# Tradewinds



## Dancingfish (May 14, 2019)

Has anyone ever done one of the Tradewinds Catamaran vacations?

I'm curious!


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## jlp879 (May 15, 2019)

Old thread  https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/tradewinds-bvi-2017.278380/#post-2253680


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## RNCollins (May 15, 2019)

Dancingfish said:


> Has anyone ever done one of the Tradewinds Catamaran vacations?
> 
> I'm curious!



Hi Dancingfish, Welcome to TUG!
I am the writer of the review of the other post. I’m a member of Tradewinds. What can I help you with?


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## Sandy VDH (May 20, 2019)

I have done 27, soon to be 28.  

What do you want to know?


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## TravelTime (May 20, 2019)

I did one to the Grenadines last May. We are doing a similar sailing catamaran trip this week in the BVIs with Dream Yacht Charter. The issues I had with Tradewinds are 1) they are a sailing timeshare and make a hard sell when you are on the boat and you can’t escape and 2) their member pricing is really high. We are paying $2700 for two people on DYC. The quality of the sailboats look a little better than TW but we will see this week. Does anyone else know the difference between TW, DYC and other sailing trip that you can purchase by the cabin?


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## Sandy VDH (May 21, 2019)

now that TW has eliminated all of their older boats, (or at least nearly all) getting a nice boat is pretty much near a guarantee,  I still do not like the 2 50' Cruising class we have at all.  I do like the 52' which have a lot of.  Only bad thing is the mid port cabin.  No floor space at all.  2 standing in the cabin at the same time might be difficult.  

I enjoy TW for the variety of locations.  NO experience with DYC but I do see them from time to time.


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## RNCollins (May 21, 2019)

I’ve only been on the ‘59 foot Luxury Class Boats. Since I travel single they give me the smallest room. I usually go to the Caribbean in May before the storm season starts.


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## TravelTime (May 22, 2019)

I was on a cruising class last year in the Grenadines with Tradewinds. I loved it. I did it as an RCI getaway and that is only allowed 1:4 years. So this year, I was looking at sailing companies that rent by the cabin. TYC was very affordable for what looks like the equivalent of TW’s luxury class. The sailboat is 60’ with 6 guest cabins and 2 crew members. Trying out the BVI itinerary this time. This is only my second sailboat cruise. Hoping I love it as much as last year.

To SandyVDH and RNCollins: What have been your favorite sailing itineraries so far? I am wondering where to head to in 2020 and beyond.


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## RNCollins (Jun 24, 2019)

TravelTime said:


> To SandyVDH and RNCollins: What have been your favorite sailing itineraries so far? I am wondering where to head to in 2020 and beyond.



Hi TravelTime,
I have only been on two sailings so far with Tradewinds: BVI and Antigua. I enjoyed the snorkeling more in the BVI but that was right before the hurricane, so I don’t know how the reefs are now. We saw quite a few turtles in Antigua, and I enjoyed the excursions for both trips.
I’m going to St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2021, and Belize and Abaco, Bahamas in 2020. I think my favorite sailing from all the feedback I’ve heard will be SVG.


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 24, 2019)

TravelTime said:


> To SandyVDH and RNCollins: What have been your favorite sailing itineraries so far? I am wondering where to head to in 2020 and beyond.



I have a Fiji trip booked in 2 months time.  I have it booked again for next year if I like it.  Still want to redo French Poly again, that trip was fantastic.  I am booked to return to Bocos del toro on  Flagship.  I was there with an old boat, got on the boat the same morning my Dad died.  It was a bit of a surreal week for me.  I figure I needed to go back, with AC this time, and get a chance to revisit it.  

I am also planning on trying to get in most of the full time bases I have yet to, Abacos is really the only outstanding one.  I want to try to time it with an Exumas as a back to back.  

I did Exumas and Thailand last year.  Thailand was on the circumnavigation.  I would have loved to do Maldives again. on TW this time, but no cabin every opened up that I discovered and I did not get one at all when they came available. 

I have done BVI about 10 times, and I still love St Vincent and the Grenadine but getting there is a pain. 

Any location sailing is generally a good week LOL.


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## TravelTime (Jun 24, 2019)

Sandy VDH said:


> I have a Fiji trip booked in 2 months time.  I have it booked again for next year if I like it.  Still want to redo French Poly again, that trip was fantastic.  I am booked to return to Bocos del toro on  Flagship.  I was there with an old boat, got on the boat the same morning my Dad died.  It was a bit of a surreal week for me.  I figure I needed to go back, with AC this time, and get a chance to revisit it.
> 
> I am also planning on trying to get in most of the full time bases I have yet to, Abacos is really the only outstanding one.  I want to try to time it with an Exumas as a back to back.
> 
> ...



I did one Tradewinds Sailing to SVG as an RCI exchange. This year I did one on DYC for cash. I preferred Tradewinds but I am only eligible 1:4 with Tradewinds. Their cash price is a lot higher than DYC. What are some options besides joining to sail on Tradewinds again. Do they ever discount their cash price? Is there a way to join sailings with members or buy points from members?


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 24, 2019)

TravelTime said:


> I did one Tradewinds Sailing to SVG as an RCI exchange. This year I did one on DYC for cash. I preferred Tradewinds but I am only eligible 1:4 with Tradewinds. Their cash price is a lot higher than DYC. What are some options besides joining to sail on Tradewinds again. Do they ever discount their cash price? Is there a way to join sailings with members or buy points from members?



Members who have points they can not use will rent them out.  Owners weeks that you rent have no restrictions.
You can do a referral once, but not if you have already sailed, those are a good deal.  A member can arrange those for anyone interested.

But RCI exchanges are cheaper, followed by referrals, then owner rentals, and then direct from TW customer facing (Non-member) website.  With RCI you are restricted to 1 in 4 years, and its for ALL of Tradewinds.  Use anothers membership who is not going then.


