Anyone tour with Spencer Ambrose?

We have booked a Land and Sea Tour with Spencer Ambrose. At one point we have a choice of mud baths or volcano viewing. Does anyone know which choice is more interesting, fun, more or less physically demanding? Thanks.

There are numerous reviews here of Spencer, use the search function at top right of thread to search them. Also, you can read hundreds of reviews at TripAdvisor, the sister site of CruiseCritic.

We did this tour in December. We chose to go to the volcano, which was fine but underwhelming. Two people did the mud bath--next time (if there is a next time) we'll do the mud bath--but of course we've seen the volcano now.

Do be prepared to look a little gray until you get to the beach! They have showers there, but it's hard to get it all washed off. I'd be careful about wearing anything light colored too.

The two ladies who did the mud bath were enthusiastic but wished they had more time there.

It was a great tour.

I was just about to write a review of spencers Tours so I thought this might be a great place to start. My girlfriend and I just finished a tour this week and it was probably the best run tour that we've been on in our three years of cruising I would highly recommend Spencer and unlike all of my previous excursions I would actually rebook with Spencer the next time I get to visit this beautiful island we got a boat trip a day at the beach and an informational tour on the way back to the port and I thought it was perfectly well run and just an amazing day.

Spencer spent time with us himself and his assistant Terry did an amazing job.

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I was just about to write a review of spencers Tours so I thought this might be a great place to start. My girlfriend and I just finished a tour this week and it was probably the best run tour that we've been on in our three years of cruising I would highly recommend Spencer and unlike all of my previous excursions I would actually rebook with Spencer the next time I get to visit this beautiful island we got a boat trip a day at the beach and an informational tour on the way back to the port and I thought it was perfectly well run and just an amazing day.

 

Spencer spent time with us himself and his assistant Terry did an amazing job.

 

 

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Thanks. Were you able to rent beach chairs and an umbrella? Was that extra? How was the lunch? Appreciate your contribution.

Can anybody tell me what is offered for lunch with Spencer?

Thanks!

I know it was chicken (jerk chicken maybe? I don't eat chicken) and various sides--some of them local salads and vegetables, also fruit. It was fine, but not outstanding, in a small local cafe, which was a little crowded and hot.

I'd say about standard for an included lunch on the islands, but nothing special.

I did enjoy the local specialities, although I didn't know really what they were.

I will be going on a tour with Spencer in a month.

In his email confirmation, he included this info about lunch:

We do jerk chicken with the lunch we provide along with other foods as spaghetti, lentils, potato salad, ( mash potato as we sometimes refer to it here) together with some vegetable salad, it includes some assortment of local ground provisions such as sweet potatoes, plantain and some yams too

I will be going on a tour with Spencer in a month.

 

In his email confirmation, he included this info about lunch:

 

We do jerk chicken with the lunch we provide along with other foods as spaghetti, lentils, potato salad, ( mash potato as we sometimes refer to it here) together with some vegetable salad, it includes some assortment of local ground provisions such as sweet potatoes, plantain and some yams too

That sounds about like what we had. I did like tasting the local foods.

I just booked a cruise on the Sunshine for 2015 with my daughters. The main reason I chose this cruise was to return to St. Lucia and be able to take my daughters there. I did the Beach Break tour with Spencer several years ago with my husband and it is one of my all time favorite excursions. I loved the boat ride there and the view from the beach is just amazing. I'm not very good at snorkeling, but even I was able to enjoy the snorkeling from the beach there. I saw a bigger variety of fish there than I had anywhere else. We were able to get 2 loungers on the public side, something some reviewers say is sometimes hard to come by. The lunch was very good and plentiful. Some dishes I recognized and some I didn't. It was brought to the beach by several local ladies in their casserole dishes and crockpots. I loved being able to sample some real local cooking. Spencer's staff was very attentive while we were at the beach, making sure we had drinks and whatever we needed.

Yes, 2 years ago and never again. Many people won't agree, but we (and about 75 other people) had a bad experience.

I had a great time this past week on Spencer's land, sea, beach tour.. Terry 0.5 made sure that we had a wonderful time. He was very nice and knowledge and made sure that I always had a nice cold "Piton" beer in my hand. .. I would definitely recommend them. ..

Yes, 2 years ago and never again. Many people won't agree, but we (and about 75 other people) had a bad experience.

If you don't mind me asking, what made this tour a bad experience for you? I'm going in November and would like a heads up... thanks

We went on Spencer's Jalousie Beach Break. We had a wonderful time!! They met us at the pier then walked us to the dock. We took a pontoon like catamaran over to the beach between the Pitons. On the way there, they pointed out places of interest and told some history. At the beach, some snorkeled, some swam, some just laid out on the beach sipping rum punch. Lunch was good and drinks were easily available (rum punch, Piton beer, water, sodas). We stayed at the beach about 3 1/2 hours. On the way back to the pier, we stopped by Marigot Bay and some other interesting sites. Some danced, while others just relaxed on the boat. The staff was very friendly--everyone on the excursion appeared to have a great time.

To answer the OP question....the mud bath was a fun and unique experience...that would be something that someone with limited mobility could enjoy.... we didn't do the volcano, so I can't speak to that...

If you don't mind me asking, what made this tour a bad experience for you? I'm going in November and would like a heads up... thanks

A lot of people like Spencer. When I said we had a bad experience I am not implying that all his tours are bad. We caught him on a busy day, 3 ships in port and he even admitted that he had some extra people helping him. The beach was overcrowded when we arrived and many from our group had to eat standing up, not enough chairs. Returning to the ship was hectic, his speedboat arrived late, some people were tired and worried about missing our ship. A few people and Spencer got into a shouting match on the little dock. It was not pleasant. Never again for us, we been on many excursions and this was probably the worst.

