Full Day Caribbean Sail to Christmas and Honeymoon Coves -- REPORT - Cruise Line Fans: Cruise Forum, Reviews and Chat From Real Cruisers

LuLu · 01-25-2008, 12:47 PM

What a FANTASTIC excursion! 6 1/2 Hours of FUN on a roomy sailing schooner with a terrific crew who went way over and above to assure that all were having a good time! The woman crew member had a degree in Marine Biology from the U of Rhode Island and really made things interesting. No quesion went unanswered!

There were two snorkel stops around St.James (southeast end of St.Thomas) and then off to Water Island's Honeymoon Beach where lunch was served.

The first snorkel stop was about an hour. The U of RI grad did a guided snorkel tour to see the turtles for those who wished. There were lots and lots of colorful fish all around the schooner for those who didn't want to do the snorkel tour. The second snorkel stop was about a 10 minute sail away. We were there thirty minutes or so. Once anain, a guided snorkel tour for those who wished. My DH and I changed from our snorkeling gear to our regular swim masks and played around in the water. Still lots of fish to be seen!

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LuLu · 01-25-2008, 01:08 PM

Back on the schooner it was Party Time! Unlimited beer, painkillers, etc. (Cokes, fruit punch, and water were available throughout). The chips and salsa were really good -- great salsa!

Everyone got one of those temporary tattoos. I did NOT want one ... but it seemed like the thing to do at the time. (They don't come off with soap and water ... but, fortunately, rubbing alcohol works.)

The schooner anchors at Water Island for lunch and beach/swim/snorkel time. There are two ways to get to the beach. You can swim or you can take the dinghy. DH swam. I took the dinghy with our beach bag, etc. (They would take beach bags in the dinghy for those swimming.)

Lunch was being grilled on the island for us when we arrived. The had pork ribs, chicken breasts, macaroni salad, cole slaw, etc. Everyone raved over the chicken! The three women doing the cooking were very nice and clean. They kept things packed in ice. Also, noticed that when the macaroni salad got down to less than half, they would throw it away and pull out another. The food was good and no one got sick!

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LuLu · 01-25-2008, 01:21 PM

The water at the beach (as at the snorkeling stops) was "fish bowl" clear. The sand was soft and white -- no need for water shoes. If you are familiar with St.John, that's what you can expect.

More FUN sailing back! The crew made sure no one saw the bottom of his glass! Everyone kept singing ... "Wasted away again in Margarittaville ... and all we have to show show for it is a BRAND NEW TATTOO"!

Don't get the wrong idea! It was a very FUN excursion ... but, in no way a totally wild and crazy party boat. Most were feeling "no pain" but none were too drunk to walk!

Here's their site with photos:http://www.Doubloon.com

We'd certainly take this one again! Please feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

sweetiepie01 · 01-27-2008, 10:28 PM

Hi Lulu. All I can say is THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

I am more excited now. I was hoping to have some time to relax in the sand at the beach. I assume I can do that after eating lunch on the island. I heard the water there was beautiful and it wasn't packed full of tourists. I hope that was the case. It certainly sounds like you had a blast. Thank you again for the excellent feedback!!!

LuLu · 01-27-2008, 10:50 PM

Not to worry, Sweetiepie, it was a very private area at the beach and no one bothers you ... no pesty vendors. We were there about two and a half hours.

Our excursion was there alone for the most part. About an hour before we left another excursion boat* pulled in to the other end of the beach but they weren't close ....

You'll love it!

* Think that boat was an afternoon excursion offered by Princess. It looked nice as well.

2tallkids · 02-03-2008, 01:01 PM

This sounds so wonderful! I would love to do something like this- did you have your own group or did you join in iwth other people? Thanks for the website- I'm going to go check it out!

2tallkids · 02-03-2008, 01:08 PM

LuLu~ Did you go through your ship to get this excursion? Which ship were you on? It doesn't look like it is available with Princess-I'm on that one when we go to St.Thomas in October...It looks terrific!

LuLu · 02-03-2008, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2tallkids

LuLu~ Did you go through your ship to get this excursion? Which ship were you on? It doesn't look like it is available with Princess-I'm on that one when we go to St.Thomas in October...It looks terrific!

We did book through the ship -- Royal Caribbean (guess RCI but still call it RCCL).

The Princess excursion (could tell from the beach towels) that came in down the beach in the afternoon was on a double deck catamaran with a slide and big tube floats for folks to play on. It's not the same ... but it looked like fun. The water is so very pretty, calm, and clear!

We are considering Emerald Princess for a B2B next year so will look at the shore excursions offered and try to tell you which that was we saw ....

Note: On Princess .... that Champagne Catamaran Sail to St. John has always been a favorite of ours! Well worth your consideration!

2tallkids · 02-03-2008, 04:12 PM

OOH! Thanks for the heads up, LuLu!

I will definitely look into that one- it sounds great!

Caribbean4me · 02-10-2008, 08:41 PM

Thanks for the review, my GF and I have been seriously considering this excursion ourselves. Was the boat very crowded, about how many people were onboard?