Catalina Island!

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GloBug

Guest
First cruise, Monarch, yada yada yada.

I understand we will tender from the ship to Catalina Island. Being a first timer here, should I book our only excursion on this trip through RCCL? We want to go on the semi-submersible. It looks like a fun and interesting thing to do, since we don't SCUBA. Anyone been on it?

Will the tendering at Catalina take hours also, as mentioned on other tendering threads?

Would booking on the ship guarantee we make our reservations? Does it even count for this type of thing? Does any one know if the semi submersibles fill up quickly?

Would you come back to the ship to have lunch? We like the idea of supporting the local economy! Decent seafood on the island??? LOL!

Any other excursions worth seeing on the island?

Any Catalina experts like to give a newbie some insider tips?
 
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lizardstew

Guest
Hey Glo....you must be getting excited....the days are ticking away! :grin

The actual tender ride takes about 10-15 minutes. The line to get on will be about the same. When we were there there were a ton of vendors selling the submersibles on the pier. They were cheaper than the ship tours too! I didn't happen to notice the times, though.

They have some pretty good food on the island! There is fresh fish and chips on the pier and a bunch of quaint little restaurants and ice cream parlors all up and down the streets.

We didn't do any excursions this time but did a tour of the island on an earlier visit and it was pretty neat. The island is really beautiful!
 
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GloBug

Guest
Oh Lizardstew, I am so excited, you can't imagine. Well, maybe you can! I'm going on a cruise!!! Santa Catalina is waiting for me, and I intend to enjoy her as much as I can! I did write to the visitors bureau and they sent me this great magazine about Catalina Island, which I have poured over several times. Ok, so, the expert says that I can book a submersible after I get to the island, so that's one more thing I don't have to do now.
 
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jester95008

Guest
glo,

I was just at Catalina in Jan.04 with carnival's 4 day deal. The waters are cold in that Island and its usually windy there in July , a good alternative is to rent their golfcarts for the day and drive around the entire island and visit the chewing gum house (Wrigley's) I can't say you'll be having the most fun of your life there since its a calm and sleepy town there , but it is pleasant for the couple looking to relax and visit some tasty ice cream shops!
 
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Trish1c

Guest
When visiting new places I like to do something that can't be done anywhere else. On Catalina that would be taking a tour of the island to see America's largest herd of free roaming buffalo. There's a bus trip you can take from any tourist info kiosk -- no need to book through the ship. You should also check out the round building at the end of the beach / pier area. I don't remember what it's called. Stroll through town -- it's so quaint. We saw lots of seals & sea lions. I also saw my 1st wild bald eagle on Catalina.
 
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GloBug

Guest
I do want to see the buffalo too. And seeing the wild bald eagles would make my month!
 
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Trish1c

Guest
The eagle was AMAZING! I never realized how big those birds are.

Vegans & animal lovers don't shoot me, but you can also get buffalo burgers & steaks everywhere in town too.

What ever you do, you are sure to have blast.

Enjoy!
 
S

sailingrose

Guest
Glo.....one other thing to remember if you book with the cruise line they will make sure you won't miss your tour! They usually give you tender tickets or have a special tender just for your excursion. Something to think about.
 
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lizardstew

Guest
Glo,

I think what sailingrose is saying is ff you book the semi-submersible through the ship they will make sure you get on a tender early enough so that you'll make it...and vice versa on the return end.

So, yes....if you book the semi-submersible through the ship, it counts! RCI offers what they call the Undersea Tour for $33.25. Upon further research, I see that this is the semi-submersible and it's the same price if you book it through the website (http://www.scico.com) I also found it at http://www.catalinaadventuretours.com/cat/nautilus.html but it's $35 here.

It appears that it's the same price if you do it on or off the ship, so I say book it through RCI! You'll get off the ship first!

(If I misundersood your question...Sorry! :) )
 
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GloBug

Guest
Nope, you understood perfectly! Now, is there a way to book this through RCI on line or do I have to wait to be on the ship?
 
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GloBug

Guest
Thanks Jen. I did! You are wonderful. Thanks for the help! Mexico... who would have thought to look for Catalina Island under Mexico? I guess it's not the location, but the cruise?
 
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kuljey

Guest
"I understand we will tender from the ship to Catalina Island"

1st timer here..WHAT IS THIS?
 
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Griffen

Guest
kuljey-
It means you gotta take a small boat from the ship to the port (I think, I'm a first timer too!)
 


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