bklyndg Posted September 15, 2007 #1 Share Posted September 15, 2007 We just got back from the Mariner and were thrilled by this new tour at Labadee. I have been snorkeling at other ports, and they were ok. This was really incredible. They bring you to this location in the middle of the water that was just breathtaking. On one side there was a fantastic coral reef and on the other, a sand bar. So you can choose where you want to go, or do both. The coral formations were some of the best we've seen and the water was just crystal clear. You could really just see everything. The sandbar was fantastic. After we snorkeled for a little while, we went there. You are just literally standing in the middle of the ocean. It doesn't get better then that. The view was spectacular! We just relaxed there for the rest of the tour and it was so worth it. Then once we got back on the boat, there was great music and some drinks, and everyone just had a great time on the ride back. Oh and if anyone has done the Castaway at Malfini tour, their tour guide Conrad, is now doing this. He is so funny and energetic and just really helps you have a good time. The whole staff was just fantastic. I can not say enough how wonderful this was. It was one of the highlights of our cruise. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in snorkeling. It doesn't get much better then this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerdaedda Posted September 18, 2007 #2 Share Posted September 18, 2007 Hi, that really sounds great. I had a look at RCI homepage but this tour does not show up. Did you book it on the ship ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklyndg Posted September 23, 2007 Author #3 Share Posted September 23, 2007 I didn't find it online either. We were like the second tour that went out. This is a brand new tour. The guides told me that it just started and it was going to be online soon or something like that. If you are going to labadee, this is definitely something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kittymom65 Posted September 24, 2007 #4 Share Posted September 24, 2007 Sounds like exactly what we want to do on Labadee! A few questions, if you don't care: Do you remember the cost? We will bring our own snorkel, mask, and fins, but not vest--I know on CocoCay they require you to rent the vest, which is like $6. Do you know if that is the case on Labadee also? Do they take you out on a boat or do you swim out? Where do you go when you get off the tender to find the excursion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklyndg Posted September 25, 2007 Author #5 Share Posted September 25, 2007 I think it was 42 dollars. With that, all the equipment was provided. We all were wearing vest, so i guess you would have to also. We went out on a big boat that had ladders which were really easy to climb up and down from. To find the excursion, it's in the same place that all the other stuff is at (waverunners, parasail, etc.). I forget the exact name of the beach, but it not hard to find. When you are on the tender, you'll see a big blue boat on the right, the boat is actually called big blue, lol. Just go there and the guys will help you out. Everyone there is really nice. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny AZ Girl Posted September 25, 2007 #6 Share Posted September 25, 2007 It sounds great! How long is the excursion? We will be with friends who are not big snorkelers & would love to be able to do the excursion & still have 'beach time' with them!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklyndg Posted September 28, 2007 Author #7 Share Posted September 28, 2007 It's 2 hours long i think. You'll have plenty of time back to enjoy Labadee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heydn62 Posted October 7, 2007 #8 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Just got off Liberty of the Seas on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Thought we probably wouldn't snorkle as there didn't seem to be any good spots. Haven't seen anygood reviews for San Juan, and tried Pinel Island in St Maarten last year and was not impressed. After seeing this post, I thought I'd give this a try, and I'm glad we did. If you want to see big fish, this is not the spot for you. The water and it's deepest was probably about 10 feet deep. The fish we did see, however, were very colorful and there was a large variety of fish to see. The most impressive thing though was the coral everywhere. There was brain coral, tube coral, sea fans, Elk Antler (I think that's what our guide called it) coral, and lots of other colorful plant life to see. And since the ocean floor was not that far away, it was easy to explore for sand dollars, sea biscuits, sea shells, etc. My youngest daughter is a good swimmer, but a bit afraid af the open water. She did get out on the sand bar and snorkled a little bit, and now wants to go back. The only downside is that I thought the actual snorkle time was a bit short. The total tour time was 2 hours and actual time in the water was probably just a bit over an hour. However, for the price, I thought it was a great deal. It was $42/adult and $36/child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Star Posted October 9, 2007 #9 Share Posted October 9, 2007 we are booked on Millie in january and the response i got from rci shore excursion office was that they were trying to put together a snorkel excursion..they do not have it listed as a shore ex for my cruise :(... hopefully they will get it together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny AZ Girl Posted October 9, 2007 #10 Share Posted October 9, 2007 It is listed now on the RCI Shore Excursions site!