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## TravelTime (Jun 24, 2019)

Sandy VDH said:


> Members who have points they can not use will rent them out.  Owners weeks that you rent have no restrictions.
> You can do a referral once, but not if you have already sailed, those are a good deal.  A member can arrange those for anyone interested.
> 
> But RCI exchanges are cheaper, followed by referrals, then owner rentals, and then direct from TW customer facing (Non-member) website.  With RCI you are restricted to 1 in 4 years, and its for ALL of Tradewinds.  Use anothers membership who is not going then.



Thanks Sandy. Are you able to do owner referrals?


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## Sandy VDH (Jun 24, 2019)

TravelTime said:


> Thanks Sandy. Are you able to do owner referrals?


 yes


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## TravelTime (Jun 24, 2019)

Sandy VDH said:


> yes



I will PM you


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## LisaH (Jun 24, 2019)

TravelTime said:


> I did one Tradewinds Sailing to SVG as an RCI exchange. This year I did one on DYC for cash. I preferred Tradewinds but I am only eligible 1:4 with Tradewinds. Their cash price is a lot higher than DYC. What are some options besides joining to sail on Tradewinds again. Do they ever discount their cash price? Is there a way to join sailings with members or buy points from members?


Could you tell us why you prefer TW over DYC?


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## TravelTime (Jun 24, 2019)

I preferred TW because customer service and welcome was better. More attention thoughout the sailing. Seemed more personalized. The big advantage with DYC is their boats are 62’ and perfect. Also they are much more affordable that TW. We paid about a little over $3000 for a week in the BVIs including cash box. TW has more intineraries for by the cabin charters. For example, TW has Fiji but DYC does not have it by the cabin. We are only 2 people so we can’t charter a boat ourselves. The chef and captain were better on TW. The camaraderie is better on TW. DYC fills every cabin so we has 12 people and 2 crew on the boat. It felt crowded and it was very noisy. This could just be comparing our specific cruises since we have only been once each on TW and DYC. Our Grenadines itinerary was much better than BVIs. Also TW only had 5 guests and 2 crew including us. Smaller boat but more space per guest, it seemed. It felt like a private sailing. Now I am less concerned about price and more interested in the quality and service.


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## SciTchr (Jul 1, 2019)

We are Tradewinds owners also and have sailed from many bases. We just returned from St Vincent & Grenadines and really loved the sweet island of Bequia for time after our Tradewinds cruise. We love exploring the islands before or after our TW cruises. We have done referrals for TUG people and others before and are happy to help. Just PM me.


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## turkel (Jul 2, 2019)

How do you get to SVG?

If you were choosing a Caribbean location on Tradewinds which would you choose?

What would you consider a fair price to rent from an owner with extra points?


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## SciTchr (Jul 2, 2019)

We flew into Barbados on American Airlines, spent one night at a great and cheap VRBO apt. for six of us and went to Bequia the next morning on SVG Air. It is pricey but has a reputation for being on time. You also can fly into St. Vincent and take the ferry over to Bequia. You might need to spend one night on St Vincent. Bequia is a really sweet island and I would recommend some time there afterwards. We stayed at the Bequia Plantation Hotel that is in walking distance to the Tradewinds base and lots of neat restaurants, plus Princess Margaret Beach. We went back to Barbados after that and stayed 5 days on Barbados. Flew home American Airlines. It is not easy to get to, but so far SVG is my favorite Tradewinds cruise. We also enjoyed the BVI's (especially if you have never been there before. Lots going on. And Antigua was really nice, too. If you dive, SVG is wonderful. We have not been to Guadeloupe yet, That is our next trip.

You would be better off taking a Member Referral than renting from a member. An RCI Exchange is the cheapest, but you can't control the class of boat you would get. The Referral price includes the All Inclusive Fee for two people, which is what drives up the cost for buying points. PM me if you want me to look into the cost for the member referral for you. I have done a referral before and it is easy.


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## turkel (Jul 3, 2019)

Can you do a member referral if you have already traded in thru RCI? We have a Tradewinds cruise in French Polynesia booked in August 2019.


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## RNCollins (Jul 3, 2019)

If you have sailed with Tradewinds through RCI you are not eligible to sail again for the referral rate.
An option would be to sail as a guest of a member.


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## RNCollins (Jul 3, 2019)

turkel said:


> If you were choosing a Caribbean location on Tradewinds which would you choose?



I met Ruth / SciTchr here on TUG and I got a referral from her to sail on a Luxury Catamaran to the British Virgin Islands (BVI). I think my mind was already set on joining Tradewinds before stepping onto the boat. I have only done 2 trips so far: BVI and Antigua. Both bases are easy to get to from the US. I feel BVI offered a good introduction to Tradewinds: relaxing, swimming, snorkeling and diving, shopping, short hikes, excursions to the Soggy Dollar or Willy T’s Bar, and the dinners offshore.
Next year I’ll be in Abaco, Bahamas, and Belize, then in 2021 it’s St Vincent’s and the Grenadines (SVG).

The best thing about going as a referral is you can pick your class of boat (to increase your chances of having AC at bedtime and during the night), and you can choose the time/season of year.


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## melissy123 (Jul 3, 2019)

Has anyone sailed to BVI after the hurricane in 2017?  We were in St. John just recently and almost cried when we saw that pretty much all the coral in our favorite places had been wiped out.  Saw a few turtles, and a little bit of fish, but it will take years for that coral to recover. I would think the coral around the BVI fared the same or worse, since I believe the hurricane hit BVI first.


