Thanks for the advice - I have seen their website, and other good recommendations. How much for 2 of you? And how long in advanced did you reserve? How many total passengers on the boat?

There are 4 of us going in mid-June, but my honey doesn't want to go in rough seas (even w/ motion sickness pills)

The NH II holds a maximum of 16 passengers, and since the majority of the trip is thru Drake's Passage, it isn't often in rough seas. When it is too rough, they cancel the trip. Do a search for "New Horizons II" and you will find some good posts descibing the trip, the owners, their policies, etc.

They will definitely cancel the trip if it's too rough. Which wasn't a good thing for us. They want you at Sapphire Beach at 7:15 am. They cancelled the trip the day of our scheduled trip, and called our hotel at 7:10 am to inform us. Unfortunately, we had been up since 6 am and took a 30 min taxi trip to Sapphire, so of course we didn't get that call. We were sitting in the rain on the marina where there was no one to tell us of the cancellation -- no note, anything. We were pissed, to be honest, and didn't re-schedule. But I have heard so many good things about NH -- I wouldn't let it hinder anyone.

Just a little frustrating for me personally working in an industry where customer service is a priority.

Marty actually they hold over 24 people. They do a fantastic job on both boats.

LLBL,

I sympathize with you about the fact that you were not informed of the cancellation. Wasting vacation time sitting at a rainy marina is not my idea of the perfect vacation.

However, one of the most encouraging things I've seen in this post is the fact that NHII will cancel due to bad weather. In any resort area, that is exceptional service.

I worked for a boat manufacturer that sold boats to tour operators, and I can tell you the pressure to keep a booking is enormous (I've got all sorts of horror stories I could relate).

In any resort market there are only so many days when you can expect to book your boat, and the bank wants their monthly payments whether you've booked your boat or not. In addition, profit margins in the tour industry are slim. So there is huge pressure on the tour operator to take the boat out no matter what the weather. You have to remember, the boat will make it through almost any kind of weather, it's just a matter of customer comfort and safety.

So I appluad NHII's courage to forego it's daily revenue in favor of customer comfort and safety. The next time I go to the Caribbean, I may use NHII, just because they sound trustworthy.

JFP

It appears that we are both incorrect! I just talked to Holly (Tim and Holly are the owners) and she said that the max. passenger capacity is 18 on the NH II. Maybe I was thinking of Captain Nautica max of 16? Hmmm.....That must be it.

Just to clarify -- I too was not disappointed and frustrated that they cancelled the tour for the day. It is certainly admirable that they consider safety before the almighty dollar.

However, they really need to consider a better system to inform passengers of a cancellation, especially when they decide to cancel AFTER the 7:00 departure time. Their offices are very close to the marina, and they could have easily posted a small sign on the boat (the Breakaway, in which we waited for 45 min) stating that the tour was cancelled for the day due to inclement weather. Better yet, send someone down there. There were no phones or no other people at the marina, so we had to walk to the Sapphire lobby (not fun in the rain either) to call to inquire about the trip. Another couple showed up and were not informed in time either.

It's the little things like this that put you above and beyond the competition. IMHO.

I also went on the snorkel trip with Captain John and Peggy on 05/26/06. It was alot of fun and I'm glad we were able to go. We got to see so many beautiful islands on the way to every stop and Peggy gave alot of historical insteresting stories. Being a Kenny Chesney fan, I was very happy that we got to see his house, along with some other famous properties! Very exciting! We stopped at the Soggy Dollar Bar on Jost Van Dyke and that was one of the spots that we really wanted to go to, we were very happy with all the places we went. We got snacks on the boat and stopped for lunch at a beautiful place at Pusser's. The drinks were non-stop on the boat, whether you wanted water, soda, beer, or a mixer! We were served and didn't have to do anything. We saw a sea turtle swimming in the water and usually you see more but we didn't get to that day. I recommend everyone going on a New Horizon II excursion, you will not regret a penny!

My family of four went on this trip with John and Peggy in April and it was great. I would highly recomend it!

http://newhorizonscharters.com/

I am booked to go on the Breakaway next week. We wanted to know
about the quality of the snorkel gear. Do the masks fit well? Leak?
Quality of fins, etc?? We are bringing all of our gear with us to St. Thomas.However, I thought for this trip it would be nicer not to have to tote all our own. Especially since we planned on dining in Red Hook before heading back to our hotel after the trip. That way we wouldn't have to bring our stuff with us in the taxi and restaurant. I would still rather lug around our own stuff than have leaky masks, etc..

Wow my stomach dropped when I read what you wrote but then I relaized I was thinking Breakaway not NHII. Phew that could have been bad.