Jezo

Reporting back if anyone is still watching this or cares. We went with Leo for almost the whole day at port and I just wanted to say he was the absolute highlight of our entire 10 day cruise. He was the best tour guide we have ever had in any of our travels. He knew so much about everything and his knowledge of the local plants and fruits was fascinating. My only regret is that we only had the chance to spend 6 hours with him. If we ever go back to St. Kitts we will 100% go see more with him and I would recommend him to anyone wanting a wonderful tour of the island. His current pricing is $40 an hour for 1 - however many people you have for his van, set the number of hours and price with him to begin with, and if you do go over he wont charge more, he is most concerned about showing you his island and telling you all the history over cutting it short and taking you back. You set the locations you want to visit and will need the extra cash to pay for entry for them, since he is the taxi driver he gets in free.

Just wanted to report back that no one respects this price list. The taxi dispatchers, the taxi drivers at the port, and the taxi drivers out at the beaches coming back. The fare to get to Darkwood beach is $40 for 3 or less people and $10 a person for anything above. Try to say its the wrong price and they say no, the internet price list is wrong, and this is what it costs. You can't bargain with them because they just move on to the next person. These are the official taxi's with the people in the red shirts and the correct license plates. They all say the same thing and other people going to similar places in the area all were told the same thing. They wouldn't dispatch the cabs until they got enough people so they can charge more people the per person pricing and make more per trip. Next time I will just find an unlicensed cab, they were taking people for much cheaper, I even had the price list on my phone and everyone said nope, sorry, not the price. I was not in much of a position to argue as I was the one in need of a ride so it was either pay or don't go. I was riding with the one guy saying this isnt the right price that is posted online and was told "no, thats an old list, sorry, prices have gone up". I wasn't in the mood to be dumped on the side of the road or be denied a ride back to the port so I just paid the cash and that was that.

We have taken that bus to Maho beach before, it was pretty easy. The Orient Beach ones have a similar sign that says "Orient" on them?

The whole path, from one side to the other where the tram to the beach drives you through. Has anyone walked through the whole thing? I usually can only make it to the shops on the edge and along the outer walkways, always been overwhelmed with the vendors. Is there anything different if you go all the way through or is it the same assortment of stuff in all of the shops?

Any idea how much the fare would be for the licensed taxis?

Thanks, I didn't know the taxis would be in the port area. Sometimes you have to go out of the area and then it gets interesting. If it's all there I would understand how folks would stick to the official prices. Thanks. I have the document and looking forward to going again.

Want to go back to Orient Beach for a chunk of the day and go to one of our favorite beach bars, three people. Does anyone know the estimated cost and difference between using an official taxi inside the terminal or trying to find a guy outside on the main road there? Taxi back to downtown in the afternoon before walking back to the ship.

How do I tell the difference between the official taxies and then unauthorized cabs in the same area? Is there an actual taxi stand and a line of taxis or just a big free for all? I have seen both depending on where we go. Normally there are the official taxies and then a bunch of other people in the same area who are off on their own.

Thanks, so to Darkwood beach, $26+tip total each way for the three of us? Where is the taxi stand? I remember leaving the ship and walking out to St. Mary's street last time we were there to meet a tour we were going on. Is the taxi stand out there or in the terminal area?

Oh great link, thanks. Are those prices per person or per ride?

Looks like we have Leo booked for the day so will report back in a month with our results! He seems very pleasant over email so that is a good start. Looking forward to seeing what the whole day will bring, hardest part now is waiting for the day to finally arrive.

Okay thanks, one more question, I don't mean this as a dumb question because I have been to so many places where everything is handled differently. I'd rather ask a dozen repetitive questions now then show up clueless in a month and havd no idea what I am doing. At the taxi stand is it a line like some ports or is it more of a free for all where there are people everywhere flagging you down? I have seen both so it's fine either way, just want to know what I am getting into so I can be prepared. Are there any scams I need to be aware of or unauthorized taxis? Some places you know its a "real" taxi by the color of the license plate or if they are in certain sections, or medallions. When we leave the port area here how do we know which ones we should be dealing with? When negotiating, do we do that based on time or destinations? We have our list of places and order we want to go to them on, or do we just say we want someone to drive us for 5 to 6 hours and lets have a price and shake on it?

What's the best way to get there and back for the day? We want to head over there, hang out for most of the day, and then go back to the port. Should we hire a car for the day or just use a taxi?

Are all of the taxis at the port regulated or should I find a car service for the day? How does getting a taxi here work, especially with hiring one for the day? Do they provide up front prices or will I need to negotiate?

We are coming on a cruise though, not an airplane. Wont have anyone driving us from an airport.

We will be there from 8AM to 6PM, so I think that's enough time to not rush. All of these look interesting but not quite walkable to each other. Would I need to hire a taxi all day or can I get them to and from each spot? How much are taxies on this island? I could see us doing the volcano hot mud baths, Piton Falls looks perfect, and then one more thing like the nature trails or botanical gardens. Any idea how we could get from one spot to another on our own?

Coming on the last day of a long cruise and wanted to get to the sulphur springs. If we take our own transportation out there, like a taxi or private car, how long can we expect to stay over there? Is there anything else to do or will we go into the crowded springs, take our mud pictures like everyone else, and be ready to go in 20 minutes? Speaking of getting there, what is the best way to get there from the cruise port and what would the expect round trip cost be?

What's a good tipping rate for something like this these days? Also that sounds good, we were thinking 5 or 6 hours, were you able to see a couple of different things when you went?

For using Leo, how many hours did you go out for and what did you do? I sent an email so want to come up with some kind of plan, I dont know much which is why we want to get something like this. Will be in port from 8 - 6. Dont want to spend that entire time but do want to take a nice chunk of the day to drive around and get a sampling of the island.

Can't seem to find much, a few links are around but they are 10 or 15 years old. Does anyone have any recommendations for a taxi we could hire for a day and go see things for the day while in port with RCL?