Gozo, Blue Lagoon, Comino et grottes marines

Expected to be taken out on "The Mermaid", which is the Maltese schooner you see on this company's website and is how it's advertised. Approximately 60-70 passenger maximum, and it's claimed the boat "can go in the sea saved". We researched this specifically and booked 2 months in advance, paying 102 Euros for 2 adults + 2 kids. When we arrived at Bugibba jetty and stood at the vessel in question, someone instead pointed us towards a newer boat. Very generic, no sun deck, noisy engines, uncomfortable seating, and ~180 other passengers. (See my photo attached showing the actual boat used) The website claims the boat can go into the sea caves as it's small enough. That may be true for "The Mermaid", but not this new larger capacity boat. It can get close to the entrance and maybe peak in, but doesn't go inside. The cruise advertises a swim stop. This is not the case. You are dropped at Comino beach, just a tourist trap where you can go into the water from the beach if you want. What we expected was more a stop at a lagoon or somewhere we could jump off the boat and go for a swim in the open water (We've really enjoyed this on boat cruises in Spain, Greece, and Turkey) Some words were spoken over the speaker, but not very much - a little at blue lagoon, and a little to point out the elephant rock. Music was played, but the engine mostly drowned it out. Gozo is nice. You'll want to take up their offer of a bus into Victoria to really see anything beyond the dock. This costs 6 EUR per person. Drinks onboard were reasonably priced - we just had some local beers (Cisk) and soft drinks & water. Overall we were extremely disappointed with this. Do not waste your money or your valuable holiday time with this cruise company, as games are you'll be stuck on this poor vessel. Go with another operator. If you get a cruise that skips Comino entirely then you should consider that too.

Despite some rough seas, we had a great crossing over to Comino and Gozo. The transfer to a bus to visit the capital of Gozo couldn't have been easier. All very well organised. On the return trip the seas were still rough so our captain dropped us off further north on Malta and a coach was laid on to drive us back to St Paul's Bay. We didn't miss anything that was scheduled. The only reason I couldn't give 5 stars was because the coach broke down on the way into St Paul's which was unfortunate. We decided to walk back as it wasn't too far. The driver was obviously apologetic and a bit stressed but he was always professional and courteous. I would recommend Mermaid cruises. Good value for money and great customer service.

Brilliant half day trip. 9am start. Straight out to blue lagoon. Very busy there. We opted for the one hour stop. Everyone got off so we had the boat to ourselves. It’s quite rocky getting off the boat up to the cafes etc at the blue lagoon. Kids had a great time jumping off the boat and swimming in the sea. Captain and deck hand were very friendly. Drinks reasonably priced. Onto Gozo. We took the €6 minibus arranged by the crew into Victoria. Had time for a quick walk round and lunch. Back onto the boat to go and see the caves before heading home. Very chilled atmosphere on board.

Very beautiful excursion and top-notch organization

An affordable excursion with good guides. Nice and easy. Swimming in Blue Lagoon and on to Gozo. We chose to stop to eat in the harbor area.

We really enjoyed our trip. It's not the biggest boat (think it only holds 50) but we loved that. It didn't feel crowded. We thought it was great value for money for just over 6 hours but with hindsight we wished we paid the extra 6 euros each for the mini bus to take us to Victoria in Gozo, as there wasn't much to do in the harbour. You can only book this during the trip. The 2 staff members were friendly and knowledgeable. A trip to the Blue Lagoon is a must when visiting Malta and an hour stop was enough for us. It was super busy (as expected). We had time for a coffee and a comfort break. We were expecting tourist prices but a lovely coffee was only 2 euros. If you have mobility issues you will struggle getting off the boat at the Blue Lagoon. It's very rocky and uneven under foot. No reflection on the trip operators of course, but worth knowing. Overall, would definitely recommend.

A late booking for a family of 4 bus on time,had to wait for sea vessel to arrive at port,would recommend taking some warm clothing as sea wind reduced everyone who was exposed to the cross wind.

Cancelled that day due to strong winds, too bad. By the way, a refund has not yet taken place.

Amazing tour! Beautiful views, water like a dream, got to swim in a clear water, and last but not least explore new places. Captain and his helper were amazing and funny. It’s a smaller boat than those huge ones but it is much more peaceful and “personal”, my feet were hanging out of the boat and water sometimes touced them. Totally suggest!

The experience wasn't bad - but the customer service was poor, which made the trip stressful & not as enjoyable. We received a text message at midnight the night before the trip to say the trip time had been changed to a whole hour earlier - therefore we had to rush and only just made it after having to pay extra for a taxi & missing breakfast. The customer service following this was shocking - being told they sent an email (to which I checked & never received any correspondence from them), followed by being ignored!