Kona: Re: RCCL's Snorkel & Dolphin Adventure excursion

[mlbcruiser]

Wondering about the Snorkel & Dolphin Adventure excursion Royal Caribbean offers in Kona.  I'm not so interested in the dolphin aspect of this tour,  though I like dolphins just fine and it's especially fun to watch spinner dolphins. I'm more interested in seeing lots of fish, hopefully some healthy coral and other sea life.  Does anyone have first hand experience on this tour who can give me some specifics? I've snorkeled in many places, some great and some so-so, and realize storms and many factors can affect any location, but hope where this trip goes is generally a good location.. I'm hoping for at least very good w/regard to the island of HI. Because of someone traveling with me, I likely won't be able to head in from shore or do a small boat snorkeling excursion. So I am hoping this one will do.

Hoping to hear from someone with experience on this tour. Thanks for any info.!

[TwinMamainMN]

Would you be willing to book independently? I've been reading books such as "Hawaii Revealed" and they give lots of great, independent recommendations about tour companies, hotels, restaurants, beaches, driving trips and where to stop, etc. They also have an App you can download for free, and one that is a subscription that costs $10 a month (I think). We are going to pay the $ for the app before we leave, and then cancel it after the trip. That way we get up-to-the-minute conditions for beaches/volcano activity and can use their GPS aided driving trips. Just an idea.

[mlbcruiser]

 Actually  I hardly ever book an excursion through a ship and prefer to book independently when possible. Mostly because of smaller groups and lower prices. I read one  thing that said not to book any excursion in Kauai that is listed as a dolphin included snorkeling or boating excursion. The reason had to do with the  effects these types of excursions have on dolphins. There are federal laws pertaining to how close a boat can get two dolphins and so on.  I can’t believe that all of the excursions ignore the law but who knows?  Have not seen any independent trips so far that would be easy to get to, have a boat that would make the trip comfortable for someone in my party who has a mobility issue, and be the right time and price, but I  plan to continue to look. Thanks for taking the time to reply and for the information.

[Grover-Lee]

On 3/11/2019 at 6:17 AM, TwinMamainMN said:

Would you be willing to book independently? I've been reading books such as "Hawaii Revealed" and they give lots of great, independent recommendations about tour companies, hotels, restaurants, beaches, driving trips and where to stop, etc. They also have an App you can download for free, and one that is a subscription that costs $10 a month (I think). We are going to pay the $ for the app before we leave, and then cancel it after the trip. That way we get up-to-the-minute conditions for beaches/volcano activity and can use their GPS aided driving trips. Just an idea.

 

I'd be interested in knowing the name of those apps?  I'm going on the Celebrity Solstice the end of April, Honolulu to Vancouver.  An app like that would sounds super cool!  

[TwinMamainMN]

4 hours ago, Grover-Lee said:

 

I'd be interested in knowing the name of those apps?  I'm going on the Celebrity Solstice the end of April, Honolulu to Vancouver.  An app like that would sounds super cool!  

 

The app they have is "Hawaii Revealed". In the App store, the icon is 2 red and white beach chairs next to a beach umbrella.

[Grover-Lee]

16 hours ago, TwinMamainMN said:

 

The app they have is "Hawaii Revealed". In the App store, the icon is 2 red and white beach chairs next to a beach umbrella.

 

Thanks TwinMamain!!  I'll check it out.  

[lovecruzin]

On 3/8/2019 at 10:27 PM, mlbcruiser said:

Wondering about the Snorkel & Dolphin Adventure excursion Royal Caribbean offers in Kona.  I'm not so interested in the dolphin aspect of this tour,  though I like dolphins just fine and it's especially fun to watch spinner dolphins. I'm more interested in seeing lots of fish, hopefully some healthy coral and other sea life.  Does anyone have first hand experience on this tour who can give me some specifics? I've snorkeled in many places, some great and some so-so, and realize storms and many factors can affect any location, but hope where this trip goes is generally a good location.. I'm hoping for at least very good w/regard to the island of HI. Because of someone traveling with me, I likely won't be able to head in from shore or do a small boat snorkeling excursion. So I am hoping this one will do.

Hoping to hear from someone with experience on this tour. Thanks for any info.!

 

Im wondering if you did this excursion in Kona? I am looking at it for our cruise next month. There aren't a lot of independent options in Kona due to the tender process and early departure times.