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## SciTchr (Jul 3, 2019)

Carol,
I am so glad you bought into Tradewinds. Isn't it addicting? We are going to Guadeloupe in 2020 and back to the BVI's in 2021. My sister in law and TWE partner has not been there, so we will go again with them. I agree with you that the BVI's are the perfect first trip. Soggy Dollar is a favorite. We wear our SD hats and people recognize it all over the world. It has been rebuilt and it's in business again.


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## TravelTime (Jul 3, 2019)

melissy123 said:


> Has anyone sailed to BVI after the hurricane in 2017?  We were in St. John just recently and almost cried when we saw that pretty much all the coral in our favorite places had been wiped out.  Saw a few turtles, and a little bit of fish, but it will take years for that coral to recover. I would think the coral around the BVI fared the same or worse, since I believe the hurricane hit BVI first.



We just spent 16 days in the Virgin Islands including 7N sailing in the BVIs on dream yacht charter. It was great. I did not snorkel or dive and I did think the foliage was a bit thin and browner for the area but compared to more places in the world, it was still gorgeous. I never found snorkeling or diving in the Virgin Islands to be great so I did not even consider that. The things I love about the Virgin Islands are still there, except Caneel Bay of course. That makes me want to cry. I am planning to return to Ritz Carton St Thomas and possibly St John again in 2020 and in future years. Virgin Islands is on my return list.


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## melissy123 (Jul 3, 2019)

TravelTime said:


> We just spent 16 days in the Virgin Islands including 7N sailing in the BVIs on dream yacht charter. It was great. I did not snorkel or dive and I did think the foliage was a bit thin and browner for the area but compared to more places in the world, it was still gorgeous. I never found snorkeling or diving in the Virgin Islands to be great so I did not even consider that. The things I love about the Virgin Islands are still there, except Caneel Bay of course. That makes me want to cry. I am planning to return to Ritz Carton St Thomas and possibly St John again in 2020 and in future years. Virgin Islands is on my return list.



Virgin Islands was suffering a drought. The rains started right after we left.  I think I remember your comments on the WSJ thread....

If anyone has been recently on a Tradewinds BVI trip, are all the yachts now air-conditioned?


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## TravelTime (Jul 3, 2019)

melissy123 said:


> Virgin Islands was suffering a drought. The rains started right after we left.  I think I remember your comments on the WSJ thread....
> 
> If anyone has been recently on a Tradewinds BVI trip, are all the yachts now air-conditioned?



The DWY yacht we were on had AC during the day but due to the generator noise, they turned it off at night. It got very humid at night and not comfortable. We were on a 62’ luxury yacht. The yacht was huge and brand new and did not have a ding or scratch in it. It had 3 levels total.


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## RNCollins (Jul 4, 2019)

melissy123 said:


> If anyone has been recently on a Tradewinds BVI trip, are all the yachts now air-conditioned?



There are a couple of the old boats left that lack AC, but I think they might be in Greece.

It all depends on the Class of the boat and being subject to the Captain’s approval.
Flagship Class boats should have AC whenever requested, definitely at night.
Luxury Class boats should have AC on early in the evening while getting ready for dinner and then through the night till about 6 am.
The new 52’ Cruising Class boats do have AC, but it is up to the Captain if he chooses to turn it on at night. They say the AC compressor is VERY loud on the new Cruising Class boats, sitting right next to one of the cabins.


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## turkel (Jul 4, 2019)

Does anyone want to share the cost of ownership figures?
What I think I know:
AI fee for owners $1075/pp
Maintenance fee $775 per 100,000 points

Cost of 1.2 million points???

Points needed for cruising,luxury or flagship???


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## SciTchr (Jul 4, 2019)

AI fee is more for different classes. Cruise/Luxury=$1075 pp Flagship=$1370. There are also "overrides" to these fees. We paid $1495 for the SVG Flagship in April. The maintenance fees go up every year. The points needed for a cruise will vary by season. It's not cheap, but it is so wonderful. Referral trips are very reasonable, though.
*Class       High   * *Mid      * *Low*
Flagship   200,000            150,000    100,000
Luxury     125,000            100,000    75,000
Cruising   100,000             75,000     50,000

PM me and I will dig up the cost for points.
Ruth


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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 4, 2019)

Tradewinds sounds amazing. I have this now on our bucket list.

I would like to include family and may need 2 to 3 cabins. Is there a way to do this via RCI with HGVC points within the 1:4 rule?


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## klpca (Jul 4, 2019)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Tradewinds sounds amazing. I have this now on our bucket list.
> 
> I would like to include family and may need 2 to 3 cabins. Is there a way to do this via RCI with HGVC points within the 1:4 rule?


No. I am pretty sure that the 1-in-4 year restriction specifically mentions no concurrent reservations. You will need to rent points from someone or try to find multiple referrals.


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## TravelTime (Jul 4, 2019)

Tradewinds only allows one cabin every 4 years with RCI.


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## chemteach (Jul 4, 2019)

We are going to French Polynesia at the end of July on Tradewinds via RCI. Can't wait!!  This will likely be a once every four years thing for us. Unless we win the lottery


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## klpca (Jul 5, 2019)

chemteach said:


> We are going to French Polynesia at the end of July on Tradewinds via RCI. Can't wait!!  This will likely be a once every four years thing for us. Unless we win the lottery


The biggest issue for us is getting to the bases. Man, the cost of airfare to get there is the big stumbling block.


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## SciTchr (Jul 5, 2019)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Tradewinds sounds amazing. I have this now on our bucket list.
> 
> I would like to include family and may need 2 to 3 cabins. Is there a way to do this via RCI with HGVC points within the 1:4 rule?



Probably not. You would have to check with RCI. You could do this through a member referral. Normally, they won’t do multiple cabins, but I was inquiring for a friend and it is possible to get three.


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## chemteach (Jul 7, 2019)

klpca said:


> The biggest issue for us is getting to the bases. Man, the cost of airfare to get there is the big stumbling block.


