Capitan Bob Cass

[akowilm]

We just did this excursion on Nov 2 and had an amazing time! We had originally requested Capt. Bob based on the many positive reviews but unfortunately he wasn't feeling the best that day so our guide was "Fab". Fab was absolutely fabulous!! The weather on the other hand not so much. The dark clouds rolled in giving way to heavy rainshowers. We ended up soaked to the bone before even going snorkeling. There were only 4 couples on board and we laughed like crazy as we were tossed around in the choppy waters. Snorkeled twice and managed to see a few sea turtles and a variety of fish although the visibility wasn't the greatest that day. We enjoyed stopping at Pinel island and shopping for souvenirs. Lunch was so delicious! We also were lucky to see a plane take off and another land right overhead at Maho Beach. We made it back by 4 pm and Fab was nice enough to drop us off at the water taxi stop near our pier. We can't say enough good things about this tour. We would like to do it again when we are back in St Martin ... hopefully the weather will be nicer to us!

 

Glad to hear that Fab is still working with Capt. Bob! We hope to have him again in Jan 2015, our next trip down. We were in St. Maarten via the Celebrity Reflection in April 2013 and I will say that this excursion was one of the best in ANY location! We cant wait to do it again, and we are bringing friends!!

[lotusflwr]

Thanks to the recommendations from this thread and other mentions of Capt. Bob for St Martin excursion recommendations on CruiseCritic, my husband and I had the BEST DAY EVER on Oct. 31, when Allure of the Seas docked in St. Martin!

 

We had Fab, who is indeed fab, and who really knows how to maneuver that speed boat! My husband and I snorkeled (saw a barracuda!), ate delicious food (mahi mahi, rice & beans, grilled chicken, french fries,) got soaked while grinning like idiots at the back of the power boat, gawked at mansions, yachts, mega-yachts, beaches, water, goats, planes, etc., and had just all around the best day of our whole cruise.

 

Capt. Bob is just so easy to work with that even as first-time cruisers, we were able to get to and from the pier on time and without incident. We had an early daylight-savings time change on the ship, and Capt. Bob emailed me back super-quick when I contacted him to let him know. I was worried about finding the place and getting back late and missing the ship, but Fab had us back with plenty of time to spare -- and we didn't want the day to end by the time we got back! This tour is just the best, so thrilling and took us everywhere, and everything about it just made our whole vacation, seriously. St. Martin was the last port I made plans for because all the ship excursions seemed so bleh -- now it's the one port I want on our next cruise itinerary so we can do another Capt. Bob/Soualiga Destinations tour!

 

Unless you just physically can't handle the power boating/waves/wind, do yourself a favor and just go on this excursion!

 

Can't wait to go back, and we most assuredly will. Thank you, Capt. Bob and Fab, for taking our vacation from great to amazing in one awesome day!

Edited November 12, 2013 by lotusflwr

[Rolles96]

My wife and I are going to book this during our January cruise. We've not done this type of excursion before and are just curious if anyone can let me know how much is an acceptable tip. We want to make sure we have enough $$.

[springfire]

Thanks to the recommendations from this thread and other mentions of Capt. Bob for St Martin excursion recommendations on CruiseCritic, my husband and I had the BEST DAY EVER on Oct. 31, when Allure of the Seas docked in St. Martin!

 

We had Fab, who is indeed fab, and who really knows how to maneuver that speed boat! My husband and I snorkeled (saw a barracuda!), ate delicious food (mahi mahi, rice & beans, grilled chicken, french fries,) got soaked while grinning like idiots at the back of the power boat, gawked at mansions, yachts, mega-yachts, beaches, water, goats, planes, etc., and had just all around the best day of our whole cruise.

 

Capt. Bob is just so easy to work with that even as first-time cruisers, we were able to get to and from the pier on time and without incident. We had an early daylight-savings time change on the ship, and Capt. Bob emailed me back super-quick when I contacted him to let him know. I was worried about finding the place and getting back late and missing the ship, but Fab had us back with plenty of time to spare -- and we didn't want the day to end by the time we got back! This tour is just the best, so thrilling and took us everywhere, and everything about it just made our whole vacation, seriously. St. Martin was the last port I made plans for because all the ship excursions seemed so bleh -- now it's the one port I want on our next cruise itinerary so we can do another Capt. Bob/Soualiga Destinations tour!

