Capitan Bob Cass

[NKLCRUISES]

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

 

 

We went with Captain Bob on our cruise this past September. It was so good that I just booked him again for our cruise in February. The food is provided by a restaurant right on the beach. Captain Bob, that was who we had, took our orders on the boat prior to arriving so he could call in our orders to save on time. You had your choice of Mahi Mahi, BBQ Ribs, or Half Chicken. Mahi Mahi and BBQ Ribs are the two highly suggested choices. My wife had the Mahi and I had the Ribs, both were excellent in our opinions. Entrees come with a side of rice or side of fries. They also come with a garden salad. The plates are big to fill up on. The drinks on board are Heineken, Coors Lite, bottled water, Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite. The drinks at lunch are not included, but I highly recommend the guavaberry colada with your lunch at the beach restaurant. If you email Captain Bob, he could tell you exactly what he serves in case I may have forgotten anything or messed up the drink list.

 

Our trip missed the planes landing and/or taking off at Maho. We did make a stop at Maho, but Captain Bob saw that the large plane already landed. This did not take anything away from the great time we had or the overall trip. This is a 360 degree trip around St Maarten with multiple stops to enjoy the scenery and the marine life. Missing a plane taking off or landing did not ruin anything in my opinion. Maybe this next trip we will see one, but if we don't again this time, I won't care.

Edited January 23, 2014 by NKLCRUISES
Forgot to Answer Maho Question

[cdn_cruise_guy]

4 of us went with Capt. Bob Jan 7th and had a great time. Bob was able to accommodate us even though the Crown Princess arrives later than other ships and actually was a bit delayed getting into port due to rough seas.

 

Bob was very professional and took the time to remember everyone's name. The water was rough which made for poor snorkeling conditions but we did manage to see some dolphins which was something we had never seen in St. Maarten before. The lunch was excellent, although having to tender rather than dock for lunch may not be convenient for some, however, Bob and his son were great about making sure everyone was safe and offered help to anyone who needed it.

 

The ladies in our group didn't have too much time for shopping afterwards but we still had plenty of time to get back to the ship and never were worried about it.

[SissasMomE]

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

 

I'm certainly not a "one hit wonder". I've been with Capt. Bob twice, and both times the excursion was fabulous. I always recommend people book with Captain Bob when visiting St. Maarten.

[SissasMomE]

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

 

Not good reviews? He's rated #1 in Philipsburg. Unfortunately there are people who 1 - just like to complain and 2 - complain over the most idiotic things. It's a shame.

[Name Of The Game]

I'm certainly not a "one hit wonder". I've been with Capt. Bob twice, and both times the excursion was fabulous.

 

Then the shoe doesn't fit you.... :)

 

I was referring to the many people who ARE one-time posters.

[springfire]

I'm certainly not a "one hit wonder". I've been with Capt. Bob twice, and both times the excursion was fabulous. I always recommend people book with Captain Bob when visiting St. Maarten.

 

Thanks, we have a large group going with him in March! Looking forward to this!

[MiDenny]

Not good reviews? He's rated #1 in Philipsburg. Unfortunately there are people who 1 - just like to complain and 2 - complain over the most idiotic things. It's a shame.

 

You know, that's a little insulting. We had an experience that nobody in our group could call a positive one, very unfortunate. We posted on this site hoping that our experience could help others avoid the same issues we had. While I'm sure this excursion is normally every bit as good as the fantastic reviews, it doesn't always work out that way. I'm glad that most have had success. But some less than rosy reviews may actually help others in the future. To dismiss the experiences and belittle the reviews of others as you have in #1 and #2 above is the shame....

[SissasMomE]

You know, that's a little insulting. We had an experience that nobody in our group could call a positive one, very unfortunate. We posted on this site hoping that our experience could help others avoid the same issues we had. While I'm sure this excursion is normally every bit as good as the fantastic reviews, it doesn't always work out that way. I'm glad that most have had success. But some less than rosy reviews may actually help others in the future. To dismiss the experiences and belittle the reviews of others as you have in #1 and #2 above is the shame....

 

I'm pretty sure you were the guy arguing with capt bob last April when you couldn't go out on the boat because the water was too rough. :rolleyes: Yeah, I was there. We booked early, so we were able to go out on one of his larger boats. The water was VERY rough that day - no way that smaller boat would have made it. The shame here is you trying to trash someone who cancelled a tour for safety reasons!! Shame on you.

[MiDenny]

I'm pretty sure you were the guy arguing with capt bob last April when you couldn't go out on the boat because the water was too rough. :rolleyes: Yeah, I was there. We booked early, so we were able to go out on one of his larger boats. The water was VERY rough that day - no way that smaller boat would have made it. The shame here is you trying to trash someone who cancelled a tour for safety reasons!! Shame on you.

