dive shop in Cozumel is one of my favorite cruise memories. Also, if you suffer an injury while diving on the ship's excursion, all medical expenses are covered - if you do it on your own, they are not. On the flip side, some have said that booking independently offers you more flexibility, independence, and saves you money. I have just found the Celebrity excursions to be very good, small groups of people, and very accommodating. I have even dived with Celebrity staff on their day's off.

Enjoy your cruise!

[JCA]

Thank you all for your advise.

 

The link to the CC scuba and snorkle site also gave me some specific recommendations for the islands I will visit. I expect that I will use the ships cruise for two of the ports primarily because we don't arrive ubtil after 10:00 am around the holidays and will only be able to get afternoon dives.

 

J