Opinions on Rumbaba charters?

[llgator]

Any opinions on Rumbaba charters half day sail? We will be with our 2 children, ages 13&8. Trying to decide between them and Interline sail. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!!!!

[lanabanana]

Do a search on this board for both of those boats and you'll get a wealth of info. I did a full review of our experience with Rumbaba last Nov. and many others have as well. It seems like all of the daysails have gotten great reviews. We chose Rumbaba based on the food! Good luck.

[Hockey19]

You didn't say when you were sailing but I will be on Rumbaba in a little over 3 weeks. Don't know your timeline but I'm sure there will be a post where I will throw some comments up on.

[sailwithme56]

I took the Rumbaba whole day charter. Here was my exerience:

 

Great communication between myself and Captain Bobby before we left to reserve the sail. He told us that if our ship did not dock that day in St. Thomas he would not charge us.

 

We called him when we got in a cab at our ship's dock and he met us at the Red Hook dock. We had to sit on the dock, step down onto a rung, and step into the rubber dingy to be transported to the boat. He is anchored in the marina channel, not tied up at a dock.

 

We sailed to St. John. Captain Bobby entertained us with stories about the islands and some of their famous inhabitants. 1st Mate Karen served us home-made chocolate-banana bread and beverages.

 

The ride to St. John was fairly smooth, but it is a sailboat and it can heel over (tip to one side), sometimes unexpectedly when you experience a sudden gust of wind. While under sail to St. John the boat was steadliy heeled to the point that we could only sit on the upwind side. The downwind side was at too much of an angle to the water. For people that love sailing, this is wonderful! No one that loves sailing wants to be on a sailboat that isn't really sailing. Captain Bobby really takes you sailing! The only way a sailboat is going to be level to the water is if it is motoring and not under sail.

 

After anchoring, Bobby transported us in the dingy to the beach and told us he would be back in an hour to pick us up. He also offered snorkel equipment and flotation devices before we left the boat. He has a good selection of good snorkel equipment and flotation devices. We swam/snorkeled in the water. There wasn't a lot to look at but it didn't matter because the water and the beach were absolutely beautiful.

 

Bobby picked us up and took us back to the boat. To get on board you have to climb up a ladder. This is normal for sailboats, but it can be a challenge. The rungs are round and small in diameter.

 

Karen prepared a beautiful platter of appetizers that were attractively served and delicious. Caribbean music played in the backgroung while we ate. Karen served drinks to order all around. While we munched, Captain Bobby grilled our entrees on his grill fastened to the back of this boat. His grilling was perfect! The meal was attractively served, delicious, and we enjoyed it under the canopy that they had stretched across so that we wouldn't be in the direct sun.

 

After lunch we were offered a ride back to the beach or the opportunity to snorkel. The snorkel site was some distance from the boat, near a rock cliff, and the way to get there was to swim. Captain Bobby again offered snorkel equipment and flotation devices.

 

Back on board we were offered drinks again before we pulled up anchor and headed back to the marina. Once in the marina, Karen offered home-made chocolate chip cookies to all. We then did the dingy-dock thing backwards.

 

When making your decision whether to go with a sailing charter, ANY sailing charter, ask yourself what it is you really want to do with your day. If you want a once-in-a-lifetime experience aboard a beautiful boat, enjoying the activity of sailing on Caribbean waters in an idyllic setting then maybe this is for you. You will enjoy an entertaining captain and a lovely first mate that prepares a beautiful and delicious meal. Due to the distance that had to be traveled and time for lunch, the day offered somewhat limited beach/water time. We were gone about six hours, about two of it spent in the water. This is nothing against the charter, it just is what it is because of the distance and logistics of the day. If you want a lot of beach/snorkel time and don't particularly care about sailing or what you eat that day, you might want to just go to a beach. If you are taking children or non/limited swimmers, you may want to skip the snorkeling in the afternoon and go back to the beach in the dingy. The beach was very shallow and could accommodate any level of swimmer. The swim to the snorkel site was long and required climbing back into the boat from the ocean. If you are taking anyone that cannot swim, I would suggest a flotation device while under sail unless they remain seated in the cockpit area of the boat at all times. Captain Bobby is very cautious about his guests and where/how they sit. However, if a gust hits unexpectedly, the boat can heel.

 

Due to the physical requirements for getting on/off the boat, I would not recommend this trip for the infirm.

