Eli's Eco Tour vs ship excursion

I'm looking into Eli's Eco Tour which looks nice. I started looking up what the ship has to offer and I found a "Catamaran, snorkel, and beach" tour for about half the price. That one is 3 hours, and I'm not sure how long Eli's tour lasts.

Has anyone taken the RC excursion? How was it? I know the ship excursions tend to be crowded, but I've had good luck with smaller groups in the past.

The first time was through the ship and it was crowded as it is popular. We've been out with ELi several times and it is by far the better option IMO. Eli grew up on the isle and has a wealth of knowledge and truly respects mother earth. He has several tours so I do not know what you are comparing. Look up his web site which is very detailed. I'm not as agile as my hubby and he enjoyed a hike while I floated in the sea. The food was very good and the crowd is minimal when you travel with ELI. Enjoy!

Thanks!

Agree with the other poster. We just did Eli's Echo tour for the second time last week and it was just as good, if not better than it was four years ago. One excursion I always recommend without hesitation. Tour lasts about 6 hours. Climbing Hell's Gate is a truly memorable experience and the lunch included was excellent!

Awesome! Thanks cruzeluver.

So, I'm a little weirded out by this company. They have fantastic reviews and come highly recommended but they require you to fill out the booking form and give your credit card number before they will answer ANY questions. All I want to know is if the tour times will work with us being in port 8am - 4pm. No email listed and I face booked them and they still refused to answer the question. Has anyone taken the circumnavigation tour for me give me the tour time/pickup location since the company won't?

So, I'm a little weirded out by this company. They have fantastic reviews and come highly recommended but they require you to fill out the booking form and give your credit card number before they will answer ANY questions. All I want to know is if the tour times will work with us being in port 8am - 4pm. No email listed and I face booked them and they still refused to answer the question. Has anyone taken the circumnavigation tour for me give me the tour time/pickup location since the company won't?

Wow, really?! I would not be disclosing my credit card just for info either! :eek:

We did this tour in 2010 (loved it!) so I looked back on my review notes. The only thing I have noted is that this tour runs on "island time", not ship time. But, our ship arrived at 6:45am so we had plenty of time as I recall.

I would assume that they would be accommodating all ships in port. Sorry I couldn't be of more help!

We will be in Antigua again this December - also arriving at 8am. I am looking for some more details on the Eco Tour if anyone has been on it recently. I read their website's description, but I would like a more detailed list of activities covered. Trying to decide if I want to do the Circumnav again or try something different.

We have the EcoTour booked. Before putting in my CC number I read a TON of reviews over on trip advisor. Even the 1 star reviews mentioned nothing about being ripped off or having identity stolen or charged when they shouldn't have been charged. So I did it.

But my question is about the time change. Dallen mentioned the timing in 2010. We dock at 8am, but if the ship's time doesn't change, that means we're docking at 8 eastern time, but in Antigua it'll already be 9. Since we are supposed to meet at 8:50 on the dock that's a problem. But the tour operators know what they are doing, right? :o

We have the EcoTour booked. Before putting in my CC number I read a TON of reviews over on trip advisor. Even the 1 star reviews mentioned nothing about being ripped off or having identity stolen or charged when they shouldn't have been charged. So I did it.

 

 

But my question is about the time change. Dallen mentioned the timing in 2010. We dock at 8am, but if the ship's time doesn't change, that means we're docking at 8 eastern time, but in Antigua it'll already be 9. Since we are supposed to meet at 8:50 on the dock that's a problem. But the tour operators know what they are doing, right? :o

We did this in October but we were staying in Antigua. However, I would email about the time change just to verify. Also, ask the ship guest services the night before what the local time will be when you disembark. And I really strongly suggest having an internet package while you are on the cruise. This way if there are any problems, you can contact Eli.

Regarding the tour, we did the 360 tour which was great. These guys have been in the business for a while. If they miss the ship, it is bad business for them. Every email I sent was answered promptly. When you get on, they ask for the cash up front which is fine, a lot of people do this and it saves you the headache of keeping track of loose money during an excursion. I thought they were really friendly and nice. It's really obvious that they are used to running these tours and are successful at them.

Thanks Jean. :)

Well I figured it out. I'm so flighty about this cruise; I forgot it leaves out of PR and that's on the same basic timezone as Antigua. So there are no worries now. :)

In have literally had to write down that we are going from orlando to the airport, not to Canaveral, for the cruise. That was the day I was pricing rental cars with a dropoff at the port. Glad I figured it out lol. I just keep forgetting!

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Thanks Jean. :)

 

Well I figured it out. I'm so flighty about this cruise; I forgot it leaves out of PR and that's on the same basic timezone as Antigua. So there are no worries now. :)

 

In have literally had to write down that we are going from orlando to the airport, not to Canaveral, for the cruise. That was the day I was pricing rental cars with a dropoff at the port. Glad I figured it out lol. I just keep forgetting!

 

 

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you will have a great time. They are really friendly and down to earth. My husband and I were talking to them for a while during lunch about the island and everywhere to see while we were there and they couldn't have been nicer and helpful. You can sense that they love what they do and they love showing off their island. Probably one of my favorite tours in the caribbean besides Aristocat charters in Tortola.

you will have a great time. They are really friendly and down to earth. My husband and I were talking to them for a while during lunch about the island and everywhere to see while we were there and they couldn't have been nicer and helpful. You can sense that they love what they do and they love showing off their island. Probably one of my favorite tours in the caribbean besides Aristocat charters in Tortola.

It was terrific. You're right; they do seem to care.

I had a bit of a panic attack while snorkeling (the ocean is different than being in castaway cay's snorkeling lagoon!) and Arion stuck with me, talking calmly and helping me. I decided to just follow him so I'd be ok and I was. The panic subsided and I was able to snorkel a bit.

Meanwhile Trevor was leading the more brave group and my son was right with him doing everything he did. Trevor said he was like a fish in the water and that he was impressed.

The boat ride to pick up everyone and get out to the first sites was rough and got us all sopping wet but oh well.