Soualiga vs. Blue Safaris

I've done an excursion with Soualiga (Capt. Bob) which was really good, but I'm thinking about booking with Blue Safaris in July just to try out someone different. I would love to hear opinions from anyone who has done both. Thanks bunches. :)

I've done an excursion with Soualiga (Capt. Bob) which was really good, but I'm thinking about booking with Blue Safaris in July just to try out someone different. I would love to hear opinions from anyone who has done both. Thanks bunches. :)

I've done both. Capt. Fab left to start his own legit business called Blue Safaris. In comparison, they are basically the same but Capt. Fab business is smaller. The reason why we will "always" stay with Blue Safaris is because he is honest! Long story short, Capt. Bob talked smacked about Blue Safaris, that he didn't think that they were in business, and that he didn't know where there were working. What Capt. Bob, didn't realize was that we booked with him the year before and there was a mess up with various reservations the day of our tour. He put us on Fab's boat (he was working for Bob at the time) and apologized for the late start of our day. He wanted us to wait for another boat to arrive and we said no, we'll be fine with Fab. We wanted our day to get started as we had already had waited and delayed for over an hour.

The day ended up being great. The following year, we were wanting to go again with Bob's business but wanted Fab as our captain for the day. That's when things went sour. He bad mouthed Fab, said his business was no good, etc...

We stayed at the Holland house for a week. Found out about Blue Dafaris, made a call, spoke to Fab's wife, and made our reservations with them. Well, we went to the original spot to get the tour and Bob was there. He thought that we were on his tour. When we told him that we had booked with Blue Safaris, his tone changed in a very negative way. He stated that they were out of business a long time ago and had no idea how to contact them. I stated that was funny b/c I just spoke with them 30 min. ago and that they were in fact in business up and running. Nasty business man and he turned me off to ever take a trip or recommend him again. Blue Safaris is located at the next Marina (about a 3-5 min walk away). I called Blue Safaris and Fab's wife came right over and got us. They are a young family with great class running an honest to goodness business. They said they Bob was trying to ruin their business so that he can have the monopoly in Phillsburg and has been doing this bad talk for some time. I was fuming as Blue Safaris never said anything bad and told us that it was ok. They believe word of mouth will eventually catch up with him and that they were happy that we not only chose to sail with them but will continue to do so when visiting St Maarten.

We actually did their Anguila trip too. We've done Blue Safaris 4 times and will be doing so again this June. Again Bob's trip is no different than Blue Safaris. They do have more boats so can be a bit more crowded at snorkel stops but they are all the same including lunch, drinks, stops, and time frame.

I just don't do well with scum that try to ruin others out of jealousy or due to having competition. Life is too short.

So, my opinion is that BLUE SAFARIS is BETTER 😎

Thanks for your response. You've confirmed my reservations (no pun intended, LOL) with booking again with Soualiga. There was a mix-up with the boat we were supposed to have as well. We requested a specific boat & ultimately didn't get it. There were some other problems that went on that day as well which I don't believe were Capt. Bob's fault, but still made us at least an hour late starting. We did have a great day, but it still make me go hmm...

Like you though, that's not my biggest issue. He has badmouthed other companies both through emails & on the phone with me. Scare tactics don't sit well with me.

Thanks for your response. You've confirmed my reservations (no pun intended, LOL) with booking again with Soualiga. There was a mix-up with the boat we were supposed to have as well. We requested a specific boat & ultimately didn't get it. There were some other problems that went on that day as well which I don't believe were Capt. Bob's fault, but still made us at least an hour late starting. We did have a great day, but it still make me go hmm...

 

Like you though, that's not my biggest issue. He has badmouthed other companies both through emails & on the phone with me. Scare tactics don't sit well with me.

Like I said, we'll be doing the Anguila tour (again) with Capt. Fab - Blue Safaris next month and again during Christmas week with our two boys (3-Spalsh). Honest people trying to run an honest business gets our $$$. If you go tell them Katen & John say hello. :)

Yes, I'm definitely planning to book with Blue Safaris if they have availability. I was wondering if maybe it was just me, but your reply confirmed what my gut was already telling me. I emailed them as soon as I read your post, just waiting to hear back from them. No problem telling them you said hi. :)

I will be going with my sister who has never been to St. Maarten before so I thought the 3 Island Splash was the better option this time around. For future reference though, which do you like better between the 3 Island splash & the Anguilla trip? Also, do you have a recommendation for which meal option to choose? Thanks bunches :)

Yes, I'm definitely planning to book with Blue Safaris if they have availability. I was wondering if maybe it was just me, but your reply confirmed what my gut was already telling me. I emailed them as soon as I read your post, just waiting to hear back from them. No problem telling them you said hi. :)

 

I will be going with my sister who has never been to St. Maarten before so I thought the 3 Island Splash was the better option this time around. For future reference though, which do you like better between the 3 Island splash & the Anguilla trip? Also, do you have a recommendation for which meal option to choose? Thanks bunches :)

