Who does Princess use for .......

P

pormond

Guest
Who does Princess use for the Stringray City Sandbar Excursion? Or do they do it themselves? Is it videotaped? Is the excursion resonable through Princess.

I have read alot of great review about Captain Marvin's. I was hoping Princess might contract with them.

Thanks - Patricia



Post Edited (07-09-04 17:41)
 
S

Snowblower

Guest
When we went (exactly a year ago) it was New Waves Dive. Princess still lists them today as the primary operator for them. It was not videotaped but you do have time to do it yourself if desired. The operator did take still pics for a price. We took many with a digital camera & underwater camera. The price through Princess is $59 to $64 depending on the type of trip. If you look other places you might find it a little less ($45 -$60) but that does not usually include transportation from the cruise ship to the boat that takes you out. You do have some distance to travel by vehicle to the dock that might make the trip a push when comparing to Princess. Keep in mind that if you use Princess to go to Stingray City if something happens and you can't make the departure of the cruise ship, they will wait for you. If you book other arrangements, your SOL and getting back to the ship is on you. For the difference in cost I don't think it is worth booking with someone other than Princess because you do have to travel some distance from the cruise ship. For some extra information, look at this website and look up Stingray City and it will provide you with several operators and costs:

http://www.caymanvacations.com/indexmenu.htm?general/sightseeing.htm&2

Whatever you do, do not miss this trip. It will be one of the coolest things you will ever see. You can actuall hold/touch & feed the Stingrays!!!

Snowblower
 
P

PeabodyNVL

Guest
They have a number of different excursions to Sting Ray City with different vendors. I always prefer a catamaran to a snorkel boat. The excursion we went on was great!
 
M

marvholly

Guest
Be aware: you can find this excursion for MUCH less than the $59+ quoted for the Princess excursion. Check out the Carribean board and I am sure you will find a bunch of suggested/reviewed operators. We used Sotos last March. Have seen many p-osts recommending Capt. Marvin, Capt. Bryan and Nativeway. Sotos cost us $25 pp. I have yet, in 10 cruises over nearly 35 years to have problems with a private vendor getting us back to the ship on time. I do allow time though. Book half days starting in the am so I am generally back to the ship by mid afternoon, usually 2+ hours before due back. There are always shops right at the port and the prices are generally close to in town prices and sometimes better (duty free shops).
 
C

carolinarockman

Guest
We've done Stingray City twice with Princess. It is booked as "New Waves We had a different operator on both trips. We booked both snorkel and Stingray City. First trip we had a great time. Waters were calm and both snorkeling and Stingray City outstanding. Next cruise the water was too rough for snorkeling. We did Stingray City but it too was pretty rough. We only stayed in the water about 20 mins. The waves kept bowling us over. The stingrays didn't mind as long as you had squid to feed them. Princess refunded half of our excursion fee.

Both trips were video'd. Tell the camera operator that you will be purchasing the video and they will make sure that you are in a lot of frames. They did both snorkeling and feeding the rays. You'll get to see yourself snorkeling from the underwater view. The video will be delivered to your cabin or to the purser's desk.

If you haven't done this excursion before, it is a "must do".
 
L

Lady Jag

Guest
It's really one of the easiest things to do on your own without paying Princess' prices. We've gone twice on our own - once with Captain Marvin and once with Captain Bryan. I prefer Capt. Bryan's catamarans, but the crew with Capt. Marvin were a little more friendly. Give either one a try - their offices are very easy to and are near the cruise ship pier.
 
A

alaskancruzr

Guest
We used Nativeway last year and had a fantastic time. They picked us up at the cruise ship dock, had an independent videographer on board, visited stingray city and made another stop for snorkeling. It was $25 p.p. and we didn't have the crowds that some of the cruiseship tours have. We will be going with them again this December and I would highly recommend them.
 


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