Just booked Deluxe Catamaran Sail & Snorkel...

So we've been waffling as to book privately or through Carnival for the DR. We "traditionally" book independent excursions, but since DR is new to us, we opted for booking with CCL. The price ($80 p/p) for a 6 1/2 hour snorkel trip is beyond reasonable, and includes lunch.

There are few reviews on Carnival's site, but nearly all are positive.

I only found one post on CC - and it was a question, with no responses. So I'm posing it again...has anyone here on CC done this excursion through CCL?

Thoughts?

We are in our late 50s, active and adventurous, and love to snorkel.

Thanks in advance. We're really starting to plan now.

...that there's no one reviewing this excursion.

We have booked this too and would love to know if it was good!

We have booked this too and would love to know if it was good!

Bumping

We are 2 women in our late 50s - we love to snorkel, we love to sail.

We booked this excursion even though there were not many reviews, and vowed to review when we got home.

Meeting the crew for our bus ride to the catamaran was easy - and we were on our way within a few minutes. There were 2 groups, and 2 catamarans, each with less than 30 passengers. This made for a lot of room on the cats.

The bus ride was nice - air conditioned and comfortable. It gave us a bit of time to see some of this beautiful lush country.

We got to the beach where the cats were waiting. Exquisite! I could have stayed there and been happy...it was THAT pretty.

We did have to walk in to the warm water (waist high), and on to the cat, and the crew was amazingly helpful with those who needed help - my friend has a bad knee, and they made sure she was safe and able to board. Crew on board were handed any bags to keep them dry as we boarded.

Once on board we went to our first snorkel - which was only a few minutes away. Everyone had life vests for buoyancy, and safety. Crew joined us in the water to feed fish and also for safety. We had a good 45 minute snorkel.

Back on board to spot 2, and again everyone had life vests for buoyancy, and safety. Crew joined us again in the water to feed fish and also for safety. We had another good 45 minute snorkel.

Back on board to a sandwich, fresh fruit, and salad buffet, as well as rum drinks, and non-alcoholic drinks. The crew never pushed liquor, which I appreciated. Classic rock played (not overly loud...which I hate) and crew engaged us to dance and sing, which was super fun.

Our group of passengers was mellow and fun. A couple of people got seasick, and the crew tended to them with loving care.

We had plenty of shade below the open deck, and a ton of space above - I rode the ropes and it was so much fun.

We sailed for about 90 minutes back to the ship (no bus ride back) and the sailing was incredibly fun.

Overall, we would recommend this excursion - I will add this caveat, on our Eastern Caribbean cruise we were disappointed in how sad the coral is - fish were plentiful, but the coral is in a very bad state. Of course Carnival nor the tour company is responsible - I'm just putting it out there...this would not be the tour to take if you want to see the gorgeous coral reef (Roatan, by far was the most beautiful coral reef we have ever seen).

Go, have fun, enjoy the ocean, enjoy the catamaran, enjoy the crew, lunch, and beverages.

Thank you for your review! I have been wanting to read more "independent" reviews as well and had the same trouble you were having. I also made the same decision and went ahead and booked it for my family (me, DH and 2 teenage sons) but we won't be going until June 2018. This reassures me that i made the right choice.

Thank you for your review! I have been wanting to read more "independent" reviews as well and had the same trouble you were having. I also made the same decision and went ahead and booked it for my family (me, DH and 2 teenage sons) but we won't be going until June 2018. This reassures me that i made the right choice.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did - I found their card and our crew included: "Rico Suave" (captain); Paulito (the best helper ever! His alias is 'Monkey'); Ivan (all around nice guy & helper) and Nicole (bar/lunch and an amazing young woman!).

:)

For others choosing between an independent tour operator and the cruise line, we would highly recommend looking at Pro Excursions and Seavis Tours. Both are top-notch outfits with excellent staff and they really take care of you. They also work with the frequent Carnival port time change and the taxis to ensure you are back in plenty of time.

The natural areas around La Ramona and Bayahibe, including the islands of Catalina and Saona, are beautiful, enjoy your visit!

Which tour company operated this excursion?

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Which tour company operated this excursion?

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As this was a very new port to us, and new to the cruise industry we booked directly with Carnival. Normally we go independent but not with such a new destination.

I know this is old, but did the tour give enough time to enjoy the pool at the port at all?

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I know this is old, but did the tour give enough time to enjoy the pool at the port at all?

Not really, it was an all day sail and snorkel - we were fine with that.