Is cruising a good way to go on a dive trip?

[spongerob]

I have a friend who loves to dive, and has asked me about my opinion of going on a cruise to get his fix. He normally goes to Cancun or Cozumel, but for obvious reasons those plans have fallen through. I honestly don't know the answer - Your advice would be appreciated. I'll send him a link to this thread so he can read your responses for himself.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Edited to add: My friend really wouldn't be someone I could see on a cruise. He's extremely active, and I doubt he'd be into the shows or dining experience. He's just looking for some ideas to keep his vacation plans intact.

[budaman]

I'll try to answer this to the best of my ability.........and from my experience.

 

Have been diving for 20ish years, but do not consider myself an acomplished diver because I don't dive often enough to feel totally comfortable.

 

Took my first cruise this past April on the Rhapsody and dove Grand Cayman & Cozumel.

 

With that being said, I feel cruising is a good oportunity to sample some dive areas that you might have wanted to dive but were unsure if it constituted devoting an entire vacation to. The biggest drawback is you don't get enough time to really explore enough dive sites and experience the entire ambiance of the area. One positive is that you get to experience several diffent dive organizations in a short amount of time and establish what you do & don't like.

 

I had a very good time on my cruise dives, but I also had 5 other family members diving with me....had I been by myself, I might have been a little more intimidated diving. Cruise diving will not come close to providing the experience of an entire week devoted to one locale and one dive operation. I felt after my week in Grand Cayman last month that my diving skills and confidence as a diver were enhanced far beyond what I could have accomplished on a cruise.

 

However, I would not pass up an opportunity to take a cruise and be able to dive if it presented itself. In fact, I think I'll do it in February! The perfect compromise would be to take a cruise each year and a week long dive vacation.

 

Mike

[bruce-r]

If your friend loves to dive, I would discourage him from going on a cruise unless he is traveling with non-divers. What he really needs/wants is a liveaboard dive trip for an eat-sleep-dive vacation. Something like http://www.aggressor.com or http://www.nektoncruises.com would be a better match, especially for a solo traveler. My view of a cruise as a diver is that it is a compromise vacation at best. I don't get to dive nearly enough on a cruise, but I have a non-diving family, so I have to take into account their interests too. I get to dive, just not as much as I would like, and we still have lots of "together" time during the rest of the cruise.

[Hilary]

I have to agree with Bruce. After diving on our last cruise, we found the two to not match well for us. We only dive with our own equipment, and the extra hassles of that weren't really worth the 4 charters we got. That said, we did meet up with a group who loved diving when they cruised. They brought their own masks, fins, and dive skins and rented everything else. The only time they dove was on their yearly cruise and loved exploring a different island each time they went.

 

We've already decided that if we want to take a cruise vacation, we'll likely stick to snorkeling. I would never cruise TO dive....that's what a liveaboard is for.

[Capt_BJ]

If your friend loves to dive, I would discourage him from going on a cruise unless he is traveling with non-divers. What he really needs/wants is a liveaboard dive trip for an eat-sleep-dive vacation. Something like www.aggressor.com or www.nektoncruises.com would be a better match, especially for a solo traveler. My view of a cruise as a diver is that it is a compromise vacation at best. I don't get to dive nearly enough on a cruise, but I have a non-diving family, so I have to take into account their interests too. I get to dive, just not as much as I would like, and we still have lots of "together" time during the rest of the cruise.

 

Substantially concur - but if you have the pocketbook to support it there are cruises that do support more diving w/out going the full liveaboard route.

 

In particular, spousal unit and I did a WindStar 7 dayer where we got 4 dive days in - pretty good sites too. granted it was only 2 tanks a day and the dive costs were on top of the cruise cost, but that was more diving than a typical 7 day cruise that might hit GC and/or Coz. WS did thier own dives via zodiaks and we did some really nice dives. Enjoyed the whole experience - the on board time was WAY better that a dedicated live aboard - but much less diving too ....

 

Tell your friend to consider Cayman Brac or Little Cayman if he wants a land based dive package along the lines of Coz or Canc.... I think he'd like either.

[spongerob]

I'm passing along a big thank you. I have to agree with the observation that cruising is a compromise vacation if you are pursuing other interests. The same is true with trying to combine a golf vacation with cruising - you don't cruise for just the golf. If you do, you are likely to be disappointed. Great advice, and thanks again. Casey is looking into Cayman Brac.

