762christalw, Sep 2026
Not the Excursion We Booked…But Captain David and Crew Saved the Day
This one is a little complicated to review because the excursion we actually took was NOT the excursion we booked.Carnival had already cancelled our original Aruba excursion, so my husband and I spent HOURS trying to find something similar. We specifically chose Spronk’s Sunset Champagne & Lobster cruise because it was adults-only, limited to 16 people, and sounded exactly like what we wanted: smaller crowd, champagne, lobster, sunset and a little romance.You get the picture. 😂We booked it and headed to the marina thinking our Aruba plans had finally been rescued.Then, while we were sitting at the marina about an hour before departure, we got a WhatsApp message asking if we could reschedule for Thursday because only one other couple had booked.Ummm…we were on a cruise ship. Thursday was going to be a little difficult. 😂They offered to move us to their snorkeling excursion instead, which included a WWII shipwreck. My husband enjoys snorkeling. I do not. So while “WWII shipwreck snorkeling” may sound exciting to plenty of people, it was not exactly the romantic Champagne & Lobster experience I had just spent hours trying to find.Jordan assured us that we would still get our champagne and lobster and offered us a partial refund, so we agreed. At that point, what else were we going to do?To Spronk’s credit, they really did try to make things right.They let us board first so we could choose where we wanted to sit—and naturally we claimed the netted area at the front. 😂 They also gave us a full bottle of champagne, made sure we received our lobster, and Captain David, Jordan and Aloys treated us like VIPs throughout the trip.The catamaran itself was clean, but it was definitely smaller and more crowded than what I had originally wanted. If we had not been given the VIP treatment and allowed to choose our spot first, I honestly think I would have felt it was too crowded for my personal taste.My husband snorkeled at the stops and enjoyed himself, although he said the WWII shipwreck itself was nothing especially memorable. I stayed onboard, enjoyed the boat and the water, and worked very hard at my assigned task of drinking champagne aboard a Catamaran in Aruba. 😂The food was excellent. It was catered by a local restaurant and genuinely delicious. The lobster itself was good, although honestly not particularly memorable—but by that point I was probably still mourning my intimate little sunset cruise. 😂Captain David also shared a special concoction from his home country of Colombia with my husband, which was such a fun and personal touch. That is the kind of thing we remember.The crew was absolutely the best part of this experience. I cannot say enough good things about Captain David, Jordan and Aloys. They were warm, funny, attentive and genuinely seemed determined to make sure we still had a great day even though things had not gone according to plan.Now…there was one additional challenge to our romantic afternoon.A few young ladies onboard became a little too friendly with the open bar, and one of them spent quite a bit of the trip getting sick.Repeatedly.So…champagne? Yes.Lobster? Yes.Romantic atmosphere?Wellllll…nothing says romance quite like someone throwing up nearby. 😂Obviously, I do not blame Spronk for another adult’s drinking choices. But between the larger crowd and that situation, it definitely was not the intimate, romantic experience my husband and I had originally booked. That is really why this is a 4-star review rather than a full 5.BUT—and this is a big but—the ride back was an absolute blast.Captain David and the crew cranked up the music, and somehow the boat turned into one big international sing-along. People from all different races, cultures and countries were singing songs at the top of our lungs and laughing together.Well…most of us.The snobby ones and the ones who had enjoyed the open bar a little TOO enthusiastically were not exactly leading the chorus. 😂At some point, our romantic sunset cruise had officially become a floating multicultural karaoke party.And you know what?We had FUN.By the end of the trip, I actually told Jordan and the crew to keep the partial refund they had offered us. They had genuinely tried to make the best of a difficult situation, and I appreciated that.That probably says more than anything else.We started the afternoon disappointed that our excursion had essentially been cancelled an hour before departure.We ended it singing at the top of our lungs, laughing, and telling them to keep the refund.Would I book Spronk again? Yes.But next time, I want the actual Champagne & Lobster cruise I originally reserved. 😂Captain David, Jordan and Aloys—you guys were fantastic. Thank you for turning a pretty big disappointment into a genuinely memorable afternoon.4 stars for the overall experience. Absolutely 5 stars for the crew.
