tranceFusion April 4, 2008 Share April 4, 2008 Hi guys, My girlfriend wants to go on a cruise. I am not a big lay out in the sun kind of guy so I was thinking that I could incorporate some sightseeing of reefs into it Anyway, I was looking at Royal Caribbean cruises and they have one that stops in Belize and Cozumel. There are excursions at both places to check out the reefs. There are a few different options: Submarine, Semi-Submarine, Snorkelling, and Scuba diving for beginners where they give you an hour intro and you dive out from the beach. (they also have an option for those with their scuba license that have already been on a dive, but I don't fit in that category) So, are the reefs at these locations worth seeing? What is my best bet as far as a method for seeing them goes? Does anyone have any experience taking these types of excursions from crusies? Any input is much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowardofNOVA April 4, 2008 Share April 4, 2008 Trips like this, you will probably have a ton of things to do! Scuba would be the best way to see the reefs, with snorkeling second! BUT, a ton of equipment to take along or fooling with, so recommend that you buy a good personal setup of Snorkel, mask, fins and a couple underwater cameras! Less to fool with and more time to relax and enjoy the trip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnguyen4007 April 4, 2008 Share April 4, 2008 My wife and I took that same cruise 4 years ago. We did the snorkeling tour of the reef off of cozumel. It lasted for about 45 min before we had to head back. The day we went, it was bright and sunny so we got to see quite a bit. Some of the corals formation were less than a foot under water so we got really close to it. We were told in advance to refrain from touching any of them out of risk of potentially harming them so I just floated next to them. We also saw a fairly large morey eel. The thing must have been about 5 to 6 feet in length. Scared the day light out of me when I saw it. It apparently used to tourists so it didn't seem to mind us so much. Another thing we did that you might want to do is swim with sting rays. It was a bit unnerving for my wife and I at first. We got into the water barefooted because we weren't allowed to wear shoes of any kind. First we saw couple in a distant, then more and more surfaced. Eventually we were surrounded by them. Because they rely on sense of smell, they kept on swimming up and nudge against our under arms. Guess it's because of our deodorant. The females are several times larger than the male but they seemed to be quite friendly. It was quite of an interesting experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreck April 4, 2008 Share April 4, 2008 I think you'll like the reefs at both Belize and Cozumel. I have not dove Belize but I did a week of diving in Cozumel and really liked it, this was probably ten years ago but I'm sure it's still nice today. They have some nice shore dives and snorkeling, the reef pretty much starts right from shore, sloping down to about 30 feet and then a steep drop from there. I would recommend trying to do at least one scuba dive there so you can drift along the wall. Most dives are setup as drift dives in Cozumel because they usually have some current, you drift with the current and the boat follows your bubbles you don't even have to kick if you don't want to. Good luck and enjoy. Wreck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward April 4, 2008 Share April 4, 2008 you should join our scuba class and get certified before you go .... http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?show...20070&st=25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary April 4, 2008 Share April 4, 2008 (edited) I agree with Brian - get certified before you go! The snorkeling gives you a taste but believe me, they are not taking you to the primo locations. With the sub you get out onto the actual reefs, but can't get close enough to see the little stuff. Edited April 4, 2008 by Hilary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmubeach April 4, 2008 Share April 4, 2008 Wow lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Almon April 5, 2008 Share April 5, 2008 I haven't been to Belize either, but I've heard it's great. Cozumel was awesome when I was there in 1999. That's where I got certified. Drift diving is great...effortlessly float as you slowly drift by the coral reef. My wife and I were on the Southern Caribbean cruise from Royal Caribbean two years ago. I dove in Curacao and St. Martin, but they weren't as wonderful as Cozumel. The Royal Caribbean ship was awesome. Brand new ships...really nice. Most of the scuba activities require certification, but it's well worth it. Get certified before you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami April 5, 2008 Share April 5, 2008 Certification is nice, but I think you'd enjoy the reef off Cozumel even if you're snorkeling. I enjoyed Palancar reef while there last, which was maybe 5 or 6 years ago. I've heard that the Belize is wonderful as well. If you can get yourself certified, great. If not, you'll still enjoy the snorkeling. The main thing is to have fun. I've cruised with RC many times over the years. I'm sure that you'll enjoy the whole trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranceFusion April 6, 2008 Author Share April 6, 2008 thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like diving is the way to go, although I am not sure if I'm quite ready for the time and financial commitment to doing it. I was reading though that on some of the cruises you can get your certification on the boat (for an additional arm and leg I am sure). Not sure if I can get the woman into it though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wreck April 7, 2008 Share April 7, 2008 thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like diving is the way to go, although I am not sure if I'm quite ready for the time and financial commitment to doing it. I was reading though that on some of the cruises you can get your certification on the boat (for an additional arm and leg I am sure). Not sure if I can get the woman into it though I would recommend that you NOT do your certification on the boat, unless you want to spend a lot of your vacation time on the class. You