OMGosh........they are both really great but I guess if one has never been to St Maarten, then I'd say 3-Splash. Pinel Island is a favorite on 3-Splash. They are both fantastic and can't go wrong with either one. We have always chosen the fish simply b/c they catch the fish literally hours before you arrive to enjoy. Can't get much fresher than that......😎🌴⚓️🚢

OMGosh........they are both really great but I guess if one has never been to St Maarten, then I'd say 3-Splash. Pinel Island is a favorite on 3-Splash. They are both fantastic and can't go wrong with either one. We have always chosen the fish simply b/c they catch the fish literally hours before you arrive to enjoy. Can't get much fresher than that......😎🌴⚓️🚢

Well that settles it then, fish it will be. I always pick fish when I know it's fresh. ;) Thanks so much for your input. :)

We are doing blue safaris in October with anguilla. I felt the same way about bob. Nice day but it just felt very business like and not personal. Maybe my expectations were too high.

We are doing blue safaris in October with anguilla. I felt the same way about bob. Nice day but it just felt very business like and not personal. Maybe my expectations were too high.

You will LOVE the trip and will definitely get personal service. We've done this trip last summer and will be doing it once again next month. So worth every penny. 😎😎😎

Just returned- we used Billy Bob's Boat Charters and we were super impressed. Can't say enough about them. Professional yet fun- we saw so many beaches and snorkel spots- my brain is still reeling!

I contacted Blue Safari about going to Anguilla and they responded back quickly that they had availability. I emailed them back and twice more since and have not gotten any more replies. Really want to do the Anguilla trip but can't book if they don't get back to me.

Just returned- we used Billy Bob's Boat Charters and we were super impressed. Can't say enough about them. Professional yet fun- we saw so many beaches and snorkel spots- my brain is still reeling!

Thanks for the info. I just contacted them to book in april 2018. I will make it eventually to Anguilla:D. If anyone has done this, is it possible with a port time of 8a to 5p that you can feasibly do this tour? I would like anyone's opinion who actually did this with this type of timeframe. Thx

I would also like to know if a port time of 8-5 allows enough time to get to Anguilla for the day.

Thanks for the info. I just contacted them to book in april 2018. I will make it eventually to Anguilla:D. If anyone has done this, is it possible with a port time of 8a to 5p that you can feasibly do this tour? I would like anyone's opinion who actually did this with this type of timeframe. Thx

We have done this tour with Blue Safaris and they are FANTASTIC!!!!! They will defonitely get you back. Captain Fab is simply the BEST!!!!! This tours is worth every penny and then some.

Recent reviews are not very good regarding Blue Safari. They seem to have become very unreliable of late. Think we will go with Soualiga Boat Tours.

Recent reviews are not very good regarding Blue Safari. They seem to have become very unreliable of late. Think we will go with Soualiga Boat Tours.

They are in high demand and might be a reason as to why one may not hear back right away. They are not the commercial size like Soualiga but rather a small hard working family that has started their own company about 5 years ago. One or two boats vs five six, or seven is a big difference in regards to accommodating. We have personally done both tours and prefer the more intimate personal touch with Blue Safaris. We will be doing their tour (doesn't matter which one to us) next week. Capt. Fab, here we come......:)

They are in high demand and might be a reason as to why one may not hear back right away. They are not the commercial size like Soualiga but rather a small hard working family that has started their own company about 5 years ago. One or two boats vs five six, or seven is a big difference in regards to accommodating. We have personally done both tours and prefer the more intimate personal touch with Blue Safaris. We will be doing their tour (doesn't matter which one to us) next week. Capt. Fab, here we come......:)

Good luck!! Hopefully they will actually pick you up. Seems like a great tour when they actually show up. The last three months they have not been in high demand or reliable. We learned the hard way when the didn't show up earlier this year and left 7 people stranded. We will go with the more reliable Captain Bob

Good luck!! Hopefully they will actually pick you up. Seems like a great tour when they actually show up. The last three months they have not been in high demand or reliable. We learned the hard way when the didn't show up earlier this year and left 7 people stranded. We will go with the more reliable Captain Bob

Thank you but no thanks needed. They don't pick you up unless you request it ahead of time. The marina location (new Mariana, cleaner/classier/more upscale) is a 10-15 minute easy walk at most from the cruise ship pier. Like I said before, we've done both Bob's and Blue Safaris and found Capt. Fab to be much more personable and accommodating to the needs of all on board (12 max). I am not going to bad mouth Capt. Bob with the unfortunate and disappointing stories with his business work ethics or his mix ups too. It happens to them all with the over booking. To each his own. I'll let you know how wonderful things went once we get back. This will be our 6/7 time now with Blue Safaris and have nothing but GOOD things to say about them thus far. Happy Holidays - Merry Christmas <3

Thanks for this post - I have been trying to book or contact Blue Safari for the last month for April visit! Just one email response, none since. Then I received an automatic email stating "your tour can not be booked". No other correspondence.

So I am booking with Capt. Bob - he returned my call and emailed me within 15 mins. for booking.

Looks like he has good reviews on Trip Advisor.

CT

Thanks for this post - I have been trying to book or contact Blue Safari for the last month for April visit! Just one email response, none since. Then I received an automatic email stating "your tour can not be booked". No other correspondence.

