There is one main thing to consider when deciding on the best snorkel to take on a cruise. How much room do you have in your luggage?
I think most people who snorkel these days would agree that the full face snorkels are easier to use and more popular. But they take up a lot of room in your suitcase. The smaller snorkels that only cover your eyes and nose and have a tube for your mouth take up a lot less room but can be more difficult to use.
But let’s back up.
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Snorkeling Excursions While On A Cruise
If you are snorkeling on a cruise you probably booked an excursion. Hopefully you did. I highly recommend booking excursions through the cruise line. I know, I know, they are more expensive.
But for that extra expense you get some benefits.
The most important benefit is that if something happens to delay your excursion the ship will wait for you. No matter what the problem or how late you are, the ship will wait for shore excursions you booked through them. The other benefit to using ship shore excursions is that they are very convenient.
These snorkel trips all run the same. You meet on the dock and hand over your tickets. They guide you on a short walk to a different pier to hop onto a catamaran.
Once on the catamaran they give you some directions in how and where to dive. This happens while you are on your way to your destination enjoying the view and trying not to get sea-sick. Eventually you end up at the place for you to snorkel. They provide life vests (not normally a choice – you must wear them), snorkels and flippers.
The snorkels provided by the catamaran are always “cleaned.” These things really grossed me out before we all became germaphobes in 2020, but now…just no.
This is where it’s best to bring your own snorkel.
But which snorkel is the best one for you to pack for your cruise excursion?
Full Face Snorkel or Regular Snorkel? Which is the best for your cruise?
Regular Snorkel
The major benefit of a regular snorkel is that it is smaller and easier to pack. That means it is easier to pack in your luggage for the cruise and that you can bring a smaller bag with you onto the catamaran for the excursion. However, these masks are not as easy to use and you may find that you spend a lot of your time when you should be looking at the pretty coral and fish fighting with your mask.
Full Face Snorkel
The Full Face Snorkel provides better coverage and is easier to use. This allows you to spend more of your time in the water swimming and looking at the pretty sights and less fighting with your mask. There is only one problem. These things can get very large and can be bulky to pack.
In the end, the best snorkel to take on a cruise is up to you. It depends on if you are flying or driving to a port. Also take into account how good of a swimmer you are and how important it is to you to maximize your time looking at the fish.
Back to what to expect on your excursion
On the snorkeling excursions, after they have given you 30 minutes to an hour in the water (usually), they will start to call you back to the ship.
Often at this point they have unlimited drinks (rum punch and soft drinks) and some kind of snack. But it depends on what type of excursion you booked.
In my experience it is always a fun ride back to the ship with drinks, snacks, music and sea breezes.
A couple of other important things to note if you are taking a snorkeling excursion:
Take something for sea-sickness and eat properly before. Dramamine, bonnine, whatever you normally take for sea-sickness is fine. Even if you don’t normally take anything for sea-sickness, take something before you get on the catamaran. The last snorkel trip I was on, multiple people got sick. Neither of us ever got nauseous (and we are prone to sea-nausea) but between the sea-sickness pills and the greasy pizza for lunch we were fine.
Read about our adventures snorkeling in St. Thomas here.
Everyone has different opinions on the right foods to combat sea-sickness. My personal, completely non-medical opinion is that greasy, heavy foods are more likely to stick to your stomach and therefore less likely to move in the motion of the boat. Don’t drink too much water before you go out. You don’t want the contents of your stomach sloshing around like the waves.
Bring some cash to tip the crew of the catamaran. Obviously you paid, but tips for a good time are still appreciated.
Don’t forget your hat, cover-up and beach bag!
There are plenty of different sizes and shapes of snorkels that could be your best cruise snorkel, but just remember you don’t want to have to use the ones that have been used by countless other people and come out of a bucket of slightly soapy water!
What to read next:
Celebrity Edge Review: Snorkeling in St. Thomas
What to do in the port of Cozumel
