James or Joe Knows?

I have been getting proposals for a Roll Call tour of St. Lucia with return by speedboat from Soufriere to Castries. The two who say they can do this are James Touring Service and Joe Knows Tours. Cost difference is minor, but Joe requires a deposit and James does not. Is Joe worth that extra hassle? [it would be so much easier to let each couple pay their own share at the end of the tour.]

Joe Knows is a speedboat both ways, to/From The north. Will he pick up from the cruise port as his normal base of operations is the beach at Sandals La Toc. What does his tour entail, as his usual tour is by sea both ways with a short time in Soufriere for volcano and such.

James is normally a van ride both ways, so he's doing a private tour to give you a boat return

Spencer Ambrose has a set land/sea tour which includes a speedboat return (land tour down).

Serenity TVL, Solar Tours and Travel, Barefoot Holidays, Real St Lucia Tours and so on can also customize a tour for your group.

You can find lots of reviews of both at TripAdvisor.

Good luck with your planning and enjoy your visit.

Thanks Reedprincess -

I didn't try all the names on your list, but Real St Lucia Tours said they can't do a land/sea tour.

Both James and Joe had originally proposed land/land tours (private tours, to my itinerary specifications), but Joe suggested the sea-return option. So I asked all the other vendors that I had contacted about it, and only James offered to match it.

The question is: is there a reason to prefer one of these over the other (quality, reliability, personality), or should I just take the one with the cheaper price and no deposit?

If Joe Knows suits your plans, no reason not to go for it if the price is right. Enjoy your visit.

If Joe Knows suits your plans, no reason not to go for it if the price is right. Enjoy your visit.

Not sure if this was a subtle recommendation for Joe over James, or if you didn't understand my question.

In any case, we decided to book with James because he doesn't require a deposit.

Not sure if this was a subtle recommendation for Joe over James, or if you didn't understand my question.

 

In any case, we decided to book with James because he doesn't require a deposit.

It was a typo as I was on the go. I did mean James, obviously, as that is the one who did suit your plans. And obviously I understood your question given the attempted helpabove, and with your other post.....All the best, enjoy your visit.

It was a typo as I was on the go. I did mean James, obviously, as that is the one who did suit your plans. And obviously I understood your question given the attempted helpabove, and with your other post.....All the best, enjoy your visit.

Sorry if I came across as snarky -- I was actually confused. Thanks for all your help.

Sorry if I came across as snarky -- I was actually confused. Thanks for all your help.

No worries. Enjoy your sailing. All the best.

Joe Knows is a speedboat both ways, to/From The north. Will he pick up from the cruise port as his normal base of operations is the beach at Sandals La Toc. What does his tour entail, as his usual tour is by sea both ways with a short time in Soufriere for volcano and such.

James is normally a van ride both ways, so he's doing a private tour to give you a boat return

Spencer Ambrose has a set land/sea tour which includes a speedboat return (land tour down).

Serenity TVL, Solar Tours and Travel, Barefoot Holidays, Real St Lucia Tours and so on can also customize a tour for your group.

You can find lots of reviews of both at TripAdvisor.

Good luck with your planning and enjoy your visit.

I just did a land tour with James and it was fabulous. I believe the best way to see St Lucia is by land. James is very knowledgeable and his tour was very informative. We stopped for a great lunch and we had drinks provided for us during the tour. I would highly recommend James tours when visiting St Lucia . James does not require any money up front and that was very important to me. I never like giving deposit up front because many times cruises don't make a port or are late. I don't want the hassle of trying to get a refund.

I have been getting proposals for a Roll Call tour of St. Lucia with return by speedboat from Soufriere to Castries. The two who say they can do this are James Touring Service and Joe Knows Tours. Cost difference is minor, but Joe requires a deposit and James does not. Is Joe worth that extra hassle? [it would be so much easier to let each couple pay their own share at the end of the tour.]

Go with James. It is not worth the hassle. We had a large group and everyone paid at the end of the tour. It made things so much easier. You will not be disappointed. It was a great tour. James is reliable and will adjust his tour to fit your needs. Have fun in St Lucia. It is a beautiful island and must be seen by land

Thanks all. James it is!

