MDSue

MDSue,

Have enjoyed reading your posts and the photos.

I have tried to transfer photos onto this and other similar web sites but without success..

Have tried to follow instruction given by other people but no success. May be because I am a silver surfer

So will you please tell me what you do in easy steps.

I am using a desk top with W8 and have my photos from different cruises in separate files. I can attach photos to emails but not into web sites like this.

My email is amos1939@talktalk.net

Many thanks

Hello, It took me a while to figure out how to transfer photos as well and still do not know how to directly upload photos onto Cruise Critic.

What I do is upload pictures to a photo-hosting site like Photobucket. If you go to their website, you'll first need to create an account which is free. Once your account is created, you'll see an option to upload right in the middle of the page. You can either upload the pictures to "your bucket" which is where they will automatically go if you don't create folders. The other option is to create a named folder. My most recent pictures came from my folder titled "St. Lucia". If you have a lot of pictures like me, it is easier to find the pictures you are looking for in folders. When you click on upload, you should have the option to choose the images you want from your computer. You can either upload one picture at a time or upload multiple images by holding the "ctrl" key down on your computer as you click on each image.

Once you have uploaded the pictures to Photobucket that you want to share, you'll need to click on and open that picture. Then, on the top right hand side of the page, you'll see "Links to Share Pictures". There will be 4 different options to choose from. Choose the bottom "ING" link. You'll need to click on that link until it is highlighted and then right-click your mouse and click on copy.

Once you hit copy, go back to the post where you want to share and right-click again and click "paste". I always keep both windows open and just go back and forth from Photobucket to CruiseCritic.

When you click paste, the link should appear on the page. When you hit reply the image should appear. You can always click on "preview post" to see if that worked.

There may be an easier way (I keep thinking there should be), but that is the only way I know how. I know that there is also the matter of image sizing. So far, when I upload my pictures, they automatically upload to the size you are seeing. I wouldn't worry about image-sizing unless you don't like the size you are seeing. I've seen some pictures that take up a huge amount of space.

Feel free to try and share your images here, or else I know that there is a specific place on Cruise Critic for practicing uploads. If you go to the photography boards, you can probably find help also.

If this doesn't help, let me know and I'll send you an email and try to walk you through it personally.

Susan

I'm very sorry for your loss, and I hope your trip was a good one with visits to family and warm memories! Sometimes I think our elder relatives give us a great gift when they leave us and force us all to slow down and see all the other family members we miss! I've found if they've lived a long, good life, it's a nice legacy to leave all that family behind to visit and remember!

 

Thank you for posting your St Lucia photos. We've just booked a private tour. I found in this area there is not a very big premium to go private over sharing a van with 10-12. Like you I read all the reviews and found that there are several very well reviewed guide companies and that they offer individual private tours. This is important to us because DH is the photographer, and we like to linger if he is getting shots he likes and we don't shop quite as much as others do. Although, we do enjoy seeing the artisans at work and talking to them about their work, as you did! I'm glad to hear then private tour worked out for you, we chose a differnt equally well reviewed company based on our email contact, the price and their willingness to customize our day to our tastes. Your photos are helping me decide which things to do of many, many cool things to do in St Lucia!;)

Hello and thanks for the kind words. My husband's aunt was like the matriarch of the family because she was the oldest living sister and she led a full, interesting life.

My sister and I both like to spend a lot of time taking pictures. I was on a group tour one time in Barbados and was taking pictures of the heavy wave action. Next thing I knew, everyone else was back on the bus and our guide was walking down to the water looking for me. I was properly scolded as I rushed back onto the bus. (They had a good laugh on me, though).

I love a private tour when possible so we can customize our time. I'm glad you found a good guide also. I've done some excellent group tours as well, but I hate it when I want to stay longer, and we are rushed to leave. Like your photographer husband, I enjoy looking for unique picture opportunities rather than just the typical shot that everyone else has.

Enjoy your trip! I hope to see a review and pictures from you, too.

Susan

Soon our time on the beach came to an end and we traveled back across the bay to meet Chris to take us back to the port.

Tomorrow, I'll finish up our last day in port and post a few more pictures of the port area and of the ship. If I missed anything or you have any questions let me know.

Susan

Marigot Bay continued,

This is the resort that is located at Marigot Bay- called Marigot Beach Club and Dive Resort:

The pool at the resort is small and simple, but looked refreshing:

They also had a spa on the resort offering various massage services.