 

Unless you just physically can't handle the power boating/waves/wind, do yourself a favor and just go on this excursion!

 

Can't wait to go back, and we most assuredly will. Thank you, Capt. Bob and Fab, for taking our vacation from great to amazing in one awesome day!

 

Nice review, we are going with them in March!

[Seavoyage]

Captain Bob is the real deal- he is a wonderful person and his knowledge and love for his island and the sea shines within and through him - almost makes you forget you are going almost 50 knots on a ultra cool pirate speed boat - :eek: It was an exhilarating experience to say the very least - go go go - you will not be disappointed! I found Captain Bob's tour to be a "bucket list" experience for sure!! So very glad we did that!! Happy Sails!!

[gus4evr]

I don't know why but I found it hilarious when someone complained about the rough seas on the ocean. Didn't they ever watch Gilligan's Island?

Anyway, here is my review.

--------------------------------------

My husband and I decided to check off one of my 83 year old mother’s “bucket list” items and took her on a Royal Caribbean cruise. My brother-in-law also decided to join us. Because my Mom is starting to have some health issues we knew this was probably the only cruise she will ever be on so finding really good excursions was EXTREMELY important. Though we have not been on many cruises, we learned early on that it is best to book your excursions external to the cruise ship. The cruise line takes a huge amount off the top so that both you and the vendor lose out (you pay more and the vendor gets less money (they have to keep their prices down to stay competitive). When researching St. Maarten we noticed that not only was Soualiga Destinations rated as the Trip Advisor number 1 activity in St. Maarten, but it got 5 stars with over 600 reviews! We immediately gave Captain Bob and call and were very fortunate that we were able to snag a reservation for 4.

 

To say my expectations were high is an understatement. Upon meeting Captain Bob I informed him of this and told him it was pretty much going to be impossible to meet my standards. Well shiver me timbers, the old salty dog didn’t just meet my expectations, he blew them out of the unbelievably gorgeous water! We were assigned to Capt. Fab. I had not read anything about Capt. Fab on Trip Advisor so I was concerned at first that maybe he was a newbie and wouldn’t be as experienced on the details of the tour. If he didn’t know the island, he sure fooled us because he could practically name every rock formation (you will get a snicker out of some of them) and yacht that is on the island. As an aside, ladies, he isn’t hard on the eyes either!

 

Capt. Fab gave us an unbelievable trip which seemed to cover the entire island. We stopped in several locations to snorkel. The captain was very patient, especially with my Mom (we got her into the water once but she had a hip recently replaced so it took a lot of time to get her in and out of the boat). He showed us how to use the snorkeling equipment and more importantly, told us what we should be looking for. On one stop we saw some sea turtles! On another, he took out a chart and described the fish in that area. More importantly, he told us the exact spots to look in order to find the various critters. At each spot, he gave you ample time to explore.

 

Along the way, Capt. Fab took us to a wonderful ocean front restaurant for lunch (which is unbelievably included in the price of the excursion). This wasn’t some dump, but a really nice restaurant (they had some fabulous items on the menu, if we ever visit the island again, we would like to go back). I had the ribs, and the rest of the group got the fish (I don’t know how you can eat one after you just saw their brethren frolicking in the ocean, wouldn’t that be like having a hamburger standing next to a cow?). Anyway, both were fabulous!

 

Our final stop, and the one my hubby was most looking forward to was near the famous Princess Juliana airport. With those not familiar with it, the landing/takeoff strip is practically on the beach. Some morons … excuse me, tourists, actually hold onto a fence and practically get blown off the planet when the jets take off. Capt. Fab got us close enough that when a jet took off you could feel the heat and smell the gas. The biggest surprise was when we got sandblasted though (not really sandblasted, more like some big bully kicking some sand at you). Fortunately, Capt. Fab told us to close our eyes and duck. I certainly agreed with closing your eyes but wish I would have faced forward and gotten a free dermabrasion. The hubby was thrilled that Capt. Fab gave us enough time to see both a landing and a takeoff.

