Eastern Caribbean-Disney Fantasy-Caribbean Sea Safari
Port Adventures are always a hot button debate for our cruise experience. We can never choose between them, debate about spending the money or just trying to venture out on our own, and we normally end up doing a whole bunch of nothing.
I was determined to not let this happen and to partake in a shore excursion for our Eastern Caribbean cruise to St. Thomas. We waited until we were onboard to talk to the knowledgable staff at the Port Adventures desk and were given several options of things that would match the description we gave of the experiences we wanted to have.
We ended up on a modified excursion because the excursion was overbooked. The modified excursion we had is actually going to be offered on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Disney Fantasy and will be known as the Caribbean Sea Safari.
This was the best experience I’ve ever had in port and I would do it again in a heartbeat. We took a short walk to the pier at St. Thomas and boarded the Virgin Breeze-a speedboat with plenty of room for all 91 of us, bathrooms and a bar. The ride to Turtle Cove where we were going to snorkel was an adventure in itself and if you have a weak stomach in the morning you want to have breakfast before you leave for this tour. Also, if you don’t want to get soaked then sit inside where the plastic “walls” are or in the center near the bar. The Captain will hit every wave as hard as possible to give you an adventure before your real adventure begins.
Turtle Cove is beautiful and was everything it says and more. There were huge, amazing sea turtles we were able to snorkel with. It was like swimming with Crush, I was waiting for one of them to say “Duuuuuude”! We also snorkeled out to the reef where there was a gorgeous variety of corals, including fire coral (which looks like fire and burns if you touch it). It was amazing. I was trying to take photos with my old digital camera in an aqua pack but it didn’t work. They didn’t make digital cameras shake proof 15 years ago when I bought the camera. Oh well.
After our snorkel we boarded the Virgin Breeze to head to Honeymoon Beach, which is only accessible by boat. I thought there was no place i’d rather be than Castaway Cay, until I saw honeymoon beach. You literally jump off the back of the boat into chest high water and swim to shore. This tiny beach has picnic tables, a few umbrellas, a hammock area and bathrooms. It also has a gorgeous sandy beach front with tranquil, gorgeous, clear water and a view not to be missed!
When we pulled to shore (as close as we could get), there was a married couple on the beach with a grill set up taking orders for lunch. My husband and I split a burger ($9.00) and it was more than large enough to share. The burger was great and we actually sat in the surf and had lunch. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, kielbasa, and various side dishes to choose from. Everything was made fresh, so order as soon as you arrive if you want to have lunch, because you only have an hour on the beach. No need to stand around the grill and wait, go enjoy the beach while your lunch is made and they’ll call your name when it time to eat.
The excursion was amazing and they serve “pain-killers” to the adults after the snorkel and also have beer. Consider yourself warned, the “pain-killer” is a delicious icy rum drink with pineapple juice and I don’t even know what else but it’s delicious and they go down very easy. After about 8 of them, I went down easy too….face first right into my pillow as soon as I got to my stateroom. So beware of the rum and don’t make plans onboard post-excursion if you know you’re going to be enjoying these fruity beverages!
The staff was great, they were young and friendly and fun and were really efficient. Snorkel equipment was handed out while we sped to Turtle Cove, by the time we arrived everyone had appropriate fitting gear. A small snorkel de-briefing was held with safety instructions and basic “how to’s” and then the first group hit the water with the guide. The second group went a different direction so it didn’t feel crowded and you didn’t feel like you were stuck with everyone’s fins in your face. You snorkel around Turtle Cove and the reef and both are amazing. We saw a lot of sea turtles which was really cool. Most excursions advertise a certain type of marine life and then say “oh they must not have been out today”. There were probably 6 turtles or so cruising around. They came to the surface a few times as well and we got a close up look at them. You can’t touch them, but they are amazing creatures and Pixar did a great job creating Crush…they look just like him!
The excursion was great, the only suggestion I would make is to do an “adults only” version of this tour so those traveling without children could enjoy this excursion even more.