The beach had a few booths set up with a small bar that offered drinks, cold beer, and snacks. They also had a small souvenir shop.

Marigot Bay Beach con't,

It wasn't a huge beach, but it was a perfect tropical paradise for us.

One local was selling fresh fruit and coconut on the beach. I bought a fresh banana for a snack. Another couple from our ship took a ferry from the port straight to Marigot for a reasonable price (but I'm not sure how she knew about the ferry or where to pick it up at). Other smaller tour boats sailed in with small groups to swim or snorkel, but for the most part, it was a calm, quiet little beach.

Some guests from the local resort were also using the beach, too. There were a handful of customers taking the ferry back and forth to Dolittle's Restaurant.

The little boat that ferries people back and forth:

We arrived at this little beach where we parked our towels for a few hours. They had chairs for rent, but since we were only stay for a few hours, I decided our towels would be enough.

On the way to Marigot Bay, we stopped at a hillside market with this overlook that overlooks the Bay:

.

When we arrived at Marigot we found a handful of shops and restaurants, a marina full of boats, and a small boat that carried people back and forth to a small beach and resort across the bay:

We stopped in one of the gift stores and found some beautiful pottery made by a local artist. I bought a piece of her pottery on my first visit from a store in the port area that I was hoping to buy another piece from. I was thrilled to find her work here; especially when the salesperson told me they know longer had a shop at the port. I was really glad we chose Marigot Bay to come because I love her pottery. I bought a nice vase before we caught a boat ride over to the other side.

It costs $2 for a round-trip ticket. You can also catch a ride for free on another boat that runs back and forth to the Dolittle Restaurant and Bar if you are going to be making a purchase there. Since we just wanted to go to the beach, we paid the $2 fare.

I would really like to know the names of your first tour operator and the one that you met this time :)- Thanks! Jan

I realized I only answered part of your question. The tour guide we used for our all day tour of the island including a stop at the Pitons was Spencer Ambrose tours. We started out with Spencer's brother, Small, who was wonderful.

The funny part of that story was that my sister, who is a lot more paranoid about missing the ship than I am, was worried the whole time we wouldn't make it back to the ship in time because it was such a longer tour that lasted the whole day. She also wanted to buy more batiks from Bagshaw's that still had a store in port.

Our first stop was a banana plantation and then the waterfalls and the volcano before heading to Soufriere to take a boat to Jalousie. The roads are steep, windy, and curvy. At one of the scenic overlooks, I could distinctly smell anti-freeze coming from our van. I had visions of our van overheating, breaking down, and missing the ship (and my sister being able to say "I told you so".) I realize that things can go wrong on any tour, but I have faith in private tour guides to get their customers back to the ship in time. One bad write-up on these boards could spell disaster for the companies that heavily rely on our reviews for their business.

Anyway, we successfully made it to all our stops and Small ended up contacting Spencer who made room for us on his tour. Despite the hiccup with the van, we had a great day.

At the time, the two most recommended guides on these boards were Cosul and Spencer. We chose Spencer and our tablemates did a similar tour with Cosul. Both of us shared our experiences at dinner and all of agreed we had a wonderful experience.

I don't have my St. Lucia pictures on this computer, but I'll try and upload some tonight for one of my old laptops.

Susan

Susan

I would really like to know the names of your first tour operator and the one that you met this time :)- Thanks! Jan

Hi Jan, The tour operator was Cosul's tours which is one of the most highly recommended guides on the island. I don't know the name of the gentleman at the port was holding the Cosul sign, but he hooked us up with a driver named Christopher. He was very pleasant and informative. I really felt like we had hit the jackpot when we ended up on a private tour with one of his guides.

Our timing was perfect because right after our private demo, a large group of tourist arrived. There was only one other cruise ship in port- the Carnival Valor. Since Royal Caribbean didn't offer a tour here, I'm guessing the crowd was from that ship.

Soon, the building was bustling with customers. My sister and I picked out a few pieces of batik that was sold as scrap by the yard. I got a big enough piece to make myself a sundress, and my sister bought additional pieces she is going to use to make a quilt.

They also had clothing items, and other batik products as well as other colorful items not made on site.

