Icacos catamaran trips, all eight compared

Cayo Icacos is a small uninhabited cay off the east end of Puerto Rico, and the boats reach it in about half an hour. That short crossing is the whole reason this group of listings exists: it leaves you four, five or six hours to spend rather than spending them getting there. A catamaran to Cayo Icacos is a short run by the standards of this coast: the boats that cross to the separate island are out for six hours or more.

Uninhabited is the part worth taking literally. An Icacos deserted island catamaran day gives you sand and shallow water, and what you eat or drink out there is whatever your listing names or whatever you carried aboard. That is why the section below goes through what each description actually puts in writing.

Three of these descriptions widen the picture a little. One says the day takes in «Icacos or nearby cays», one sails out through the Cordillera Cays before it anchors, and the private charter picks between Icacos, Palomino and Piñero on the day. If you want the exact anchorage named in writing, those three are the ones to read twice.

Length. The shortest Icacos tour from Fajardo is four hours, and two listings run it: «Icacos: Double Dip Power Catamaran Snorkel & Beach Tour» and «Icacos Island: Swim, Snorkel & Relax - Inclusive Boat Trip». Two more sit at five, one at five and a half, and two are full six-hour days. Half a day back in your hands is worth something, and it is the one difference the fare does not always follow.

The boat. They are not the same hull. One description is an Icacos Island catamaran day sail from Fajardo — «Icacos Luxury Sailing Catamaran All Inclusive Tour», which says it sails out through the Cordillera Cays. Another is a power catamaran that says so in its title. One Icacos catamaran cruise carries a water slide, again in the title. And one description names the vessel itself, the Traveler.

How the stops are arranged. Most descriptions say snorkel, then beach. The catamaran to Icacos Island that calls itself a double dip is explicit about it: a stop at the reef first, then a second stop at the beach for the rest of the day. One listing inverts the idea altogether and hands you the island — you walk it yourself, or you join the crew for snorkelling and hiking.

Which half of the day. Only two of the eight say. One calls itself a morning trip, the other an afternoon one. The remaining six leave departure times to the live calendar, which is the only place they are right.

This is where the eight separate most, and where the booking page is easier to misread than the fare. We only count what a title or a description says in words.

Food. Four of the eight name it: a light lunch on the five-hour cruise, lunch on the sailing catamaran, lunch on the Traveler, and a charcuterie selection on the private charter. The other four say nothing about eating. Silence is not a promise in either direction — it simply means the description does not commit.

Drinks. Also four, and not quite the same four: cocktails at an onboard bar, tropical drinks with local rum, Bacardi rum on the sailing catamaran, and drinks alongside the lunch on the Traveler.

Gear. One description names snorkelling equipment. Everyone else leaves it to the listing page, so if you would rather not bring a mask, that is the one line to look for before you pay.

In the water. One description names a guided snorkel clinic and one names the reef as a stop of its own. The rest describe swimming and snorkelling without saying who is in the water with you.

Across the eight there are 2,804 reviews, weighted to 4.78. They are nowhere near evenly spread: the six-hour full day holds 1,013 of them and the five-hour cruise with the slide another 948. Between them that is most of the evidence on this page.

At the other end the numbers are thin: the beach day shows 4.9 on 70 reviews, the Traveler 4.8 on 61, and the private charter 4.8 on 10. Those are real ratings, but a high star standing on ten reviews and the same star standing on a thousand are not the same evidence, and both numbers sit on every card above.