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Caliph · Joined: 27 Oct 2006 Posts: 2

I have booked a trip to the Islands in August on the Isabella II....Has anyone been on this boat and if so, any comments?

If I am not a good swimmer, can I still snorkel? I would hate the chance to miss swiming with the animals.

Any tips to make this a once in a lifetime
adventure?

Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

Vahip · Joined: 14 Jul 2006 Posts: 5

I was on the Isabella II in March. We had a wonderful time, and you will not regret choosing that boat. The captain, crew, and naturalists were all very friendly and courteous, the cabins are nice, and the ship is overall very lovely. The food was also pretty good--some things better than others, but in general very enjoyable. The boat was also only half full the week we were there, which was nice. It was by far the best vacation I've ever been on. Have no worries.

I second the comments about the snorkeling--the highlight of the trip for me was swimming with the sea lions, so you don't want to miss that. We had two snorkeling excursions that a weak swimmer might want to avoid. The first was in a place called "Devil's Rock" or "Devil's"-something, I can't quite remember. There is a very strong current there that we swam against, and only about four of us made it through. The other time was when several of us prevailed on the guide to take us looking for hammerheads, and the sea was very choppy. However, the dinghy is usually nearby, so if you need to climb out, you can do so.

The schedule on the boat is rather demanding--they wake you up at 6:00 or 6:30 every morning. However, I reccomend trying to do all of the activities, since you'll only be there once, most likely. Some people start to tire and stay back on the boat. The main things you will need are strong suntan lotion, a hat, sunglasses, watershoes or Tevas, tennis shoes, bathing suit, and at least 6 rolls of film. We had not a drop of rain.

Also note that the crew will sometimes let you swim off the boat in the late afternoon, which was a life-saver because it was so hot. But you have to ask--they don't really advertise it.

Have a wonderful time!