TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Catamaran Company

Has any of you used The Catamaran Company? Wondering how they compare to Moorings, TMM etc?

Use the search function. I have been with TMM twice and a few times with horizon. Both wonderful experiences. We liked TMM so much that we put a boat in there fleet.

Thanks - we have used TMM many times as well and really like them. Just wondering about Catamaran Company as they have a particular boat that interests me. We may well go back to TMM - nice people and close to town.

The Catamaran Company is fine. Mostly newer, well kept boats in their fleet.....

Boarding of the boats is now at 5:00PM as opposed to 12:00 noon previously if that makes a difference......

I have chartered with he Catamaran Company many times over the years and they always provided nice equipment with good support. However, a 5:00 PM boarding would be my deal killer.

Boarding 5:00 the night BEFORE your charter is one thing. Boarding 5:00 pm day you start is quit another. What time is the "return" time? Should be same time as departure.

TMM is 12noon charter start and generally can board 0800. On return, need to be off 12;00noon, with return to docks suggested to be by 10;00am.

We are renting with CatCo in June, and the 5:00 pm was a major issue for us. Our fault - I missed it in the original contract and we didn't notice it until we went to look for it. Long story short, we had to add another rental day to our charter to get out on the day we originally intended. Oh, and they had an employee leave their employment and our emails regarding a sleepaboard went unanswered for several weeks before I finally reached out to the only other contact I had there. That being said, they did work with us to get our "extra" day resolved, but we won't use them for future trips because frankly a 5:00 pm check-in makes absolutely no sense!

Same reason we don't use Sunsail. 5 pm start is a rip off since it counts as your first day.

WOW - huge difference. We always make it to Cooper or Norman the 1st day/night. Thanks for the heads up.

A 5:00 pm start is practically forcing you to do a sleepaboard at 100% charter day cost. That is ridiculous.

Yes, they have no sleepaboard option since you pay for a furll day just to get on the boat by 5. They did work with us on adding an extra day, but talk about sticker shock! Nothing like expecting a sleepaboard price (which we've done at Moorings in the past) and realize you need to pay for a full extra day!
I met a GREAT Lagoon sales guy at our local boat show, and he gave me his card so I can give him a report on CatCo. He said his potential owners are always asking for opinions on charter companies, so I said I'd send him a trip report once we return.

Just booked with the Catamaran Company for our second time. Was extremely bummed to find that the boarding time changed from noon to 5pm. As said above, we are now being forced to sleep on board the first night. This means one less day sailing, more taxes and just really dissapointed us. Added a day to our charter, and was able to talk them into a previous customer discount. Good to know that the other companies still have the 12:00 boarding time, will probably make me go somewhere different next time!

Other companies (TMM) OFFER a sleep aboard PRIOR to the start of your charter , which is typically about 50% of the daily rate. This actually saves $ compared to 3-4 hotel rooms and allows getting provisioned/settled in with departing the docks before noon for most people.

But DMcGuire, you are saying that the first day is shortened by 5 hours or more.

I understand why you would look for other options .

Catamaran company probably thinks it's an improvement. The question is, improvement for who?

I have found that the companies that require a evening start generally have a lower rate for the same 7 day period at a company requiring a noon start. In the end you pay about the same with the difference being a sleepaboard is mandatory.
G.

Just went through the same mess sonyawooley went through. Had booked a charter for the end of this month almost a year ago, had the departure time on contract set at noon and a paddle board thrown in. 2 of the people I originally worked with left. Was then told about the 5pm start. Long story short, they would not honor the noon start unless I paid for it. I wasn't going to start my charter with my little kids by sitting in the marina, so I paid the "cartel". Oh yeah, keep in mind, the noon doesn't necessarily mean leave the dock at noon. I was told that if I was nice, the office person would do the paperwork before noon so we could leave around noon.

Now for the paddle board, they fought with me for several weeks about still providing it. After they finally agreed to it, I was told "they couldn't guarantee that the paddle board would be on the boat at the time of departure"! So, I paid extra for the noon departure so I could sit around for a paddle board? So far, i'm not impressed with what I have seen.

If anyone has questions, feel free to pm me. Don't need to post all the details here.

