r/Sardinia • u/TezRoll • 3d ago
Cunversatzione Gulf of Orosei - big boat or dinghy?
This question may have already been asked but...debating between a larger boat trip e.g this or a dinghy.
Anyone have any insight into what type is more enjoyable? Can see how the bigger boat would be more comfortable but maybe more busy, while the dinghys would be less comfortable out on the water. We're planning to board from Orosei, so the extra distance to the main sights has me leaning towards the larger boat
1
u/Salt_Trainer_474 3d ago
We took this exact big boat in 2022. On the dinghy you have almost 0 shade and no where to change your clothes. My husband easily gets sunburned and he can barely cope with the heat in direct sunlight. And we watched people return from their trips and all of them were lobster red. Also on the dinghy you would have to carry food and drinks yourself. Speaking of food, they have some weird salad on that boat.
Of course, with a dinghy you have more freedom and can go wherever you want for as long as you like, but most people stay in the same locations as the big boats do anyways.
1
u/TezRoll 3d ago
!thanks - was the boat particularly busy?
1
u/Salt_Trainer_474 3d ago
We were at the end of September, so no. The lower deck was almost empty. The sun deck was full of course, but they could have easily fit double the people on it.
1
u/lutzianu 3d ago
With the dinghy you do something different, you can see coves that with the boat you can see from 100 meters and you have more freedom but obviously it is more uncomfortable and as said by others, if it doesn't have an awning, which is very likely, you'll be under the sun for a long time. It depends on what you are looking for.
1
u/Dymondgrl 3d ago edited 2d ago
The tiny dinghys don’t offer as much sun protection. Also, if the water is rough it won’t be as enjoyable of a ride. The big boats are a smoother ride even in choppy waters. They offer lots of shade. I did a medium sized boat tour. There were probably 50 or so people. They served lots of snacks and very plentiful wine, water and soft drinks. For me, it was perfect. We liked it so much we did it twice. The second time we brought beers, snacks for the beach and beach umbrellas.
1
u/TezRoll 2d ago
!thanks - do you remember which boat company it was?
1
u/Dymondgrl 2d ago edited 2d ago
My credit card says Agostino Charter but the building we went to to purchase our tours from didn’t gave a business name. It was a big corner building in Cala Gonone with bright blue information signage. The address is 2 Via Vasco di Gama if you want to look at it on Google maps. They have about 4 or 5 options of boats to choose from. We found the young sales people to be very sweet and friendly and low to no pressure sales tactics at all. Not all the companies were the same. I’ve heard all the prices of all the little kiosks are the same and offer the same things but I didn’t find that to be true. Tip- book minimum 2 days ahead if you want a private skipper. Even for non private, these sometimes sell out so try to book 2 days ahead but there are so many vendors that you will definitely find something available for the following day.
1
u/RobertDeveloper 3d ago
Larger boat is much more relaxed, and there are only so many places on the boat, so It never feels crowded.
1
u/TezRoll 3d ago
thanks, presume by larger boat you are referring to the ones that can go up to 200/300 people, as opposed to the 12 person dinghies?
2
u/RobertDeveloper 3d ago
I am talking about boats like mini cruise
I think the capacity is up to 150 people, but when I went it was probably around 40 to 50 ppl. Only so many people are allowed to enter a beach at once. I got plenty of photos of my trips in case you are interested.
0
2
u/TheDownShift 3d ago
Id advocate for one of the captain’d dinghys. The big boats looked like an absolute zoo and you couldnt get into some of the caves the inflatable could. Plus when you get to the calas, you’re naturally fighting against much less people for space. We had a phenomenal experience on a 12 person inflatable. They packed umbrellas for the calas for shade. Biggest catch though is that you have to bring your own lunch and water. We made sandwiches and were just fine.