could do a referral class where you complete your classroom and pool time up here (expect a minimum of 20 hrs combined) and then do your certification dives (4 open water dives required for PADI cert.) down there. For your best training, I'd say do it locally where you don't have to rush and you can complete your dives with the same instructor. Wreck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctenophore April 7, 2008 Share April 7, 2008 Most of the best reefs in Belize are in less than 20ft of water, which are best accessible by snorkeling. Also, if you've never been diving, you won't see much if you take a 1 hr class and throw on scuba gear. You need practice to get comfortable in the water. Until then it's like tunnel vision- you'll be so worried about gear, air, not hitting things, etc that you'll miss all the fish & coral. I suggest buying a good snorkel set, going to a local pool, and practice diving to the bottom and coming back up to clear your snorkel without looking up. You'll see more reef that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar April 7, 2008 Share April 7, 2008 Jon and I have taken a couple of cruises and snorkeled. The best experience was probably Belize, but it wasn't as long an outing as we hoped it would be (Lots of time in transit). If we go again we're going to ask if you can book both the morning and afternoon excursions and possibly stay on the mini-island they built on the reef in between. We had a guided tour and then snorkeled more on our own. It isn't very deep, but it was awesome. On Cozumel, we took our own snorkel gear and took a taxi to the state park (20 mins). They have a lovely beach with umbrellas that you can swim/snorkel right off of. We stayed for hours. Not a reef environment, and perhaps some too carefully placed artifacts like cannons and statues, but the fish were awesome. Due to bad weather, we didn't get to go snorkeling as planned on Grand Cayman, but have heard of lots of folks who have and loved it. Catch a taxi to cemetary reef. You literally walk through a cemetary to the beach. Go with a group. Ask the taxi to pick you up at a specific time. Again, bring your own gear. As excursions can be pretty expensive, going on your own can be affordable, but also a much longer outing. Bring underwater disposable cameras with you as they are expensive on board. Have a great time, it is a fanatastic experience. Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilary April 7, 2008 Share April 7, 2008 Not only are excusions expensive, but they often bring you to places that are convenient to them - not places that are great for snorkeling. The taxi is a great idea! And having a mask that fits you and doesn't leak makes all the difference in the world..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranceFusion April 8, 2008 Author Share April 8, 2008 Ok, it sounds like I am going to stick to the snorkeling, and invest in some decent snokeling gear. I am not sure about taking a cab to places on our own.. it seems a little overwhelming to go too far off on your own in a foreign country when you have to be back at the boat at a specific time - which I guess is why they get away with the prices of the excursions.. are the disposable underwater cameras any good? I just bought a Canon G9 and they sell an underwater case for it, though I am still a little skeptical about taking a new camera in the water.. i'm a little inept when it comes to common sense things.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar April 8, 2008 Share April 8, 2008 Taking a taxi isn't as intimidating as it may sound, honest. Ask how much to go to "XYZ" before you get in. Hopefully you'll meet up with other snorkelers on the ship and get a group together. Disposable cameras are only okay at best, but definitely cheaper at a local store than on the ship. When are planning on going? M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami April 8, 2008 Share April 8, 2008 (edited) Trancefusion, I've cruised RC 5 times now - in the Med, Alaska, and the Caribbean. My experience has been that they keep a pretty tight rein on their excursion contractors. On the cruise that took me to Cozumel, one excursion contractor took you on a small boat out to the Palancar reef off the SW side of the island where you could snorkel over relatively shallow reefs (from 10-25' down) and out over to the drop-off (where you could view the corals going down the wall). Having had some experience over and against reefs (both snorkeling and scuba), I didn't consider that particular excursion second-rate in any way. Sure, you'll pay a little more (after all, RC is getting a cut of the action), but the benefit is that you'll have RC doing a bit more in the way of quality control. Since it's a group thing, though, you'll have far less flexibility. By the way, the excursion over the Palancar is a drift dive. That is, you'll be drifting over the reef with the current. The benefit is that you'll get to see more reef below you but you won't be able to dwell as much to inspect things you find exceptionally interesting (no dwelling to watch the hermit crabs like you might in your aquarium!). Also, it saves your energy so you can focus more on enjoying the sights. Also, if you happen to prone to sea sickness, you may want to start the morning out with some dramamine before getting on the small boat that takes you out (just in case the seas are a little rough that day). Edited April 8, 2008 by Origami2547 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranceFusion April 8, 2008 Author Share April 8, 2008 Taking a taxi isn't as intimidating as it may sound, honest. Ask how much to go to "XYZ" before you get in. Hopefully you'll meet up with other snorkelers on the ship and get a group together. Disposable cameras are only okay at best, but definitely cheaper at a local store than on the ship. When are planning on going? M We were probably going to go in the fall when it is cheap - September? I know it is cheap because of hurricane season, but not sure why hurricane season causes the prices to go down - I might make a note to look into that before purchasing the tickets.. Anyway, it will make short work of the economic stimulus check Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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