Saona Island Catamaran Cruise: The Only Review You’ll Ever Need

Planning a trip to the Dominican Republic? Well, the Saona Island Catamaran Cruise is that kind of thing tourists and vacationers really talk about, isn’t it? Word on the street is that it’s a must-do, a picture-perfect escape to pristine beaches and that oh-so-famous natural pool. So, let’s explore if it actually lives up to all that buzz.

Booking Your Saona Island Adventure: What to Keep in Mind

Before you, you know, jump into booking, you definitely have to look at a couple of things. Now, the prices can, in a way, vary quite a bit depending on what the tour operators give you, like your experience will change quite a lot, depending on if you want a simple tour, or if you are alright with paying for extras to turn the boat trip into a real party! Make sure you look closely at what each package does have inside it.

Something, like, to think about: are those drinks included? Is that lunch included? Does that transport to the beach in itself come at an additional fee? You might want to read those very small, fine disclaimers, those might contain more than meets the eye! Anyway, booking directly on their official websites might, actually, bring the price down. Though sometimes those third party websites will offer deals and promotions that may save you a bit of coin. So you have to do a lot of digging to find out where exactly is that little sweet spot where you pay the least to receive the best vacation, in a way. Keep in mind that tour times often start rather early (think 7-8 AM).

Picking the best Saona Island Tour Operator For Your Vibe

The operator, sort of, makes or breaks your adventure. Find one that sort of gels with your, you know, vibe. Now, big boats are fun and loud, in a way. On a smaller catamaran, very, very few tourists go with you; in essence, you’ll get that feeling of seclusion, almost as if the location was really “your own”. Also, see those reviews, check what real people who have gone to the island actually tell about that operator. Those opinions might be biased, of course, but that doesn’t stop you from forming an idea.

You also, that is, want to look into their ecological effect on this location; many boats, that said, take care and attention with respecting Saona’s preservation policies, but you would like to check to be on the “right” team. In conclusion, shop around a bit, basically.

Catamaran Ahoy! The Cruise Experience

Once the boat departs towards Saona Island, it is almost impossible to resist the happy atmosphere. The crew plays music, encourages people to dance, gives beverages away… this is vacation! What’s really cool, to me, about catamarans, is their construction; it feels really easy to find a spot. Even when the thing’s completely crowded, you are still left with that feeling of personal space!

Very few cruises come without an “open bar” — beer, rum, local mixes — and it is easy to remain “hydrated” during the complete duration. Then you’ll, for instance, stop to take some memorable pictures of the island’s turquoise blue, translucent waters! During the day, the vibe that goes on in the boats can be rowdy, and it’s not like some people won’t overdrink; so, if you have families with kids in the boat, just know that, it will be a very adult party — if your children don’t bother with it, so you shouldn’t. In the best of cases, some cruises take a different path than other cruises, to prevent them from overlapping or being simultaneously next to each other — which improves your vacation and avoids sensory and audio contamination, to a degree.

The Natural Pool: A Floating Paradise

Oh, you have probably seen photos of it — or read about it: this is the spot where every, virtually, cruise takes its visitors to enjoy! So what exactly happens there? You hop off the boat to go stand up in this almost see-through waist-deep sea. The boats circle it; people take pics, dance, drink… is that, you know, not quite everybody’s favorite moment of their vacations in Punta Cana?

I sort of do think you might want to be extra careful; while most people do, in a way, just enjoy, there’s always that person that gets completely drunk, in some way, ruins the landscape for everyone else around. Very, very few reports mention issues like those — those are, however, something you might want to think about!

Saona Island: Is the Beach all it is Hyped up To Be?

And now, basically, the star of this whole excursion has come — the island of Saona in itself. If the catamaran was rowdy with sound, images, and movement; it will be completely different when you are, for instance, sunbathing on the island’s quiet sand beaches! Most tours give vacationers two or three hours to experience the island, during which those tourists may elect to remain in the principal beach, or they may seek seclusion by, in short, walking away a bit (while observing restrictions by the tour operator!).

Lunch typically goes buffet-style with classic Dominican food. If you don’t dig deep into local gastronomy that said you won’t run out of foods you are comfortable eating anyway: pasta, white rice, meat. What most vacations, perhaps, aren’t told about is, that there are stands selling souvenirs too, as if those businesses had not signed any contract with those resorts to “own” traveler spending while on vacation! Those tend to get really pushy! It, honestly, is a small inconvenience on top of an otherwise awesome visit to a basically unheard beach.

Speaking of awesome, let’s remember that the waters around Saona are full of sea life! Don’t keep on sitting, maybe go underwater! With a snorkel and swimming googles, one may happen to meet all types of colorful animals!

What To Bring (and not)

Those excursions won’t typically say anything on this regard, so allow me: You might want to get ready as if it was just another, very basic beach trip. Towel, obviously. Swimsuit, alright. Sunscreen and glasses! But, it is strongly recommended that you, basically, don’t carry much; while extremely remote, Saona Island’s coast does feature salespersons — it goes to argue there might be delinquents ready to snatch your belongings. That implies being vigilant. On top of that, you can easily remain dehydrated and standing in the sun all day… you could want something cold to drink!

It may appear very basic advice, yet some people take their “best” equipment just to lose them, in the end, so be vigilant, basically.

Is the Saona Island Catamaran Cruise worth it? My overall Score

So, that said, is that Saona Island Catamaran Cruise trip something that I actually suggest you to give a try? Is it worth the cost? I guess so! But keep those aspects in mind — doing previous research regarding those tour operators and costs to find a really good combination in that regard might prove worthy.

Remember — or, in case you skipped to the conclusion, that’s great! You must remember!: Look closely to your cruise boat. Look at ecological preservation policies in place! The prices of drinks and meals in-place, plus the reputation of those vendors!

So go have some vacations and give the Dominican Republic’s beaches and islands a try!