 

It was a great day! We appreciated all of the special attention. I would recommend Captain Bobby for all of the reasons mentioned above. My only suggestion is make sure that you are chartering a day sail for the experience of being on a sailboat and not just for a ride to a beach/snorkel spot. There are ferry's and ship excursions that can do that for you. Sailing is about enjoying the trip, not just about getting there.

[drdaddy]

Sailwithme,

 

That had to be one of the best, concise, and interesting reviews I have read in quite some time. Just what I am sure many of us are looking for.

 

I think your insights as to what you can expect and what one can get out of this was perfect.

 

Thank you very much.

[tONYpAL85]

Im doing the full day sail aboard the Rumbaba this August. That is definately the best review I have read about this particular trip. It sounds great, Im a little worried about only having about 2 hours of water time. I like to snorkel and I wouldn't mind enjoying the beach for a little bit longer. On the website it does state that you can alter the schedule a bit, maybe do a little less sailing and a little more water time. Overall I dont think I can be displeased either way. Sounds like a great and exciting day on the water.

 

~Tony

[enjoyinglife]

Sail with me56,

 

Thanks for the great review. I think I finally have decided what I think we need to do in the VIs after two weeks of mentally debating my choices. Your phraseology about what it is we would want to do has just told me that I should stay away from the sailboat experience and take a taxi because my number one wish is that I really want alot of snorkeling when there because I hear that The VI's have some of the best snorkling.

 

Thanks for allowing me to cleary see the picture!

[momofslg]

I have been in contact with Captain Bobby and in one of his e-mails he said that he would cater to our wants. We could either sail more or snorkel more we just had to let him know. I told him that we wanted to snorkel more and to please let any others who want to book on the same day as us know our preference.

We are looking forward to this excursion more than any of the others we have scheduled.

~Lisa

[sailwithme56]

Thank you all for the compliments on my post on Rumbaba. I chose Rumbaba based on the reviews posted on these boards. I felt a responsibility to do the same.

 

On water time...we did not request additional sailing time. We went straight to the beach and anchored, then sailed straight back. About two hours in the water is what you can expect. The beach time was controlled by when the dingy came for us. We voluntarily swam back to to boat after snorkeling for about an hour. We could have stayed out longer but it was a long swim back to the boat and it just seemed prudent to head back when we did.

 

If you look at his website, I believe Captain Bobby quotes a full day from about 9:30 to 3:30, which is six hours. If you want considerably more than about two hours in the water, then you may want to reconsider. It is a day full of many experiences that all take time.

 

Good luck!

[pmb]

I am booked for August 16th sail on Rumbaba. The reviews on this site are great and I had a wonderful experience making on-line reservations. I can't wait!

[tONYpAL85]

Just returned from Eastern Caribbean cruise. We did the Rumbaba in St. Thomas and have only good things to say. This was by far one of the best excursions we've ever been on and if we ever make it back to St. Thomas we will definetly go on this same excursion again.

 

I felt like everything was really well organized, it ran smoothly. I was really impressed. The food was amazing....far better than the cruise ship. You won't go hungry that's for sure. The snorkeling was pretty good at both locations they took us too. They provided snorkeling equiptment that didn't leak and several different choices of flotation devices.

 

All of the other reviews pretty much go into pretty good accurate detail. We got amazing pictures from the sailboat of all of the islands surrounding St. Thomas. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. :D

[KAWS]

I just spoke with Capt. Bobby and he said his charters go until 4 pm. I told him that our ship LEAVES at 4 pm and he said usually they go at 5.

 

He told me that if my ship indeed left at 4, then I could post on CC roll call and secure 2 other couples to join us, or we could alter the snorkel schedule to be one stop rather than two, but those are logistics.

 

My question is this: What were the times for your excursion - when to when?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Kim

[lanabanana]

We just had our second experience with Rumbaba and it was just as good as the first. Bobby picked us up on the pier in Red Hook at 9:15 and we began sailing at 9:30am. He deposited us back on the pier in Red Hook at 3:30. It is about a 15 min. taxi ride back to the ship. We sailed at 5pm and had just a little time to do some shopping before the "all aboard" at 4:30.

 

We had another beautiful day in St. Thomas. There were only four of us and we wanted to sail more and snorkel less, so we only had one snorkel stop, where they prepared our wonderful, tasty lunch. We can't say enough about this excursion in St. Thomas and plan to do it every time we are in the area.

