sailing charter on tortola

Has anyone sailed with Festiva? Any feedback?

Hi

There was a thread about Festiva Adventure Club started by gingersnap on June 20. It is apparently a timeshare on a crewed Lagoon 440. Gatorman1 briefly described two trips with them. There were earlier posts but they are long gone. The only one I managed to save was from July 4, 2008 :
“Hi
Festiva Sailing Vacations are associated with Elite Island Yachts. They had a web presence at www.eliteislandyachts.com/ which has been discontinued. They were at Nanny Cay (at least in 2004) and had Lagoon 440's. Apparently this entity is part of Festiva Resorts and their cats are berthed with Catamaran Company. Check out www.festivasailingvacations.com/.
They were recently advertising for help in the BVI Beacon (July 3, 2008: “Elite Island Yachts/Festiva Sailing Vacations requires professional crew couples to start October 10, 2008 for next charter season. Must have extensive experience in term charters. Captain must have Skippers ticket, STCW and Dive Master qualification. Chef must be proficient in on-board cuisine. Established Couples only. Please email your Resumes to: [email]jtownsend@festivaresorts.com”[/email]
Peace
Dugg & Chris”

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

Peace
Dugg & Chris
Our VI pics are at http://picasaweb.google.com/papadugg/ and 2011 pics are now present

FWIW, we were docked next to a Festiva boat at Leverick last July and the couple running the boat were very nice and gracious. They invited us aboard when their guests were gone for the day and were really pleasant. The capt gave us some good tips on sailing and docking also.

Hi

Did a Google search on Festiva and the results were not encouraging although all of them were about the resorts they own. I don’t have much faith in what I see on Trip Advisor either, but all of the comments I saw were, again, about their resorts and were negative. The reviews on Festiva Sailing Vacations in Trip Advisor, on the other hand, were pretty uniformly favorable (surprise!). Looks as though you should just opt out on the timeshare presentation. Just search for “Festiva Sailing Vacations BVI”. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Peace
Dugg & Chris
Our VI pics are at http://picasaweb.google.com/papadugg/ and 2011 pics are now present

Why anyone would go on a Festiva boat instead of a private crewed boat is beyond me. We were once horrified when docked next to a Festiva boat watching the so called chef use box potatoe mix to serve with their main course. And their boats are not any kind of a deal. Stick with a private crewed charter cat where you get a real team including often an award winning chef.

We did a last minute trip with Festiva and had a fantastic time. It was less expensive than most charters, and the only downside would be if you don't like the rest of the guests. The captain was very knowledgeable and capable, and the crew was an incredible cook- she made bread and vegetarian meals for those who wanted them. Go for it!

including often an award winning chef.


What? I totally agree on a private charter over Festiva. The term CHEF is used way too loosely. You mean a degree at Johnson and Wales or Culinary Institute of America. This does not mean they are not an awesome cook. An "award winning chef" on a charter boat?

We did our first Festiva charter in October and it was the one of the best of our seven trips to the BVI, with six private charters and one land-based previously. We did not have a timeshare, went off-season on an all-inclusive crewed charter, meals and BOOZE and diving, all for $3400 a couple! Time-share couples were about a $1000 less but they also pay yearly dues. You just can't beat it--our gourmet chef had lived in New Orleans and did a great job, seasoned well. She boiled potatoes for a salad and the fruits and veggies very fresh and crisp. We had filet mignons and pork loin with a tamarind sauce that was excellent. Then there was the banana pancakes, frittatas, bloody Mary's, and Bailey's with the coffee to start the day off. We also had gluten-free bread and crackers available per request. Festiva have staff that buy and stock each charter based on preferences, and the chef works with what they have, so no two charters will be ever be the same. We celebrated an anniversary and the crew made a scrumptious cake and served champagne. The other couples we were with were compatible but there were some on the other boats I was very happy weren't on our cat...if you have friends or family to fill the the other cabins, it would be easier to lime than with an obnoxious woman that would rather be on a cruise ship. However, anyone adventurous enough to do it at all will probably have like-minded people on board. The Lagoon 440 was the best layout of any we have been on, with ample fridge space. We couldn't have afforded a charter without the good airfare using points and the charter deal in off-season when it was quiet and uncrowded. We went to Anegada, Jost(White Bay and Great Harbor), Cooper, Virgin Gorda, Peter, Sandy Spit, Norman, and CGB + and hit a lot of beach bars. After buying some very expensive pre-charter drinks and meals on Tortola, our expectations had plummeted before we boarded . We were very pleasantly surprised, the crew excellent, food and drink good and plentiful, and the memories pricelss. I highly recommend Festiva and would do it again in a heart beat. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Cheers.gif" alt="" />

That TOTALLY sounds like a real review. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

Yes, Kristine, I agree. You can always trust those fantastic reviews from our dear friend, "Unregistered" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

Did they ever leave the dock? The way that review is written, they could have sat at the dock and spent the whole trip eating <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

And I agree - unregistered reviews are suspect.

Remember the eleventh commandment “Truth cometh only from the Registered”. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

Peace
Dugg & Chris
Our VI pics are at http://picasaweb.google.com/papadugg/ and 2011 pics are now present

Sailed with Festiva on the Dessie from Dec3-10. Had a crew of Captain Patrick and Chef Kenetha. We had a great time. We were spoiled with Kenetha's Caribbean infused meals. Patrick took us to many stops and allowed the crew to help with the sailing. Pictures may speak louder than words, so have included a photo link.
BVI Sail Dec 2011 - Festiva Sailing

Nice pics - thanks for sharing.

Nice pics! Thanks for sharing..We are headed down to Tortola for a Festiva charter in March. I hope we enjoy it as much as you guys did. Let me ask you, can you fish off the Cat? Do they have permits, poles & such?

We did not fish off the boat, since poles and permits were not provided. If that is something you would like to do, recommend you contact Festiva in advance and let them know. Have a great trip!

We have never been to BVI, save a day trip to virgin gorda off a cruise. Does anyone have suggestions for where we should request to go to snorkel? Or is it best just to leave that up to the Captain. Any absolute must see's??

Festiva run pretty much to a set schedule but that does include many good snorkel spots.

Three of the best are The Indians off Norman Island. Great Dog between Trellis Bay and Virgin Gorda and Monkey Point off Guana Island.

Ill keep my eyes open for the boxed potatoes!!!We have a timeshare and did an exchange. We got a great deal and are going with friends...I'm sure we will make our own good time.
Boating in the BVI...what could be bad? I am grateful for the chance to do it.

Any feedback from your trip? A friend of mine wants to go in 2013.

You will not be disappointed going on a Festiva trip. We just got back from going to Cancun and this was our 6th Festiva trip. Had been to the BVI twice before with Festiva. It's hard to believe any reviews you read as people in general are just so hard to please and like to complain about the most minuscule things.