 

As you can tell, this is a very long winded review, probably the longest of my posting career. I could have just said this was terrific, mind-blowing and unbelievable (all of which are true) but I wanted to give you some details on why I felt all this. As your parents get older your roles reverse. More than anything else, I wanted my Mom to have the trip of her lifetime, one that she could tell her friends all about. She won’t have many more of these opportunities. Thanks to Capt. Bob and his fabulous crew, this truly was her once in a lifetime special trip!

[springfire]

I don't know why but I found it hilarious when someone complained about the rough seas on the ocean. Didn't they ever watch Gilligan's Island?

Anyway, here is my review.

--------------------------------------

My husband and I decided to check off one of my 83 year old mother’s “bucket list” items and took her on a Royal Caribbean cruise. My brother-in-law also decided to join us. Because my Mom is starting to have some health issues we knew this was probably the only cruise she will ever be on so finding really good excursions was EXTREMELY important. Though we have not been on many cruises, we learned early on that it is best to book your excursions external to the cruise ship. The cruise line takes a huge amount off the top so that both you and the vendor lose out (you pay more and the vendor gets less money (they have to keep their prices down to stay competitive). When researching St. Maarten we noticed that not only was Soualiga Destinations rated as the Trip Advisor number 1 activity in St. Maarten, but it got 5 stars with over 600 reviews! We immediately gave Captain Bob and call and were very fortunate that we were able to snag a reservation for 4.

 

To say my expectations were high is an understatement. Upon meeting Captain Bob I informed him of this and told him it was pretty much going to be impossible to meet my standards. Well shiver me timbers, the old salty dog didn’t just meet my expectations, he blew them out of the unbelievably gorgeous water! We were assigned to Capt. Fab. I had not read anything about Capt. Fab on Trip Advisor so I was concerned at first that maybe he was a newbie and wouldn’t be as experienced on the details of the tour. If he didn’t know the island, he sure fooled us because he could practically name every rock formation (you will get a snicker out of some of them) and yacht that is on the island. As an aside, ladies, he isn’t hard on the eyes either!

 

Capt. Fab gave us an unbelievable trip which seemed to cover the entire island. We stopped in several locations to snorkel. The captain was very patient, especially with my Mom (we got her into the water once but she had a hip recently replaced so it took a lot of time to get her in and out of the boat). He showed us how to use the snorkeling equipment and more importantly, told us what we should be looking for. On one stop we saw some sea turtles! On another, he took out a chart and described the fish in that area. More importantly, he told us the exact spots to look in order to find the various critters. At each spot, he gave you ample time to explore.

 

Along the way, Capt. Fab took us to a wonderful ocean front restaurant for lunch (which is unbelievably included in the price of the excursion). This wasn’t some dump, but a really nice restaurant (they had some fabulous items on the menu, if we ever visit the island again, we would like to go back). I had the ribs, and the rest of the group got the fish (I don’t know how you can eat one after you just saw their brethren frolicking in the ocean, wouldn’t that be like having a hamburger standing next to a cow?). Anyway, both were fabulous!

 

Our final stop, and the one my hubby was most looking forward to was near the famous Princess Juliana airport. With those not familiar with it, the landing/takeoff strip is practically on the beach. Some morons … excuse me, tourists, actually hold onto a fence and practically get blown off the planet when the jets take off. Capt. Fab got us close enough that when a jet took off you could feel the heat and smell the gas. The biggest surprise was when we got sandblasted though (not really sandblasted, more like some big bully kicking some sand at you). Fortunately, Capt. Fab told us to close our eyes and duck. I certainly agreed with closing your eyes but wish I would have faced forward and gotten a free dermabrasion. The hubby was thrilled that Capt. Fab gave us enough time to see both a landing and a takeoff.

 

As you can tell, this is a very long winded review, probably the longest of my posting career. I could have just said this was terrific, mind-blowing and unbelievable (all of which are true) but I wanted to give you some details on why I felt all this. As your parents get older your roles reverse. More than anything else, I wanted my Mom to have the trip of her lifetime, one that she could tell her friends all about. She won’t have many more of these opportunities. Thanks to Capt. Bob and his fabulous crew, this truly was her once in a lifetime special trip!