Next, our driver took us to a wood-carving studio named Eudovic's Art studio. Here, local artisans make hand-carved sculptures and pictures.

They had some pieces I would love to own, but the only thing I purchased here was a hand-carved keychain. I also saw some of their artwork for sake back in the port later on.

Next, a nice overlook with snacks, fresh produce, and locally made edibles for sale- and then onto Marigot Bay. However, the weather is beautiful today and I have some gardening and long-neglected chores to attend too. I'll be back later to con't.

See you soon!

Susan

This gentleman is the artist behind the beautiful pieces for sale:

This was one of my favorite pieces, but it was not for sale:

Caribelle Batiks

When we arrived, we were about the only people in the building. The lady offered to give us a private tour. She explained the process of batik making:

We hopped in the car with Christopher and drove through the crowded streets of Castries on our way out of town. As he drive, he pointed out various landmarks and buildings and gave us a little background of the places and people of interest.

I can't remember what this building was, but I thought it was worth taking a picture of:

Our first stop was Caribelle Batiks, which also happened to have beautiful overlooks of our ship and the port:

Good morning on a beautiful sunny, Sunday. I'm finally ready to work on the last island of St. Lucia.

For the life of us, I could not figure out what to do on one of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean; a frequent backdrop in the TV reality shows: The Bachelor and the Bachelorette.

On our first visit to St. Lucia, we took a ship sponsored island tour that took us to the Governor's mansion which is now closed to the public. It had beautiful views of the ship and port city of Castries in the background. We also visited a batik making business called Bagshaws. My sister does a lot of sewing and we both had an interest in the beautiful fabrics and linens they created. We really wanted to incorporate a visit back to Bagshaws this year (only to find out they were no longer in business).

A few years later, we did an all day island tour with one of the highly recommended guides from the CC port of calls page. On that trip, we visited a banana plantation, the "drive-thru" volcano, a waterfall, and quite a few other scenic locations. We ended up at Jalousie Beach (now Sugar Beach) which is located by the incredibly beautiful Piton mountain peaks. We snorkeled and ate a wonderful, homemade lunch provided by our tour guide.

I really like to try new things on every island visit, but it was going to be hard to top our last tour of the island. During my research, I found a ship excursion that for a low price provided transportation to an from Marigot Bay. Since we hadn't been there before and I was looking for something less than an intense all day tour, I thought that might be a possibility. The problem with that excursion was that our time was limited to only a few hours before we had to return.

We decided to take our chances and wing-it once again. I knew Castries was one port that I didn't want to just walk around and explore and there are no beaches close-by. We were hoping to find either a cab to Marigot or a last minute tour once we arrived in port.

When we walked off the ship and into the port area, we struck up a conversation with a man holding up a sign for one of the highly-recommended tour groups that does one of the all-day tours of St. Lucia. He was waiting for the people on the ship who had signed up for the tour.

While he was waiting, we mentioned to him that we weren't interested in an all-day tour. We talked about possibly going to Marigot and how much we wanted to visit Bagshaw's or other local artisans. He told us that Bagshaw's was no longer in business, but Caribelle Batiks was on the island. I was happily surprised because I have been wanting to go to St. Kitts for years just to visit Caribelle. I had no idea they also had an operation in St. Lucia.

The man offered to hook us up with one of his guides for a tour taking us to both Caribelle Batiks, Marigot, and anywhere else we might want to see for $50 per person. He said the driver would drop us off at Marigot for as long as we wanted to stay and bring us back when we were ready. I honestly couldn't believe our luck that by having a simple conversation with the first person we saw after getting off the ship turned into a perfect opportunity for us- our own guide for the day to take us where we wanted to go. I didn't know that we could arrange an individual tour through this particular tour group, but since they had an excellent reputation on these boards, we decided to take the man up on his offer.

He soon introduced us to Christopher and we were on our way. (I'm not sure if I am supposed to mention the name of the tour company unless asked). We proceeded to have another spectacular day.

Pictures to follow.....

Wildberry Lava Flow

We got these originally as a special drink on the Serenade a few years back and ordered them again on the Jewel a few weeks ago:

So sorry to hear about the death in your family. Have a safe trip.

 

On another note, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to write a review and provide such beautiful pictures and great information! I'm ready for another cruise :D

Thank-you for your condolences. My husband's aunt just turned 100 this year, but was in amazingly good health though.

