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Never again


Quiltincruiser
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I took one of those private boat rides last year to the Pitons and I thought we were going to die on the ride back as the boat driver was going much too fast and we were bouncing all over the place. I'll never do it again.

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I took one of those private boat rides last year to the Pitons and I thought we were going to die on the ride back as the boat driver was going much too fast and we were bouncing all over the place. I'll never do it again.

 

LOL!:D:D

I had the same experience on the return boat ride from Jalhousie Beach, and on top of that it started pouring! But that ride from hell is well worth the paradise that Jalhousie is and I will surely do it again, now that I know what to expect.

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We researched and went on a private tour with Cosol Tours, it was the best tour we ever did!

 

 

 

We also did Cosol Tours In January. Fabulous. 7 hours, beers, rum punch, 7 hours can’t say enough good things about it. And the price is so right!

 

 

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Many ports the vendors can be pushy. You have to remember that for most of them, this is their only chance to make some money. I'm not going to miss out on seeing what the world has to offer, because I had to say no to some things I don't want.

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  • 2 months later...

I have been to St Lucia 3 times by cruise ship. First 2 times got off ship - was not a pleasant experience. To say the vendors were aggressive is an understandment. Scheduled on RCCL in October and one of the stops is St Lucia - staying on ship. I understand that others live this island, but it is not for me.

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  • 1 month later...
Has anybody used any of the Zip Line companies there and what are your thoughts? Looking at the Adrenaline Zip Line tour.

 

We ziplined in St. Lucia a couple of years ago; for the life of me can't remember the company. We enjoyed it; we were both about 70 at the time and had zipped twice before.

 

There were only three of us on the tour and we rode in the back of a truck--long bench seats. The guide provided some narration as we drove and we stopped at a scenic place or two. The road is windy and was quite an adventure in the back of a truck!

 

The zipline was very good and well-run, seemed to be very safe. We enjoyed it and the employees were great. They used our own camera to take pictures of us zipping.

 

Of the three ziplines we have done, this one had more longer climbs between the zips. This didn't bother me but my husband had more of a hard time with the uphills.

 

Afterwards we went to a beautiful falls and had the option to walk right up to it through the river. We opted out, the other much younger guy did go up to the falls with the guide. I still wish I had done that!

 

We enjoyed the tour and I at least would do it again. I can probably find the name of the company if I search a little.

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Try going to Vigie beach just in front of the small airport near the port. Lots of chairs and shade also food and drinks . About $10 each way. We have been there twice last time was January 2018 and going again

Ontario Cruiser

 

Is that $10 per person or per taxi? Cost of chair rentals? Thanks

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Went to St. Lucia in 2015, just the wife and I. Did a complete island tour. No problems. A few locals selling necklaces at the lookout point overlooking the cruise ship port. No big deal.

 

 

 

Fast forward to 2018.. Family cruise, 2 small children and an elderly father-in law also. I was mobbed by no less than ten men shoving necklace's in my face at the same look out point. I wanted a quick photo and to buy a few Piton beers, and was not interested in their necklaces. We departed the ship late to avoid this.

 

 

 

The final straw was when I was walking back, and I saw the locals opened the door to the cab and were trying to sell to my two kids under the age of 10.

 

 

When we arrived at Marigot Bay, we didn't even get out. It looked to be a repeat of earlier. In 2015 there were no necklace peddlers there and we actually got out and enjoyed it. Tried some banana ketchup as well.

 

 

It felt like a different place this trip.

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We have been to St. Lucia several times, but always do tours (private) which we have enjoyed.

 

I will say that two years ago, after returning from our tour, we decided to walk along the sidewalk for a while but didn't go to far because of a general feel of unease, with many hawkers, homeless types, beggars, etc.

 

We are experienced travelers and have been in some iffy places, but just felt very uncomfortable here. We will be back this November and will probably book another tour, even though we have done most of what we want to do there.

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  • 7 months later...
On 10/26/2017 at 11:41 AM, Quiltincruiser said:

Ship docked in Castries, St. Lucia at 10:00 am. Cleared customs at 10:30. Went ashore at 10:50. Assaulted and absolutely beaten down by the tour and taxi people at the pier, we turned around and were back on ship by 11:20. Will never go ashore in Castries again!

 

 

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On 11/16/2017 at 5:10 PM, reedprincess said:

No different than many ports. Uniformed license drivers available, make sure the taxi has a "TX" license plate as those are rhe licensed drivers (and "H" license plate denotes a hired driver, many tour operators have these).

Be firm and polite in what you want to do, no problem. A cab one way to the mud baths is $90USD and will take approximately 75-90 minutes one way.. So you have some negotiating power. A firm no thanks is all you need for turning someone down.. no worries. Enjoy your visit.

 

 

If you don’t want to stay on the ship or negotiate at the port just make plans, print out the paper, write the port on the the top of the paper and if someone asks you if you want a tour just hold up the paper and say “I already have an excursion planned”. This is exactly what I did for last months cruise as I am one of those people that likes having plans and dislikes negotiating at the port.  In St. Lucia and St. Kitts this worked perfectly and the drivers were very nice to me, I even got an “enjoy” from one and a point in the direction of my meeting place for another as it was a tour from a well known local company.

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