[Capt_BJ]

Forgot Bonaire for a dive trip recommendation....very enjoyable (altho the airfare is more)

 

The neat thing about Bonaire is most diving is shore diving at your own pace. You pay the park fee for diving then pickup a rental car and a guide book. Driving the perimeter road about the island you see yellow rocks with numbers. Look up the number and get info about the dive there - swim 25 yards on compass heading xxx .... walk down the path to the dock .... pretty neat stuff. You can do boat dives to Klein Bonaire too, but don't really need to....

[budaman]

One other place your friend might check is Compass Point on Grand Cayman. It is on the East End of Grand Cayman and Ocean Frontiers operates out of there. It is a small condo facility. While in GC at the end of Oct we dove with Ocean Frontiers and really liked them. It was during the time when Wilma & Beta were affecting the area and on many days, their boats and the Cayman Agressor were the only boats out. The rates at Compass Point were very attractive and the diving on the East End is outstanding. Oh, and the Agressor is a very nice ship of about 125 ft.

 

I agree with your analogy on cruising and golfing also!

 

Unfortunately, it kind of sounds like we are putting cruising down, but that is far from what I feel. Having arranged my first cruise this past April, I had always looked at a cruise as being a big bore....kind of like never understanding how anyone could find chasing a little white ball all over creation, just to go and hit it again, entertaining and enjoyable, until I actually went out & played. But I had an immensly good time on that cruise and was never at a loss for something to do and I only went to one show and never once turned on the TV.

 

Mike

[bruce-r]

As Mike commented, sounds like we are putting cruise down. At least for me, that is not the what I meant to imply. I've enjoyed the cruises I've been on and would definitely go again, but a cruise isn't the BEST vacation for everyone. Diving and golfing highlight this point of view. If you want to sample diving at several islands during a cruise, perfect. If you want to concentrate on diving, a cruise might disappoint.

 

I can recommend Brac Reef Beach Resort on Cayman Brac. I had a great week there in 2001. I would definitely go to their sister property Little Cayman Beach Resort as well. Curacao is also a destination worth visiting and has much better diving than Aruba.

 

For my family, flying from Oregon, a week at an all inclusive resort in Cozumel is less expensive than a cruise. This might not be true for everyone, but it is something to consider.

[AgVball]

with the other posters - it depends on what you are trying to get out of the trip.

 

My husband and I enjoy cruises. We are not avid divers - and we use the cruise as a way to get at least one dive trip in for the year. Last year was a great way for us to "try out" Belize from the Grand Princess.

 

Our first year of cruising/diving we used the cruise's dive excursion (before we found this board) - and those just weren't very good (and expensive.)

 

We typically take our gear with us - everything. BUT - we typically have a balcony room - so we have plenty of room to wash stuff out (in a bathtub) and dry it off (on the balcony or in the sitting area.) Might be tough w/ your own equipment if you go for some smaller rooms - I'm not sure - just thinking out loud.

 

Someone else said it - the ultimate would be two vacations - one cruise and one dive-related.

[w&k]

Let me say up front that I am a Floridian, and have great diving right here at home within 4 to 5 hours drive. I'm also not fond of 'adventure' destinations, enteric diseases, and exotic bugs.

 

I love diving on cruises - that way we get to sample a little bit of everything, and my eventual goal is to dive every island we can cruise to.

 

It's definitely a bit of a hassle diving on a cruise, especially because we almost always cruise in the cheap seats. Cleaning gear on the pool deck ('gear and beer') usually attracts other divers on the ship, and leads to some great dive stories.

 

BUT... for someone like me that does not want to actually stay in an exotic/adventure destination that is awesome for diving (Belize, Roatan, Dominica, etc.), it's the way to go. I may be a biologist, but I really don't want to hatch my own botfly, experiment with medications for amoebic dysentery, or have any of the myriad of personal experiences that come with being 'off the beaten path.'

 

Cruising also elminates the hassle and $$$$$ of flying for us, since we have multiple ports at our doorstep. Nowhere is cheap to fly from Florida, and it's 2 hours + to the Orlando airport with no traffic. I can book and drive to a cruise for a lot less $ than airfare. We also get fed, entertained, and pampered on the cruise as well.

