Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Island Girl day sail with sea scooters?

39august

By 39august,
in St. Thomas/St. John

Recommended Posts

39august

39august

Posted
Posted

Anyone have any input on a day sail on Island Girl and using the sea scooters for snorkeling? Sea scooters are something we've never tried. The half-day tour is only $75 and includes pickup right at the cruise dock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SailFan

SailFan

Posted
Posted

We went sailing on Island Girl a little while back. We too had never used the sea scooters before. Our experience was a lot of fun. The scooters helped us get around much easier and we got to cover more ground. We saw a lot of colorful fish, turtles and rays. We would definitely book Island Girl again when we go back to St. Thomas. I hope this helps! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
karenjoetory

karenjoetory

Posted
Posted

Hi - we just got back from the CP, and my daughter and myself went on the Island Girl - it was a really nice excursion.

 

I sent Mike a $75 check in the mail as a deposit (we did the 1/2 day sail), and we paid him the remainder, and a tip at the end of the sail.

 

We arranged to meet him right off the boat at 8:30am. There were people holding signs as you get off the boat. We met Mike's wife, who drove us to the boat, which was really nice, because otherwise we would have had to pay a cab to get there!! At the end of the tour, Mike took us right back to the CP. This was one of the selling points for me, because we've been on a day sail that left out of Red Hook, and you have to get there and back and the $ really added up quickly when you multiply that per person. This way, you just pay for what Mike charges.

 

It was POURING rain when we got there, Mike picked us up on his dingy, and it was still POURING rain - I mean pelting rain. We got on the boat, then Mike picked up another couple from the Carnival ship, and then we were off, and the rain stopped (thank goodness!)

 

We went to Buck Island, which was maybe 45 minutes away. There were many other boats in the cove where we went, because it was pretty rough the day that we went due to the rain, etc. It was a really nice time and the Seadoo was great - it really allowed us to go all around. Mike's snorkel equipement was good also.

 

On the way back, Mike had drinks available, and great tasting cheese and crackers, and some orange slices (you can throw the rinds into the ocean and huge fish come and eat it!)

 

All in all, it was a great time, and Mike was a really good host!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
flagger

flagger

Posted
Posted

If I could say anything nice about a person it would be about Mike. We were making arrangements to go snorkeling when we were there on the Magic in December. We had everything all set when Mike called me back and said do not mail a check. The time for one of his other bookings that day was written down in the reverse and he admitted he would only be able to give us half if not less than a full experience.

 

It takes a heck of a character to turn away business and admit upfront that he could not provide what we had hoped for. We ended up on another boat and had a wonderful time, but based on how he treated us I would gladly recommend him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 6 months later...
debnpaul

debnpaul

Posted
Posted
A sea scooter is something you hold out in front of you to help propel you through the water so you dont have to work so hard and you can cover more area

 

A silly question... are sea scooters very loud? Can you talk over it or do you have to shout if you were side by side with someone?

 

Thanks! (and sorry for getting a little off topic!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jtmalt

jtmalt

Posted
Posted
A silly question... are sea scooters very loud? Can you talk over it or do you have to shout if you were side by side with someone?

 

Thanks! (and sorry for getting a little off topic!)

 

Well, they're designed to pull you through the water while snorkeling, so your face would likely be below the surface, making shouting or talking a little difficult;).

 

Here's a photo of one:

Sea_scooter_OS-E077B-250W.jpg.0a8f0627ceb25590b3942526a8824560.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites
debnpaul

debnpaul

Posted
Posted
Well, they're designed to pull you through the water while snorkeling, so your face would likely be below the surface, making shouting or talking a little difficult;).

