New Snorkel Safari Tour at Labadee!!!!

[bklyndg]

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.

[gerdaedda]

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 ?

[bklyndg]

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.

[kittymom65]

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?

[bklyndg]

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.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

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!

[bklyndg]

It's 2 hours long i think. You'll have plenty of time back to enjoy Labadee.

[heydn62]

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.

[Host Star]

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

[Sunny AZ Girl]

It is listed now on the RCI Shore Excursions site!

[mivama]

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?

[heydn62]

Originally Posted by mivama

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.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Has anyone else been on this excursion lately? Updates? I am getting ready to reserve this for my cruise in April!

[JJSMaine]

This is a nice writeup. we have booked this excursion for our late Jan cruise... more feedback is good feedback!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Originally Posted by JJSMaine

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!

[beachgal58]

anyone done this this lately? info please! sounds great, does the boat have a head? gotta ask! teehee

[Host Star]

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!..

[bubbachief]

Host Star-- Thanks for the report. I was afraid that might be the case and so will just make it a beach day.

[Host Star]

Originally Posted by bubbachief

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...

[erries]

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