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mivama Posted November 4, 2007 #11 Share Posted November 4, 2007 I saw that there is a bar on the boat that takes you to the snorkeling site. Are the drinks included in the price, or do you pay extra for them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heydn62 Posted November 7, 2007 #12 Share Posted November 7, 2007 I saw that there is a bar on the boat that takes you to the snorkeling site. Are the drinks included in the price, or do you pay extra for them? They're extra and the selection is pretty limited. We just had sodas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny AZ Girl Posted December 7, 2007 #13 Share Posted December 7, 2007 Has anyone else been on this excursion lately? Updates? I am getting ready to reserve this for my cruise in April!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJSMaine Posted December 11, 2007 #14 Share Posted December 11, 2007 This is a nice writeup. we have booked this excursion for our late Jan cruise... more feedback is good feedback! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny AZ Girl Posted December 11, 2007 #15 Share Posted December 11, 2007 This is a nice writeup. we have booked this excursion for our late Jan cruise... more feedback is good feedback! I'll be looking forward to your review!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachgal58 Posted December 29, 2007 #16 Share Posted December 29, 2007 anyone done this this lately? info please! sounds great, does the boat have a head? gotta ask! teehee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Star Posted January 14, 2008 #17 Share Posted January 14, 2008 we just returned from the Millenium and did the labadee snorkel excursion... if you have snorkled before, you will be disappointed.. very few very tiny fish... very little coral.. the highlight is the crew on the snorkel boat.. personable, helpful, good clean equipment.. if you go, wait for jeremy or mike to get in the water with you to take you to the few places there are to see anything.. they need to find a better reef or area to take you snorkeling.. we had a gorgeous flat, calm seas and we were taken to just off a sandbar.. there was no reason not to take us to a better place to snorkel as the weather was perfect.. so if this is the best they have , i would say it might be ok for beginners.. i did not see a 'head' on the boat,, they do sell rum punch (2 for 1) and sodas after the snorkeling.. we stayed out in the water the entire time even tho snorkeling was poor at best, it was delightful to be out there on a perfect day.. we did see a few very tiny colorful fish.. it is not a WOW snorkel excursion but the crew is WOW!.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbachief Posted January 14, 2008 #18 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Host Star-- Thanks for the report. I was afraid that might be the case and so will just make it a beach day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Star Posted January 17, 2008 #19 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Host Star-- Thanks for the report. I was afraid that might be the case and so will just make it a beach day. i would check with the excursion desk to see if they have found a better area to take you.. if they say its off the sand bar, its the same spot.. I feel sorry for the guys running the excursion as they try hard but i would think there has to be some decent snorkeling close by but i assume they would have found it by now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erries Posted March 20, 2009 #20 Share Posted March 20, 2009 Since the most recent reply on this thread is over a year old, I thought I'd ask again - has anyone done this more recently? Some of these replies make it sound like the snorkeling isn't that impressive off the sandbar. Could anyone else share a more recent experience? Would you recommend it? Thanks, Erica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWAM Posted April 9, 2009 #21 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I was just on the Liberty I went on the Snorkel Safari tour in Labadee and have to say it was probably the best snorkel tour I've ever been on. We didn't go to a sand-bar though - instead we ended up on a reef about 3 miles from the cruise ship. The crew were friendly and awesome and the snorkeling was great - the cool thing about it was the guides actually get in the water and do marine identification tours and also feed the fish - and apparently luv their job cause they're actually having fun too! There isn't lot of big fish but there's tons of the smaller colorful aquarium type fish. - the guides showed us a few Loin-fish which are a beautiful South Pacific fish that are now on the reefs in Haiti - crazy! The coral was pretty amazing too and it was cool to be so close to it - you can see a lot of the smaller things that you usually never see. Anyway, we loved being out there - I did ask about the sand-bar but the captain (Captain 'cool-hand' Luke!) said they can only go there on the last tour of the day and only if the tide is low so apparently they just do it a couple times a month. Once we got back the boat they had some good music going and the crew were serving rum or fruit punch - complimentary - I think I had about 4 of em! ;-) Anyhooo - Nice boat with good snorkel equipment and a professional and fun crew = well worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erries Posted April 9, 2009 #22 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Thanks so much for your review, BWAM. It's good to know that this is a good tour, because my group and I are planning to book it for our cruise next month. Sounds like you had a great time! Thanks again! Erica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humandirt Posted April 1, 2010 #23 Share Posted April 1, 2010 Can anyone tell me if I can bring a camera to take pictures underwater or do I have to rent one of theirs? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunny AZ Girl Posted April 2, 2010 #24 Share Posted April 2, 2010 you can use your own.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ste17l Posted August 12, 2010 #25 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Any one know if this excursion fills up fast? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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