Prestige Catamaran Cruise to Catalina Island

Posted By : didiercouttier
After doing Saona with the Quetzal, we absolutely wanted to do Catalina Island with them! And again, we are absolutely not disappointed. Our guide, Lola, was perfectly knowledgeable about underwater life and introduced us to lots of fish, and we also saw RAYS!!! What they call the "Wall" is impressive, we have never seen a reef of such depth (30m as I remember). We are not very good swimmers and yet we felt safe from A to Z. When we were in the water, a mini-boat followed us alongside to make sure everything went well! The island is also stunning and we ate very well. At the end of the afternoon, we took a walk on the Chavon River, a total change of scenery!
We 100% recommend excursions with the Quetzal, and we will come back!
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Posted On : 2024-04-26 15:51:49

Posted By : fredbdg
On each trip to the Dominican Republic, we go out with the quetzal company for catalina.
Always perfect. Extraordinary colors, a caring crew, a delicious meal, great diving and a great catamaran. Small group. Thank you for this great day, and thank you to Lola for the entertainment of the day both on board and in the water.
See you next time.
Amandine, steph and Fred
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Posted On : 2024-04-22 17:41:27

Posted By : sfluder
Fantastic trip from start to finish. Transportation arrangements were easy and right on time. We took a small boat from the Bayahibe marina out to the Quetzal which was one of the nicest in the area. We sailed to Catalina Island and went snorkeling near "The Wall" which was fantastic, definitely the best snorkeling we've done in the DR over several visits. Our guide, Lola, took us around the area and pointed out several great species including chimney coral, a white urchin, and others. The crew followed the snorkelers in a small motorboat which was great. One of my kids was new to snorkeling and the water was pretty choppy so he wanted to wrap up before the group - he hopped in the motorboat and they took him right back to the catamaran. This was a great addition to the snorkeling experience, they kept up with stragglers, helped a girl who dropped a flipper, and were generally available to help, great for comfort and safety.

We got back on the boat and had lunch which the crew grilled on the boat. They made chicken, steaks, pasta, salad, and fresh fruit - all locally sourced (except for the pasta) with several drink options - sodas/beer/rum cocktails/water/etc.. Lunch was outstanding, steaks were actually medium rare and everything was plentiful. We did another short snorkeling trip on the other side of the island - there was less to see there but still some great fish, particularly the jewel damselfish. We then spent about an hour on the beach, nothing special there although they made some great pina coladas in pineapples which the kids loved. The beach was very hot but there was shade available - and we found a lot of sea glass walking the beach. Back on the boat we sailed around the island and up the Chavon River. The river was beautiful, lined with high-end villas and exotic foliage.

The boat was comfortable with plenty of shade in the rear, multiple bathrooms, and dual trampolines on the front. The kids loved the front of the boat which was steady even as the sea got choppy in the afternoon - no seasickness at all, very smooth ride. We really enjoyed the time spent with Lola and Enrique - both were a wealth of knowledge, warm and considerate. Our family learned a lot about diving/sea life and Dominican geography and terrain.

We had high expectations for this trip based on other reviews we read, - this tour exceeded all of them and I can't think of a single negative thing to say. If you're looking for a cheap booze cruise/party boat this isn't the tour for you. If you're looking for a spectacular day on, and in, the Caribbean sea on a beautiful boat with a great crew, great food, and fantastic snorkeling, this is it.
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Posted On : 2024-04-13 13:38:19

Posted By : 288noellet
Magnificent day on Quetzal, great atmosphere, diving to see the fish, visit to the beach, meal on board and finally, visit to the river below Alton de Chavon.
We recommend this very cool excursion with our guide Lola and our captain Bernard.
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Posted On : 2024-04-04 12:47:21

Posted By : 699jeanmichelm
A great excursion, with a group on a “human” scale.
Well organized with transfers from hotels.
The welcome is friendly, the boat is very pleasant and spacious.
The day's program is varied, Snorkeling, walks on the Island, navigation...
We also had a very good lunch and enjoyed unlimited drinks.
the team is French so perfect for French-speaking travelers (but not only that...)

Thanks to Bernard and his crew, looking forward to seeing them again
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Posted On : 2024-03-22 05:54:37

Posted By : lutzefamily
Amazing day! We loved the food and meeting people from all over the world. The food was delicious! Thank you for a fun and relaxing day!
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Posted On : 2024-03-21 15:02:29

Posted By : katioucheb
The team of professionals who love their work! Everything is very well organized, thank you very much for this beautiful day :)
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Posted On : 2024-03-21 13:35:30

Posted By : Carolyn_L
We really enjoyed spending the day with people from all over the world! It was fun to share the day with them. We loved the food and the employees. They were very friendly and helpful! Our time at ‘the Wall’ was a little too short for us, otherwise an amazing day!!!
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Posted On : 2024-02-25 14:32:32

Posted By : 483campings
The boat is spacious and the number of people on board is limited, which is very pleasant. The crew is very friendly and the meal on board is delicious. The snorkeling trip is supervised and the island is splendid. I strongly recommend the Quetzal crew for this activity 👍
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Posted On : 2024-02-19 08:56:25

Posted By : Resort00311229859
Fantastic day on the Quetzal to Catalina Island with snorkeling 🤿 great crew and gorgeous place! Will book with them again!
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Posted On : 2024-02-19 08:17:20