Spencer Ambrose Tours

Does Spencer have a crowded boat for the Jalousie Beach break tour? Do you have to wait for him to find more customers before you leave?

We booked a tour our last trip to St. Lucia and had to wait while the tour operator tried to drum up more customers. He had the boat packed so full it was uncomfortable. I do not know who we went with as the tour we booked with dumped us onto another tour.

Not looking to repeat that miserable trip!

I went with Spencer last January. The boat was very nice and not crowded at all. We left right away. There was no looking for more customers. He only took passengers that signed up in advance, from what I could tell. It was a great tour. I would not hesitate to book with him again.

I took that specific tour with Spencer last November. Spencer honored the reservations despite their being ony 3 of us on the tour. I was the first to show up and as he waited for the other couple, he did try to "recruit" others.

It allowed me the time to explore the cruise port.

When the other 2 did show up (about 10-15 minutes later), we departed and we did not wait for anyone else to join us.

There were 3 crew members in the boat with us 3 customers! Spencer eventually joined us later in the afternoon if only for a short time. It was a pleasure meeting him and I am certain he took a loss on that tour that day but again he did not cancel on us.

I was surprised to find out that snorkeling is included during the Jalousie beach break...it prepared me for my snorkel excursion in Bonaire...otherwise I would have had difficulty in Bonaire.

On the boat ride over, there was some commentary along the way but it is on the return trip that much more is pointed out and stops/photo opps are made. St. Lucia is a beautiful, lush and well landscaped island.

Refreshments were given on the boat rides as well as on the beach. It was of no concern to me, because I was not getting one, but the box lunch for the other 2 was not brought until after 1 pm, for whatever reason.

Terry was our guide for the day and he was very personable and humorous. Raymond piloted the boat. I recommend Spencer and if you do book with him please try to bring some school supplies as he collects them for a local school.

Hope this helps.

Does Spencer have a crowded boat for the Jalousie Beach break tour? Do you have to wait for him to find more customers before you leave?

 

We booked a tour our last trip to St. Lucia and had to wait while the tour operator tried to drum up more customers. He had the boat packed so full it was uncomfortable. I do not know who we went with as the tour we booked with dumped us onto another tour.

 

Not looking to repeat that miserable trip!

We booked online a Spencer Ambrose tour for US$90 each and took the tour 2 weeks ago. This included a drive down the island to Soufriere, then a boat to Jalousie Beach where we would stop for two hours and have lunch, then a speedboat trip back up the island to Castries. This seemed like good value for money. And so it proved, sort of.

Spencer himself was at the dock to meet us. He had the ‘flu, which freaked us out a bit because cruise passengers live in fear of anyone who sneezes. Luckily, Spencer was not our driver for the day: our driver’s name was Small and already on board his MPV was a nice couple from Canada who were staying at a resort.

Our stops on the way to Soufriere weren’t exactly exciting: a banana plantation was really just a roadside trinket stall but we did get a banana to eat. Next was in the middle of a village where Small fetched us a bag of freshly baked bread which is apparently some sort of local speciality. It was merely bread. We passed a road accident and I might mention here that Small’s driving was appalling: he was on the rev limiter almost all the time, he aggressively tail-gated a learner driver for several miles and, worst of all, he refused to allow another MPV to pass so we hurtled up a hill side by side at 60mph. It was shockingly bad driving.

We went into the so-called Drive-In Volcano. It had a mild sulphurous smell, trinket stalls and was a complete waste of time. The waterfall was even less impressive: a modest trickle and they’d had to damn up the river with bags of concrete to create an unattractive bathing pool.

We drove straight through Soufriere and had no opportunity to explore the town. Then we got on Spencer’s speedboat and headed around into Jalousie Beach, between the famous Pitons. This beach is basically man-made, with imported sand, and an artificial shelf. Much of it is taken up by the resort - once the Jalousie Hilton, now stupidly renamed Sugar Beach by its new owners, Viceroy. There is a cramped, crowded, hot and inarguably grotty area reserved for ‘plebs’ like us who arrive on day-trips. There was absolutely no way we could spend two hours there - and Spenser’s food looked like total slop - so we walked over to the hotel and had a lovely lunch in their beachfront restaurant. The beach was uninviting so we didn’t bother to swim, though the hotel did offer to rent us a sun lounger for $50 each.

