snorkeling excursions?

[randypape]

where and who is recommended by previous travelers to St.Thomas and St Maarten for snorkeling excursions? Also horseback riding excursions. thanks Randy

Edit: Moved to Caribbean Port Chat. RF

[spyder209]

I went on the Castaway Girl Catamaran snorkeling adventure in St. Thomas and it was fantastic. They take you several miles into the ocean on a beautiful big catamaran and give you free rum punch. Then we snorkeled a ship wreck and the water is crystal clear. We had a great time. You can lay out on the front of the boat while your traveling. It takes about 30 minutes both ways. It was well worth the money. We also went parasailing in St. Thomas. It was a litte expensive, but the sight is beautiful from 100 feet up. These were excursions from Royal Caribbean, but I'm sure Carnival offers something like it.

[penny3333]

We've done a few catamaran trips through Princess and Carnival in St. Thomas. The last one we did went to Buck Island and the snorkeling was wonderful. We've also taken the ferry to St. Johns and a taxi to Trunk Bay. Trunk Bay is a beach snorkel, they have fresh water showers, lockers, a snack bar and a couple of shops (not cheap). The ferry was $6/pp, I think the cab was $4/pp and entrance to the beach was $2/pp. The beach is absolutely beautiful, the water is warm and calm, and there is a self-guided snorkel tour about 100 yards off the shore. Since we love to sail, the catamaran's have been our favorite. We did a couple of catamaran snorkels in St. Maarten as well and booked through Princess. NCL offers a program called Dive-In, which is a great program for people who like to snorkel and dive. So far, we've not had a bad snorkeling trip on catamarans or sails, granted some have been better than others, but never have been disappointed. Enjoy your cruise!!

[kyrisong1]

I did the horseback excursion on St Maarten, it was very good. If you ride, but just a little DON"T tell them you're intermediate, stick with beginner. I've done a fair amount of riding and thought I could handle whatever, but I was on a CRAZY horse Anyway you had to ride through some oil processing area which was kinda icky, but once you got on the hills it was awesome. Be aware that they do go fairly high in the hills and you DO have to come down, so if your afraid of heights it's a tad scary coming down. Going into the ocean was fun, but it's a straight drop, not a gentle decline so that was a surprise. It's also at that point they take the pictures, so SMILE. I really did enjoy this excursion. Make sure you take some money or a bank card. You stop at a shop that gives samples of rum and the flavors were fantastic, I didn't have my money or I would have loved to buy some.