We are using Air France miles to fly to Tahiti.  There seem to be a lot of packages where airfare is only $900 roundtrip from the US West Coast.


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## klpca (Jul 7, 2019)

chemteach said:


> We are using Air France miles to fly to Tahiti.  There seem to be a lot of packages where airfare is only $900 roundtrip from the US West Coast.


I was thinking of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Guadeloupe, and Placencia specifically. You can get there of course, but it is quite a lot of flights and time. I agree that FP is surprisingly easy and fairly priced from the West Coast.


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## SciTchr (Jul 7, 2019)

Belize (Placencia) is the most modest airfare for us from Denver. SVG is complicated and pricey but so worth it. I am working on Guadeloupe now and it is also expensive. Part of the deal I guess. I’d like to do French Polynesia at some point.


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## turkel (Jul 8, 2019)

I only paid $775 from San Jose, California to Papeete this August through Delta (Air France partner I believe), but then it’s another $364 to get to Raiatea. Still not awful. Worth going to FP in our book.

But had to add 1 night in Raiatea and 1 night in Papeete due to flight times


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## klpca (Jul 8, 2019)

SciTchr said:


> Belize (Placencia) is the most modest airfare for us from Denver. SVG is complicated and pricey but so worth it. I am working on Guadeloupe now and it is also expensive. Part of the deal I guess. I’d like to do French Polynesia at some point.


Yes, while I love the sailing, it is pricey and the airfare adds quite a bit in many cases. It's all part of the decision making process.

Btw, there is an active Tradewinds group on Facebook (I know that Sandy is on there), so if you are facebooking, look for it. It is a wealth of information related to TW.


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## melissy123 (Aug 4, 2019)

chemteach said:


> We are going to French Polynesia at the end of July on Tradewinds via RCI. Can't wait!!  This will likely be a once every four years thing for us. Unless we win the lottery


Are you back from French Polynesia. How was it.


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## turkel (Aug 5, 2019)

chemteach said:


> We are going to French Polynesia at the end of July on Tradewinds via RCI. Can't wait!!  This will likely be a once every four years thing for us. Unless we win the lottery



We leave 8/22 for 2 weeks in FP. Would love to hear about your trip too. 

There should have been quite a few Tuggers who booked with RCI Traveltime and Klpca so far are the only two who have reported back but with positive reports!

I will definitely post on my return.


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## SciTchr (Aug 6, 2019)

I will look for your report on the trip, turkel. I want to go but getting there is tough. You’ll have to fill me in.


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## klpca (Aug 6, 2019)

SciTchr said:


> I will look for your report on the trip, turkel. I want to go but getting there is tough. You’ll have to fill me in.


It should only be one connection for you - LAX or SFO. I was surprised about how straightforward it was. You do have to take another flight to Raiatea, but it wasn't a long flight. Add a day or two on either side to make it even easier.


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## Sandy VDH (Aug 6, 2019)

When I went in 2014,  when I did Tradewinds (TW) in French Polynesia (FP), I did 5 days prior on Tikehau and then 3 days after on Bora Bora.   I stayed at the Pearl Resorts.  

Getting to FP is not as hard as some caribbean destinations.  Less flight than getting to Bequia in St Vincent and the Grenadines which is another TW base.


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## chemteach (Aug 6, 2019)

Just got back from my 3 1/2 week trip to French Polynesia.  The Tradewinds Cruise Club part of the trip was amazing.  French Polynesia as a destination was beyond what I could have imagined.  It was like being in the Cayman Islands 40 years ago.  (I went there when I was very young - at Grand Cayman is way too touristy for me now.). We flew into Papeete and stayed one night, rented a car, and took a ferry over to Moorea with the car.  Stayed there 4 nights in a Pension.  Moorea is a beautiful island with many blue toned lagoon beaches.  There is a little motu you can get to via ferry, with a lunch place called Coco's on the motu.  Great snorkeling at the motu.  We took the ferry back to Papeete and flew to Huahine the next morning.  Spent 5 nights in Huahine.  Another beautiful island.  Fewer blue water beaches, but less touristy than Moorea.  Beautiful mountains and very scenic.  Flew to Raiatea in the Saturday morning of the cruise.  Most places are closed on Saturdays on Raiatea.  There is a grocery store open in town, and 1 lunch place, but not much else.  The sailboat cruise was fantastic.  It was a great way to get to see Bora Bora and Taha'a.  The lagoons are wonderful.  Sailing was much fun.  Meals were great.  You will be lucky if you are on the boat with Alex and Tomas.  Alex was the cook.  Thomas the captain.  A lovely couple from France.  They have their own sailboat in French Polynesia right now.  We did end up purchasing a small package of points.  A typical week uses between 100,000 and 150,000 points.  (Depends on season and boat type.). They offered 1,200,000 points for about $22,000, 4,800,000 points for $67,000ish and 2,400,000 for somewhere in between the two amounts.  The points are good for a 12 year period.  They don't seem to haggle on prices, but they will try to entice you by offering extra points for the same cost.  We could not envision going more then every 3 to 4 years, but wanted to go to more places than the RCI offerings.  (They have a boat that moves to a new place every 6 months or so, and has been to the Maldives and Seychelles.  We wanted to be able to book that type of sailing, which one cannot do via RCI.). We explained that we would never use even 1,200,000 points over 12 years.  They offered 6,000,000 points for about $13,500 (plus an initiation fee of $900.). We finally decided to do it when they added 100,000 points to the package.  That would allow us to go on 4 trips on the sailboat that will travel across the globe over a period of 7 years, and one additional trip. (The Wanderlust trips (the sailboat that moves every 6ish months is called the Wanderlust) are 150,000 points for a weeklong trip.). They are adding a new bigger yacht that is uber fancy - but we were not interested.  We figured we would enjoy being "forced" to go on a sailing trip every 2 to 3 years over the next 12 years.  After the sailboat trip, we flew to Maupiti, which is the gem of the French Polynesian Islands.  They do not allow commercial businesses on the island - no banks, no hotels.  It is like a mini Bora Bora.  Beautiful waters!!  We rode bicycles around the island, walked from the island to one of the motus along a shallow part of the lagoon, scuba dove with Manta rays, and swam with sharks at the the pension we stayed at.  The snorkeling at all the islands was fantastic.  The dog at our pension had survived (over a period of years) attacking a shark, (yes - she attacked the shark - and then the shark came at her) a sting ray (she did get stung by the ray, and spent a month on another island recuperating) and a moray eel.  An amazing dog was she!  Another note about Maupiti - whenever we mentioned to anyone that we would be staying in Maupiti for 5 days, the reaction was always the same - a look of longing and letting us know how lucky we were to get the opportunity to stay there.  They were all correct!  It was our favorite island to visit.  