 

Here's a photo of one:

 

Thanks for the picture! I had somehow envisioned it as something to pull you along the surface of the water. :o As they say, a picture is worth a 1000 words!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
quinceemom

quinceemom

Posted
Posted

OMG,this sounds just like something we would love! I've been trying to get my husband to snorkel for years and I just know he would love this since he is not a strong swimmer. I just emailed them, but does anyone who has done this have any idea of the time frame? We are in port 7A-6P and I'm wondering if we do half day sail, would I also have time to maybe do Coki (our favorite). Our alternate plan is to go to St Johns, but this maybe a better option and end up costing just about the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
quinceemom

quinceemom

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the advice on Island Girl. I just booked the last 2 spots on the afternoon sail - the times work out perfect, since we are in port until 6 PM. I cannot believe my husband is actually looking forward to this!!! I'm always up for trying something new, within reason of course, and this looks perfect for a couple of almost-retirees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JMUMOM

JMUMOM

Posted
Posted

My family and I are booked on Island Girl on April 9th. All the correspondence I have had with Mike and his wife have been very nice. We are looking forward to this sail and will be doing it in the morning. MY QUESTION is............after we are finished with the sail around noon, what would you all suggest a family of 5 (late 20s and mid 50s) do. Some of us would like to see Megans Bay or some other sights of St. Thomas. Is the town walking distance from the ship or would we have to take a taxi to go into town. Thanks so much. Please lets us know how Island Girl was. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
The Islander

The Islander

Posted
Posted

JMUMOM, if you get back around noon you could have lunch on the ship or at a restaurant in Havensight, and then maybe head up to Paradise Point and walk around the Havensight area, also there is a Butterfly Farm, or walk over to Yacht Haven Grande to look around. You could also head into town, its about 1.4 miles from Havensight takes about 30 minutes to walk, or about a 8 minute taxi in low traffic. With traffic longer. Or you could do an island tour with a stop at Magens. Of course it all depends how much time you have in the afternoon when you get back, what time you have to be back at the ship. If you have the whole afternoon you should be fine doing one of those things mentioned.

 

--Islander

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rasta

rasta

Posted
Posted

You will enjoy this excursion. I would strongly suggest a full day if possible. On a half day you spend much of the time motoring up to the snorkel stop and then returning via sail. a full day woudl be amuch better experience. The snacks on the half day aren't much...a coule slices of fruit and some average cheese and crackers...but you aren't doing this excursion for the food. Leaving from Havensight is a huge advantage and I think Island Girl and Jolly Mon are the only two that do that.

 

The scooters allow you to see a lot more snokeling, you will like those.

 

Have fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sailor Gal

Sailor Gal

Posted
Posted

We're getting ready to sail the Island Girl for the second time this April and looking forward to it. Love the underwater scooters. It's the lazy person's snorkel! The food and drinks are average and adequate. Nothing fancy. To us the scooters and picking us up at the ship were huge advantages and really made the trip less of a worry. Wonderful day and highly recommend Captn Mike. He is reliable and pleasant and makes sure you have a nice time. We checked into day sails from Red Hook, but decided getting there and back was too much of a bother and expense. Enjoy your sail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PamIam

PamIam

Posted
Posted

We're booked for a half day in 2 weeks as well. Looking forward to the trip...wish we could do the full day but we have 4 in our family. Mike is very responsive and emails back quickly...it nice to know that at most we'll only have only 6 guests total.....makes up for a cruiseship catarmaran cruise I had in Barbado with 50+ other guests and children screaming in the water when they saw a tortoise ....that was the whole purpose of the trip....ugh:mad:!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JMUMOM

JMUMOM

Posted
Posted
We're booked for a half day in 2 weeks as well. Looking forward to the trip...wish we could do the full day but we have 4 in our family. Mike is very responsive and emails back quickly...it nice to know that at most we'll only have only 6 guests total.....makes up for a cruiseship catarmaran cruise I had in Barbado with 50+ other guests and children screaming in the water when they saw a tortoise ....that was the whole purpose of the trip....ugh:mad:!

 

PamIam - when are you taking the 1/2 day sale? We will be on the morning sail on April 9th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...