Al Este Puerto Rico — Attraction in Fajardo

Let's start of with good... If you're looking for just snorkeling, they picked great spots. The drinks were flowing after lunch. The host, and the crew on the boat were pretty nice. I saw them giving snorkel training, which is something really nice. Thank God we got a different driver on the way back, cause he was really nice to his passengers (You'll read more on why later).

Time for the bad... Overall the bus and boat trip was pretty boring. The boat crew was nice, but didn't really interact with the passengers. The food was basic. Pretty much ready made cold deli food. Our driver (Eliud) to the boat had a HORRIBLE attitude, and is one of the main reasons for bad review.

Here's why... We arrived at the meeting spot 10 mins before the pick up time, and wanted to buy some snacks. He kept telling us he was going to "leave us at the place exactly at 7:30am". Had he just warned us, it would have been fine. 5 minutes before the pick up time, he followed us to the snack shop and literally prevented us from buying things when we were so close to getting our items. Couple of minutes later past 7:30am, we asked him why we weren't leaving, and his answer was to go back in the bus because we have to wait for another family in the same location. When we confronted him about this, he kept avoiding us. Finally, the concierge at hotel came in and told us to grab the snacks. When we came back 5 minutes after, the driver told us he "felt threatened", and didn't want to take us. Completely ruined our initial part of our trip. That is not how you interact with customers!

If it wasn't for the Hilton concierge, and the rest of the crew (including a different driver back to the hotel), this rating would have been much nicer.

UPDATE

Traveler Catamaran I'm really glad that I posted this review because that's not how it went down. Yes, we did yell at the driver because the bad behavior was initiated by the driver, and then he kept ignoring us. We did not swear at him. As for eating during the bus, we didnt eat or drink (except for water) during the ride because we respected your rules. And, we even told the driver ahead of time that we won't eat anything until the boat ride.

Now, one thing I do agree with you as that we shouldn't have yelled. My dad has diabetes and I wanted to make sure we got something for him in case of emergency. The driver didn't want to listen to any of that. We had more than sufficient time to get the item for my dad, but your driver kept following us and putting pressure on us, constantly tapping on his watch (even when we had 5 minutes left). Had he just informed us, we would have been fine, cause we were already on the lookout for bus. He actually made us leave the line and go back to the bus again 5 minutes before 7:30am. After all that, when he didn't leave even at 7:32am, we were really annoyed because he didnt let us buy something that could have been crucial for us. Instead of apologizing to us, he told us to go back in the bus. The other passengers didn't actually arrive until 7:37am, and yet he did wait for them. I agree that both parties could have handled this better, but in all honesty if your driver would have just been a bit cooperative, and not rude to us from the very beginning, we wouldn't have this problem.

Additionally, no other driver during our other excursions did this. In fact, they were more than understanding, which only made us work with them more. You are in the service of making sure your passengers feel safe and can enjoy the trip they payed for (within means).

I was looking forward talking to the owner, but I wasn't sure who the owner was when we arrived. All we saw was the driver rushing to the rest of the crew and exaggerating what happened. And, since we had already been threatened by the driver that he wasn't going to take us, we didn't feel safe to further talk about the issue until after the trip. We called you guys multiple times before leaving this comment.

Removed the net comment due to...

This review is for our Theo Culebra excursion on September 2. I’ve been to Puerto Rico multiple times and have taken many private and group excursions, but this was by far the most disappointing experience because of one crew member: Adrian.

First, let me say that Isabela was amazing – high energy, super kind, and exactly the type of person you want leading an excursion. Lunch was also delicious and plentiful. Unfortunately, all of that was overshadowed by Adrian’s horrific attitude and complete lack of professionalism.

My sister is not a strong swimmer and was visibly nervous about getting in the water. Instead of offering reassurance or guidance, Adrian laughed at her, made a sarcastic comment asking if she could swim, and even said, “give it a try and see if you drown.” That is not just rude – it’s reckless and unsafe.

I went up to Adrian to see if we could continue to use the snorkeling blue flotation devices to help my sister and me get in and out of the water safely, Adrian snapped back, “nope, those must stay in the boat at all times,” in a dismissive, rude tone. Even another guest nearby commented, “wow, he isn’t very nice.” About half an hour later, after my sister and I were struggling to find the emergency float I had also asked Adrian about (to which he unhelpfully replied, “in the water,” before ignoring us and cleaning snorkel gear), another crew member came over and offered us those exact same blue flotation belts without hesitation. This only proved that Adrian was deliberately withholding help.

When I called him out on this contradiction, instead of apologizing or clarifying, Adrian doubled down. He denied ever saying we couldn’t use them and snapped back with a nasty, condescending attitude. Things escalated further when he raised his voice at me, insisting that it was my problem if I “understood it that way,” but that he never said it — despite multiple people overhearing the exchange.

Throughout the rest of the day, Adrian refused to address us directly, muttered things under his breath, and generally acted as though we didn’t exist – while still happily engaging with other guests.

This kind of behavior is unacceptable in any customer service setting, but especially dangerous and unprofessional on a water excursion where safety should come first. His attitude completely ruined what should have been a fun day and left us feeling disrespected, singled out, and unsafe.

Even after the excursion ended, the unprofessional behavior continued. As my group and I headed to our jeep, I looked out the window and saw the same crew member who had intervened during my escalation with Adrian glaring at us, as if trying to intimidate us. It was an unnecessary and hostile way to end what was already a disappointing experience.

Save yourself the frustration and book with another company. Puerto Rico has no shortage of tour operators who actually care about their guests’ experience and safety. I would highly recommend CulebraVIP instead – they treat guests with respect and make sure everyone feels safe and included.

I truly hope this review is brought to Adrian’s attention, because no guest should ever be made to feel the way we did. His behavior was not only unprofessional but also unsafe, and it overshadowed what could have been a wonderful day. More importantly, I hope this keeps other guests from having to experience the same...

Booked the snorkeling adventure while staying at El San Juan Hotel in early August, 2017. A shuttle bus picked us up and took us to Fajardo where we boarded the Traveler catamaran with about 25 other people, including some children. Had a fantastic time! We motored out to the island, had a snorkeling lesson in the shallow water and were allowed to spend some time on the beach and play in the water. Then they blew the conch shell to call everyone back to the boat and we sailed to the nearby reef. Flippers and float belts are provided, so you don't have to struggle to keep yourself afloat. We were in about 30 feet of beautifully clear water and saw numerous kinds of fish, coral, and plants. Never felt rushed at all, spent about 2 hours snorkeling the reef. Lunch and drinks were provided, and it was all very good- excellent! The catamaran has a sliding board off the back for the kids and any adults who weigh less than 150 lbs. The trip back to the dock was mostly pure sailing without the motor, so it was wonderfully relaxing and fun, with the sun, breeze, and great music. Captain Robert and his crew were excellent- friendly and helpful. One of the best vacation experiences I have had anywhere. Hope you guys are managing okay since...