As for Tradewinds - I would definitely do it again!  If you do Tradewinds in Guadelupe or French Polynesia, you will get the 59 or 60 foot boat (one of the luxury boats.) If you go on Tradewinds to any other RCI place, you will most likely be on a 52 foot cruise class boat.  Also, if you do purchase from Tradewinds, there is no longer a 1 in 4 rule with RCI.  However, for us, it wouldn't make any sense to use RCI for a cruise because we have too many other things we want to do.  As an aside - if you are interested in going on a cruise that is marketed in Tradewinds site, owners can likely get a cabin for you at 1/2 the cost that is shown.  This is likely a bit higher (the cost would be $3500 - $4700 for a 2 person cabin including AI fees depending on place and season) than using an RCI exchange, but you can go on a Luxury or Flagship boat, and/or a place that isn't available on RCI.  I think there are a few TUG members who are also Tradewinds members who can give referrals.  I don't believe you can go on a referral cruise if you have used RCI for an exchange in the past.  

If anyone has any questions about French Polynesia or Tradewinds, I'd be happy to try to answer them!  

On buying Tradewinds - I think if you don't care about being on a bigger boat and having air conditioning overnight, and you don't think you would want to go more than once every four years - there is no reason to buy.  But if you want to ensure being on a bigger boat and/or want to go to one of the specialty places, then buying could make sense.  There really isn't a resale market for ownerships that I could find anywhere.  I looked for a long time before actually going on the cruise.  It is possible to buy points from someone and have them book a cruise for you if you can find someone who is trying to sell off some of their points.

Good luck to any and all who are interested!  It was truly a vacation of a lifetime!!  (That now I will get to go on every 3 years.  )


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## turkel (Aug 7, 2019)

Chemteach, thanks for your very comprehensive post.

Does TW charge a high percentage apr if you finance? Did they go over the maintenance fees or unlocking fees?


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## klpca (Aug 7, 2019)

turkel said:


> Chemteach, thanks for your very comprehensive post.
> 
> Does TW charge a high percentage apr if you finance? Did they go over the maintenance fees or unlocking fees?


Current unlock fees (maintenance) are $740 (I unlocked 100,000 points).


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## Sandy VDH (Aug 7, 2019)

turkel said:


> Chemteach, thanks for your very comprehensive post.
> 
> Does TW charge a high percentage apr if you finance? Did they go over the maintenance fees or unlocking fees?



I've never financed.  I just work out some agreement like 5K down and the balance due in 6 months.


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## hurnik (Aug 7, 2019)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Tradewinds sounds amazing. I have this now on our bucket list.
> 
> I would like to include family and may need 2 to 3 cabins. Is there a way to do this via RCI with HGVC points within the 1:4 rule?



I'm not sure, but SFX has some affiliation with tradewinds as well.  I don't know if they're subject to the 1-4 rule or what either.

Just an idea.


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## CalGalTraveler (Aug 7, 2019)

@chemteach Thanks for the detailed update. Wow, this sounds amazing! Would love to return to FP someday on one of these cruises. We visited on our honeymoon 32 years ago, but didn't cruise. It was amazing then too. Fiji is also on our list. 

What are the Tradewinds locations that are not on RCI/SFX?


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## hurnik (Aug 8, 2019)

CalGalTraveler said:


> @chemteach Thanks for the detailed update. Wow, this sounds amazing! Would love to return to FP someday on one of these cruises. We visited on our honeymoon 32 years ago, but didn't cruise. It was amazing then too. Fiji is also on our list.
> 
> What are the Tradewinds locations that are not on RCI/SFX?



SFX only shows:
Flagship - Guadalupe only

Luxury Class - 

British Virgin Islands
Guadeloupe
St. Maarten, Anguilla, St. Barths
St. Vincent & The Grenadine

Cruising Class - 

St Vincent and the Grenadines
Belize
Panama - Las Perlas
Greece
British Virgin Islands
Guadeloupe
St. Maarten, Anguilla, St. Barths
Turkey
I haven't looked at my RCI account via Hilton (not RCI Points, it's an odd beast)


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## turkel (Aug 8, 2019)

Apparently there are quite a few people who have points expiring in 2020. If you can travel in 2020 it might be a great opportunity to get on a Tradewinds cruise. I found a great deal via Facebook pm me if you need info on who to contact. (I am not the seller, or related to the seller in anyway, the timing just isn’t right for us)


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## CalGalTraveler (Aug 8, 2019)

.


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## Sandy VDH (Aug 8, 2019)

There is NO active base in Panama -Las Perlas or Turkey right now. 

There likely should be an Antigua listing.  French Poly and Fiji has also had deposits in RCI.  

Don't know if Abacos or Exumas in the Bahamas were ever deposited into RCI.  

