PADI Scuba Diver Certification Course on RCCL

[EMGSMOM]

Has anyone done the PADI Certification Course on a RCCl Ship?

About how much time do you spend in the classsroom?

Any information you have would be helpful.

My family is going on the Navigator of the Seas in April and we are interested in getting our diving certifications.

Thank you in advance.

[vplsh]

Take a look for a thread of a similar name on the Scuba and Snorkeling board. My DH was going to do this on our upcoming cruise on Freedom, but we've decided to have him complete all the certification requirements at a local dive shop. The course on the ship only has a person do 2 open water dives, and PADI certification requires 4.

[elleluv]

I haven't done the PADI certification on RCL, but I did do it at a local dive shop. If you'd like to dive on your cruise, I'd recommend taking the classes and getting your certification locally before your cruise.

 

It seems like a lot to cram into a week long cruise... I would think you'd miss out on a lot of the cruising experiences if you took the classes on board.

[BillOh]

When I started a similar thread some months ago, I was told that the cost at most local dive shops is lower than what is on the ship.

[mjyanne]

Has anyone done the PADI Certification Course on a RCCl Ship?

About how much time do you spend in the classsroom?

Any information you have would be helpful.

My family is going on the Navigator of the Seas in April and we are interested in getting our diving certifications.

Thank you in advance.

 

This is exactly what my wife and son did in March 2005. They did the course work on the sea days (about 10 - 12 hours over the 2 days), the pool work (the morning in Aruba and then again on the 2nd sea day) on the ship during the sea day (yes, they gave up their time but they considered it part of their vacation). Their certification dives were cancelled in Curacao (poor visibility) so they did their dives in St Maarten and 2 additional dives in St Thomas which gave them the 4 dives needed for PADI Open Water Certification. They have since gone diving in the Bahamas (Shark Dive), Grand Cayman, St Lucia, Barbados, St Thomas and St Maarten (also a shark dive). They also dive locally.

 

The PADI certification course on the ship is the same course you would take locally and was money well spent. They have also done the refresher course on Navigator (because it had been 6 months and they wanted to make sure they felt comfortable remembering everything.

 

I say make it part of your cruise plans and do the whole thing on board. You won't regret it. Enjoy.