[mlbcruiser]

lovecruzin, the Snorkel & Dolphin Excursion from Kona was pretty good overall. That is if you are going as much for the ride and scenery as for the snorkeling.  From what I could tell, one would have to be staying on island to find anything much better. I do have several comments about it, which I will state below:

 

If you have previously snorkeled a lot, you might (like me) think the snorkeling really wasn't "all that". I probably mentioned in my op that I've snorkeled in a lot of places and am likely spoiled by some very good experiences elsewhere.  I knew we wouldn't see a lot of bright coral, but hoped for more brightly colored and patterned fish, and more fish in general. (What you do see is pretty much greyish/black lava and some not super bright varieties of parrot and some other fish.)  While there were several varieties of fish (not lots and lots), they weren't as bright as what I've seen in numerous other locations in the world. I knew I wouldn't see a lot of brightly colored coral, nor as many varieties. This has been my experience off of other islands in the state of Hawaii for the most part. Out of maybe 8 places I've snorkeled at in Hawaii, I'd only rate one as very good and 2 others as decent. So I was prepared for it, although having read the area was considered one of the best in the whole state, I had hopes it would be better than it was. 

 

Note for anyone with mobility issues:  My dh has somewhat of a mobility issue. Although he can walk and do stairs, his balance isn't always the greatest and he is very weak on one side of his body. A former diver, he was just along for the ride and views, etc.  He managed to board and get off tenders and the excursion boat with a helping, steadying hand given to him by staff. Gathering on the ship to be taken to that dock to board the boat, I met a lady whose husband was along. He pushed him in a transport type chair. He could stand up just a bit and walk a couple of steps only. Like me, she had checked with the excursion people at RCI to make sure her dh would be able ride along on this excursion. However, it turned out to be too difficult for him to board the vessels, as there was no ramp.  I would have thought there would be a method by which staff could have managed to help (even lift) him onto the tender, but not so. (In St. Maarten, for instance, the local ferry can handle scooters and handicapped people a lot better.) The tender bounced more than average. We both thought that surely something would be different for the luau in Maui they had signed up for. However, the ship was not able to come up with any sort of way to get him on land so he could go to the luau.  Needless to say, this poor couple could not even go to the luau!  I guess the fault was that Royal Caribbean didn't really have a handle on the fact that it took more mobility to be able to board and disembark their tenders.  

 

The cost was on the high end for what you got, but hey, it's Hawaii. Can't say that was a surprise. It's true in various ports sometimes.  A lot more can be had for the price in less pricey areas with very good diving and snorkeling. Especially on independently booked excursions.  (This brings me to another point somewhat related, but not really on topic. I had heard one cannot find independent tours of almost any kind at the ports in HI.  This was not accurate. While not nearly as many are offered as you generally find at other ports elsewhere, there were still a few sightseeing tours with a few stops. Mostly to the major sights and mostly bus trips.  The ship did offer more types of excursions, though.)

 

The ride was enjoyable enough. Nice breeze and good views. You can be in or out of shade. The food and drinks were fine. The crew good. Would I recommend it? I guess I would because in our case, the alternative was not to snorkel or ride a boat off shore at all.

 

Hope this helps somewhat.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

I'd find out if the tour that RCI uses for the dolphin encounter is NOAA certified as part of their Dolphin Smart program. Marine mammal harassment is a huge issue on the Big Island.

 

For doing self guided tours in Hawaii, the GyPSy Guide comes highly recommended.

[lovecruzin]

On 8/12/2019 at 2:46 PM, mlbcruiser said:

lovecruzin, the Snorkel & Dolphin Excursion from Kona was pretty good overall. That is if you are going as much for the ride and scenery as for the snorkeling.  From what I could tell, one would have to be staying on island to find anything much better. I do have several comments about it, which I will state below:

 

If you have previously snorkeled a lot, you might (like me) think the snorkeling really wasn't "all that". I probably mentioned in my op that I've snorkeled in a lot of places and am likely spoiled by some very good experiences elsewhere.  I knew we wouldn't see a lot of bright coral, but hoped for more brightly colored and patterned fish, and more fish in general. (What you do see is pretty much greyish/black lava and some not super bright varieties of parrot and some other fish.)  While there were several varieties of fish (not lots and lots), they weren't as bright as what I've seen in numerous other locations in the world. I knew I wouldn't see a lot of brightly colored coral, nor as many varieties. This has been my experience off of other islands in the state of Hawaii for the most part. Out of maybe 8 places I've snorkeled at in Hawaii, I'd only rate one as very good and 2 others as decent. So I was prepared for it, although having read the area was considered one of the best in the whole state, I had hopes it would be better than it was. 

