Well, first of all, I was wrong about Stuart Cove running the Disney excursion snorkel. (I thought they did because the way the Passporter worded it, it sounded like they did.) My bad, as my students would say.
Second of all, we were very pleased with the snorkeling. The trip was snorkelers only. (I've heard about some companies that do divers and snorkelers off the same boat.) We went out on a motorized catarmaran, about a 30 - 40 minute ride. We did what I assume is the standard tour of Nassau harbor (you know -- that house belonged to Elvis, etc.) and then settled in at our snorkeling spot. I don't think we went to the normal spot that day because it was VERY windy, and the waves were choppy. But the guides were helpful and patient. (My son -- age 9 -- took a few minutes to get into the water because his mask fogged up, and they didn't rush him, even though there were people waiting behind him.) The reef was pretty, there were lots of fish, it was a little cloudy because the water was so choppy that day. The fire coral is not as pretty as the coral that I remember seeing in the South Pacific when I was a teenager and we lived in Guam. But it was a great experience for my son -- his first open water snorkel. We had to keep pulling him back from the drop off. (Felt like Nemo's dad in Finding Nemo!
) We stayed in the water for about 45 minutes. (We could have stayed an entire hour, but our legs got tired from fighting the waves.)
On the way back, they played calypso music and went a good deal faster. (I think we got back in about 30 minutes.) They opened the snack bar so people could buy drinks and chips, etc. There was a bathroom on board, and it was nice and clean (though small). There was also a fresh water hose that I used to clean off our snorkeling gear. (We have our own masks and snorkels because my son and husband use them from time to time.) The masks, snorkels, fins, and vests that the company had were very nice. I also suggest using the floats that they provide. It made just floating around and enjoying the sights easier -- especially with the waves as high as they were.
I got the feeling that the wind / wave problem was not the norm. It didn't really bother us, but it would have been nicer if the weather had cooperated. (It was sunny, just windy.) Can't control everything....
There is a brief walk to the boat. You leave the ship and walk through the port and down the street to the harbor. I would say, maybe a 10 minute walk. Bring a couple of bottles of water along because you will be incredibly thirsty when you finish. (You can buy from them, but it was nice to have the water waiting when we got up on board. The snack bar didn't open until everyone was out of the water.)
It was a great experience. I have heard Stuart Cove is wonderful, though, and if I went again, I might consider trying them out because they go to several locations. On the other hand, it was nice letting Disney do all the scheduling.
Julie