Rest are members only. FYI


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## chemteach (Aug 8, 2019)

klpca said:


> The biggest issue for us is getting to the bases. Man, the cost of airfare to get there is the big stumbling block.


We do the credit card game. I have 300,000 points now on Air France. It’s 55,000 points round trip lax to ppt. (But you have to be on it to get the lowest point fares.). We had 60,000 points from a citi thank you credit card sign up offer, then 3x points for all my timeshare maintenance fees, plus they ran a 30% bonus for Air France. I had been saving up thank you points for a long time, and transferred them all over to Air France last year. I also have a citi at&t card that gives 3x points for all online purchases. That one makes the points really add up. I don’t think that card is offered any longer, though. I’m trying to figure out the cheapest way to get to Fiji in 2021.


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## chemteach (Aug 8, 2019)

CalGalTraveler said:


> @chemteach Thanks for the detailed update. Wow, this sounds amazing! Would love to return to FP someday on one of these cruises. We visited on our honeymoon 32 years ago, but didn't cruise. It was amazing then too. Fiji is also on our list.
> 
> What are the Tradewinds locations that are not on RCI/SFX?


Tradewinds has a boat now (and likely 2 in a few years) that goes to a new destination every 6 months. (Seychelles, Maldives, Madagascar, etc.). These are not put into RCI because members book them up within a few hours of their availability posting on the Tradewinds member site. We really wanted to be able to go on one of these.


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## Sandy VDH (Aug 8, 2019)

chemteach said:


> I’m trying to figure out the cheapest way to get to Fiji in 2021.



I don't normally fly these long distances in coach.  I ususally use FF rewards and go biz class, but I got a fare on Fiji Airways this spring and I booked it through the Chase portal so it costs the equivalent cash value of $263.  That was return air LAX to Fiji.  And since I used points and not real money, I will even earn AA points for the flight, since they are a partner.  I leave for Fiji in less than a month. 

I can't even fly to the Caribbean for that price.  

I am hoping that the Fiji sale pops up again next year, and I will then likely return.  I just paid for the Economy PLUS seat out of pocket, so at least I will have leg room on the bulk head.


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## chemteach (Aug 8, 2019)

Sandy VDH said:


> I don't normally fly these long distances in coach.  I ususally use FF rewards and go biz class, but I got a fare on Fiji Airways this spring and I booked it through the Chase portal so it costs the equivalent cash value of $263.  That was return air LAX to Fiji.  And since I used points and not real money, I will even earn AA points for the flight, since they are a partner.  I leave for Fiji in less than a month.
> 
> I can't even fly to the Caribbean for that price.


That is an amazing fare!!  We flew home from French Polynesia in a bulk head seat - was really nice!!  (But I've never flown business class...). We had lots of leg room.


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## Sandy VDH (Aug 8, 2019)

chemteach said:


> That is an amazing fare!!  We flew home from French Polynesia in a bulk head seat - was really nice!!  (But I've never flown business class...). We had lots of leg room.



I am 6'0" tall.  Typical Dutch girl.   I have legroom issues.


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## hurnik (Aug 9, 2019)

chemteach said:


> We do the credit card game. I have 300,000 points now on Air France. It’s 55,000 points round trip lax to ppt. (But you have to be on it to get the lowest point fares.). We had 60,000 points from a citi thank you credit card sign up offer, then 3x points for all my timeshare maintenance fees, plus they ran a 30% bonus for Air France. I had been saving up thank you points for a long time, and transferred them all over to Air France last year. I also have a citi at&t card that gives 3x points for all online purchases. That one makes the points really add up. I don’t think that card is offered any longer, though. I’m trying to figure out the cheapest way to get to Fiji in 2021.



Cheapest way in terms of money or award tickets?

If you're planning on award travel, you might consider the services of an award ticket booking specialist (I've used one company in particular twice now).  It's how I was able to plan ahead and get 2 first class tickets from US to Maldives next year.  The credit card game, but it was helpful to know the ins and outs of the programs and which miles to accrue.  

Flyertalk forum is useful, but they aren't very kind/forgiving on some things, so expect a lot of snark and rude comments (IMO), but if you have a thick skin, can be helpful (if you post).

I used a company called Juicy Miles (they now have an online/self-service subscription you can purchase if you want to see what's there and you know the booking rules, etc.)  If you want their "full service" service, it's more expensive, but like I said, I used it twice.

In my case, we stocked up on Korean Airlines (as I already had some) and AA miles to book either Etihad or Qatar (I couldn't rack up enough Alaska or JAL miles to get Emirates and Singapore Airlines apparently has very tough availability for 2 tickets with their new First Class suites).  Ended up in the Eithad Apartments, but even that was tough (glad I had them do all the work).  They have to call the AA office in New Zealand as for some reason the US office can't see all the flights.  Same with Korean.  Online booking was a nightmare, so the agent had to call in and deal with all that (fortunately he knew Korean Airlines very well) and was able to piecemeal something together.

Good luck and let us know!


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## Robin G (Aug 15, 2019)

I was on Sweet Pea in May, it’s a new 60ft in TradeWinds fleet . It was the inaugural sail, we went fro Nassau to George Town in Great Exumas. 

It was nice, something different.  Love cruises too.


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## RNCollins (Aug 16, 2019)

Attached are some pictures of my Tradewinds experiences in Antigua and the British Virgin Islands (BVI):


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## RNCollins (Aug 16, 2019)

View around a ‘59 Tradewinds Catamaran:


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## turkel (Aug 16, 2019)

6 days and counting. 4 working days left. French Polynesia here we come! Thanks for the pictures!


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## Sandy VDH (Aug 16, 2019)

I'm excited too.  I have less than 3 weeks to Fiji.