At the end of the day heavily used boats need a level of work between each charter. The boats with AC, electric flush heads, generators, watermakers, icemakers make that all more complex. Be warrry of the operator who will try to make even one customer happy with a quick turnaround. 5pm gives the crew on the docks a full day to complete many important tasks on these ever increasing boat complexities. Call it whatever marketing wants to call it. We want that boat late in the day to sleep aboard. The boat leaves the dock on day two years once everyone is comfortable and ready to go. Life and the vacation is much more pleasant for everyone that way.

For some of us who have limited time off, every day of the vacation is precious. So, having to "waste" a day on the dock hurts. Especially when the original contract was for noon start and they tell you the boat isn't being chartered for several days before you board!

If both parties signed the contract, then you have a contract that should be honored. An unsigned collection of words on paper is at best an offer. Did you have a contract? Or just some words on paper that never got executed(signed) by ALL parties? There is plenty to do for families on Tortola and St. Thomas. On day one we usually send one of the adults off with the kids to a pool or other attraction with plans to leave late in the afternoon. That is a much more vacation like approach for most families.

I looked up CatCo's rules. This schedule will work very well for many traveling families and groups.

"Boarding time is 5pm on the first day of your charter. Charter Brief/Boat Brief to be held at 9:00am the following day. The skipper/captain must be present during the boat and charter briefing. An average of 1.5 to 2 hrs is necessary to complete your boat and chart briefing. No charter will be allowed to leave the dock after 5:00pm regardless of the charter contract dates. You must return your yacht to our dock by 10:00am on your last day of your charter. (We recommend you spend the last night of your charter at our docks)."

No, I had a note on a napkin that I faxed in for my contract. Why would I post what I posted if I didn't have a "contract"?

What you don't know is that they changed their boarding times/procedures. Was that on their website? There is a lot more this than cut and paste from a website.

Worst vacation ever. This company will not respond if you have a problem on their boat.

Boats may be nice but company does not take care of customers if there is a problem while cruising.

Send me his info. I'll give him an earful on The Catamaran Company

Just return from our 2nd trip with them, great boat and service. Chase boat was to us in 45minutes when a fresh water line started leaking. With another company we were the 2nd charter on a new cat and the genset bearing went out. We have had 22 charters and stuff can happen... life with boats.

The Catamaran Company and a few others operate more charters each month than any one individual charters will complete in a lifetime. The still young industry is coming together with best practices resort operators have known for a long time. There must always be a time between the guest checking out before you and before your rental space(s) are ready for the next occupant. You also do not want every guest showing up at the same time to check in. If you have ever been in a long hotel line checking in or stuck waiting for your bag to be delivered you will understand it.

The recipe of showing up on the dock and demanding everyone's attention so you can leave now on your schedule has always been a plan for failure. The operating practice of your boat will be ready for your entry at 5, you have all night to do your inspections and we will be ready to sign you out at 9 is very civil and the way we have started our charters for more than a decade. It was not always that way. We once had the idea that the whole thing was a race from plane landing to casting off the dock lines. We learned some hard lessons with that impatience and naive approach.

Remember the guys on the dock see it all and know far more that 99% of those with even 30 charters.

My two cents going back to the 70's. Gain access to your boat before, spend the evening looking over the boat. Send the crew less interested in the workings of docks and boats off to do something on Tortola or St. Thomas on the first morning. When the boat and ALL the crew are ready get moving sometime after lunch. Anchor somewhere quiet and enjoy getting to know each other again. In the BVI less is more! There are zero, nada, zip "must do's".

The issue is having to pay full fare for that (night prior) sleep aboard....

bcstorm summed it up in one sentence....

I've done Moorings, Sunsail and TMM. TMM is my favorite for the personal service level. Can't wait to go back.

I learned long ago to ignore the published daily rate. In most cases that number is meaningless. The only number that matters to us is the total cost quoted for the time frame we want a boat. I would also make sure I understood the total damage deposit expected and the cost added at the end of the charter for fuel or anything else.

Traveling from the East Coast of the US there is little chance of us arriving near the boat before 5PM on arrival and I see a practice of 9AM check out a true benefit to many. If CatCo is not quoting competitive rates and competitive boat on Tortola they will find themselves out of business is short order.

Nailed it! I don't always agree with your posts, but this one is spot on.

Kevin

Just my $0.02 ...