I really enjoy writing the reviews. It's fun to go back year's later and relive previous cruises. It's also great to read other's reviews to see what kind of activities they enjoyed on their cruises.

Susan

Good morning all,

I was REALLY looking forward to posting my review for our final island stop, St. Lucia, today. Unfortunately, other commitments have taken over the next 2 days. We have to make a trip to New York for a death in the family and I won't be back until Saturday night. So, it's looking like Sunday will be the earliest I'll be able to write the review.

I'm also writing on a "borrowed" laptop that has to be returned as soon as my new "new" laptop comes in. This one has been a bear ever since I purchased it in San Juan and Best Buy allowed me to return it and buy a different model. They are letting me hold onto this one until the new one comes in. Hopefully, that won't effect my review, though. It just means that I have to delete thousands of pictures I uploaded to this laptop and reload them onto the new one.

I'll still have my computer on my travels and will check in from time-to-time if you have any questions.

Here's a picture of the little beach we visited at Marigot Bay. I'll have plenty more to share when I return; including Caribelle Batiks, A woodworking shop, Marigot Bay, and various other stops.

See you soon!

Susan

Having a good time traveling with you; thank you so much Sue, I love how you both study but allow for discovery and surprises...Martinique and San Juan sound like 2 places I would love to spend a few days..I loved France too, studied there when young..Sarah

 

I have enjoyed San Juan as a port stop once..but to spend time in old city..so European..thanks so for the tips...Sarah

Thanks. Sarah, I do love to learn about the islands because I am determined not to be one of those people who decide to stay on the ship because there is "nothing to do". I've read so many negative things about San Juan and it is one of my favorite islands to visit and depart from.

This is one of the first trips that I didn't schedule most of our days, but I did do enough research to have an idea of what to do.

When I went to France with my daughter, I was actually a little disappointed at first because I was traveling with a tour group run by a friend and I really wanted to see other countries instead. I ended up falling in love with France. I'm glad I had a full 10 days to get to see the country.

Susan

Soon we were back in Fort-du-France:

I bought a few watercolor prints from a local artist, and a hand-painted scarf and t-shirt that were made by local special-needs students, and made the long trek back to the ship.

Coming up next- St. Lucia and our private tour to Marigot Bay. Sometimes, every new island becomes my favorite stop. We absolutely loved our day in Martinique, so it was going to be hard to top, but I also had a spectacular day in St. Lucia.

Maybe, my problem is that if I'm on a tropical island or a cruise ship, there is no such thing as a bad day.

After all, it was sunny and warm every single day and when I left Maryland, it had snowed every single week right up until we left.

See you tomorrow !

Susan

After our delicious and refreshing dessert we headed back to the marina to catch the next ferry.

When we got to the ferry stop, there was very few people waiting. By the time the ferry finally pulled up, the area was full of returning passengers. We made sure to get in line because we weren't sure that everyone would fit onboard and the next ferry wouldn't be for another 45 minutes. Luckily, we didn't have to be back on the ship until 5:30, so we had plenty of time, but we wanted to shop a little more near the port.

We discovered that the departure and arrival times are approximates. Our ferry pulled up about 30 minutes late. Somehow, every single person in line managed to cram on the ferry and they quickly untied and began to head off.

A handful of people came running to the dock at the last second and were left behind. It kind of reminded me of the pier runners that don't quite make it to the ship in time as it is pulling away from the port. At least these runners weren't going to miss our ship, they just had to wait another 45 minutes until the next ferry arrived. I would definitely allow plenty of time to get back to port; especially since the lines to come back can get quite long and the ferry doesn't always arrive on schedule.

We bode farewell to Point du Boux with great satisfaction that we managed to have a fantastic day on an island that no one had much hope for. I'm not sure if we just found an undiscovered treasure, or if the rest of the island isn't quite as nice.

We were comfortably seated on the top level of the ferry, there were dozens of people below us on the lower level.

whoa I love Martinique .. it looks so .. European

 

 

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It was! I don't know about the rest of the island, but I definitely felt like I was back in France.

We headed back to the shops and after my sister did a little shopping, I took her back this nice little outdoor café I had noticed before. It offered both crepes and glaces, so we sat at a table and waited for service.

