Yacht Sailing / Snorkeling ??

Looking at the Celebrity shore excursion for 60' yacht sail/snorkel...anyone have anything good/bad to say if you have been on this?? Anyone done any other yacht sailings on Roatan?

INJones .... Is it the Celebrity Excursion called "Sailing Yacht Adventure"? If so, let me know ... we've done it and will do a review for you.

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

We are travelling on the Zenith on March 27th and the excursion is called the Sailing Yacht Adventure - 62 ft historical yacht.

Please provide your review. We are very interested in your experience.

Thanks!

micruz .... Yes, that's the one we did "The Sailing Yacht Adventure" ... also took it on Zenith! NOTE: The "Catamaran Sail, Snorkel, & Beach Experience" is bacially the same thing.

We were on the Yacht and our friends were on the Catamaran. Except for the hour sail on different vessels, our tours were EXACTLY the same -- rode to the West End in the same vans, had lunch together (Belvedere's), used the same beach (Belvedere's), went out together on the same snorkel boats, etc. Only difference ... the yacht cost $10 more pp. :rolleyes:

There were about 50 people TOTAL on these two excursions. We were PACKED (and I do mean packed) into minivans for our ride from Coxen Hole (the cruise port town) to West End (the resort area where the yacht & catamaran were docked).

The ride to the dock at West End took about 45 minutes (seemed longer). About half of the ride (time wise) was on a good (bit narrow) paved road. When we turned into the unpaved road to West End (the resort ? area), it was a LONGbumpy ride. Just remember -- it's a very poor place ... don't expect The Ritz! :p

At this point everyone either boarded the yacht or the catamaran for our "sails" which lasted about an hour. It was a V-E-R-Y slow sail ... gently rocking ~ up and down ~ and ~ up and down ~ and .... Many became quezzy and some were sick! We felt sorry for all of them.

After our "sails" it was a very short drive (5 minutes) to Belvedere's. Everyone who wished then boarded snorkel boats. The reef was AWESOME!

Lovely clear warm water with tons of colorful fish!!! We were at the reef for about one and a half hours of PURE PLEASURE! Definately the best part of the excursion by a long shot. (All snorkel gear was provided.)

The brochure description of lunch: "Seafood Salad and Sandwiches"

What we REALLY had: :D A huge sub roll with one very thin slice of lunch meat, a sliver of cheese, and a wilted leaf of lettuce ... along with a pasta salad which was ALL pasta & mayo. We were glad we had taken the time to eat a good breakfast.

The beach at Belvedere's was really bad! The water was black with dense seaweed. There were only 10 beach lounge chairs. It was not a good idea to sit on a towl in the sand because of the sand fleas. :eek:

This excursion had its good and bad points!!!

Hope this helps a bit. Please let me if you have any other questions.

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

Thanks for the info - I think I'd rather save the $348!

Any other suggestions for Roatan for a family of 4 with 2 boys - ages 7 & 9? Most of the other excursions seem to be expensive private beach outings. Is it safe to just take a cab to a beach ourselves? Are there any nice beaches that you do not have to pay to get into?

Thanks again for any info!!

micruz .... There will probably be many would will not agree and tell you to go out on your own.

If I were taking two children, I would book the "Tabyana Beach Break" in a heartbeat! Others from the cruise told me they loved it. We speak very comfortableSpanish; BUT, I would not really care to go roaming around alone ... especially with children. Wait until you see Coxen Hole ... you'll understand! :rolleyes:

Just an opinion! Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

Don't know about tours, but West Bay has fantastic snorkeling very close to shore. It's great for kids and adults - its like being in an aquarium!

...and I agree with OCruiser's review. The classic sailboat is in need of major repair, and looked like basic maintenance was lacking by Capt. Dennis. Nice enough guy running the boat with his son and a friend. Way too many people crammed on the boat for the snorkeling-a boat not designed for snorkel tours. Lunch was very minimal as already mentioned. All in all not a real bad deal, but for $87 each I was looking for a little more.

Indiana Jones .... Thanks for taking the time to post a reply when you returned! Like you, we expected more!

To ALL Roatan Cruisers: Basically, what Indiana Jones and I both are trying to say is that the excursion is not bad (great snorkeling) ... just NOT worth the money .... :rolleyes:

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

Patty .... As discussed on the other thread, pulling this up for you since you couldn't find it. All of your questions about the yacht are answered here!

Hope this helps! Please feel free to ask if you have any other questions! :cool: