Dangerous Shore Excursion

[Lokalona]

I wrote a mini review on Splendour today and you can read about my experience there. I decided to make a new thread just in case anyone has this RCL Shore excursion booked. I did write a complaint on board to the shore desk (which was closed when we got back on due to the next day being at sea and then off ship) Pursers desk gave me the form and I am going to e-mail RCL as well.

 

Costa Maya ATV Adventure was the tour and without repeating myself I will say this tour is dangerous due to the poor equipment provided and actual lack of any safety features to deal with "what if". Guides did best they could with equipment that was provided, I am not slighting them, but feel since this is an RCL sponsored tour and many book these thinking they are safer I must warn anyone going on it.

 

This is not to be confused with the Aruba ATV Adventure or any other one at different ports....I have been on those and loved them, safe and professional...this one however needs to be pulled until working ATV's that are safe to drive are provided. IMHO

[bobbie0253]

I am curious.....what exactly happened?

 

You have to give us more details than to just say it isn't safe.

 

So, what exactly went wrong?

[Lokalona]

I copied and pasted this portion from my mini review; I just didn't want to repeat what I had already written so as not to bore anyone :)

 

Costa Maya:

We docked here along side the Legend of the Seas and Celebrity Galaxy. This adventure was by far a "High Five Thank God We Lived" shore excursion sponsored by RCL. We did the ATV Adventure here and I must say the guides were nice but the equipment was in such poor condition I could not believe it. Given our ATV's were so badly maintained I am suprised we did not end up with a medical emergancy here. None of my family and most of the others 4 wheelers had any brakes. I slammed into the guy in front of me at least 6 times. The guide slammed into my son quite a few and not one tail light was intact. My husbands 4 wheeler had a front tire on the rear so he was lopsided the entire trip. The poor girl in front of me, (husband moved b/c I kept hitting him I think) lost her muffler mid trip and I ducked it as it skimmed off my helmet and hit my husband's ATV. We stopped and the guide kept the caravan on going for a good 10 minutes until he realized half the people were missing....the follow up guide had gone back to get a working ATV for someone else who kept stalling. My kids had fun but even as daring as they are figured out this was an accident in the waiting. The sand storm from the vehicles ahead of you made it difficut to see and if you didn't have glasses you'd have been blind from all the salt and sand. I looked like I needed embalmed I had so much salt and sand all over me! After deciding the girl with the missing muffler could still use her ATV w/o out one, off we went again. About 20 minutes later here she comes full speed in reverse right at me. I avoided her and she got her bike over to the side of the road and her husband stopped with her...I told them I'd ride ahead to alert the guide...or so I thought...my bike would not go too fast full throttle and I tried like heck to catch up....10 minutes later I got his attention and we all pulled over and waited while he went back to the rescue. They got her a different ATV since hers was stuck in reverse...I will say she was very good natured about it as were the rest of us, but if she had not been experienced at riding one she could have really hurt herself and whoever was near her. We then headed to the beach for a break...were allowed 20 minutes and I think we all headed to the bar for a beer! No problem having one and driving, there was only time for one anyhow. We all made it back in one piece and did some shopping at the pier and back on ship by 2:30 for 3:00 sail...we waited quite a bit for 2 people that were missing, Capt. honked the horn a lot....they got left behind.

 

To also add my ATV wouldn't start back up but I finally got it to start after stalling twice out of no where (these are automatic, gas and go, basic simple operation Hahaha!) My helmet spun around on my head like a beanie it was so big and I had to tie the strap b/c the clip wouldn't hold, it was broken. So had I blown myself off the thing the helmet would have been as useful as a ball cap.

[Cruisin'40]

:eek: :eek:

[prairie_fox]

That is something that would scare the you knnow what out of me just thinking of taking it. Seems they should have things in better repair and safer then how they are. Is this one that RCCL offers or a privet one??? If done by RCCL I would think they would remove it from the offers due to how unsafe it sounds.

[bobbie0253]

Wow ....Yikes! :(

 

I am an adrenaline junkie but that would have made me as upset as you are. I am sure it seemed like fun at first, but being stuck in reverse and no brakes is just plain crazy.

 

I am thankful that you took the time to post that here. I hope no one books this excursion. I know I won't.

 

Bobbie

[Angie77]

Has anyone tried the ATV excursion on St. Maarten? We were considering renting some on our own so we could go to all the beaches and sites we wanted to see and spend as much time as we wanted at each one, but now I'm thinking it would be safer to go on the RCI sponsored one just in case the independant rentals are in bad shape like the ones in Costa Maya.

 

Lokalona - you had me ROTF with that narrative. Sounds like you made the best of a horrible situation. I keep picturing someone on an ATV with a beanie on their head.

[Lokalona]

Thanks Angie! I felt like I was one of the little rascals with a beanie and the high jinx! Vacations always have a blip or two and you have to have a sense of humor to get through those. This was an RCCL sponsored tour. I'd check out the Ports of Call boards and see what private company to book. You will get to spend more time at the beaches I would imagine. The ATV tour in Aruba was awesome last month on the Brilliance and we have done it in Cozumel before...this must have been a fluke!

[Travelgrrl]

Talk about a complaint that is serious, verifiable and complete! Wow! After all the stuff about the wrong kind of butter patties in the dining room (et al), this one is truly valid.

 

I hope they at least comped your excursion when you got back! Did you complain at the Excursions Desk?

 

PS I would have been the gal stuck in reverse. No doubt!

[cusyl]

I remember reading not too long ago on these boards about a similar experience with the ATVs, I can't remember if it was in Cozumel or Costa Maya. Perhaps the other poster will read your report and advise.

[kittymom65]

DH and I ride 4 wheelers all the time here in the N. Georgia mountains, so we think the ATV tour in St. Maarten will be great for us--but not if it's going to be like this experience!

I would also like to hear from anyone who has done this tour in St. Maarten

So glad to hear you made the best of what could have been a very bad situation!

[wrp96]

Lokolona, definitely make RCI aware of this. I would also recommend sending a letter directly to RCCL in addition to your email. Especially after what happened with the Millenium a few weeks ago, I think they would be especially concerned about the safety of their shore excursions.

[Lokalona]

RCCL got a handwritten complaint that night from me delivered to purser desk...shore excursion desk was closed. I also have been working on a typed version to send snail mail to them. I just wanted to post this asap in case anyone else has this tour booked in COSTA MAYA...like I said before we have done this on other islands with great results and safety was number 1 concern. My kids thought it was a fun tour but also admited it was dangerous to have such poor equipment...they live for that stuff so of course if your 18 and 18 and 24 you think your invincible..if your 45 and a mom safety is an issue, possible injury to your babies or yourself a big deal! Let alone the adrenaline rush at my age, after days of eating fattening foods and drinking could be life threatening LOL

[Cruise-Nut]

I wrote a mini review on Splendour today and you can read about my experience there. I decided to make a new thread just in case anyone has this RCL Shore excursion booked. I did write a complaint on board to the shore desk (which was closed when we got back on due to the next day being at sea and then off ship) Pursers desk gave me the form and I am going to e-mail RCL as well.

 

Costa Maya ATV Adventure was the tour and without repeating myself I will say this tour is dangerous due to the poor equipment provided and actual lack of any safety features to deal with "what if". Guides did best they could with equipment that was provided, I am not slighting them, but feel since this is an RCL sponsored tour and many book these thinking they are safer I must warn anyone going on it.

 

This is not to be confused with the Aruba ATV Adventure or any other one at different ports....I have been on those and loved them, safe and professional...this one however needs to be pulled until working ATV's that are safe to drive are provided. IMHO

 

 

My family and I were in Costa Maya for an all inclusive vacation. We took that same tour and it is amazing that they are still in business. They are in very poor shape - everyone kept braking down. I had an axcel break on my return trip so I left it running because I was near the ned and there was no guide and I hopped on my sons atv and we rode back and told them when we returned where they could find the ATV. They laughed so I take it that it is pretty normal. Dont do the ATV in Costa Maya.

[Lokalona]

I just got off the phone with Customer Service and she was very nice, took my complaint, looked me up in the system and told me they would follow up on my concerns. I just started thinking how long it may take for anyone to actually read my complaint on the ship, so I called too. I would feel terrible if someone got hurt and the complaint was just laying in someone's "in" box for a few weeks. I imagine other people on the excursion complained too.

 

I agree they did laugh when the was a breakdown like it was par for the course..which I guess it is....like I said the guides were good natured.

[wrp96]

I just got off the phone with Customer Service and she was very nice, took my complaint, looked me up in the system and told me they would follow up on my concerns. I just started thinking how long it may take for anyone to actually read my complaint on the ship, so I called too. I would feel terrible if someone got hurt and the complaint was just laying in someone's "in" box for a few weeks. I imagine other people on the excursion complained too.

 

I agree they did laugh when the was a breakdown like it was par for the course..which I guess it is....like I said the guides were good natured.

 

Lokolona, I'll sail with you again as you have a great attitude. I appreciate cruisers who honestly want the cruiseline to fix a problem.

 

 

Missing the Brilliance....

[Lokalona]

Lokolona, I'll sail with you again as you have a great attitude. I appreciate cruisers who honestly want the cruiseline to fix a problem.

 

 

Missing the Brilliance....

 

 

Wrona we did sail the BOS together and it was awesome...although I never did get to meet up with you someday we will be on the same boat again...although I really stink at Karaoke and knowing you'll be the competition I might as well bow out now!

[wrp96]

Hey, if you want a fun cruise, a group of us CCers are sailing on the Jewel of the Seas 8-night Eastern Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale on Feb. 10th, 2007. Come join us. We're trying to get a group cruise together for the perks.