Feedback on Captain Nautica's Snorkeling Expedition

[Tonyspad]

We have narrowed down our St Thomas excursion, with the Captain Nautica being the front runner.
Please post feedback.

 

[MN Dis Fans]

I did Captain Nautica last year with my 2x DS's, they were 11 & 9 at the time. It was the best Disney Excursion I think we've ever done. You get on a large zodiac (holds about 15x people?) has twin 200HP motors on the back. They crank the music up on the way there / back. You snorkel 2x spots over near Buck Island (just a couple of miles away). The first was to mainly see turtles, they then go around the corner of the same island and you snorkel above a sunken ship (The ship was / is in about 30' of water) at least that's what we did (March 2007) Not sure if they ever change snorkeling locations. They served cold drinks pop / water, and fresh fruit / shrimp.

 

[lvstitch]

We have narrowed down our St Thomas excursion, with the Captain Nautica being the front runner.
Please post feedback.

We loved it. We had a really good time and Honeymoon Bay was amazing.
We were expecting a full size boat, what we got was this:

Here are some more pictures:

Honeymoon Bay

Shipwreck:

Turtle Cove:

 

[Michelle2]

We loved it. My DS (who was 12 at the time) would say it was the highlight and favorite part of his cruise.
I had recommended it also to close friends, and it was a highlight for them as well. If you love snorkeling, this is a good excursion!

I guess what was the clincher for us, is that you beat the other excursions to the snorkel sites. The speedboat ride was very fun, and DS loved snorkeling with the turtle. (There was only one in the area, but we didn't care.) Most of the time, we were the only ones in the area...they would be just coming as we were already leaving. The boys doing it were so nice too.

 

[oceangirl]

Just be forewarned that they don't necessarily go to St. John's or even across the channel, though some previous posters have said that they did at one time. Also, the destinations (such as Honeymoon Beach, the shipwreck, etc.) seem to change according to the weather and the wishes of the passengers. A final caution, the Zodiac ride does get pretty wild in choppy water --which was the case on the day we went. It wasn't a problem for us (in fact, it added to the thrill), but I'm guessing it could perhaps be a bit rough for younger children if the waves are rough.

All that said, I second (third, whatever) the great reviews! My two DS (13 & 15) loved it! First, we did the turtle stop by Buck Island, and saw lots of turtles and a few rays; then, we went to privately-owned Little St. James Island and snorkeled by a reef that functioned as a nursery. Tons of baby and juvenile tropical fish, as well as large schools of adult fish, and one rather large and curious (but apparently harmless) barricuda who swam around near the boat. Are they all named "Barry"?? Anyway, we all had a terrific time!

 

[Tonyspad]

Thanks for the info... You have sealed the deal ;-)

What time did you get back to the dock? My wife wants some time to browse the jewerly stores

Also we were thinking of the Rhino boats for St Maarten- Any info.
The one thing I want to do in St Maarten is visit the beach near the airport.