Two hours later we set off in Spencer’s speedboat - there was the two of us, the two Canadians and eight others. This two-hour trip back to Castries was excellent, giving wonderful island views, and was the highlight of the tour.

Overall I’d give the day 5/10. Spencer’s outfit was well-organised; Small was an excellent guide and a bad driver; the lunch looked disgusting; the sightseeing stops were frankly a waste of time and even the Pitons were merely as we expected, lacking the wow factor because of the large numbers of tourists and a lot of crass commercialisation: this should never have been given World Heritage Site status.

Was the boat ride very rough?

We took the Spencer Ambrose Land & Sea Tour last year, and enjoyed it.

Different driver. We liked the stop at the volcano, and the waterfall.

We had a full van, and we all really clicked. Everyone got along very well. Had a nice time at the beach, and loved the boat ride back.

We did Spencer's Beach Break Tour last year, with Spencer as our boat captain.

The boat ride down to Jalousie and back was wonderful - not too rough. He went directly to Jalousie with a quick stop in Soufriere for bread. We were the first group to arrive at Jalousie.

The beach at Jalousie wasn't crowded at all, the food was excellent and the snorkeling was pretty decent. There was plenty of cold beer and potent rum punch to go around.

All in all, this was an excellent excursion and everyone had a blast.

On our way back to port, he made several photo-op stops, including a bat cave and the Lady Slipper from Pirates of the Caribbean.

He even stopped in Marigot Bay to let a couple of the ladies use the washroom there.

Cheers, P:)

We did Spencer's Beach Break Tour last year, with Spencer as our boat captain.

 

The boat ride down to Jalousie and back was wonderful - not too rough. He went directly to Jalousie with a quick stop in Soufriere for bread. We were the first group to arrive at Jalousie.

 

The beach at Jalousie wasn't crowded at all, the food was excellent and the snorkeling was pretty decent. There was plenty of cold beer and potent rum punch to go around.

 

All in all, this was an excellent excursion and everyone had a blast.

 

On our way back to port, he made several photo-op stops, including a bat cave and the Lady Slipper from Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

He even stopped in Marigot Bay to let a couple of the ladies use the washroom there.

 

Cheers, P:)

Thanks for this review. We have been debating whether to use Spencer on our upcoming cruise. Can you tell me if you did any snorkeling? Did the water seem pretty clear?

We just did the Spencer Ambrose Jalousie Beach Break tour this past Tuesday. We booked in advance (only 2 weeks prior), for 14 people. Spencer was very prompt in all communications. On the day of the tour, we met Spencer at the designated spot just outside the security area. We walked about 100 yards to the dock, and waited about 10 minutes while Spencer hopped on a boat to get his boat and bring it to the dock. There were 2 additional people who joined at the last minute, as they wanted to hike the Pitons. We left in his speedboat, 16 customers and 3 staff. The boat is rated for 21 people. Going to the Pitons is not a leisurely ride. He moves pretty fast and since it was windy, he had to go a little faster so the people sitting in the back didn't get soaked by the spray. The boat has twin 300 HP engines so it moves. We had 8 adults and 8 kids, ranging from 11-17 years old. The people sitting in the front get the bumpy part of the ride, so all of the kids, and I, sat there. It really was a great and fun ride, but it is not a ferry ! We actually went around the far side of the Pitons to drop off the couple hiking, with a guide provided by Spencer. It gave us a nice view, and took about 10 minutes. Spencer then brought us to Jalousie Beach, where we met a small group of people that had arrived on an earlier boat from Spencer. We sat in the free chairs in front of the snorkeling area, which was under some tree cover and had some huts. We chose not to move down the beach towards the resort since most of our group wanted to snorkel. We spent hours snorkeling, which was excellent. Tons of fish and coral and the kids loved it. I always wondered what kind of food would be served when I read these reviews. Spencer has someone cook up a nice selection of local fare. BBQ chicken, rice and beans, pasta salad, coleslaw, etc. The food was outstanding. Everyone commented how great it was and the kids even ate it all. We had an oversized plate, plenty of food. We also had plenty of beverages, whether it was soda, water, beer or rum and Spencer's crew was always there to help get you more. At about 2 PM we loaded back up into Spencer's boat along with his other boat and we both headed back to Castries. The ride back was slower at times than the ride to the Pitons, as Spencer made the stops already mentioned, the Bat Cave, the Natural Bridge, Marigot Bay, etc. We arrived back at the dock at 3:30 PM, an hour before All Aboard.

I was a bit nervous about booking this tour, since I convinced 13 other people to go so I wanted it to turn out OK. It was the highlight of the cruise. When you think about what you get for the $85pp it is well worth it. A boat ride back and forth to the Pitons, no driving ! Chairs at the beach, lunch, drinks, it became a no brainer.

I would highly recommend Spencer and his team. It was well organized, very professional and all the staff were very friendly. If I ever returned to St Lucia I would not hesitate to book him again and will refer anyone I know going there as well.

We booked with Spencer for the Land and Sea tour a couple of weeks ago. We were part of a group of 8 that did this tour while others from our ship were doing the hike, the Beach Break, etc....

The Beach Break and another tour were provided access to a large selection of food while our tour received a pre-packaged "box lunch". It was a meat and bean dish in a styrofoam container.

As others have mentioned, the area set aside for beach chairs for those of us that are not guests of the resort is a little small, but includes some shade. In our case, we arrived at the beach around noon with a hot sun overhead and found that all the chairs in the shade were already occupied by the Beach Break guests who had arrived earlier. In an effort to find shade, some of our group moved loungers into shady spots. This did make the area more cramped. My husband and I ended up sitting on a step in order to stay in the shade. This made my husband cranky and unwilling to come out in the water with me since he wanted to protect his 'spot' ..... making the beach stop the lowlight of our day.

When all of the Spencer trips headed back toward the cruise ship, we had 2 10-person speedboats plus the 20-passenger boat, all of which left the beach full. As others are mentioned, the ride in the front of the boat is a little rough, but we had fun.

We just did the Spencer Ambrose Jalousie Beach Break tour this past Tuesday. We booked in advance (only 2 weeks prior), for 14 people. Spencer was very prompt in all communications. On the day of the tour, we met Spencer at the designated spot just outside the security area. We walked about 100 yards to the dock, and waited about 10 minutes while Spencer hopped on a boat to get his boat and bring it to the dock. There were 2 additional people who joined at the last minute, as they wanted to hike the Pitons. We left in his speedboat, 16 customers and 3 staff. The boat is rated for 21 people. Going to the Pitons is not a leisurely ride. He moves pretty fast and since it was windy, he had to go a little faster so the people sitting in the back didn't get soaked by the spray. The boat has twin 300 HP engines so it moves. We had 8 adults and 8 kids, ranging from 11-17 years old. The people sitting in the front get the bumpy part of the ride, so all of the kids, and I, sat there. It really was a great and fun ride, but it is not a ferry ! We actually went around the far side of the Pitons to drop off the couple hiking, with a guide provided by Spencer. It gave us a nice view, and took about 10 minutes. Spencer then brought us to Jalousie Beach, where we met a small group of people that had arrived on an earlier boat from Spencer. We sat in the free chairs in front of the snorkeling area, which was under some tree cover and had some huts. We chose not to move down the beach towards the resort since most of our group wanted to snorkel. We spent hours snorkeling, which was excellent. Tons of fish and coral and the kids loved it. I always wondered what kind of food would be served when I read these reviews. Spencer has someone cook up a nice selection of local fare. BBQ chicken, rice and beans, pasta salad, coleslaw, etc. The food was outstanding. Everyone commented how great it was and the kids even ate it all. We had an oversized plate, plenty of food. We also had plenty of beverages, whether it was soda, water, beer or rum and Spencer's crew was always there to help get you more. At about 2 PM we loaded back up into Spencer's boat along with his other boat and we both headed back to Castries. The ride back was slower at times than the ride to the Pitons, as Spencer made the stops already mentioned, the Bat Cave, the Natural Bridge, Marigot Bay, etc. We arrived back at the dock at 3:30 PM, an hour before All Aboard.

