Caribbean Shore Excursion seems to be "booze cruisey"

[nolatravelgirl]

I know that the excursions are run by independent tour operators, but I have been doing some research on the Champagne Catamaran excursion in St. John and it appears to be a frequent excursion offered by many cruise lines yet the videos online of this tour make it appear more to be about the booze/hawking t-shirts than the scenery and snorkeling. The descriptions on Carnival, NCL and Celebrity all seems nearly identical to the description on the Seabourn webpage so I am assuming it is the same.

 

 

Video 1 -

Video 2 -

Video 3 -

 

The videos show patrons being pressured to listen to pleas for tips and t-shirt sales pitches, "Powering" (not sailing) to/from Honeymoon Beach while downing Cook's sparkling wine, draft beer and cocktails from a soccer cooler and then only spending 45 min - 1 hour actually being allowed to use the beach and snorkel. Seems a little less idyllic than the glossy brochure. Don't get me wrong, I love a good drink in the sunshine, but this is starting to not smell right to me.

 

Is there anyway to determine if this is the same operation or is a different cruise?

[wripro]

Doesn't sound like something Seabourn would offer. Or shouldn't.

[jenidallas]

Might be worth waiting to book until onboard as they'll be able to answer more questions - many excursions are still available for booking on the ship. Plus it's good to get onboard and find out the planned port for Shopping with the Chef and such!

 

I don't know that I could handle the downgrade to Cooks! ;-)

[Jim Avery]

We bit on one very, very similar to this and you read it right. We would pass in the future and research a nice beach with bars/restaurants nearby and hire a cab.:D

[Mr Luxury]

Like any tour, only book it if you like the sound of it.

The Caribbean is prone to having hard sell tours as it is such a money maker for the economy

[Bell Boy]

Can't understand why you'd want to step off the luxury of Seabourn for a glass or two of 'caribbean sparking (not champagne) wine' and a trip around water.!!!

Come on ! you're Seabourn. Don't waste your money. Take a walk along the beach have a look before hand, then book it independently.

 

Bell Boy :)

[jenidallas]

Seabourn does market it as Champagne Snorkeling... surely they know the difference between champagne and sparkling.

 

That excursion caught my eye, but more for the snorkeling than for the libations. I'm a sucker for any good snorkel expedition that can get me to the good spots.

 

The merchandise hawking would annoy me though... I don't buy t-shirts or bric-a-brac anywhere so I hate that part of guided tours. But I've also had it everywhere from the group bus expeditions to the private driver runs. On the big expeditions it's always much more apparent but even with the private stuff or arranged drivers, they sneak it in. I was in St. Petersburg last month with a private arranged guide where every day we had at least one sneaky shopping expedition - from the "lets taste vodka" at the expensive tchotchke shop to the "this is the only spot with clean restrooms" pop into another shop, it was still apparent.

[johnnycruise]

Seabourn does market it as Champagne Snorkeling... surely they know the difference between champagne and sparkling.

 

If you are expecting a barefoot catamaran to serve Moet you are 12 steps away from reality - Tott's, Cook's or Andre are the norm. All hail bulk Charmat!

 

The videos are accurate - these excursions cater to the under 35 crowd. The (cheap) booze cruise aspect is appealing for mega ship passengers who pay for anything other than water and iced tea. The snorkeling in St. John is OK. You can do-it-yourself from Trunk Bay.

[wripro]

I don't even understand the logic of combining alcohol and snorkeling, forget about the quality (or lack of) of the champagne. If you're not clearheaded you won't appreciate what you'e seeing below the water's surface.

[Jim Avery]

I don't even understand the logic of combining alcohol and snorkeling, forget about the quality (or lack of) of the champagne. If you're not clearheaded you won't appreciate what you'e seeing below the water's surface.

 

Quite right! I tried it once with a hangover in St Barts.:eek: Not recommended.:D

[jenidallas]

Hmmm... sounds like this one is a pass!

[nolatravelgirl]

Thanks for all the interesting feedback!

If you are expecting a barefoot catamaran to serve Moet you are 12 steps away from reality - Tott's, Cook's or Andre are the norm. All hail bulk Charmat!

 

The videos are accurate - these excursions cater to the under 35 crowd. The (cheap) booze cruise aspect is appealing for mega ship passengers who pay for anything other than water and iced tea. The snorkeling in St. John is OK. You can do-it-yourself from Trunk Bay.

I am okay with cheap sparkling, but I guess I was a bit disappointed that only a small portion is dedicated to snorkeling and apparently this spot is common stop for cruise ship excursions.

I don't even understand the logic of combining alcohol and snorkeling, forget about the quality (or lack of) of the champagne. If you're not clearheaded you won't appreciate what you'e seeing below the water's surface.

From what I have read/seen youtube, the alcohol only flows on the return trip to land so you really only get to drink (bad) alcohol for the 30-40 minutes that it takes to get back to shore.

 

This excursion is a miss after closer analysis. It is listed as 3.5 hours and really only includes 1 snorkel stop. I have found a cool stop in Antigua for about the same price that includes almost double the time, 3 snorkel stops for about the same price. It doesn't include alcohol but seems like a much better value.

 

I am going to look into some other options and will post on the roll call for others looking for something interesting.

[wripro]

Anyone who is happy with really cheap sparking wine must love the art auctions on board many ships!

[Jim Avery]

Anyone who is happy with really cheap sparking wine must love the art auctions on board many ships!

 

And a big fan of Alka-Seltzer Morning Relief.:eek::D

[jenidallas]

I'm not a huge fan of group excursions although I heard so many people rave about various Seabourn tours on the last cruise that I felt maybe I hadn't given them a fair shake.

 

Moving away from cheap swill vs. otherwise, can anyone recommend any GOOD Seabourn tours that are on offer for the Caribbean Sojourn sailings this fall? (I'd day Champagne Snorkeling is off the table....)