Catalina Island & Snorkling Tour Full Day All Inclusive

Day in the life of Catalina Island excursion

The excursion was fun, however be sure to bring your own snacks. There weren’t any snacks during the boat ride & we had to wait hour to eat (1pm) once we made it to the Island. The excursion started at 7am (p/u time) and it was an hour or so drive to get there (We stayed at RIU Palace). The food was 4 out of 10 but we also bought fish and lobster (paid out of pocket) which was pretty good.

Response from the operator: Thank you for your comment. We will look into what happened.

via Viator

Terrible do not book with this tour company

We did the Catalina island and snorkelling tour. Really bad organisation and rude staff don't recommend at all.

via Tripadvisor

A good day with room for improvement

Went on this excursion with 6 people total for the day. Pickup from the hotel was prompt and the driver was polite and helpful with minimal English. The ride was about an hour and a half including pickups which went smoothly … small van with about 10 people, good ac and clean. The marina experience was good and the boat was on time with staff helpful and friendly. The boat ride to the snorkel spot and Catalina Isle was fun and enjoyable with soft drinks served once. Once we arrived at the snorkeling spot equipment was handed out. No sign of the usual sanitizing solutions used for equipment when it is used day after day. It was in a big bag and randomly handed out. No fins were available and the snorkels and masks were very sub par. Most snorkels did not have clips to attach to the masks making it difficult for many people. Snorkeling was good with a nice variety of fish and coral and very clear water. The Catalina Isle beach area was beautiful with clear water and white sand. After off loading on to tender boats to reach the isle a short intro was given and time to settle in before lunch at 1pm included beach and relaxing time. Lots of loungers and shady areas were available. Beer and liquor was not served until the start of lunch. Lunch time was buffet style with long lines and a great assortment of food. Problems with food portioning were obvious when people had plates piled high with food leaving those at the ends of the line to be left with rice, macaroni salad, spaghetti and bread. This issue was very apparent when half eaten plates were taken away at clean up time. Portions could have been controlled if staff were serving portions. Staff were great at cleaning up tables etc but hygiene was questionable when there were not enough plates and utensils so they had to wash them for those without. There was no sign of hot water or soap for this process leading to questions about how much food prep hygiene was used in things we didn’t see. The return boat ride was fun with staff leading dances and serving drinks alcoholic and well as soft drinks … no beer was available. Although a great time on the return trip if you are not a fan of loud music this would not be for you. A fun day to a beautiful isle but certainly room for some improvement.

Response from the operator: Gracias por visitarnos

via Viator

WORST EXPERIENCE- DO NOT BOOK

This experience was the worst one ever. DO MOR BOOK WITH THIS AGENCY. Firstly, the driver demanded more money for a child ticket (which was already booked and paid for online). The whole drive was very long and incredibly slow. The driver will take you to a gift shop on the way where the tourists are gathered like animals with the intention to rip off more money. It fees like everyone on this trip viewed us as money bags. We waited for more than an hour for the disgusting catamaran where again everyone was shoved on. We waited ok the heat with no water provided. The music was too loud. The personnel were not friendly. NOBODY EXCEPT A FEW TOURISTS SPEAK ENGLISH. Please don’t be deceived by a ‘guide in English’. It doesn’t exist. Noone will translate anything and there is the risk of being left in the water as no one cares or counts the people. The conditions are ridiculously bad. THE FOOD WAS GROSS WITH FLIES LANDING ON IT. It didn’t taste good. For the price you pay, they treat you like lowlifes and the price is way way too much for what you get. DISAPPOINTED IS NOT ENOUGH. These people don’t care about children or providing basic conditions for humans. This trip is why I consider the Dominican Republic worst destination visited. The snorkelling experience was ALSO DISAPPOINTING. The fish and coral do not match the pictures. Water was not clear and barely any colourful fish. THE PHOTOS ARE A LIE. Catalina is also incredibly dirty with plastic and rubbish on the beach everywhere. Incredibly lazy and careless people who just want money out of tourists but don’t bother to clean under their nose. This trip showcases the worst in the Dominican people and it will put you off travelling to the Dominican Republic. It is a SCAM -DO NOT BOOK. You will feel disgusted after.

Response from the operator: Thank you for your comment... indicate your real annoyance that you had to pay an additional for lying to us with the age of your daughter saying that you were younger not to pay what it was

via Tripadvisor

Deceitful

Did not stick to the description and too much time lost waiting. It starts by climbing on a bus that takes you to the nearest gas station, which is in fact a gathering point for buses going different destinations. You wait 40 minutes or more until you sit on the bus that takes you there. Once there, you board the boat to the island. It was supposed to be 2 snorkeling spots, but we visited only one near Catalina. You stay 30 minutes in the water and then back on the boat to go to the lunch place. Food was OK. The boarding deck you see on pictures, we did not use... we used tinyer boat which took 3 batches to disembark everyone. Same story to go back on the boat.. 1h of waiting, pure waste of time. Then no other snorkeling spot. Music is always too loud on the boat... The crew is nice and friendly. That could be called a boating trip but the snorkeling is clearly not up to expectations.

Response from the operator: Thank you for your comment, we will follow up on your observation.

via Tripadvisor