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## hurnik (Aug 16, 2019)

@turkel and @Sandy VDH 

I'm looking forward to any pictures of the boat/cabins and the reviews from your upcoming trips.

Thanks!


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## SciTchr (Aug 16, 2019)

Here are some assorted shots from different trips. St. Vincent Grenadines (New Beginning 70 ft. Flagship); St. Martin (Home 60 ft. Luxury); Antigua (Further 59 ft. Luxury).


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## RNCollins (Jan 13, 2020)

I just wanted to post an update on the Tradewinds sailing offerings in the Bahamas. The base in the Abacos is not functioning so there is an alternative schedule. 

Below is a list of the three offered sailings in the Bahamas. RCI codes are listed.

TradeWinds Nassau (#DQ99)
Embarkation at Palm Cay Marina in Nassau
Disembarkation at Emerald Bay Marina in Great Exuma

TradeWinds Exumas (#DQ39)
Embarkation at Emerald Bay Marina in Great Exuma
Disembarkation at Palm Cay Marina in Nassau

TradeWinds Bahamas (#D577)- while the Abaco base is down the 2020 sails will be out of Great Exuma.
Embarkation at Emerald Bay Marina in Great Exuma
Disembarkation at Emerald Bay Marina in Great Exuma


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## Mosherrskl (Oct 25, 2020)

chemteach said:


> Just got back from my 3 1/2 week trip to French Polynesia.  The Tradewinds Cruise Club part of the trip was amazing.  French Polynesia as a destination was beyond what I could have imagined.  It was like being in the Cayman Islands 40 years ago.  (I went there when I was very young - at Grand Cayman is way too touristy for me now.). We flew into Papeete and stayed one night, rented a car, and took a ferry over to Moorea with the car.  Stayed there 4 nights in a Pension.  Moorea is a beautiful island with many blue toned lagoon beaches.  There is a little motu you can get to via ferry, with a lunch place called Coco's on the motu.  Great snorkeling at the motu.  We took the ferry back to Papeete and flew to Huahine the next morning.  Spent 5 nights in Huahine.  Another beautiful island.  Fewer blue water beaches, but less touristy than Moorea.  Beautiful mountains and very scenic.  Flew to Raiatea in the Saturday morning of the cruise.  Most places are closed on Saturdays on Raiatea.  There is a grocery store open in town, and 1 lunch place, but not much else.  The sailboat cruise was fantastic.  It was a great way to get to see Bora Bora and Taha'a.  The lagoons are wonderful.  Sailing was much fun.  Meals were great.  You will be lucky if you are on the boat with Alex and Tomas.  Alex was the cook.  Thomas the captain.  A lovely couple from France.  They have their own sailboat in French Polynesia right now.  We did end up purchasing a small package of points.  A typical week uses between 100,000 and 150,000 points.  (Depends on season and boat type.). They offered 1,200,000 points for about $22,000, 4,800,000 points for $67,000ish and 2,400,000 for somewhere in between the two amounts.  The points are good for a 12 year period.  They don't seem to haggle on prices, but they will try to entice you by offering extra points for the same cost.  We could not envision going more then every 3 to 4 years, but wanted to go to more places than the RCI offerings.  (They have a boat that moves to a new place every 6 months or so, and has been to the Maldives and Seychelles.  We wanted to be able to book that type of sailing, which one cannot do via RCI.). We explained that we would never use even 1,200,000 points over 12 years.  They offered 6,000,000 points for about $13,500 (plus an initiation fee of $900.). We finally decided to do it when they added 100,000 points to the package.  That would allow us to go on 4 trips on the sailboat that will travel across the globe over a period of 7 years, and one additional trip. (The Wanderlust trips (the sailboat that moves every 6ish months is called the Wanderlust) are 150,000 points for a weeklong trip.). They are adding a new bigger yacht that is uber fancy - but we were not interested.  We figured we would enjoy being "forced" to go on a sailing trip every 2 to 3 years over the next 12 years.  After the sailboat trip, we flew to Maupiti, which is the gem of the French Polynesian Islands.  They do not allow commercial businesses on the island - no banks, no hotels.  It is like a mini Bora Bora.  Beautiful waters!!  We rode bicycles around the island, walked from the island to one of the motus along a shallow part of the lagoon, scuba dove with Manta rays, and swam with sharks at the the pension we stayed at.  The snorkeling at all the islands was fantastic.  The dog at our pension had survived (over a period of years) attacking a shark, (yes - she attacked the shark - and then the shark came at her) a sting ray (she did get stung by the ray, and spent a month on another island recuperating) and a moray eel.  An amazing dog was she!  Another note about Maupiti - whenever we mentioned to anyone that we would be staying in Maupiti for 5 days, the reaction was always the same - a look of longing and letting us know how lucky we were to get the opportunity to stay there.  They were all correct!  It was our favorite island to visit.
> 
> As for Tradewinds - I would definitely do it again!  If you do Tradewinds in Guadelupe or French Polynesia, you will get the 59 or 60 foot boat (one of the luxury boats.) If you go on Tradewinds to any other RCI place, you will most likely be on a 52 foot cruise class boat.  Also, if you do purchase from Tradewinds, there is no longer a 1 in 4 rule with RCI.  However, for us, it wouldn't make any sense to use RCI for a cruise because we have too many other things we want to do.  As an aside - if you are interested in going on a cruise that is marketed in Tradewinds site, owners can likely get a cabin for you at 1/2 the cost that is shown.  This is likely a bit higher (the cost would be $3500 - $4700 for a 2 person cabin including AI fees depending on place and season) than using an RCI exchange, but you can go on a Luxury or Flagship boat, and/or a place that isn't available on RCI.  I think there are a few TUG members who are also Tradewinds members who can give referrals.  I don't believe you can go on a referral cruise if you have used RCI for an exchange in the past.
> 
> ...