 

Oh My God!! First off, You're either mistaken or intentionally misleading readers. I never argued with him until he posted on this site afterward. You (and he) want to completely put it all on the weather and even place blame with the customer, convenient. I don't question the decision not to send that boat out that day. It was a little disappointing to find out that we were booked on a boat that couldn't handle the seas that they like the rest of the excursion. You seem to want to blame the customer for booking late, just like he did on this board. I don't see the need to re-hash this entire story unless others have questions. Bottom line is WE WERE LEFT WITH NO EXCURSION for the day for more reasons than the wind. Posting the details on here is not "trashing" him. Why can't you see that it just may be helpful to someone in the future?

 

I see updates to this thread all the time. I don't jump in and dispute any of the great reviews. I'm happy for them, then your post shows up. This site isn't about being a sales tool for captain bob. If someone had posted a similar story to mine before we arrived, we may have tried to call him before leaving the ship....before every other excursion had cleared out for the day. There is (or was anyway) absolutely no plan in place for this. Captain Bob sent a picture of the boat....why couldn't he send a note that this is a smaller vessel and please call if the weather looks questionable? Something, anything other than letting everyone show up and then turn them away. If someone reads my earlier comments and avoids the same situation we were in, mission accomplished. AND, better for Captain Bob, right?

 

This excursion looks fun and by many many accounts is a great success. But I'm sure our visit won't be the last windy day. This situation will likely happen again if he continues to use the smaller boat. Go ahead and continue with the idea that Captain Bob can do no wrong. If anyone has a less than perfect review, it's their own fault, keep rolling your eyes, maybe even call them a couple names. I'm sure it will keep you at the front of the line to be on Captain Bob's boat. But, it doesn't help future customers very much....

[SissasMomE]

Oh My God!! First off, You're either mistaken or intentionally misleading readers. I never argued with him until he posted on this site afterward. You (and he) want to completely put it all on the weather and even place blame with the customer, convenient. I don't question the decision not to send that boat out that day. It was a little disappointing to find out that we were booked on a boat that couldn't handle the seas that they like the rest of the excursion. You seem to want to blame the customer for booking late, just like he did on this board. I don't see the need to re-hash this entire story unless others have questions. Bottom line is WE WERE LEFT WITH NO EXCURSION for the day for more reasons than the wind. Posting the details on here is not "trashing" him. Why can't you see that it just may be helpful to someone in the future?

 

I see updates to this thread all the time. I don't jump in and dispute any of the great reviews. I'm happy for them, then your post shows up. This site isn't about being a sales tool for captain bob. If someone had posted a similar story to mine before we arrived, we may have tried to call him before leaving the ship....before every other excursion had cleared out for the day. There is (or was anyway) absolutely no plan in place for this. Captain Bob sent a picture of the boat....why couldn't he send a note that this is a smaller vessel and please call if the weather looks questionable? Something, anything other than letting everyone show up and then turn them away. If someone reads my earlier comments and avoids the same situation we were in, mission accomplished. AND, better for Captain Bob, right?

 

This excursion looks fun and by many many accounts is a great success. But I'm sure our visit won't be the last windy day. This situation will likely happen again if he continues to use the smaller boat. Go ahead and continue with the idea that Captain Bob can do no wrong. If anyone has a less than perfect review, it's their own fault, keep rolling your eyes, maybe even call them a couple names. I'm sure it will keep you at the front of the line to be on Captain Bob's boat. But, it doesn't help future customers very much....

 

If that wasn't you then I apologize. A few people were cancelled that day - all booked last minute. Some understood and were gracious about it. There was 1 guy there who argued with Captain Bob for close to 20 minutes. He (capt bob) finally had to walk away from him. He (capt bob) pointed out the size of the 3rd boat - it was small. After doing the excursion that day, there is no way that boat would have made it. It was extremely bumpy and rough for us, and we were in the larger boat. As for Capt Bob contacting you the morning of the excursion - I'm not sure how he would have done that. You're on a cruise ship. This excursion was first thing in the morning. I know he told the last minute bookers that there was a chance they wouldn't have a boat (which was not the case - he did have a boat available. It was just extremely rough that day). Whether he told you that or not, I don't know. I think any time someone books a water excursion there is always a chance it will be cancelled. For what it's worth, had I experienced the roughness and then was given a chance to cancel on my own, I would have cancelled. It was extremely rough.