 

Thanks for a Great Review!

[Richard78]

We went with Capt. Bob on Thursday, Nov 21st. We absolutely loved our day. Captain Bob was amazing. Not only was he friendly but he was very knowledgable. The tour itself could not of been better. The boat was amazing. We had overcast and sometimes rainy weather and yet it was our favorite day of the cruise. There was 13 of us and we all loved it. Every single person walked away feeling like they could not of asked for more. Unless Capt. Bob could of made it 80 and sunny. To be honest, he's so good he probably can. I just want to tell everyone at Soualiga destinations, thank you, thank you. We can not wait to come back.

[rob-skindoc]

Capt. Bob really cares about his business and tries to make sure everyone has a great time.

 

We booked with him, but we were not on one of his boats--he contracted out to a smaller formula to take us around. The boat was fine. We had some rough weather and this smaller boat got bounced around pretty good, but all had fun.

 

We had a few stops, all worthwhile and very different. Lunch was included and was fine. There is fish or ribs. You can buy drinks if you like.

 

Beer, water, and soda were provided free of charge on the boat.

 

One of the better excursions in the Caribbean. If you like going fast on boats, like getting into the water (and you must get in--have to swim to get lunch), you do not have a back problem, then it is a great trip for couples, solos, or family.

[Name Of The Game]

I wouldn't believe all these raving reviews from one post wonders that come out of the woodwork. :rolleyes:

[xeriod]

I wouldn't believe all these raving reviews from one post wonders that come out of the woodwork. :rolleyes:

 

Does seem odd that after some not so good reviews he gets a number of excellent ones from first time posters.

[julenow]

While at St. Maarten on Nov. 27th I went on a non-ship excursion that I had booked from home. All I knew was that I was booked with Captain Bob through Soualiga Destinations. I also knew that I was to bring cash (US $$) to pay the balance. When I arrived port side I had no idea where to meet for the excursion. Upon inquiring at the visitor information building I was told that I needed to go to Dock Maarten (I thought really, Doc Martin). After a ten minute walk in a driving rainstorm I arrived where the excursion was to originate.

 

Capt. Bob wasn't at the helm of the Brigandeen but the captain & crew were excellent. Made us welcome and comfortable from the beginning. Analyse fitted us with hmask, vests and fins then guided us in the water. The crew were exceptionally attentive providing us with good eats and drink after our snorkel while we were sailing the beautiful Dutch coast of St. Maarten.

 

The snorkeling had plenty of fish, the water had moments of clarity but most times was murky. The spot we were at had a number of boats so became quite crowded with snorkelers after having been there for 30 minutes.

 

All in all the crew and passengers were great and made for a very enjoyable outing.

[Lynne&Barry]

We went on this trip in Feb of this year and are going again Feb. 2014. You will only hear positive comments from me! It's really an awesome day.

[Sarasa]

Does seem odd that after some not so good reviews he gets a number of excellent ones from first time posters.

 

I have a feeling this is because Captain Bob sends out a thank-you email that includes a link to this thread and places like Tripadvisor a few weeks after you've toured with him. Since he's a solo operator, places like CC and those of us who loved our trips with him are his best marketing tools. I also think that folks who have never heard of CC may click on the link and, depending on how they feel about what they've read, post a review of their experience. FWIW, this thread appears to have created some new CC'ers (in the sense that the first post was here but then the person went on to post in other threads re other topics) and at least one of the "one post wonders" was someone who met a CC'er on a Captain Bob tour (post #105).

