Pitons cruise-what type of watercrft?

Hello! I have booked, through Royal Caribbean, a "Cruise to the Pitons", which is a 4 hour excursion for this coming winter.

For anyone who has done this excursion, could you please tell me what type of boat is used for this? 2-story "tender" type, catamaran, etc.?

Thanks

It will be a catamaran, great trip, I've done it several times, and it remains a favorite.

When you stop to swim in the little bay (cannot remember the name..,) guys will come up in canoes to sell you stuff (conch shells, jewelry, doo dads, etc.) . If there is something you like, wait till just as they pull up the anchor, the guys will drop their prices dramatically to make a sale before you sail away.

Try to get a spot on the port side of the cat. Even tho they will circle the boat and give plenty of time for photos, people tend to rush over there as soon as you round the curve and see the first glimpse of the Pitons.

Thanks for the great info and tips, EatonDoolittle. May I safely assume that the type of catamarans used also have some covered seating near the rear, as well as bench-type seating along both sides?

As much as I've looked forward to this excursion, I really need to limit my exposure to the sun.

So glad to hear you enjoyed it. :)

It will be a catamaran, great trip, I've done it several times, and it remains a favorite.

 

When you stop to swim in the little bay (cannot remember the name..,) guys will come up in canoes to sell you stuff (conch shells, jewelry, doo dads, etc.) . If there is something you like, wait till just as they pull up the anchor, the guys will drop their prices dramatically to make a sale before you sail away.

 

Try to get a spot on the port side of the cat. Even tho they will circle the boat and give plenty of time for photos, people tend to rush over there as soon as you round the curve and see the first glimpse of the Pitons.

Totally agree with the above! Catamaran! Great thing to do! :D

LuLu

Thanks for the great info and tips, EatonDoolittle. May I safely assume that the type of catamarans used also have some covered seating near the rear, as well as bench-type seating along both sides?

 

As much as I've looked forward to this excursion, I really need to limit my exposure to the sun.

 

So glad to hear you enjoyed it. :)

You'll be fine. The good news is that the covered spots are also usually near the bar..watch out for those rum punches!

Disregard my advice about being outside on the port side, then, as you'll have plenty of photo ops after the initial rush.

HI, Can you tell me if you stopped at any actual beaches or if this was just a water tour, and when you stopped in Marigot Bay did you swim off of the catamaran? About how many people when on this tour? Thanks so much in advance for your help!!

Pay It Forward. Be kind.

HI, Can you tell me if you stopped at any actual beaches or if this was just a water tour, and when you stopped in Marigot Bay did you swim off of the catamaran? About how many people when on this tour? Thanks so much in advance for your help!!

 

 

Pay It Forward. Be kind.

You do stop in a cove to swim for a while, but not Marigot Bay.

Yes, you will swim off the catamaran. No way to tell how many people will be on the boat, but if you are going through the cruise line, you can bet it will be crowded.

There is a lot of boat traffic in Marigot Bay , and for the life of me, I don't know why they insist on including it in every tour. There is a nice unique photo op, however, looking back through the palm trees out to the sea.

The people at the hotels and marinas must be so over tour boats coming in, talking about Dr Doolittle on the loud speaker, turning around, and going out.

Those annoying tour boats probably look like floating dollar signs to the St. Lucians. Their economy is heavily dependent on tourism, and I'm sure they are more than happy to see us coming, loudspeakers or not.

Marigot Bay is gorgeous, and I for one enjoyed the Dr. Doolittle background.

We booked directly with Mystic Man Tours, and are hoping to repeat that trip in a few weeks. It was one of the most enjoyable daysails we've ever taken, and compared to similar trips in St. Thomas, St. Martin, Barbados (and thru RCCL) was quite a bargain.

Those annoying tour boats probably look like floating dollar signs to the St. Lucians. Their economy is heavily dependent on tourism, and I'm sure they are more than happy to see us coming, loudspeakers or not.

 

Marigot Bay is gorgeous, and I for one enjoyed the Dr. Doolittle background.

 

We booked directly with Mystic Man Tours, and are hoping to repeat that trip in a few weeks. It was one of the most enjoyable daysails we've ever taken, and compared to similar trips in St. Thomas, St. Martin, Barbados (and thru RCCL) was quite a bargain.

I meant the guests at the hotels being annoyed by the disruptions to their serenity, not the locals.

Anyway, thanks for the recommendation on Mystic Man tours..stopping there in early '16 with a family group, and it would be good to sail to the Pitons with a private operator, rather than the ship tour.

I'll reach out the them as we get close.

Wow, reading all the banter about this tour has me extra excited about it!

I recently did a number on my already-arthritic knee and am currently seeing doctors about it; only about 10 weeks left before the trip. Wish me luck, if I am unable to "hop on board" the boat, I'll have to cancel this excursion (sniffle, sniffle):mad:

is just sitting on your balcony or a deck on the cruise ship as all of them pass by either coming in or leaving. If they pick up tours from Souifiere you will be right there.

Hello! I have booked, through Royal Caribbean, a "Cruise to the Pitons", which is a 4 hour excursion for this coming winter.

 

For anyone who has done this excursion, could you please tell me what type of boat is used for this? 2-story "tender" type, catamaran, etc.?

 

Thanks

We just did this tour with Royal on the Explorer on November 7th and absolutely loved it. The boat we were on was more of a pontoon boat than a catamaran because I did not see any sails on this boat.. The boat ride and the seas were smooth and no one got seasick. We enjoyed 3 hours of a narrated cruise, along with a 30 minute swim. There was over 75 people on our tour and for those that wanted shade, there were plenty of seats available. Those that wanted sun, you can sit in either the back or the front of the boat.

We had a brief 30 minute stop for a swim and the water was very refreshing. If you couldn't swim, they had life jackets for people, which some used. After the swim, rum punch was served along with other drinks, which I don't remember as I was busy dancing. They also made two kinds of sandwiches for us, which was unexpected. One sandwich was tuna fish which was delicious and the other was cheese sandwiches, which I did not try. They had so many sandwiches for all and then the party started with music playing and people dancing. After the tour was over, I asked one of the tour guides if every group is as much fun as the group we had. She said it all depends on the passengers on board and she precised to give me a T shirt. I asked, what is this for, she said it is complimentary to you because you got the party started with your dancing and mostly half the tour joined in with you. They also gave away 2 more free t-shirts to people that took the best picture of the Pitons.

Did I say I loved this tour, loved, loved it, one of our favorites.

Enjoy!

Just thought I'd stop back and comment on the Cruise to the Pitons excursion. The last post described it perfectly, although we didn't have as many people up dancing with the crew (I think it depends on how much of the rum punch you drink).

If you are trying to decide whether or not to do this trip, I did really enjoy it and give it a two-thumbs-up. The "catamaran" is more like a large party-barge, most of it covered, with plenty of seating and a few tables; if it's total sun you want, you can find seats in those areas, too. For the 30 minute swim and snorkel, they drop down a stairway in the front of the boat for easy access on and off. We did go into Marigot Bay, but did not stop there; just a little peek into seeing how the "other half" vacation.

The crew were mostly upbeat and provided plenty of food/drink for everyone.

BTW, I did finally end up w/a cortisone shot in that bad knee, so I was able to go on this excursion; still needed a little help from my BIL and a couple of crew, but I got it done!:)