I don't sweat it on what fraction of a day I spend at the dock. We make a deal for the whole trip. We arrive, and the sun and fun begins... even if we're tied up to the dock for the first night. A first night aboard at the dock gives you time to decompress, a dinner ashore on a hard travel day, plenty of quality time to get to know the boat, and makes it very easy to get off the dock early the next day.

No worries mon! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Well said!

We just returned from our trip and I wanted to provide some feedback on CatCo and the 5 PM check in. Overall, we were very pleased with the in and out process and the excellent condition of the boat. I would highly recommend their staff and our boat.

As we've been discussing, however, the 5 PM check-in created several issues for us. For one, we were not given access to the boat until AFTER 5 PM. In usual island fashion, Riteway delivered our provisioning at 4 PM (instead of the requested 6 PM), and left it on the dock. So when my family was finally given access to the boat, they were in a mad dash to get the groceries stored. To add to the chaos, their staff leaves at 5 and by the time they stored the groceries the staff had left. So if there is anything wrong with the boat (AC or shore power not working, the heads blocked or leaking)there is no way to redress those issues until the morning. Even though we were sleeping aboard, we were told we were not allowed to use the heads or showers on the boat and had to use the facilities on shore. The facilities on shore were pretty yucky, and there was no toilet paper in the restrooms.
My overall review would still be excellent for CatCo, and I'd love to use them again, but if we do we won't assume that the 5 PM check-in is guaranteed and won't have anything delivered that evening.

Let me put in good word for Dream Yacht Charters, also based at Hodges Creek, and a different experience.

After 25 years of Moorings charters, we booked through DYC for a Lagoon 52 from June 14-22. Our age-diverse crew of 11 needed six separate cabins, and with the quote for the Moorings 58 coming in at 175% of the DYC Lagoon 52 rate, the choice was easy.

I assumed my BVIP registration would take care of the taxi situation, but no representative met us at the ferry terminal. However, when I explained to the dispatcher where we were going, she had a Sebastian Transportation taxi there in 5 minutes, at a highly reasonable fare of only $9 per person. And, the driver knew who we were and which boat was ours.

When we got to HCM at around 7:00 pm, the DYC office was closed, but the generator was powered up, the A/C was cold, and all our Riteway provisions were on board. Frozen foods were in the freezer, refrigerated items were in the reefers, and a welcome bottle of rum and a Coke six-pack were on the table. The ice-maker was full. The crew found and outfitted themselves from the fin bins, stowed the remaining food, unpacked and spent the rest of the night unwinding from a long travel day. (Shore-based showers were clean, and there were no restrictions on use of on-board heads)

We would have been off the dock by 9:30 am the next day but for two things.

(1) Because we were starting mid-week (a definite advantage for many reasons http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/s...e=1#Post1736584 ), there was only one briefer available and we were behind a crew that had arrived earlier than we had the night before. First come, first served. Added time = 1 hour.

(2) The previous charterer had failed to top the diesel and water tanks, and it had not been caught by the staff. Added time = 30 minutes.

So, on our way by 11:00 am to Savannah Bay. Great start to a fabulous trip. We will definitely use DYC again. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

aarpskier, I can confirm the DYC bathrooms were very clean because we accidentally used them once. CatCo also uses Sebastians, and we were pleased with them. CatCo doesn't have a fin bin, which is a bit surprising. Our crew either rented or brought them from home.

No fins ... Wow
Rest rooms....
No support staff

Glad I chose TMM-Yep... So Happy!

That's great service. After a long day of travel we had to hang around the TMM dock for Riteway to deliver our provisions; it would have been much more comfortable if we could have headed straight out for a relaxing dinner. I concluded that on our next trip we should schedule the delivery for the following morning, and just pick up a few items ourselves for the first night.

Dan <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

DanS
What time did you set up delivery? What time did they arrive?

I seem to get accurate delivery times in evening(usually 5:30 or 6:00). Hit or miss on mornings.
On Morning delivery, may be prompt, or may be hours later. I like to get all settled in (unpack and groceries) and then relax.
All a personal preference.

The scheduled delivery time was 6 PM. I believe they arrived about an hour late, and then I think we also waited for them to return with some missing items. The details are fuzzy -- I must have been tired.

Of course, picking the delivery time is a little tricky too. We were arriving by ferry and didn't want to cut it too close, in case we were delayed in customs, etc.

Dan <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />