Colson vs Ambrose

We are debating which tour to take Colson seems to be land tour with water taxi as Ambrose seems to take speedboat both ways which is better tour gives more time at beach and other spots?

We are debating which tour to take Colson seems to be land tour with water taxi as Ambrose seems to take speedboat both ways which is better tour gives more time at beach and other spots?

I can only speak for Spencer's Land/Sea/Beach Adventure since we did it last year when in St. Lucia. As for the other tour company, Colson...do you mean Cosol?

When we did Spencer's tour, yes, we were taken to Soufriere directly by speedboat. That was a 45 minute trip. From there we got into an air conditioned van (four our group, they used two vans). Most of the highlights (the volcano, mud baths, banana farm, Toraille waterfall, and the scenic overlook) are all located right around Soufriere. Our land portion of the tour lasted approximately two hours. When we were finished, we were taken back to the boat for the trip to Jalousie/Sugar Beach (the beach between the Pitons). I think it was a 10 - 15 minute speedboat ride to the beach. Once there, we had 2 1/2 hours, which allowed plenty of time for snorkeling (great snorkeling, best I've seen) and just enjoying the beach. Lunch is also provided. The day we were there, it was served buffet style on the beach and the food was excellent. I think it depends on the size of the tour whether you eat on the beach or at a restaurant while on the land portion of the tour. The day we were there, we were the only ship in port, so our groups weren't as large as they get when more than one ship in port. We were instructed to be back on the dock to get back on the boat at 2PM. On the way back to the ship, there will be several stops at points of interest and photo opportunities. We were back at the ship at 3:30PM (had to be back on the ship at 4:30PM for 5PM sail away) and had plenty of time to browse the cruise center shopping areas. We really enjoyed our day with Spencer and crew and St. Lucia is just beautiful.

If you'd like to see pictures and read in detail about our day, I did a review of our cruise. I'll attach link to hopefully open on the page where our tour started. If not, it starts on Page 20, post 400 (toward the bottom). If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Again, I can't help you with information on Cosol's tours but I'm sure someone else here who has done it will provide you with details.

Link to review (again, should open on Page 20 where our tour with Spencer Ambrose starts). http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2275573&highlight=liberty&page=20

We are debating which tour to take Colson seems to be land tour with water taxi as Ambrose seems to take speedboat both ways which is better tour gives more time at beach and other spots?

This is the same debate I'm having with myself right now. I do hope more chime in.

I'm leaning toward the Cosol tour because I think there might be more of the island to see but some of the sights you see via boat on the Spencer Ambrose tour intrigue me as well. I'm not certain when I'll get back to St. Lucia because, well, with children in school longer cruises are a rarity in our household so I definitely want to get the most bang for my buck.

Both companies have EXCELLENT ratings. Maybe if I bump this someone will chime if with why they selected one over the other and if they were happy with their choice.

This is the same debate I'm having with myself right now. I do hope more chime in.

 

I'm leaning toward the Cosol tour because I think there might be more of the island to see but some of the sights you see via boat on the Spencer Ambrose tour intrigue me as well. I'm not certain when I'll get back to St. Lucia because, well, with children in school longer cruises are a rarity in our household so I definitely want to get the most bang for my buck.

 

Both companies have EXCELLENT ratings. Maybe if I bump this someone will chime if with why they selected one over the other and if they were happy with their choice.

They're both excellent options. You'll see more of the island itself via Cosol's tour, and enjoy a much wider variety of food on his stops.. You get some beach time at same Beaxh ad Spencer's tour. What you don't get are some of the beautiful water views of the island and the bat cave....you still see the rock arch, albeit from land, etc. It can be tiring with that much time in a van, although the drivers do stop a lot and do their best to entertain you.

Spencer gives you water views each way, and up close with rock arch, into Marigot Bay and Rock arch. What you don't get is closer views of the land and villages, banana Plantation, Morne Fortune, etc...Food is great, but not as much variety as Cosol. More beach time...

You'd enjoy both I think. If you want to really see more of the island and such, go for Cosol. If you want more beach time, go for Spencer...

They're both excellent options. You'll see more of the island itself via Cosol's tour, and enjoy a much wider variety of food on his stops.. You get some beach time at same Beaxh ad Spencer's tour. What you don't get are some of the beautiful water views of the island and the bat cave....you still see the rock arch, albeit from land, etc. It can be tiring with that much time in a van, although the drivers do stop a lot and do their best to entertain you.