A lot of people like Spencer. When I said we had a bad experience I am not implying that all his tours are bad. We caught him on a busy day, 3 ships in port and he even admitted that he had some extra people helping him. The beach was overcrowded when we arrived and many from our group had to eat standing up, not enough chairs. Returning to the ship was hectic, his speedboat arrived late, some people were tired and worried about missing our ship. A few people and Spencer got into a shouting match on the little dock. It was not pleasant. Never again for us, we been on many excursions and this was probably the worst.

Thanks so much for elaborating. I appreciate the honest review. :)

We went last week and had a great time!!

I have read a few posts where it is close in time getting back to port by ships boarding time. Anyone else experience that? I am always so nervous about that "on board" time!

Can anybody tell me what is offered for lunch with Spencer?

 

Thanks!

I know this reply is a little late, but in case you're still reading, we did Spencer's "Jalousie Beach Break" in May 2013. The lunch served was very good...all homemade and served buffet style on a table. They had BBQ chicken, green salad, potato salad, green banana salad, two different kinds of rice dishes and four different types of root vegetable (I think it’s a vegetable) that are very good and have a similar taste to potatoes. I do remember Taro root was one of them but I can’t remember the other three. My favorites were the roots and the green banana salad. I didn’t have the potato salad because my plate was getting full since I had some of everything else, and I can have potato salad any time. Everything was delicious!!! The green banana salad and roots might sound gross, but they are SO GOOD, please don’t be afraid to try them. The green banana salad has a similar taste to potato salad, but I thought there was more flavor to it, a pleasant flavor, nothing unusual. I should have gotten pictures but I told DH I wouldn’t embarrass him.

Our experience on the tour in general...highly recommend. Again, we did the "Jalousie Beach Break" and not the "Land and Sea Tour", so I have no comments on the "Land and Sea Tour" except that next time we get an opportunity to go to St. Lucia, we'll be booking it because we really enjoyed the Jalousie Beach Break and that ended up being the best tour and the most fun day we've had while on an excursion on a cruise stop. We were the only ship in St. Lucia that day, so it wasn't as crowded as others have experienced. We normally try to cruise in May, when we can (prices usually better and it's not hurricane season). Spencer did tell us that from late April or May and through out the summer months until October or November, the Carnival ship is the only one that does the Southern Caribbean route out of San Juan with a regular stop in St. Lucia. What I really appreciated was on the "Sea Tour" we got on the way from Jalousie Beach back to the ship, there were several stops with some great photo opportunities - including of the Pitons, the arch (Lady's Slipper), Marigot, others. Spencer took his time so that we all could get pictures we wanted and turned the boat so everyone who wanted pictures could get them without the people on the other side of the boat in the pictures. That was a first and we really appreciated that. We had plenty of time before boarding (at least 45 minutes) when we got back, so we spent some time in the cruise center shops.

My husband and I did the Jalousie Beach Break........a guide was waiting outside as promised....short walk to motorboat.......2 ships were in port....no issues....nice fast ride with some sights shown.....got to Jalousie and there were the Pitons!!! So many people complained that night about how long their cabs/taxis took and we were right there within a half-hour......we did get the free lounge chairs....lunch was fine but a special touch was being handed a fresh mango to peel and eat!! Very helpful crew bringing drinks to us in the chairs.....clean restrooms and a little shop......DH went snorkeling....said it was the best of the 2 weeks.....view of Pitons and boat ride there and back was awesome......free area was a little crowded but we had our chairs and a great view........Spencer himself had one of the boats....we had Terry and Sheniqua(sp?) (Spencer'sdaughter) as our main crew....loved the tour, and highly recommend!!

Thanks for the reviews, I am looking at his Land, Sea, and Beach tour. It looks like it has everything I am looking for. I was reassured on his website that he has never missed a ships departure. I am also one who worries about missing the ship.

I wouldn't worry about missing the ship. His tour was my favorite of the whole cruise. We had a wonderful time, the food was great and we had a super day.

We took Spencer's tour in February, our first trip to St.Lucia. We spent a great deal of time waiting for a couple to show up -- then some more time to go to a different dock to pick up more passengers from another ship. It was maybe 1 hour of wait time to collect people from the 3 different docks, besides the wait time for the no show. They must have made a decision on the fly to change boats. Once the passengers were collected -- some were dropped for the land portion, the rest were taken to the beach. There seemed to be no difference in the boat portion of the trip. We took the land portion with another couple, and hopped in a van and drove to the volcano (underwhelming) mud bath ( same location, we opted for the volcano), photo stop, and brief waterfall (underwhelming), the "banana" farming, was stopping in town and looking over a fence at a couple of banana plants. We did manage to bypass most of the bus crowds. the 4 of us ate lunch at a cafe (it was Ok, plenty of food, but mostly the standard macaroni, rice, fish salad -- no local fruits) then a rather lengthy drive around town to pick up food for the beach goers, which wasn't ready, so we drove around the block 3 times (20 min). we had ample beach time,t the freebie chairs were as described elsewhere -- not many of them and in poor condition, but a great view --of the resort chairs -- which I wondered were available to rent, but we didn't-- and Pitons.

The boat ride was the best part of the trip -- the return was informative.

I'm not sure we would opt to do his tour again, definitely not the land portion. another couple were repeat guests, however. he did show up on time, but the tour did not start on time, and the wait for them to collect the meals for the other guests was somewhat annoying.

the van and boat drivers were good, and Spencer's daughter was a very good guide.

I would definitely choose the mud baths over the volcano. They are much more unique and the volcano doesn't really look all that interesting. Our whole group did the mud baths and they were really fun. Spencer gets you there before the other groups, so it isn't near as crowded as it starts to get when you are leaving.