Shark Ray Alley ~ Questions

[LuvMyVette]

Hello:

 

My DH/I will be going on the six hour Shark Ray Alley tour (RCI ~ Grandeur) in a few weeks. After swimming with the stingrays/sharks we will go to Ambergris Caye for lunch and some time on the beach.

 

Has anyone done this excursion with RCI and how was it? Any tips/advice? How was the boat ride over and is it a large boat or small boat? DH/I swam with the stringrays (in Grand Cayman) so we are fine with them but never with nurse sharks.

 

Any tips/advice/information would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Shaken_Bake]

I had a terrific time on the RCI excursion (from Enchantment) in July, all by myself while my DH went diving. Here's a link to a post where I described the excursion in detail: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=28360 (scroll down to post #10)

 

The boat I rode in was fast, but relatively small, with two rows of benches along each side and not much room to move. I rode near the back end, on the outside, and I thought it was very pleasant to ride along in the wind, watching the water and the islands. I've never snorkeled in the ocean before, but it was not difficult at all. I was absolutely blown away by swimming with sharks and rays, all completely tame and used to tourists! Of course, it does take a leap of faith to jump off a boat into water where you can clearly see the outlines of sharks swimming just a few feet below you! The nurse sharks stay very close to the bottom and apparently have blunt teeth. The crew was picking up sting rays out of the water! The number and colors of the tropical fish was incredible. The coral reef was spectacular, especially if you followed the guide closely and watched where he was pointing. One thing I would do differently is to bring a real underwater camera with flash - my disposible did not give me great pictures, nothing like I saw for myself! I also loved our stay on Ambergris Caye - poke around the town for quite a different experience!

[LuvMyVette]

Hi Shaken Bake:

 

Thanks so much for the detailed information on this tour. I read your other post and this place seems gorgeous! I do have a "real" underwater camera since I love to take pictures (EX: 524 pictures on a 7 day cruise to Bermuda last year!). I'm definitely looking forward to this excursion. Not sure how I'll feel when I finally see the sharks but it's one heck of a way to spend my birthday! LOL

 

Right now I plan on bringing my underwater and digital cameras to take pictures. Is it worth to take my video camera as well? Since the boat is small I might not have a safe place to store the camera so it doesn't get wet. I plan on keeping it in a plastic RCI bag and in a duffle bag to protect it when not in use. Please let me know.

 

Do you remember the name/location of the store in Cozumel that sold the black coral jewelry and do they accept credit cards? I'm very interested in checking it out. From what you mentioned on your other post, it seems like you got a good deal for the jewelry. Black coral is very expensive. I have a few pieces that I bought in Grand Cayman and hoping to add to my collection.

 

Thanks for responding and being very informative, it's greatly appreciated.

[Shaken_Bake]

Hi LetsParty!

 

I'm very glad to answer your questions and share my experience, given what a fantastic time I had! Glad to hear you have a real underwater camera - take lots of film! I'd most definitely take the video camera, but do take precautions to avoid getting it wet, because I did get splashed from the spray behind the boat. I think I'd splurge and get something more waterproof than an RCI bag - do you have a ziploc bag large enough? I've also heard of waterproof bags specifically for cameras. It will be worth it on a trip like this.

 

The jewelry store was in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye (not Cozumel). I looked for the business card, but no luck (sorry). San Pedro is very small; I'll bet if you asked someone in the street where the black coral store is, they'd be able to tell you! If you exit Fido's onto the main street closest to the water, turn left. It would be about 2-3 blocks (5 minute slow walk) on the right side of the street. It's a small, dark storefront with a lot of Guatamalan-type painted animals and ceramics in the front; the jewelry's inside towards the back. It's the only place I saw with black coral. There seemed to be an excellent selection, and Ricardo was delightful to talk to. And yes, he does take all major credit cards, and there was no problem with the charges when I got my bill - exactly what it should be. I did bargain with him a bit and got a small reduction because I bought some other trinkets in addition.

 

Something else I'd recommend is getting your own mask and snorkel before your cruise. They're not outrageous (surely under $50 will get you a fine one) and it will fit so much better than what they provide on the excursion. You won't have to constantly clear water from the mask and you can get a snorkel that doesn't allow water to get in at all, which I loved. I did use the boat's fins because mine are enormous and shorter fins are better to navigate through the coral.

 

I hope your cruise is not affected by any new hurricanes. Let me know if there's anything else you're curious about!

[LuvMyVette]

Hi There:

 

Thanks so much for responding to my questions ~ it's greatly appreciated. Seems like you had so much fun on this excursion and cruise. I can sense that by reading your posts. :-)

 

DH/I already have our own snorkeling gear and it was well worth the investment. We've used it so many times and it's nice having your own equipment rather than renting it or using loaned equipment on excursions. Since I have a neon pink set my DH can find me pretty easily if I drift off ~ LOL.

 

What did you think of San Pedro? From you mentioned and from what I've read on several websites, it seems like a nice small town with friendly people. We are going on the six hour tour so not sure how much time we'll have on the Caye or in town. What did you think of Amergris Caye? I heard it was gorgeous and the best of all the Cayes.

 

Since you were in Cozumel as well (I think), did you find any good shops in San Miguel? Last time we were in Cozumel was in 1999. I'm looking for shops that sells onyx wind chimes and misc. onyx items. I remember a shop on the main road that sold really nice wind chimes along with unique misc. items but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.

 

How did you like Enchantment by the way?

 

We are hoping not to have bad weather on this cruise. With all the hurricanes recently I've been concerned. I'm worried about Ivan hitting Grand Cayman since we own a timeshare there...

 

Thanks for your help and all of the information!

 

Have a good day!

[Shaken_Bake]

What did you think of San Pedro? From you mentioned and from what I've read on several websites, it seems like a nice small town with friendly people. We are going on the six hour tour so not sure how much time we'll have on the Caye or in town. What did you think of Amergris Caye? I heard it was gorgeous and the best of all the Cayes.

San Pedro is pretty small, so even if your time is limited, you won't miss much! Just a few sandy streets with a small number of shops. I didn't see any more of Ambergris Caye than what I could see from the boat - hard to tell what it would be like other than a typical tropical island!

Since you were in Cozumel as well (I think), did you find any good shops in San Miguel? Last time we were in Cozumel was in 1999. I'm looking for shops that sells onyx wind chimes and misc. onyx items. I remember a shop on the main road that sold really nice wind chimes along with unique misc. items but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it.

I wish I could tell you more about San Miguel, but on that stop, my husband and I took off immediately for the mainland to visit Tulum. We shopped for about 20 minutes at the port to get some booze, but that was the extent of my Mexican shopping.

How did you like Enchantment by the way?

Enchantment was outstanding! It was our first cruise and it did not disappoint. Can't wait to go again!

[LuvMyVette]

Hello:

 

 

Thanks so much for responding to my message ~ it's greatly appreciated! :) I printed out the information and will take that along with me on the cruise. With the way things are going with the hurricanes, I'm not sure where we will be stopping anymore. So far Freeport/CocoCay is out and now I heard that Cozumel had a little damage as well. Right now it's "whatever". As long as DH/I can cruise, stop at some islands and enjoy ourselves that's fine with me.

 

 

Happy to hear that you enjoyed Enchantment. I haven't been on any of the newer ships yet but plan on being on Voyager next year. Looking forward to it since I've heard so many wonderful things about the newer ships.

 

 

Thanks again for all of your help!

:)