I did joes knows when I stayed at sandals last year and had a blast!!!!! I would say totally worth the hassle! They completely take care of you, keep drinks flowing, feed you, and most of all, entertain you the ENTIRE TIME! I can't say enough! The mud bath/ water fall was my favorite part.

Joe knows!

I think I have attached a pic from when I went. This is one of the 'bartenders'.

One of my best tours. James has a great personality and is a great tour guide. Our tour was customized. We only wanted a couple of hours. James took us to all of the hot spots. The photo ops were excellent. I got some of the best pics. And the price was spot on. I could not believe how reasonable it was for a custom tour. Highly recommend James Tours the next time you are in St. Lucia. :)

Thanks for all the advice. We ended up arranging the tour through James Tours and are very happy that we did.

He picked us up at the pier in his nice new van and followed our custom itinerary: tour of Castries with a visit to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (murals everywhere, but simple stained glass windows) and the park dedicated to their two Nobel Prize Laureates; visits to Morne Fortune and the Roseau Banana Plantation; photo op above Soufrière; lengthy visit to Diamond Falls Botanical Garden & Waterfall; excellent lunch at La Haut restaurant (chicken curry and a freshwater white fish of St. Lucia; banana splits for dessert); then return to the ship via boat. Everything was as expected, except that the boat return was nicer (large catamaran with lots of shade) but longer (we joined another group that had arranged a 45-minute swim stop) than anticipated. The ride was rough enough on this boat, so I'm glad that we didn't have the smaller private boat I imagined.

I recommend James Tours to anyone wanting an excursion on St. Lucia.

Good day,

My family and I did a Land Tour with James last year. James' Tours does indeed include beach time at Marigot Bay. On my tour with him we spent about 1 1/2 hours on the beach, we got beach chairs and we bathed in the water and everything. Marigot beach is a BEAUTIFUL beach.. Can i just ask you a few questions, where did you come up with the idea that James' Touring Service does not include beach time? Are you qualified to give this type of information / opinion? You have obviously never toured with James nor do you know anything about the company. After spending some time on cruise critic, i have noticed that you provide responses to questions about James' Touring service, and all of your replies are not in his favour. Is it that you have a problem or hold a grudge against James? Or is it that you prefer another company and are trying to make people deter from choosing his touring company. Either way, what you are doing is wrong. You have just provided FALSE information about James' Tours and i believe your intentions are malicious: your obvious aim is decrease James' standing as tour guide. You need to stop this, and i think cruise critic needs to take a look at your actions on the boards, because your replies and misleading and inaccurate.

It was a typo as I was on the go. I did mean James, obviously, as that is the one who did suit your plans. And obviously I understood your question given the attempted helpabove, and with your other post.....All the best, enjoy your visit.

Good day,

 

My family and I did a Land Tour with James last year. James' Tours does indeed include beach time at Marigot Bay. On my tour with him we spent about 1 1/2 hours on the beach, we got beach chairs and we bathed in the water and everything. Marigot beach is a BEAUTIFUL beach.. Can i just ask you a few questions, where did you come up with the idea that James' Touring Service does not include beach time? Are you qualified to give this type of information / opinion? You have obviously never toured with James nor do you know anything about the company. After spending some time on cruise critic, i have noticed that you provide responses to questions about James' Touring service, and all of your replies are not in his favour. Is it that you have a problem or hold a grudge against James? Or is it that you prefer another company and are trying to make people deter from choosing his touring company. Either way, what you are doing is wrong. You have just provided FALSE information about James' Tours and i believe your intentions are malicious: your obvious aim is decrease James' standing as tour guide. You need to stop this, and i think cruise critic needs to take a look at your actions on the boards, because your replies and misleading and inaccurate.

It has been my experience with James tours that his beach time has been at the beach in Soufriere, namely Jalousie Beach...if it has changed to Marigot Bay, all to the good, although not many people who live here would class Marigot Bay as great beach given the boat traffic and such...his tour ddoesdescriotion does not signify where the beaxh stop is either, however does signify Marigot Bay as a photo stoP. If it's beach time there now, great. Glad you've enjoyed. It.

I don't know where you get the idea that I am against James or his company, I've recommended him, along with numerous other operators, many, many times here, along with several other tourism related sites. He offers a great product and people always seem to be happy with his services...as you were obviously.

Glad you enjoyed your time in St Lucia. All the best..