 

So I am booking with Capt. Bob - he returned my call and emailed me within 15 mins. for booking.

 

Looks like he has good reviews on Trip Advisor.

 

CT

We used Capt Bob last year, great trip!! Probably going to book again for this year. Got the same automated response. "Your tour can not be booked". No other choices given

Thanks for this post - I have been trying to book or contact Blue Safari for the last month for April visit! Just one email response, none since. Then I received an automatic email stating "your tour can not be booked". No other correspondence.

 

So I am booking with Capt. Bob - he returned my call and emailed me within 15 mins. for booking.

 

Looks like he has good reviews on Trip Advisor.

 

CT

Blue Safaris can't compete in size with Bob's company however Blue Safaris is always in high demand so I'm not surprised that they are already fully booked. With Blue Safaris, you need to book well in advanced (I see that you tried) but the time you are visiting St Maarten, it's peak season for those in the north with their spring break season (originally from the north and we'll know as a teacher). You will be happy with the trip you booked, and they too do a good job (been with Bob before (his son mostly as Bob collects the $$$) and stays behind unless he's short on captains (5/6 boats). This is the reason why they have more availabity as to Blue Safaris has 1/2 boats. I guess that's all they need to make their company stay in high demand without being too big. They are a young family with two small children and want to keep it that way in order to stay personable with little overhead. Have a great trip and I'll be sure to let Capt. Fab and his wife, Kirsten, know of your reasons not to take their tour as we will be with them next week (7+ tours now). 🎅🏻🎄Merry Chrisrtmas 🎄🎅🏻

Thank you but no thanks needed. They don't pick you up unless you request it ahead of time. The marina location (new Mariana, cleaner/classier/more upscale) is a 10-15 minute easy walk at most from the cruise ship pier. Like I said before, we've done both Bob's and Blue Safaris and found Capt. Fab to be much more personable and accommodating to the needs of all on board (12 max). I am not going to bad mouth Capt. Bob with the unfortunate and disappointing stories with his business work ethics or his mix ups too. It happens to them all with the over booking. To each his own. I'll let you know how wonderful things went once we get back. This will be our 6/7 time now with Blue Safaris and have nothing but GOOD things to say about them thus far. Happy Holidays - Merry Christmas <3

Enjoy and have fun. Pretty funny that you don't want to bad mouth Captain Bob, and yet you do. Trip advisor rates them #1 out 0f 122, while Blue safari comes in at #37. And our plans along with everyone else's was done months ahead of time, they never showed and seem to be using the same excuse. They are very unreliable the last 3 months, as they have 5 terrible ratings out of the last seven reviews on trip advisor. I'll stick with the info on trip advisor. Pretty sure people can make up their minds with a little research. Anyone singing their praises after recent events with Blue Safari comes off sounding like a company employee.

Enjoy and have fun. Pretty funny that you don't want to bad mouth Captain Bob, and yet you do. Trip advisor rates them #1 out 0f 122, while Blue safari comes in at #37. And our plans along with everyone else's was done months ahead of time, they never showed and seem to be using the same excuse. They are very unreliable the last 3 months, as they have 5 terrible ratings out of the last seven reviews on trip advisor. I'll stick with the info on trip advisor. Pretty sure people can make up their minds with a little research. Anyone singing their praises after recent events with Blue Safari comes off sounding like a company employee.

If I wanted to truly bad mouth Bob and his past business practices it wouldn't be pretty therefore I won't. His son, is fantastic and does a great job. Bob himself lacks integrity and has done things in the past that have been unethical. That I choose not to get into or disclose. As for being an employee of Blue Safaris, you are so far from being close. Maybe some day when I retire, a dream would be to live wearing "T" shirts and flip flops right at the beach. In the meantime, let's not got tit for tat here. You like once company and I prefer another and have had nothing but positive things to say from my own personal experience.

Fair enough !! I don't know them and probably won't book with them. I just came on here to gather more information about them. As far as Blue safari goes, I wish I could have had a great trip with them as you have had many times. When I booked them they had fantastic reviews and was really looking forward to the trip. I understand things happen, but the poor customer service afterwards wasn't expected. No matter who people decide to book excursions with, always make sure your questions and concerns are answered, your emails and phone calls are answered.

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We tried to use Blue safaris in October. They cancelled the night before. Thank God I had wifi on the ship where I could read my emails and found out and was able to rent a car the next day. I should have written about the whole situation on Trip Ad because I was upset and really not a big fan of this company. They told me that the squalls to get to Anquilla were too much. I found out that 1. They were not - the ferry ran that day with no issue. 2. They had ran their 3 island trip without any difficulty that day. I had asked them if my husband and I could go on that and got no response. I was reimbursed which was why I didn't write a bad review on Trip Ad. I just felt as if they didn't feel like going that day or maybe didn't have enough people. I don't trust them again to take me out. I am going to try Billy Bones in April 2018. We actually are going to stay in Anguilla for a few days after that cruise so I will get there finally.:D If Billy turns out to be strike #3 with boat tours in st martin, I will continue to rent cars and go on my own. I should add that there were only 3 ships in that day so perhaps they couldn't get enough people for the tour.