Edited January 31, 2014 by SissasMomE

[MiDenny]

If that wasn't you then I apologize. A few people were cancelled that day - all booked last minute. Some understood and were gracious about it. There was 1 guy there who argued with Captain Bob for close to 20 minutes. He (capt bob) finally had to walk away from him. He (capt bob) pointed out the size of the 3rd boat - it was small. After doing the excursion that day, there is no way that boat would have made it. It was extremely bumpy and rough for us, and we were in the larger boat. As for Capt Bob contacting you the morning of the excursion - I'm not sure how he would have done that. You're on a cruise ship. This excursion was first thing in the morning. I know he told the last minute bookers that there was a chance they wouldn't have a boat (which was not the case - he did have a boat available. It was just extremely rough that day). Whether he told you that or not, I don't know. I think any time someone books a water excursion there is always a chance it will be cancelled. For what it's worth, had I experienced the roughness and then was given a chance to cancel on my own, I would have cancelled. It was extremely rough.

 

No, That wouldn't have been me. I get it about the safety thing that day, I really do. I wasn't a last minute booking though and I never had any advance warning that there may not be a boat. I will tell you this, I think one of your reviews on this site was what finally convinced me to book with him. That's the thing with me, really. I did a lot of research. If I had been armed with a little more info, I could have avoided the situation. Maybe not fair to expect him to contact customers coming in on a ship as email would reach very few. But a "check with me" type of policy especially on the added boat could have changed things dramatically for us that day. I sincerely hope he will think about that in the future. Put a note in the reservation that if the weather looks questionable, call this number kind of thing. Even if it were just for the smaller boat. Really, how many calls would he need to flag? If I had known to do that, and called and found out in advance, problem solved. We would only have been disappointed to have missed his trip. But, we would very likely have been able to book something else. That is probably what the rest of the people were upset about. I think the situation could be avoided, that has been my main point.

 

We have other factors going on here that I don't hold Captain Bob responsible for, but are part of the whole picture. My wife has limited mobility on her right side. It was a bit of a challenge to get to the marina that morning. We researched in advance, looked at the map provided with booking, etc. We decided it was do-able, and it was. Trying to rush back to port was WAY worse and she was terribly worn out. Now add to that, this was our first stop. She had been of the opinion that cruise passengers should stick to ship sponsored excursions. I convinced her otherwise in order to book Captain Bob. So here we are, back at port, no available excursions other than "winging it" which we did...With her already worn out and understandably upset. As I said, these things were not his fault, but are part of our picture that day. And the situation could have been avoided....that's it.

 

Don't be so quick to dismiss negative reviews on here. They can be very helpful. I would hope they could sometimes be as helpful to the tour operators as the cruisers. As I said, I do plenty of research, here and elsewhere. I think you'll find that most people that are actually reading this stuff can pick and choose what is nitpicking and what could be a legitimate concern for them. I have read this entire thread. We had our own experience that we consider less than a positive one, but I can still say that this appears to be a top notch option IF you get to go. But I would also urge passengers that if they pull into port and find any kind of questionable weather, find a way to contact him and confirm your reservation, because it really really sucks to lead your group into a dead end with no excursion options. Fair enough? Cheers!

[akowilm]

Wow, time to close this thread?

 

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

[SissasMomE]

No, That wouldn't have been me. I get it about the safety thing that day, I really do. I wasn't a last minute booking though and I never had any advance warning that there may not be a boat. I will tell you this, I think one of your reviews on this site was what finally convinced me to book with him. That's the thing with me, really. I did a lot of research. If I had been armed with a little more info, I could have avoided the situation. Maybe not fair to expect him to contact customers coming in on a ship as email would reach very few. But a "check with me" type of policy especially on the added boat could have changed things dramatically for us that day. I sincerely hope he will think about that in the future. Put a note in the reservation that if the weather looks questionable, call this number kind of thing. Even if it were just for the smaller boat. Really, how many calls would he need to flag? If I had known to do that, and called and found out in advance, problem solved. We would only have been disappointed to have missed his trip. But, we would very likely have been able to book something else. That is probably what the rest of the people were upset about. I think the situation could be avoided, that has been my main point.

 

We have other factors going on here that I don't hold Captain Bob responsible for, but are part of the whole picture. My wife has limited mobility on her right side. It was a bit of a challenge to get to the marina that morning. We researched in advance, looked at the map provided with booking, etc. We decided it was do-able, and it was. Trying to rush back to port was WAY worse and she was terribly worn out. Now add to that, this was our first stop. She had been of the opinion that cruise passengers should stick to ship sponsored excursions. I convinced her otherwise in order to book Captain Bob. So here we are, back at port, no available excursions other than "winging it" which we did...With her already worn out and understandably upset. As I said, these things were not his fault, but are part of our picture that day. And the situation could have been avoided....that's it.