 

Yes, I would love to do a Nekton trip. Yes, I would love to fly to Cozumel and stay for 10 days of DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE DIVE! Yes, I would love to go to one of the fancy dive resorts in Cayman and kick back. Yes, I would love to go to the atolls off Belize and spend the week diving and fishing on the surface intervals.

 

However, every time I price one of those trips...I book two cruises.

 

Have a great time wherever you go and whatever you do.

 

Wendy

[acbauer]

Wendy - Cleaning your gear on the pool deck? How does that work? Do ya just saunter up to the fresh water shower wearing your BC, mask, snorkel and fins? We're trying to decide on an ocean view vs. a suite and how to wash out our gear in the smaller cabin. This idea may have saved us some $$$ !!

[Hilary]

I have to agree that at no time did I intend to cruise bash...I love to cruise! My DH and I just don't find that it works for us as a "dive vacation"...certainly doesn't mean that it won't work for everyone, which is why I referenced the group on our trip that cruised and dove every year.

 

As far as cost, we found when we compared a Celebrity cruise and a Nekton cruise, that the base cost was the same....hence the booking with Nekton for next month. When we added diving, drinks, tips, and misc, the Nekton cruise came out to be a far better deal for us. BUT, its impossible for us to compare a liveaboard dive boat with a luxury cruise....except for being on a boat on the water for a week, there aren't many similarities.

 

I have to agree with Bruce-r about many resort vacations being competitive or cheaper than cruising. I priced out a week long cruise for next year and when compared to spending a week in Maui, the price difference was so small it was insignificant. Since we live in Washington, airfare to Hawaii can be had for an extremely reasonable price and we can book a condo through Interval International, so that helps the Maui price as well.

 

As much as I love to cruise, and have gone on one every 2 years for the past 15 years, I don't see one in our near future, which kinda makes me sad. :(

[Jerry_G]

As Mike commented, sounds like we are putting cruise down. At least for me, that is not the what I meant to imply. I've enjoyed the cruises I've been on and would definitely go again, but a cruise isn't the BEST vacation for everyone. Diving and golfing highlight this point of view. If you want to sample diving at several islands during a cruise, perfect. If you want to concentrate on diving, a cruise might disappoint.

 

What Bruce says here is very well stated. Like most divers I have dove from cruise ships and done the one and two week dive trips. They both have been very enjoyable but very different. If you like to dive you will enjoy it no matter what it takes to get in the water. I also think the food and entertainment the ship offers makes the experience significantly different from the dive only vacations. Viva La Diference

[joediver]

acbauer.....I haven't just jumped in the fresh water showers on the pool deck but I have removed my gear from my mesh bag and rinsed them out before taking them back to my cabin and hanging them up to dry on the balcony or in the shower. Much easier than doing it in the tub!

[bruce-r]

Wendy - Cleaning your gear on the pool deck? How does that work? Do ya just saunter up to the fresh water shower wearing your BC, mask, snorkel and fins?

That is exactly what I have done. Actually, I wasn't wearing it, but I did take my bag of dive gear, including the wet suit, up to the pool deck to rinse off in the shower.

 

We're trying to decide on an ocean view vs. a suite and how to wash out our gear in the smaller cabin. This idea may have saved us some $$$ !!

It is definitely the way to go if you don't have a balcony. Rinse your gear, hang it to drip dry, have a beer, answer questions, talk with other divers, that's a great way to spend an afternoon.

[w&k]

Yes, I march right into the fresh-water shower on the pool deck!

 

I usually pitch both sets of the gear into the shower and start rinsing while Keith scopes out a spot in the shade that has a good walking path. The ideal spot has an open window with breeze and an inside railing for hanging skinsuits and wetsuits.

 

Somehow a waiter usually appears with a bucket of ice-cold beers or a couple of rum specials at this point.

 

As I rinse off the gear and stack it outside the shower, Keith totes it over to the drying spot and spreads it out. The inside railings at the window of RCCL ships are great for this!

 

By the time we get finished, our 'spot' looks like a dive garage sale, and any divers in the area have stopped by to compare notes, ask where we're going next, or just generally BS about diving.

 

After a few beverages, dive stories, and maybe a small snack, the gear is 'dry enough' to go downstairs. After showers, I usually hang up the skins & wetsuits, put the masks, computer & camera on the table on a towel, and blow up the BC's & tuck them under the counter in the bathroom, or leave them on top of the dive bag.