 

Note for anyone with mobility issues:  My dh has somewhat of a mobility issue. Although he can walk and do stairs, his balance isn't always the greatest and he is very weak on one side of his body. A former diver, he was just along for the ride and views, etc.  He managed to board and get off tenders and the excursion boat with a helping, steadying hand given to him by staff. Gathering on the ship to be taken to that dock to board the boat, I met a lady whose husband was along. He pushed him in a transport type chair. He could stand up just a bit and walk a couple of steps only. Like me, she had checked with the excursion people at RCI to make sure her dh would be able ride along on this excursion. However, it turned out to be too difficult for him to board the vessels, as there was no ramp.  I would have thought there would be a method by which staff could have managed to help (even lift) him onto the tender, but not so. (In St. Maarten, for instance, the local ferry can handle scooters and handicapped people a lot better.) The tender bounced more than average. We both thought that surely something would be different for the luau in Maui they had signed up for. However, the ship was not able to come up with any sort of way to get him on land so he could go to the luau.  Needless to say, this poor couple could not even go to the luau!  I guess the fault was that Royal Caribbean didn't really have a handle on the fact that it took more mobility to be able to board and disembark their tenders.  

 

The cost was on the high end for what you got, but hey, it's Hawaii. Can't say that was a surprise. It's true in various ports sometimes.  A lot more can be had for the price in less pricey areas with very good diving and snorkeling. Especially on independently booked excursions.  (This brings me to another point somewhat related, but not really on topic. I had heard one cannot find independent tours of almost any kind at the ports in HI.  This was not accurate. While not nearly as many are offered as you generally find at other ports elsewhere, there were still a few sightseeing tours with a few stops. Mostly to the major sights and mostly bus trips.  The ship did offer more types of excursions, though.)

 

The ride was enjoyable enough. Nice breeze and good views. You can be in or out of shade. The food and drinks were fine. The crew good. Would I recommend it? I guess I would because in our case, the alternative was not to snorkel or ride a boat off shore at all.

 

Hope this helps somewhat.

 

Very helpful, thank you. 

We have snorkeled in Hawaii numerous times so I am familiar with the possibility of less than stellar fish sightings and will go with low expectations!  Like you its, pretty much a choice of this or no off shore snorkeling.

One more question, do you recall if the tour operator was Body Glove? 

[mlbcruiser]

Sorry, I don’t remember, although I am familiar with products made by Body Glove.

[Budget Queen]

It does not sound like the above described tour went to the Cp Cook Monument- Which has a lot of yellow and black tangs and healthy coral.   It’s important to choose vendors who identify where. They go.   

 

I have easily done independent snorkeling trips out of Kona. Including using Body Glove. and Fair Wind. I’m returning next week for a 3 week visit including 2 cruises.   

[mlbcruiser]

It did go to Kakeakakua Bay. (Sp?) Yellow and black tangs., ok, but  bright blue ones were missing and the parrotfish were quite dull. There were a few other types of sea life but nothing “all that”.  Sites can vary on any given day, I realize, but it certainly was nothing special when I saw it. Plus the many other varieties of sea life we saw before at Maui and Hanauma Bay were absent. As for coral, nothing even remotely similar to many areas such as the caribbean, French Polynesia, Brazil, or  even right off the coast of SE FL. It was just o.k. Maybe it is better sometimes (?).

[lovecruzin]

11 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

It does not sound like the above described tour went to the Cp Cook Monument- Which has a lot of yellow and black tangs and healthy coral.   It’s important to choose vendors who identify where. They go.   

 

I have easily done independent snorkeling trips out of Kona. Including using Body Glove. and Fair Wind. I’m returning next week for a 3 week visit including 2 cruises.   

 

Fair wind was my first choice, unfortunately they leave too early for us to feel comfortable about making it with tender, taxi, etc...