Whilst on holiday it was my birthday and given there was a large party of us the inevitable question as to what we were going to do popped up. A few bright sparks suggested the Captain Hook cruise as it was apparently a bit cheesy and it would be right up my street, A few of the woman agreed with this as they had heard there was a Johnny Depp lookalike on one of the ships, masquerading as a pirate.
We therefore found ourselves paying US$102 each (through the holiday rep) for a night spent on the Captain Hook cruise. A more accurate description would be the Captain Hook experience because your party is randomly assigned to one of two 17th century replica Spanish Galleons. You then sail off into the night and a couple of hours later the two ships meet up for a mock battle, leaving one of the captains victorious (the one who lost the previous day no doubt).
In between though is two hours of full on cheddar cheese entertainment that is so wooden it's actually brilliant. What the crew lose out on in acting skills they sure make up for in enthusiasm and in providing entertainment with full audience participation. This is backed up by non stop drinks rounds and a Lobster meal that is surprising in its amount and quality (included as part of the price).
The ships themselves are virtually identical and at 95 feet long and fitting 300 passengers on board comfortably give you the feeling you are on something other than a ship. We were one of the last to board and we still got good seats and it was full. The show starts by the captain introducing himself and describing what's going to happen and introducing the crew. It's very well organized and clearly the staff have honed their performances over time. But it's still cheesy. The captain finds out the nationalities aboard and then flits between languages which is great. There is supposed to be some story behind what is happening leading up to the big battle but this is confusing, predictable and largely irrelevant - it's more of a filler in the build up but no doubt had something to do with stolen treasure and love lost.
One thing I did find pleasing initially was that our waiter refused a tip and said to sort it out later. At least then he knew we were in a tipping mood and kept the drinks coming without being asked. Well worth knowing this in advance.
It's not really an ideal place for wheelchairs although our friends took their 16 month old baby who absolutely loved it - he was laughing and dancing all night in his push chair and the crew were really spoiling him.
Whilst sailing off Cancun in readiness for the battle with the sister ship you are provided with lots of party games, drinks, disco, pirates walking the plank etc and great lighting. Inside is air conditioned although it's not the sort of trip you can go and have a rest or some peace and quiet. It's more of a full on assault which could make the experience a very unpleasant one if you are not into this sort of thing because you can hardly get off mid show.
The mock battle at the end was actually quite good. They use real swords and usher the guests to the sides and close it off so that you can see but are protected. In the end a captain claims victory (we won!!) and it's then back to port with a few well placed "Argh, Argh Jim Lads" and a home made eye patch you have found on the floor ,covering part of your eye whilst your plastic sword has bent because you dropped it on the dance floor. It's then you try to walk on land on one leg, drunk, making pirate noises and hoping you could go back out for another go.
This is a relatively expensive trip costing over £50 each but factoring in the three hours of entertainment, free drinks which was a plenty and excellent meal I think you would pay this amount for a good night out anywhere and so for me it represents good value.
Like pirate ship cruises anywhere it is pretty predictable and will not win any Oscar nominations but it's a great laugh and good entertainment value nonetheless. If you go expecting quality then you will be disappointed. If you go expecting to have some fun and be entertained then this is for you.