 

Oh yes...it's also a good idea to warn your cabin steward that the bathroom is covered with dive gear. We also tell our steward not to bother in the bathroom - just leave towels.

 

A lot of people that want to try diving stop by as well. I can't tell you how many ladies and older people I have been able to encourage. Let's face it... the image of the Navy diver goes down fast when they see a couple of 40+ers with grey hairs & extra insulation can do it.

 

Have a great time!

 

Wendy

[cruzegirl]

Well I see both sides of the cruising/diving dilemma... I'm a newer diver with 25 logged dives so not the most experienced... I've done most of my diving off California coast lines but also did a cruise/land time to Hawaii Sept./October.... I did one dive while on a 4 day land time and then a dive in Maui while on the cruise.... I'm sure a land vacation would give divers alot more time in the water and more dive choices.... But I had a great time diving from the ship.. However, the ship was overnight... And most cruises aren't overnight at the ports so you are at their mercy time wise... But I still love cruising and if I can dive too, it's a bonus... But can't wait to do a dive vacation of my choice too..... I'll really know more about how well it works after Dec. 2006 as I'm booked on the Carnival Valor scuba cruise with other CCers..... Won't help you now but the info. may help someone else.....:D

 

On my Hawaiian cruise we had the suite so the rinsing of the gear was easy... We had a tub w/detachable shower head ... Rinsed everything in the tub, let it drain for a couple of hours and then put it all out on the balcony.... worked perfect......:p

[acbauer]

JoeDiver, Bruce-R and Wendy -

 

Thanks for the info on "Gear & Beer" I love the idea. I was not looking forward to washing out our gear in our cabin...Mmmmm, BEER!

[nho9504]

However, every time I price one of those trips...I book two cruises.

Wendy

 

Though we did do a weeklong all inclusive dive trip at Cozumel years back when we first certified. We lived in Houston then.

 

We even spent 6 days at Sandals Antigua because of the benefits of all watersports were included. Unfortunately it was during hurricane season and we only got one dive in and the water was super murky. (The original destination was to Sandals Grande at St.Lucia - we were diverted to Antigua at MIA due to hurricane and flight cancellation.)

 

However, these days, hubby always compares any trips we do with a cruise - and of course no matter what, a cruise is still the best deal, $$$ wise. :p

 

We do take other trips - national parks, big cities, foreign countries, etc but when we look at the cost ratio, a cruise cannot be beat, even without considering the airfare.

 

For example, we will go to Hawaii in May '06, on a fare error from United. $132 from Atlanta to Honolulu - then we need to add the costs from FLL to ATL - we could end up driving as we have some hotel points we need to use by end of May next year otherwise we will forfeit such. However, the 9 day accommodation costs in Hawaii is a major killer even I have some Marriott Reward certificates / points I can use to offset 4 nights.

[lawyerrose]

I had to laugh at the way you put some of your comments, but I agreed with them all. I and my dear one don't get to dive that much (even though we ARE Floridians) and I love being able to get in a dive while cruising! I've had great experiences every place I've dived while on a cruise.

I will say, though, that I booked at Coki beach the last time I was in St. Thomas, and had a great experience for a fraction of the price. I plan to do it again on the upcoming cruise we're going on March 19th on Costa Magica. The Coki people will pick you up right at the dock and they offer a beach dive, which I found to be the height of relaxation.

I've been alone on a couple of my dive trips done while cruising and even though I'm not a very experienced diver, I felt very comfortable. Stuck with the dive master!! :-)

 

Rose

[jetskier]

Pricewise, it has been cheaper for us to take a cruise and dive. We bring all our own gear which causes us to have two extra bags to stow. We use the shower to rinse and dry which probably causes the room steward some anguish. I have not thought about using the showers by the pools.

 

Dave

[billeelou]

Cost for my cruise including Air for two: 7 days with 4 stops $1424.oo /

with two or three tank dives at GC, Bl;ize, Coz, Mawahual $325...

 

I defy anyone to get a 7 day vaction dive trip from El Paso Tx in for $1749 much less see 4 fabulous areas.... :p

 

to me I could dive anyone of them for a solid week, but us poor folks have to take it where and how Much ever we can....

 

 

Live aboards are great if both are divers, but mine doesn't and so would be bored crazy....and I donb't like to leave her behind and go on a week excursion( end up paying much more:eek: )