 

Don't be so quick to dismiss negative reviews on here. They can be very helpful. I would hope they could sometimes be as helpful to the tour operators as the cruisers. As I said, I do plenty of research, here and elsewhere. I think you'll find that most people that are actually reading this stuff can pick and choose what is nitpicking and what could be a legitimate concern for them. I have read this entire thread. We had our own experience that we consider less than a positive one, but I can still say that this appears to be a top notch option IF you get to go. But I would also urge passengers that if they pull into port and find any kind of questionable weather, find a way to contact him and confirm your reservation, because it really really sucks to lead your group into a dead end with no excursion options. Fair enough? Cheers!

 

Then I misunderstood, and I am very sorry. I thought you were the guy who booked last minute and was there yelling (and cursing) in front of the kids. I am truly sorry. I misunderstood.

[MiDenny]

Then I misunderstood, and I am very sorry. I thought you were the guy who booked last minute and was there yelling (and cursing) in front of the kids. I am truly sorry. I misunderstood.

 

Oh god no! Glad I missed that part. We were probably on our way back to port by then. No harm here....happy cruising.

[TSC]

No, That wouldn't have been me. I get it about the safety thing that day, I really do. I wasn't a last minute booking though and I never had any advance warning that there may not be a boat. I will tell you this, I think one of your reviews on this site was what finally convinced me to book with him. That's the thing with me, really. I did a lot of research. If I had been armed with a little more info, I could have avoided the situation. Maybe not fair to expect him to contact customers coming in on a ship as email would reach very few. But a "check with me" type of policy especially on the added boat could have changed things dramatically for us that day. I sincerely hope he will think about that in the future. Put a note in the reservation that if the weather looks questionable, call this number kind of thing. Even if it were just for the smaller boat. Really, how many calls would he need to flag? If I had known to do that, and called and found out in advance, problem solved. We would only have been disappointed to have missed his trip. But, we would very likely have been able to book something else. That is probably what the rest of the people were upset about. I think the situation could be avoided, that has been my main point.

 

We have other factors going on here that I don't hold Captain Bob responsible for, but are part of the whole picture. My wife has limited mobility on her right side. It was a bit of a challenge to get to the marina that morning. We researched in advance, looked at the map provided with booking, etc. We decided it was do-able, and it was. Trying to rush back to port was WAY worse and she was terribly worn out. Now add to that, this was our first stop. She had been of the opinion that cruise passengers should stick to ship sponsored excursions. I convinced her otherwise in order to book Captain Bob. So here we are, back at port, no available excursions other than "winging it" which we did...With her already worn out and understandably upset. As I said, these things were not his fault, but are part of our picture that day. And the situation could have been avoided....that's it.

 

Don't be so quick to dismiss negative reviews on here. They can be very helpful. I would hope they could sometimes be as helpful to the tour operators as the cruisers. As I said, I do plenty of research, here and elsewhere. I think you'll find that most people that are actually reading this stuff can pick and choose what is nitpicking and what could be a legitimate concern for them. I have read this entire thread. We had our own experience that we consider less than a positive one, but I can still say that this appears to be a top notch option IF you get to go. But I would also urge passengers that if they pull into port and find any kind of questionable weather, find a way to contact him and confirm your reservation, because it really really sucks to lead your group into a dead end with no excursion options. Fair enough? Cheers!

 

I have never been with Captain Bob - but - I want to thanks all the posters who share their experience. I for one, am very happy to hear the positive and the negative. If this was simply an opportunity to give rave reviews it would have less value to me.

 

In the CC forums there seems to be a tendency to attack posters who didn't drink the Kool-aid (whether you don't like a vendor or complain about the cruise line). But, I hope that fair and honest reviews keep coming despite that.

 

So, my thanks to all who post their experience!

[Neddy123]

I wanted to Thank You Capt. Bob and Fab for making our St. Maarten stop everything we could have imagined and more.

We learned so much about your Island, and it's different cultures, as well as seeing some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Your tours are small, and it makes a great difference to the Cruiser that is looking for an out of the ordinary experience. I would say that your excursion was the best of all the ones we took. I would do it again...... and again..... and again.

A special thanks to you Bob for making sure we had a cutie Capt. :rolleyes: and Fab...... you are FAB.

[springfire]

I have never been with Captain Bob - but - I want to thanks all the posters who share their experience. I for one, am very happy to hear the positive and the negative. If this was simply an opportunity to give rave reviews it would have less value to me.