[KAWS]

Has anyone cruising on Princess done this excursion? Your times coincide with what Bobby said was the norm - he said he wasn't familiar with the 4 pm time.

 

Kim

[lassy]

Hi, We just booked with Captain Bobby for January and cant wait, it sounds like it will be the highlight of our cruise. We are suppose to dock in St. Thomas at 8am and meet the Captain at 915, has anyone had a problem getting their in time and can you use your cell phone once you are in St. Thomas to call, I remember waiting a long time to get off the ship last time in st. thomas and thanks in advance

[lanabanana]

They seem to have a very organized system for taxis in St. Thomas. When you come off the pier, they'll ask you where you are going and when you say Red Hook, they'll put you in an open air taxi with others who are going to Red Hook. It's only a 15 min. taxi ride. We arrived in Red Hook at 8:45. No sweat!

 

My nationwide plan did include St. Thomas and San Juan, so calls I made from there had no roaming charge.

 

Enjoy your day aboard the Rumbaba!

[F858MM]

could i get the email or web address

[lanabanana]

http://www.rumbabacharters.com

[Paumavista]

We were on RC Seranade last week and sailed with Bobby. We chose a half day sail because we have two little guys (6&7) in addition to our older kids 17 & 20 and we've never sailed before so I wasn't sure how they'd do. We all had a wonderful day; our sail did not include a barbeque lunch but we had an excellent lunch of chicken wraps, salad and drinks.

 

Sailwithme56 did a wonderful review. Having never sailed we wanted to try it. Rumbaba provided a true sailing experience. The kids all loved it . We spent most of the time sailing because it simply takes awhile to reach your destination in St John.

 

Regarding snorkling - we are a little spoiled because we have all snorkled in Hawaii....it wasn't as good this day or in this location.

 

Summary: We all enjoyed the sail. However, I'm not sure this type sailing is for us....during the cruise we also sailed with Shasa catamaran in Barbados and the catamaran (including snorkling and swimming with turtles) was the number 1 highlight of our cruise. Our family also had the catamaran to ourselves and it was just soooo relaxing and such fun laying out on that canvas without worrying about which way the boat would tilt next (and the snorkling was better) - just our personal opinion - my full review on Barbados board.

 

ps - I would try taking the bus (we paid $60 for all of us to take the taxi to Redhook and $6 to take the bus back to the ship - the bus took 5 minutes longer)

[Cruiser42]

Wow, what a great review ! thanks a lot -- I think I know the answer, but I have to ask because I really want to be sure - can my 74 year old mother do this ??? She snorkels once or twice a year and is an active woman (she shelves books in the library 20 hours a week!) but I'm afraid of the getting back into the boat part. Would you take your 74 year old active mom ??? Thanks!!!!

[lanabanana]

I would even take my 88 y.o. active Mom! Getting in and out of the dingey to the sailboat is not that hard, with a hand from above and below. I suspect she would do just fine. Have a wonderful time!

[marci22]

The ride to St. John was fairly smooth, but it is a sailboat and it can heel over (tip to one side), sometimes unexpectedly when you experience a sudden gust of wind. While under sail to St. John the boat was steadliy heeled to the point that we could only sit on the upwind side. The downwind side was at too much of an angle to the water. For people that love sailing, this is wonderful! No one that loves sailing wants to be on a sailboat that isn't really sailing. Captain Bobby really takes you sailing! The only way a sailboat is going to be level to the water is if it is motoring and not under sail....

 

Bobby picked us up and took us back to the boat. To get on board you have to climb up a ladder. This is normal for sailboats, but it can be a challenge. The rungs are round and small in diameter.....

 

When making your decision whether to go with a sailing charter, ANY sailing charter, ask yourself what it is you really want to do with your day. If you want a once-in-a-lifetime experience aboard a beautiful boat, enjoying the activity of sailing on Caribbean waters in an idyllic setting then maybe this is for you. You will enjoy an entertaining captain and a lovely first mate that prepares a beautiful and delicious meal. Due to the distance that had to be traveled and time for lunch, the day offered somewhat limited beach/water time. We were gone about six hours, about two of it spent in the water. This is nothing against the charter, it just is what it is because of the distance and logistics of the day. If you want a lot of beach/snorkel time and don't particularly care about sailing or what you eat that day, you might want to just go to a beach. If you are taking children or non/limited swimmers, you may want to skip the snorkeling in the afternoon and go back to the beach in the dingy. The beach was very shallow and could accommodate any level of swimmer. The swim to the snorkel site was long and required climbing back into the boat from the ocean. If you are taking anyone that cannot swim, I would suggest a flotation device while under sail unless they remain seated in the cockpit area of the boat at all times. Captain Bobby is very cautious about his guests and where/how they sit. However, if a gust hits unexpectedly, the boat can heel.

