Anyone done the carnival bio-bay excursion?

[mousey]

We are sailing on the Triumph on April 12th and the DH and DS (13 yrs.) are thinking of doing the Carnival's excursion. I'm not asking about doing it any other way than through Carnival, because as I'm not doing it (me in a kayak:eek:) I want to make sure they will get back to the ship on time and the SIL and I can do our thing (SHOPPING:D) without worrying about them missing the ship!

 

If you've done the Carnival Bio-Bay excursion. Did you like it? If yes/no why or why not? Any tips to make the excursion better? How long are you actually paddling in the kayak? The DH and DS have never been in a kayak, will they be able to this. Thanks for any responses!;)

[rcoaster809]

I did this excursion last June. It was one of the most amazing things to see. There is a 1.5 hour bus ride out to a bay where you get into the kayaks. Then you paddle across the bay to get and through the mangroves to get to the bio bay. Once in the bay, the guide talks a little about the organisims and stars and they help you to see the glow in a few different ways. We kind of herded fish together to get them to move and we could see the glow around them.

 

Kayaking to and from the bay was probably a good 20-30 minutes in each direction and it is one of the funniest things to do. It is very narrow with lots of kayakers trying to navigate. Read a review of it on the San Juan boards. There are always some good stories about the paddle in or out. Once in the bay we stayed there for about 15 minutes. I really can't remember exactly. It really is something that has to be seen, it is impossible to explain it.

 

Also on the San Juan board you can find a link to the lunar cycles. You want to be sure you are not visiting right around a full moon since it will be more difficult to see the glow.

 

Your DH and DS will have a great time!

[tef43]

We did this in 2004. The luminescense is best-viewed on a moonless night. In fact, they do not even offer the tour on or around a full moon.

 

I want to say that the bus ride is about 60-90 minutes each way, but I do not recall exactly. It was MLK Day when we were in port, so there was much less traffic than normal.

 

You kayak for a significant distance through the mangroves before actually arriving at the bio-bay, and then also on the way back to the buses. The guides are there to assist you if you veer off-course.

[mr0315]

We did the Bio bay excursion while we were on the Miracle last September. It was incredible! I wish we could have gotten pictures, but the flash took away the glow. We still laugh about kayaking in the dark in those narrow channels. Let's just say I kept running us into the trees! Great excursion!

[2 rednecks]

I agree it's an incredible sight, absolutely worth it. there were people that went with us that had never been in a kayaks and they did fine. definately check on the lunar cycle. when we went there was no moon at all hard to see in the channel but very worth it for the glow.

[mousey]

Thank you all for your responses.:D I think this is something the DS will like, I just don't know about taking 60-90 min. up and back in a bus. I know the DH really would like to do it, so let's see what they decide. Again, thank you all for your info.