 

In the CC forums there seems to be a tendency to attack posters who didn't drink the Kool-aid (whether you don't like a vendor or complain about the cruise line). But, I hope that fair and honest reviews keep coming despite that.

 

So, my thanks to all who post their experience!

 

I agree with you!

[2Fltravelers]

one of our stops will be in St Maarten. Has anyone used Captain Bob for your excursion. How was it? what did you do, and the cost?

 

We used Capt. Bob on our stop in St. Maarten in January. It was an easy walk from the pier to the marina. Chris was our captain that day and he was charming, engaged and experienced. There were 8 of us although the boat can hold 12. I think that would be too many. There was plenty of cold water, soda and beer onboard. It rained for the first 1.5 hours and there is no covering so we were wet and cold but it did clear and turned into a beautiful day. Chris said it was too rough to head into the ocean until the rain stopped so we went to a secluded area to float in the water with our noodles until it let up. Chris had the schedule rearranged so we ate an earlier lunch at a beachside restaurant in Grande Case where we had a choice of fresh fish, chicken or ribs. The food was freshly made, hot and very good. By then the rain had stopped so we were able to go to the next stop to snorkel with the green turtles. Afterwards, we went to Pinel Island where we went ashore, walked the beautiful beach and sat on the powdery white sand. After some great fun tooling around the different areas on the french side of the island we proceeded to our final stop under the flight path of the planes at Maho Beach. We were hoping to catch the jumbo Air France that usually lands that time of day but Chris said it was almost always late. So after a few jets passing overhead we headed back to the marina in plenty of time to make it to our ship. The group decided to stop for a powerful rum punch at Chesterfield's at the marina before heading back to our respective ships.

 

We highly recommend this trip. It was great fun and would consider it again the next time we are in St. Maarten.:D

[LadyDivot]

I also had a great experience with Captain Bob last year. Would use him again in a second and recommended him to others on this thread and TripAdvisor.

 

Having said that, I agree that all experiences and reviews, positive and negative, are critical for shorex decisionmaking. How are we supposed to get the full context of the trip if we don't get the full picture? All positive or all negative, for that matter, is not helpful. Need all the info if only to manage our expectations.

[SissasMomE]

The group decided to stop for a powerful rum punch at Chesterfield's at the marina before heading back to our respective ships.

 

We highly recommend this trip. It was great fun and would consider it again the next time we are in St. Maarten.:D

 

The second time we took this excursion, we had breakfast at Chesterfield's. Wow, what a good breakfast we had! I think I enjoyed the food more than the excursion LOL just kidding, but really, the breakfast was very good!

[husker_cruiser]

The experience we had with Captain Bob and Soualiga Destinations was by far the highlight of our cruise!! As experienced cruisers, we done a number of different excursions but have never had so much fun nor treated so much like royalty than we did when we spent the day with Captain Bob and his son. Captain Bob was always attentive to everyone one the boat. He was always checking to see if there was anything he could do to make our experience better. He truly does go out of his way to make the day a memorable one. From a tour of island shore, to the history of the island, wonderful snorkeling, a great authentic Caribbean lunch all coupled with perfect time to get to the airport to watch the planes land and take off, I couldn't have asked for more. There's a reason why Captain Bob and Soualiga Destinations are number 1 on TripAdvisor and with so many positive posts on Cruise Critic!!!

[runnergirl71]

I just booked this yesterday for February 2015!! Super excited - especially with the possibility of turtles!!!

 

When I emailed Captain Bob for info, I told him I will be on the Disney Fantasy, and he assured me that the time frame works extremely well with the Fantasy's schedule. So that makes me feel more comfortable. :)

 

 

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[sbell1]

This was great. Only 10 or so passengers per speed boat. He runs three boats at a time.

Fab was our captain and he did a great job!

 

Touring the island on a speed boat going 60 mph, with classic rock music playing was a blast!

 

Several stops with a nice lunch in a cafe on the beach.

 

I would highly recommend this tour.

[cruisinrg]

Well after reading so many reviews, I did it, i went ahead and booked Captain Bob for our April 5th cruise on the Getaway. I have to say he responded to my email very quickly and answered all of my questions. I'm a little apprehensive (sort of a chicken, not very adventerous) about the "speed" part of the tour, but my DH says....honey, no one has ever fallen off LOL We've been to St. Maarten many times so this time we figured we'd try something different.

[figgifumi]

Anyone ever taken a child? Our 3yo loves adventure and water. Captin Bob says she would be great swimming in floats along with us. What do u all think?

 

Also how is it not having a bathroom? He says pee with the fish but Im worried if dd needs to go #2....