 

And, just because I'm an analytical numbers person and I'm trying to avoid "real work" right now :o, here's the breakdown of the posts in this thread so readers can make up their own minds re the value of the "one post wonders" in relation to the rest of the posts thus far:

 

34 = Number of posters with a glowing review of the tour (35 if we include me!); all posters had more than one post and the other post(s) was not about Captain Bob; the latest one is from December 11, 2013

 

14 = Number of posters with only one post (or only posts praising Captain Bob, this includes #105); the latest one is from December 10, 2013

 

4 = Number of posters who had a bad experience (all four actually took the trip); the latest one is from August 9, 2013

 

2 = Number of posters who were "disappointed" with the tour; these folks still had a good time overall but did not think the trip was as great as others made it out to be and/or had some concerns during the tour

 

2 = Number of posters whose tours were canceled due to inclement weather and were happy with how Captain Bob handled the situation (including refunds)

 

1 = Number of posters whose tour was canceled due to inclement weather and thought Captain Bob should have tried harder to contact people before they left the port/ship

 

Okay, back to wrapping up work so I can finish packing for my vacation... which begins with tonight's late night flight to Florida! :D

Edited December 20, 2013 by Sarasa
typographical error!

[LiseD]

Is there any kind of bimini top on the boat? just wondering if you are in the sun all day?

[sanger727]

Took the Capt Bob Cass tour on Dec 17? Roughly around there, last week sometime. Overall impression: the tour would have been really excellent if the weather had been better. But, I appreciate the fact that he didn't cancel because he said he had cancelled the day before and we had no back up plan!!

 

When we booked he was quick to reply back and was very responsive to questions. We had no trouble finding the marina based on his instructions and when we got there and looked lost, one of the drivers asked us who we were looking for and when we told him he showed us where to wait. Just FYI, when he says to look for the "pirate boat", "pirate" is written on the sides of the boat. Wasn't sure what he meant by that till we saw them.

 

I don't remember who our tour operator was except it wasn't Bob. But we were among the first to get there and check in, and then were the first boat to leave which we appreciated. It rained the day we went, so we spent a large part of the day wet and cold and being pelted with rain drops which isn't pleasant at 40 mph. But that is certainly not the fault of Bob or our guide, and it was clear he was driving us around looking for clear spots. The boat ride was alot of fun and I would probably give a glowing report about the tour if the weather had been better. No complaints, the guide was very good about asking how people were doing and making sure we were comfortable. He took us to Maho fairly early on and we got to see a big plane take off and land which was great.

 

Also, to someone who asked, there is a small canopy over the driver, so if you sit next time him there might be a bit of shade, but overall, you are in the sun.

[springfire]

Thanks for this update, I am hopefull we will have good weather when we take our day trip with them.

[gschwartz001]

My DH and I have sailed with Captain Bob and Soualiga Destinations three times in the last year - all when in St Maarten on cruise ships. We are already planning our fourth visit with my MIL and DH in July 2014. We have had different captains all three times, with the most recent visit having the pleasure of sailing on Capt Bob's brand new boat (it was only three weeks old). While each trip is slightly different based on conditions and timing (ship departure schedule), all have included a wonderful lunch at a restaurant on Grand Case (and I am a very picky eater). The high quality of the trip, service and great lunch are what keep us coming back every time we are in St Maarten. We have been on many other tours in St Maarten but Captain Bob is the only one we will repeat.:)

[Rolles96]

What is an acceptable percentage for a tip on this excursion?

[Richard78]

My wife and I did this excursion in November. I consider us generous tippers and our family of four gave him an extra 60 bucks. That being said usually on excursions we are closer to 10 a person. But we felt like the experience was so good that a little extra seemed right.

[Rolles96]

Thank you for the info

[rthling]

We booked through Captain Bob, after reading all the great reviews.

Since we booked so late, we didn't get on Bob's boat, but with Captain Mike, instead. Everything was exactly as advertised by Bob, and we all had a fabulous time. This was our last port day and the best adventure we had, the whole cruise. Do it.

What are you waiting for?

Oh, and we tipped $10 per person.

[ChosenOne]

We were on with Capt Bob last February with some people we met on the CC roll call for our ship & we had a blast. Take lots of sunscreen & reapply often because despite being seated where we were covered much of the time by shade from the small cover over the captain I still got a good burn (of course I am a fair skinned blonde and was extra pale from the Chicago winter).

[Rolles96]

Just curious on how does Capt. Bob determine who goes in his boat? We booked with him several months ago

[brenjmull2]

We too are looking at doing this on our trip to St Maarten,, I was wondering what type of food and beverage gets served?

Do you go to Maho beach and see planes? thanks