We have used TW twice thru RCI - BVI 4 years ago and Guadalupe last January.  We would love to do French Polynesia, but not have to wait 4 years for RCI. Can you recommend how to buy points from a member? Also, if you go that route do I have to pay the membership fee? I understand I would have to pay for the points (appx $2k) plus the AI (about $2k) and tips.
thanks for your great post!


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## chemteach (Oct 25, 2020)

Mosherrskl said:


> We have used TW twice thru RCI - BVI 4 years ago and Guadalupe last January.  We would love to do French Polynesia, but not have to wait 4 years for RCI. Can you recommend how to buy points from a member? Also, if you go that route do I have to pay the membership fee? I understand I would have to pay for the points (appx $2k) plus the AI (about $2k) and tips.
> thanks for your great post!


There is a tradewinds facebook page - I think some people there sell their points to others.  You could try that!  The points come up every so often.


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## SciTchr (Nov 1, 2020)

The Facebook page is Tradewinds Cruise Club Cruisers. You need to be admitted to the group. People often sell points. They can book the boat you want in their account and charge you the agreed upon price. You would pay the AI fee. We purchased points once to extend our membership and it worked out fine. There are always people selling points on that page.


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## melissy123 (Nov 9, 2020)

Quick question for Tradewinds Members who have done both BVI and St. Marten. Which one would you recommend. Which one would have better snorkeling.


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## CPNY (Jun 28, 2021)

chemteach said:


> We are going to French Polynesia at the end of July on Tradewinds via RCI. Can't wait!!  This will likely be a once every four years thing for us. Unless we win the lottery



Have you gone back? Win the lotto yet? 

I’ll have two nights before the cruise then 3 nights post before flying back to the states. Any recommendations on where to stay both before and after?


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## turkel (Jun 29, 2021)

I have one major recommendation. Don’t bring spray sunscreen and have a total meltdown if anyone else does.
Its not supposed to be allowed but on our FP trip we were a boat of RCI traders and 1 owner. Guess who got to use the spray sun screen?

 I took a VERY nasty fall when I slipped on the area said person used the spray sun screen at the top of the sugar scoop. The spray is reactivated by water and becomes a grease slick. I flew past all 3 steps and landed hard on my tailbone and slamming my back into the edge of the boat. Took a year and a half to recover and made the rest of our trip a misery.


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## silentg (Jun 29, 2021)

turkel said:


> I have one major recommendation. Don’t bring spray sunscreen and have a total meltdown if anyone else does.
> Its not supposed to be allowed but on our FP trip we were a boat of RCI traders and 1 owner. Guess who got to use the spray sun screen?
> 
> I took a VERY nasty fall when I slipped on the area said person used the spray sun screen at the top of the sugar scoop. The spray is reactivated by water and becomes a grease slick. I flew past all 3 steps and landed hard on my tailbone and slamming my back into the edge of the boat. Took a year and a half to recover and made the rest of our trip a misery.


Wow, how terrible for you. My son uses the spray sunscreen, I’ll have to tell him about the danger.
Hope you are feeling better now?


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## CPNY (Jun 29, 2021)

turkel said:


> I have one major recommendation. Don’t bring spray sunscreen and have a total meltdown if anyone else does.
> Its not supposed to be allowed but on our FP trip we were a boat of RCI traders and 1 owner. Guess who got to use the spray sun screen?
> 
> I took a VERY nasty fall when I slipped on the area said person used the spray sun screen at the top of the sugar scoop. The spray is reactivated by water and becomes a grease slick. I flew past all 3 steps and landed hard on my tailbone and slamming my back into the edge of the boat. Took a year and a half to recover and made the rest of our trip a misery.


So sorry to hear that. I try use spray sunscreen out doors on concrete only, I made the mistake of using it in my timeshare bathroom and slipped on the floor. Only needed to do that once. I now try to use reef safe sunscreen from now on anyway! Save the planet ya know 

How was your cruise of RCI exchanges, Was it the cruise class? I’m going in May and I can’t wait.


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## dioxide45 (Jun 30, 2021)

We never use spray sunscreen. The sunscreen companies sure like it when you do because they know that half of it blows away in the wind and they can then get you to buy more.


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## dioxide45 (Jun 30, 2021)

turkel said:


> I have one major recommendation. Don’t bring spray sunscreen and have a total meltdown if anyone else does.
> Its not supposed to be allowed but on our FP trip we were a boat of RCI traders and 1 owner. Guess who got to use the spray sun screen?
> 
> I took a VERY nasty fall when I slipped on the area said person used the spray sun screen at the top of the sugar scoop. The spray is reactivated by water and becomes a grease slick. I flew past all 3 steps and landed hard on my tailbone and slamming my back into the edge of the boat. Took a year and a half to recover and made the rest of our trip a misery.


I guess the owner can do what they want, but couldn't they be liable for negligence?


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## klpca (Jun 30, 2021)

I use a rash guard instead of sunscreen for the top half and regular sunblock on my legs when I remember (I don't burn). Folks on the tradewinds FB page suggested a rashguard and skins instead of any sunblock for snorkeling.


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## turkel (Jul 1, 2021)

You sign a waiver before you board the boat. I am better now but it definitely took a toll on my health. It’s not good to be sedentary due to pain And healing over 50 is slow.

We also use rash guards it is so much easier than slathering on sunscreen, DH is pale and only burns never tans.

Our trip was a mixed bag. 3 out of 4 couples were not American and we were immediately bombarded with politics. Nice people but it was a little weird. Some blind dates work some are a little uncomfortable.

We boarded on a Saturday and I fell on Wednesday. It’s hard to have fun when your in excruciating pain. I did get a one on one dive in before falling that was spectacular. We talk about giving it another try but haven’t committed.


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