 

Due to the physical requirements for getting on/off the boat, I would not recommend this trip for the infirm.

 

It was a great day! We appreciated all of the special attention. I would recommend Captain Bobby for all of the reasons mentioned above. My only suggestion is make sure that you are chartering a day sail for the experience of being on a sailboat and not just for a ride to a beach/snorkel spot. There are ferry's and ship excursions that can do that for you. Sailing is about enjoying the trip, not just about getting there.

 

This is an older post but I thought some of the points you made were really helpful so giving this a bump. Thanks for posting!

[Abe Lincolnville]

You must go to this website (http://www.rumbabacharters.com/) now and book your personal sailing charter if you have a port call in St. Thomas. OMG – THE BEST vacation day my family has ever had. Captain Chad and First Mate Lorie were unbelievably phenomenal.

My family (me 46, wife 46, son 16, son 13, and daughter 11) reserved a Day Charter with Captain Chad during an August cruise. The entire day was awesome. Excellent boat, excellent service, excellent food, excellent snorkeling, excellent adult beverages. Did I say it was an excellent day? Wow, this “made the cruise”. Chad and Lorie are great – they knew the boat, kept us safe, allowed us to snorkel as much as we want, dive off the boat, eat, drink, etc.; Chad even gave my kids rides in his dingy. Chad and Lorie were engaging with my wife and I and our three kids. They know the islands, all the cool spots, and all the wild island stories. And get this, Chad is a Naval Academy Grad and Lorie is a Cornell Grad and based on their life experiences, they have the personalities to relate to anyone. This is a must do if traveling to St. Thomas.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I would even take my 88 y.o. active Mom! Getting in and out of the dingey to the sailboat is not that hard, with a hand from above and below. I suspect she would do just fine. Have a wonderful time!

We did the Rumbaba daysail in 2008, but I must add that I am overweight and have a bad knee & hip. I had extreme difficulty getting on the boat from the dingy and back into the boat after snorkeling. The worst part was climbing up the dock at low tide when Bobby returned us to the dock. I had to climb like a monkey several steps. My traveling companions helped me get onto the dock with much embarrassment on my part. Captain Bobby did not help at all here and actually left with the dingy while I was still trying to get onto the dock. I was 55 yo at the time.

 

The daysail was all as described, but it will always be primarily remembered by me as one of my most miserable experiences. If you are able to climb with only a small amount of help and have good strong arms and legs you will have an enjoyable time. Otherwise, I would recommend an alternative excursion.

[Lsimon]

We've sailed the Rumbaba twice and have our third trip scheduled for next March with Captain Bobby. We previously did a different day sail on a similar boat with another company which was really nice but not as nice as the Rumbaba.

 

Most of the above is pretty accurate. Captain Bobby will tailor the trip for the groups preferences as well as sea conditions. I think our first trip is his standard route, if no one has a different request. We sailed to a beautiful bay in St. John for snorkeling. There was beach nearby but we were just interested in snorkeling.

 

We snorkeled for an hour or so then got on the boat and remained anchored there while they prepared lunch. There was a great selection of appetizers and the main course was fresh grilled by Capt. Bobby right on the boat. We had some of the best grilled fish we've had anyplace - Mahi. Other lunch options included beef fillet, tuna and one or two other non-seafood options. Everyone thought their lunch was great. The Rumbaba definitely has got to have the best food on a day sail in St. Thomas!

 

After lunch Captain gave us the option of swimming, snorkeling (there or another spot) or doing an extended scenic sailing on the way back. We chose the sailing.

 

Our second trip was similar to the first except that Capt. Bobby pointed out some waves crashing on rocks in the channel between St. John and St. Thomas and indicated the spots near St. John were likely to have poor conditions for snorkeling due to the currents that day. He recommended another spot off a small out island around the side of St. Thomas and we spent a wonderful day there snorkeling at two spots in that location (one after lunch).

 

Photos from 2009- Click here

 

Photos from 2010 - Click here