Families
Your First Boat Tour: What Nobody Mentions Beforehand
A first boat tour tends to raise small questions that feel too silly to ask. Where do I put my things? What if I do not want to get in? Who tells me when to come back? Here are the answers.
Short answer
You are picked up at your hotel, shown aboard by the crew, and then simply follow the rhythm of sailing, stopping and swimming. Nobody has to swim, and the crew tells you when it is time to climb back on. For a first go, the Side Boat Tour is a straightforward choice, with lunch and several stops in about seven hours.
The first hour
The first thing to know is that you do not need to find the boat. A vehicle comes to your hotel, delivers you to the right place, and the crew takes over. It is normal to feel slightly lost in those first few minutes, when everyone is boarding and looking for a spot on deck. It settles down very quickly.
Pick your place early if you care about sun or shade, and if you are a couple or a family, stay together while people are sorting themselves out. Only one of our tours, Relax, reserves a sunbed for each person; no other listing mentions one, so elsewhere expect to find your own spot.
How a swim stop works
The boat anchors, the crew tells you what is happening, and people start going into the water. You can jump, climb down, or stay where you are. There is no test and nobody is keeping count. When the time is up, the crew calls everyone back. Listen for them.
If you are unsure of yourself in the water, say so when you book and before you get in. Life jackets are on record for non-swimmers on the Island tour. For other boats, ask us beforehand rather than assuming.
Lunch and what it costs
On eight of the nine tours, lunch is served on board as part of your fare; the exception is the Fishing trip, where a light breakfast is provided instead. Drinks are a different matter. Except on the Island and Relax tours, you should plan on buying them. If you are not sure what your fare covers, each tour page lists what is included and what is not, and the prices page shows what you pay.
The noise question
Few first-timers realise how much the choice of boat affects the volume of the day. Six of our tours have a foam party and music. If you picture yourself reading quietly, that matters. On the other hand, if you picture yourself dancing, a quiet boat will drive you mad. Our guide to the foam party says which boats are which, and the calm-day guide covers the alternatives.
Things that are normal and fine
- Spending most of the day on deck and swimming only once
- Changing your mind about swimming halfway through a stop
- Finding that the route is not quite the one you read about, because sea and weather decide that
- Not seeing a dolphin or turtle, since wild animals keep their own schedule
- Being tired afterwards out of all proportion to what you did
Choosing your first boat
Do not choose by the longest list of features. Choose by who you are with. Small children point towards Little Pirates or the Pirate tour. A group of friends might prefer the Island tour, with its long day and free soft drinks. Someone curious about the river and the sea might go for Caretta Bay. Our full comparison lays all nine out side by side.
Then, once you have picked, reserve it. You hand over no money until the day itself, and a change of heart costs nothing while more than 48 hours remain.
One last thing about feeling unsure
Everyone else on the deck was also a first-timer once, and most of them are thinking about lunch. If something worries you, ask a member of the crew or send us a message before the day. There are no silly questions on a boat, only ones that nobody wanted to be the first to ask.
