snc_cam

That is the area I am referring to. Yes, people snorkel there. That is part of the reason there isn't much good snorkeling at HMC...not much reef.

great! Thanks for the info

If you look around the board there are several threads on snorkeling. The snorkeling there is not as good as many other stops on Caribbean cruises.

 

No, you don't snorkel in the lagoon.Some will suggest snorkeling to the south of the tender harbor as the best the island has to offer.

Bruce, I did do some research and review of the CC snorkel posts on this blog. I agree that it doesn't look that promising compared to the other islands, but since I haven't yet been to HMC, I wanted to ask some who have. Looking at GoogleEarth, it does appear that the area south of the tender pier along the ocean coast has some reefs. Is it possible to get over to that area (looks like there is a path) and are we able to snorkel there?

Has anyone snorkeled at HMC? If so, how would you compare it with some of the islands in the Caribbean? Also, where are you allowed to snorkel, just in the lagoon?

I am sure St Maarten is still a mess. Living through hurricanes, I know how extensive damage can be. And this was a HUGE one. Our plans are to visit the shops (those that are left) and do some shore hiking.

Hi there,

 

Carnival Cruise Line is scheduled to return to St. Maarten on January 15, 2018 with a call from Carnival Sunshine.The port officially reopened for cruise business on December 4.

 

We were recently there, and you can read about that experience here.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

Thanks for the update Brittany!

I am going on an Eastern Carib cruise in a few weeks that is supposed to stop at St Maarten. However, someone posted that Carnival is currently not visiting this port since the damage from the hurricane.

Has someone been on a recent Carnival cruise that has stopped at St Maarten?

We just got off the Carnival Sunshine in Port Canaveral today and did NOT have to fill in a customs form. We were told that as of May 1, forms were not needed unless you had purchased over $800 worth of items or were bringing over $10K in cash into the port.

Reading through a few of the threads regarding snorkeling in GT, I have a question. Carnival offers a snorkel excursion going to Horseshoe Reef and Round Cay for $60/person. Is this worth the price or to walk to Boaby Beach or Governor's Beach? I've read that Boaby can be choppy since it is on the east side but so are Horseshoe Reef and Round Cay.

Thanks in advance for all responses.

Steve

Thanks Gene/Kathy. That is probably what we will be doing, taking the bus. Appreciate the insight of purchasing the two tix/person at the beginning. Not worried about missing the ship since we don't get in until 1pm and leave at 10 or 11pm. It will be dark MUCH before that :)

Will be visiting Aruba in early May via cruise ship and want to get to the Malmok and Boca Catalina beaches for snorkeling. Looking at bus and taxi to get there. Does anyone have experience doing this and if so, can you please share your experience?

Thanks

Steve

We sailed with Cassie (and Sam) this past winter and I know that everyone does not get along with every CD so there will always be complaints. But IMHO, my wife, friends, and I enjoyed spending time the time with both Cassie and Sam. They are both very outgoing and did their best to always have a smile and a hello each time we met them along the cruise as well as make the events they hosted a good time. We have had cruises where we didn't "click" with the CD but that didn't change how we felt about the cruise nor did we complain about it.

With that said, I do hope that we get the opportunity to share a cruise with both of them in the future.

When you all refer to going further south for warmer temps, what ports are u referring to?

for me, we've left from PC, FLL, and Tampa and visited ports such as St Thomas, Antigua, GT, GC, Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize

we've done both eastern and western carib cruises in late Jan and early Feb many times. And each time we have snorkeled at various ports. So, weather tends to be in 80s and sunny most days but you can find some cool ones too.

we just went on the Splendor out of NYC last week and drove up/back the day of the cruise and the morning we got back into NYC. Both times traffic was light and took us 3 hours from the Lincoln Tunnel to get home. Drove the NJ Turnpike/I95 the whole way (other than thru the tunnel and getting home). Am not sure what the traffic will be like with the Pope in Phila but if you stay on the turnpike, I would think it shouldn't affect you much.

I wonder what changed because we sailed out of FLL on the Conquest in May and the Wedding party went first, then the platinum/diamond/suite cruisers, then the FTTF (I had FTTF). And this was the same in Tampa in March as well as in NYC last week on the Splendor.

Ok thank you. So that means that friends need to book with in 60 days of the original booking?

Thanks

correct, 60 days of when you booked it onboard

each of the booked cabins would receive the $100 OBC if they book the same cruise as you. There is also a 60 day time limit on the vouchers.

If I am doing an excursion, I don't carry fins. But if I am off on my own, usually a beach snorkel, I have my fins. Yes, they are a bit bulky but they pay off when wanting to move through the water.

If you are just planning on using it for snorkling, you may want to look at the camera mask from liquidimage. It is $120. I purchased it a year ago and used it in Aruba, Bonaire, and Grand Cayman and it worked extremely well.

http://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Image-305G-XSC-Xtreme-Waterproof/dp/B00KLTG1KS/ref=sr_1_2/181-9654433-7867962?ie=UTF8&qid=1442834859&sr=8-2&keywords=liquid+image+camera+mask

you can go in and do a booking and see what the sale is.

And no tacos... sorry stula.

It is posted on the website as well.

We went on Woodwind in Bonnaire. It was the best snorkel excursion of all our cruises. We booked it on our own and not thru the cruiseline. They are well known by cruisers and very reasonable prices.

we also used woodwind in March and loved it. Was by far the best snorkel excursion we've done on the various islands and ports in the caribbean. They had two excursions/day. The early one had two stops, whereas the afternoon one only had one. We did the early one and our friends the afternoon one. We both had an excellent time. The tour folks are fantastic and very knowledgeable. If you can book them (private only), do so. If you can't get a reservation, you can also go to the end of the pier where they pick up the tour that day to see if there are any open spots due to people cancelling at the last minute.

thanks. we actually took the repo cruise this past march from TPA -> Balt with the same itinerary. was a very nice cruise :)

so what are they doing about the two Journey cruises from Balt -> TPA and then the reverse, TPA -> Balt in 2017?

thanks.. have a reservation with woodwind...

it was one of the best snorkel excursions we have done. First the sailing without a motor to just hear the quiet. Then two great snorkel spots near klein bonaire (morning excursion). The equipment they have on board is first class and the guides/instructors are excellent. They divided us into 3 groups, with the most experienced going off first and getting the most time in the water. Then after the 2nd stop, they provided a homemade lunch which was a great way to end the excursion.