If you are in a hurry to eat, I wouldn't stop here:

In France, eating can be a very slow experience- not something to be rushed, but we waited, and waited, and waited some more. Every now and then the server would look over at us and we thought she'd come soon, but after about 30 minutes of being ignored, we decided to move on. We wanted to catch the next ferry back and we were running out of time.

I kind of got the feeling that she might be one of those "French" people who didn't like Americans. However, other than the ladies at the booths who wouldn't get off the phone to help us, and this woman, everyone else was welcoming and helpful. We truly enjoyed everyone else we met on the island.

We found another café that served crepes and glaces and stopped in there. The young man behind the counter didn't speak English, so I got to put my limited French to use. It turned out they also didn't accept dollars. Luckily, I had brought a few Euros that I had left over from my trip to France with me and we had just enough to buy two cups of delicious glaces (more of a sorbet than a creamy ice-cream). It was just as good as I remembered. Since we were running late, and I had limited Euros, I had to skip the crepes :(

However, there are ATM's in town and an exchange near the port where you can exchange American dollars for Euros. We just thought that we probably wouldn't need any since most places accepted either credit cards or cash.

Point du Bout, Martinique, con't

My sister and I caught one of the earliest ferries to the beach. When we arrived at Hotel Bakoua, there were plenty of loungers available. Later on, when the later ferry arrived, all the loungers were already gone and many cruisers were turned away. Some stayed and just laid their towels on the beach. I would definitely come early if you want to enjoy this resort.

While we were relaxing on the beach, we noticed two ladies walking up and down the beach modeling a variety of swimsuits and cover-ups. It was obvious they were new because the tags were prominently sticking out of the clothing. My sister needed a new bathing suit and followed one of the ladies to see what she had to offer. Awhile later, she returned grinning from ear-to-ear with a new, stylish cover-up, and a new bathing suit underneath. The sales lady barely spoke any English and my sister didn't know any French, but they bonded over shopping.

I decided it was my turn to do a little shopping while my sister watched our belongings, so she pointed me to where the bathing suits were being sold near the entrance to the resort. I couldn't remember seeing any shops there, but one of the salesladies pointed to behind the building near the entrance.

I never could find the ladies' shop and continued on up the path back to where we came from the ferry. On the way, I found this adorable little shopping area full of shops and restaurants. I thought maybe my sister came all the way into the little town to shop. It wasn't until I finally got back to the beach later on that I discovered the ladies were selling the clothing from large suitcases with more in the trunk of their car. No wonder I couldn't find their shop! Their customers had to try the clothing on- right on the beach!

I noticed cute little cafes all over the place that sold crepes and glaces (ice-cream), just like in France. I couldn't wait to have both.

I spent the next hour or two shopping away before I realized I had been gone a very long time. Next thing I knew I was receiving a text from my niece saying my sister was getting worried about where I was. My sister didn't have cell service, but there was free Wi-Fi on the beach, so she sent my niece a Facebook message to contact me ( I did have service).

I quickly finished up my final purchase and rushed back to the beach to meet my sister. She was eager to see what she was missing, so we said goodbye to the beach and headed back to the shopping area. I wanted to order a crepe and glaces while we were there.

Just clarifying...you were able to check in, board the ship, then leave to shop before sailing? My husband and I are on the Jewel in July and wondered if this was an option. It would allow us to drop our bags and enjoy a bit of San Juan.

 

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Yes, you can check in and board and then leave again if you wish. The rooms were not available until 1:30 though. We boarded before noon and headed to the Windjammer for some lunch. My sister waited on the ship with our carry-on items and I left to grab a cab into town to buy a new laptop.

When I returned I was told to go into a separate line rather than wait in the line for people who were checking in for the first time. It was very simple.

Susan

That sunset picture is breathtaking!

 

 

Thanks! You should have your sister check out our Arizona Cruiser's Group, part of the Cruise Critic "Friends of Cruise Critic" forum. We chat and much more. Fourteen of us will be cruising together out of San Juan beginning next week.:) There is a link to our forum in my signature.

I hope you are having a wonderful cruise! Not sure how I missed this post earlier, but my sister says "Thanks!" She doesn't spend much time on Cruise Critic like I do. I need to find a Maryland group so I could have a group to travel with. Right now, though, I can only get away with one cruise a year. My husband has to stay home and watch the animals while I'm gone and isn't to eager for me to travel more:(