New Horizons & Breakaway Charters — Local services in United States Virgin Islands

As a travel agent it's my job (hard to believe I know) to go experience the fabulous places and research excursions that I send my clients to in order to assure myself that my clients have a vacation memory that tops their last vacation memory. In order to be fair, I look at all the offers, compare prices and features and read many reviews and then go judge for myself. Excursions as we all know are subject to many factors, weather, crew, other personalities on the same trip can either make it outstanding or make it so-so.

Having taken all 3 excursions on the Breakaway speed boat and the New Horizon sailboat I came away with the following thoughts:

These people have their act together. Great prices, BETTER than many I've found and with excellent food, drinks and CREW!

The crew - all crew - were exceptional with their customer service, attention to detail and very safety minded for those that were nervous about either boats or snorkeling, swimming etc. Everyone was attended to, with a smile, reassurance and "no worries" at all calmed even the most timid swimmers I noticed who was beaming after their "first boating and snorkeling experience". Truly first class all the way around.

The food and drinks (bar and soda) were extremely nice and cold beverages were never ending. No drinking before snorkeling was the rule and it was obeyed. I've been on others where the rules were bent - but their safety and passengers safety was first priority.

The excursion to the various islands and beaches were top notch all the way around. The crew didn't know I was a travel agent so no special "treatment" was given and the 3 trips were each unique and very similar as each crew and captain made sure everyone was safe, and yet had a day to remember.

I highly recommend this charter company as I have first hand knowledge in July 2016 of all of their offerings.

My favorite? Hard to pick but Virgin Gorda and the Baths stand out, along with Christmas Beach Snorkeling with some of the best snorkeling I've seen in ages.

I can't think of a better way to spend time in the Caribbean and I know for sure - I'll be back - hopefully really...

My mother and I went on the Snorkel Cat on June 3, 2025. We were in St. Thomas as a stop on a cruise, and this tour was one of the ones recommended through Vacations To Go. While it was a bit of a jaunt to get to the Margaritaville Hotel from the cruise port, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived how beautiful the location was. When we arrived we were greeted by a lady working in the Dive Shop, who gave us instructions on what to do to check in for the tour. Shortly after, our captain "Big Tuna" arrived to begin checking all the groups in.

From beginning to end, the crew was so friendly, knowledgeable, and cared that we had a great (and safe) experience. They provided an excellent light breakfast and lunch, and it was clear that the crew put a great amount of care into preparing the food for us. The weather was fantastic and Big Tuna provided commentary on the islands and scenery we were passing as we headed to our snorkel locations. They played fun music as we sailed, and the crew members were constantly coming around to ask whether we needed anything to drink.

The actual snorkeling was great. We were provided comprehensive instructions and a safety demonstration before we were allowed to go in the water. Our first location was a bit wavy due to the wind, but we were given safety tips and had a successful stop, seeing lots of colorful fish amongst the reefs. The second stop was incredible, the water was calm and clear, and we were able to see turtles grazing on turtle grass and some rays.

On the sail back, Big Tuna took us around some of the other islands, giving us some history as well as sharing his personal experiences growing up in the area. We felt like we actually got to see a lot of St. Thomas in addition to snorkeling.

I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone who is looking for a smaller group tour that is intimate and has a crew that cares about their guests' experience. I wouldn't hesitate to go again if I was...

Snorkel St. John. Snorkeled 3 coral reefs and saw 4 turtles (End Feb). Wonderful experience!!! Would absolutely do again. loved the snorkeling, turtles, very personable crew members, great equipment.

If I were to nitpick and help make it a better experience, I’d recommend board the boat asap you wait to register until the boat arrived (there’s pickup of other passengers before he arrived at Margaritaville). We were pretty chill pushing thru to the registration table to sign waivers even tho we were the second ones there. similar to boarding a plan, no rush, what’s the difference. Especially when there aren’t a super many signing in. BUT there were already lots more than we expected on the boat. And seats are first board, first claim. we ended up stuck in the back of the boat 😬 1 without a canopy which very much matter if you crisp easily. And 2 the back of the boat is lower, has practically no view when traversing between sites

I’ll never forget snorkeling, holding my husbands hand, floating, soaking up the view of such beautiful turtles! Stunning

I did not like site 2 of 3. I’ll try to get the name, he might have said he went off script with the second site. BEWARE of tiny jellyfish like 2-4 inches on the top 1-2 ft of the water surface. I had my eye out for the cliche larger ones. I felt stings and thought I was imagining it, then noticed there were some small ones I was swimming around. I didn’t immediately jump out of the water but I started heading back. I hated to get out early but it was uncomfortable. And the view was just fine. Most left marks that look like 1-3 mosquito bites. Another left a line. This paragraph should DEF NOT be a deterrent in any way!!! Just an fyi. This is entirely expected for being in the ocean and it wasn’t horrible. Idk how different it’d have been if he went to the normal...