 

 

 

Spencer gives you water views each way, and up close with rock arch, into Marigot Bay and Rock arch. What you don't get is closer views of the land and villages, banana Plantation, Morne Fortune, etc...Food is great, but not as much variety as Cosol. More beach time...

 

 

 

You'd enjoy both I think. If you want to really see more of the island and such, go for Cosol. If you want more beach time, go for Spencer...

Thanks! That's what I was thinking as well. Plus with Cosol you get the volcano, mud bath & waterfall - which you don't see with the Spencer's beach break.

Have to pack my teen some Dramamine though, he's not terribly fond of driving around mountains. Doesn't get sick, but feels icky.

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Thanks! That's what I was thinking as well. Plus with Cosol you get the volcano, mud bath & waterfall - which you don't see with the Spencer's beach break.

 

Have to pack my teen some Dramamine though, he's not terribly fond of driving around mountains. Doesn't get sick, but feels icky.

 

 

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I have not toured with Cosol, but I have toured with Spencer. Although our experience goes back a few years now, my family have toured to Soufriere both by land as well as by speedboat.

You can visit Sulphur Springs (volcano or mud bath) and Toraille Waterfall on Spencer's Land, Sea & Beach Adventure.

In considering whether you would like to go down by land or travel by speedboat, here are a few points to consider:

1. If you are coming down to Soufriere by van from Castries you will be driving on curvy and winding roads for a good 60-90 minutes. If you are prone to motion sickness, this drive could get to you. However, the drive is broken up by stops which really helps with the long drive on the winding roads.

2. If you are coming down to Soufriere by speedboat you avoid the ride on the curvy and winding west coast road. You will still see the fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries, but from the sea instead of by land.

3. Travelling by speedboat is faster than travelling by land. This means you can beat the crowds and get to the sites in Soufriere ahead of those arriving by van. Also since you save time travelling by speedboat, you can get more time to enjoy the sites and you can get up to 2 hours at the beach. On the land tour, we only got 45 minutes at the beach.

As for my family, we enjoyed the thrill of a speedboat ride over driving on the winding roads.

Whether you choose Spencer Ambrose or Cosol, I am sure you will have a great experience with either one.

We did the Spencer Ambrose Land and Sea tour. I think next time I'd take the all sea option. The waterfall isn't that spectacular. The Sulfur Springs thing was underwhelming as well. I'd opt for more time at the beach. And, getting there early would be a plus.

I did a tour with Spencer and it was without a doubt the worse experience that we have ever had ... I would never recommend them. To give them their due, they took about 6 people who had booked with another when it was canceled. Never again ... it was horrible. Jan

Toured with Cosol - easily the best excursion on that cruise

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I did a tour with Spencer and it was without a doubt the worse experience that we have ever had ... I would never recommend them. To give them their due, they took about 6 people who had booked with another when it was canceled. Never again ... it was horrible. Jan

Can you give us more specifics as to why it was so bad?

Can you give us more specifics as to why it was so bad?

This is from my view point --- they were nice people, I think we just had a different idea of what a good time was...perhaps you will enjoy the tour.

There were 6 of us from our M&M that originally booked another tour and it ended up getting canceled ... Spencer added us to his already full tour. We went to the volcano which was interesting ... back onto the bus and there weren't enough seats and they had to get another bus then everything was shuffled around ... there was a group of people that did the mud baths and there wasn't any water ... (not the tour fault) ... there was a lot of trying to get everything organized between the different people driving, etc.

We then did the boat to the piton's which are quite interesting ... the area that everyone goes to is very small and I was ok sitting on my towel. The food that they provided was nice and there was local fruits that could be purchased, and I enjoyed trying different fruits.

There were about 6 of us that were ready to leave early as it seemed to be a long time on the beach. One of our group went to Spencer to see if we could leave with another group that was getting ready to leave (people from a different tour) --- He was not very happy about it ... but finally decided that we could leave with the other group.

The boat was very interesting ... I am not big into speed boats (I'm sure other people would find it a blast ... but there were some of us that did not). It was pouring and the rain was like stinging needles and we all had to cover ourselves with towels over our head ... I have never been so cold in my life.

There was a young man that was manning the boat and there were a lot of very drunk 20-25 yr olds -- so he was showing off for them and going very fast and making huge bumps that totally scared one couple with their 10 yr old grandson. It seemed to be taking forever to get back (I think he was going around in circles for awhile) .... then we had to stop as the people that had been drinking wanted to get out so they could pee in the ocean .... Not a pretty site.

By the time we finally got back - the boat that Spencer was driving was already at the dock waiting.

I think it was just not the tour for us ... perhaps others wouldn't have a problem - some problems was environmental factors that was not within their power to make right.

This was a few years ago now and I probably am forgetting some things ... but I know that some others spoke about it to the tour operator .. I wasn't interested ... I just wanted to get off the boat - I've taken quite a few boat adventures over the years, but I'm not sure if I will again.

I hope others have a better time ... please understand that this is my issue on why I can't recommend, but others will love it.

This is the first time in the (almost) 14 years that I have been on cruise critic that I have ever written a negative review of a tour. Jan

PS - I'm editing this to explain that I was more worried about my safety than I have been on any other tour.

This is from my view point --- they were nice people, I think we just had a different idea of what a good time was...perhaps you will enjoy the tour.

 

This opening statement right here right there says it all. Everyone here has the right to their opinion. I am sorry that you did not get to enjoy the tour as you might've expected and I hope my comments are in no way hurtful. But I think that what you write contradicts itself sometimes and others it just shows that you were put in a tour not knowing what you were getting into.

 

There were 6 of us from our M&M that originally booked another tour and it ended up getting canceled ... Spencer added us to his already full tour. (which he really didn't have to do, especially since his tour was already full) We went to the volcano which was interesting ... back onto the bus and there weren't enough seats and they had to get another bus then everything was shuffled around (and you had enough seat on your way to the volcano??) ... there was a group of people that did the mud baths and there wasn't any water ... (not the tour fault) ... there was a lot of trying to get everything organized between the different people driving, etc. (maybe because they had more people than what they very carefully planned for?)

We then did the boat to the piton's which are quite interesting ... the area that everyone goes to is very small and I was ok sitting on my towel. Spencer's crew make a point in telling everyone that the shaded area with the regular loungers are first come first served and free. The other side of the beach is also free to use but the padded loungers are $50 to rent from the resort but again, you had not time to research their tours so I understand you were "pushed" into this. The food that they provided was nice and there was local fruits that could be purchased, and I enjoyed trying different fruits. (They had extra, unplanned guests yet you still had your food like everyone else)

 

There were about 6 of us that were ready to leave early as it seemed to be a long time on the beach. One of our group went to Spencer to see if we could leave with another group that was getting ready to leave (people from a different tour) --- He was not very happy about it ... but finally decided that we could leave with the other group. Was this a different tour from Spencer?? If not I would understand he would be hesitant since he is responsible for you and getting you back to the ship in time and to have you transfer to another company would be risky.

 

The boat was very interesting ... I am not big into speed boats (I'm sure other people would find it a blast ... but there were some of us that did not)(which is the reason YOU in particular did not enjoy this part of the tour, but again, you had no way of knowing). It was pouring and the rain was like stinging needles and we all had to cover ourselves with towels over our head ... I have never been so cold in my life.

 

There was a young man that was manning the boat and there were a lot of very drunk 20-25 yr olds -- so he was showing off for them and going very fast and making huge bumps that totally scared one couple with their 10 yr old grandson. It seemed to be taking forever to get back (I think he was going around in circles for awhile) .... then we had to stop as the people that had been drinking wanted to get out so they could pee in the ocean .... Not a pretty site. Doesn't sound like Spencer's outfit. I have been on three tour with him (one of them someone else driving the boat) and they are adamant about even having your hands over the side of the boat due to safety.

 

By the time we finally got back - the boat that Spencer was driving was already at the dock waiting.

 

I think it was just not the tour for us ... perhaps others wouldn't have a problem - some problems was environmental factors that was not within their power to make right.

 

This was a few years ago now and I probably am forgetting some things ... but I know that some others spoke about it to the tour operator .. I wasn't interested ... I just wanted to get off the boat - I've taken quite a few boat adventures over the years, but I'm not sure if I will again.

 

I hope others have a better time ... please understand that this is my issue on why I can't recommend, but others will love it.

 

This is the first time in the (almost) 14 years that I have been on cruise critic that I have ever written a negative review of a tour. Jan

 

PS - I'm editing this to explain that I was more worried about my safety than I have been on any other tour.

You are more than entitled to your opinion coming from your preferences. Like I said, this is not an attack on you personally. But from reading your review, some might get discouraged from doing this or any of the other similar tours from Spencer, Cosol or any other operator. Sometimes things don't go as planned. You had your planned tour cancelled and were given the option of getting on another which you had absolutely no time to research. If you had, maybe you wouldn't have taken it. Or maybe you would've anyway. My point is that you were dealt a bad hand. But from the things I read on your statement, there was nothing really wrong (except guys jumping off a boat to pee....c'mon guys!). It just wasn't something that amused you. This guys don't have the ratings and awards they have treating people like cattle simply moving them from here to there without a care.

You are more than entitled to your opinion coming from your preferences. Like I said, this is not an attack on you personally. But from reading your review, some might get discouraged from doing this or any of the other similar tours from Spencer, Cosol or any other operator. Sometimes things don't go as planned. You had your planned tour cancelled and were given the option of getting on another which you had absolutely no time to research. If you had, maybe you wouldn't have taken it. Or maybe you would've anyway. My point is that you were dealt a bad hand. But from the things I read on your statement, there was nothing really wrong (except guys jumping off a boat to pee....c'mon guys!). It just wasn't something that amused you. This guys don't have the ratings and awards they have treating people like cattle simply moving them from here to there without a care.

I totally agree with this and I also hope this doesn't discourage others from taking a tour with Spencer Ambrose. The first time we booked with them, we were definitely out of our comfort zone as we normally only booked tours through the cruise line. When we chose Spencer Ambrose tours in 2013, I did heavy research before that cruise and saw many, many great ratings, and reviews w/pictures of Spencer Ambrose tours. At that time, there were a few that weren't so good, but after reading those carefully it appeared to me that most of the "issues" were caused by other passengers and not the fault of Spencer Ambrose/staff.

The reason I was hesitant to book outside the cruise line was because if a tour booked through the cruise line is late in getting back to the ship, then the ship will wait. When booking outside the cruise line, if your tour arrives back late, the ship will not wait. From all reviews I saw, Spencer Ambrose was very reliable in getting their tours back to the ship on time. And through my research, so were Cosol's. We chose Spencer Ambrose because one of their tours was exactly what we wanted and we were not disappointed and because we had great experience with Spencer/staff in 2013, we didn't hesitate to book another tour with them for our cruise last year. And we will be booking with them again the next time we get to St. Lucia. We have since booked other tours, on other islands, that weren't through the cruise line and we have Spencer Ambrose to thank for that. We have had all positive experiences on the private, local tours we've taken and we feel we get "more bang for our buck", so to speak. But I also do my research first. If in doubt, we book through the cruise line. On tours, whether a local tour or one sponsored through the cruise line, things aren't always going to go perfectly or to some folks' expectations...that's part of life.

Jan_in_Maine, I'm not trying to come down on you either. I actually admire the fact that you did come back and offer more input with your reasons in why you felt it was the worst experience you had. That really took guts. :) I'm sorry your original tour was cancelled and I do hope you get a chance to get back to St. Lucia, and on a day with better weather - it IS a beautiful island.

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Jan_in_Maine, I'm not trying to come down on you either. I actually admire the fact that you did come back and offer more input with your reasons in why you felt it was the worst experience you had. That really took guts. :) I'm sorry your original tour was cancelled and I do hope you get a chance to get back to St. Lucia, and on a day with better weather - it IS a beautiful island.

We can all agree to disagree that is fine I am not offended --- I'm sure that there are tours I have taken that others didn't have as good a time as I did - I always do a lot of research before our cruise and almost never do a ship sponsored tour. I have had wonderful experiences (most more than once) in Belize, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Grand Cayman's, San Juan, Ochos Rios, Falmouth, Antigua, St. Martins, St. Barts, St. Thomas, St. Johns, Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, Labadee, Bermuda, Nassau, Seattle, Astoria, San Francisco, Victoria BC, Barbados, Coco Cay, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Croix, (I'm sure there are more, but that is all that comes to my mind at this time) ... In the spring we will have a new port - Bonaire - which I'm very excited about as I've never been there and have booked an excursion that sounds ideal. Next fall we do a re-positioning cruise that will include St. Lucia ... I have already started researching --- This time I'm interested in a beach experience -- then next up will be Hawaii --- a completely new experience!

To all - enjoy! Jan