 

I was a bit nervous about booking this tour, since I convinced 13 other people to go so I wanted it to turn out OK. It was the highlight of the cruise. When you think about what you get for the $85pp it is well worth it. A boat ride back and forth to the Pitons, no driving ! Chairs at the beach, lunch, drinks, it became a no brainer.

 

I would highly recommend Spencer and his team. It was well organized, very professional and all the staff were very friendly. If I ever returned to St Lucia I would not hesitate to book him again and will refer anyone I know going there as well.

Thank you for this detailed review. Sounds fun! Think we will book. My husband is a big snorkeler so this sounds just right for us.

Has anyone done the "West Coast Island Delight" tour from Ambrose? If so, how was it?

It stops briefly at Jalousie Beach, so I was wondering:

For the area that is set aside for daytrippers not staying at the resort, can I assume that you can at least walk to other parts of the beach? I am not looking to do swimming or snorkeling (don't have time on this particular tour!) but if there's better photography on the other end of the beach, I might want to walk there quickly!!

Has anyone done the "West Coast Island Delight" tour from Ambrose? If so, how was it?

 

It stops briefly at Jalousie Beach, so I was wondering:

 

For the area that is set aside for daytrippers not staying at the resort, can I assume that you can at least walk to other parts of the beach? I am not looking to do swimming or snorkeling (don't have time on this particular tour!) but if there's better photography on the other end of the beach, I might want to walk there quickly!!

Can't answer tot he tour part as I live here and don't take the tours anymore!! Spencer does get very high ratings though, both here and on TripAdvisor.

As far as the beach goes though- all beaches in St. Lucia are public. The chairs provided by Sugar Beach resort on Jalousie beach are free and a courtesy they provide for visitors. You are not restricted to this area only by any means though - you can walk all up and down the beach, you can go in to the beach bar for a drink or bite to eat, etc - feel free to enjoy the beach and views anywhere along it.

Enjoy your visit.

The entire beach is accessible. As we approached the dock at the beach, the public chairs were on the left with the designated snorkeling area right in front of them.

To the right of the dock was the swimming area and the bulk of the beach. The cushy chairs there are for use by paying guests (and previous reviews indicate that you can pay the resort for those). The entire beach is accessible to you as well. The water was clear and the swimming was very nice on the day we were there. The area near the beach was a little rocky, so I was glad that I was wearing my water shoes.

Spencer has several people there at the beach to provide the snorkel equipment, drinks, food, etc... He and his staff were helpful and pleasant!

Thanks for this review. We have been debating whether to use Spencer on our upcoming cruise. Can you tell me if you did any snorkeling? Did the water seem pretty clear?

Most of our time at Jalousie we spent snorkeling. The water was very clear and there was a lot to see - mostly fish (good variety though - Trumpetfish, Peacock Flounders, Trunkfish, Parrotfish, Sergeant Majors) and a couple of eels.

The food was excellent and Spencer and his crew were great...

Here are some pics I took last year. The St. Lucia photos start about 1/3 way down.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150709850545681.447350.567405680&type=3&l=f8f38f46d3

Has anyone done the "West Coast Island Delight" tour from Ambrose? If so, how was it?

 

It stops briefly at Jalousie Beach, so I was wondering:

 

For the area that is set aside for daytrippers not staying at the resort, can I assume that you can at least walk to other parts of the beach? I am not looking to do swimming or snorkeling (don't have time on this particular tour!) but if there's better photography on the other end of the beach, I might want to walk there quickly!!

We have done the West Coast Island Delight tour with Spencer Ambrose off the Carnival Victory in 2009. We had many photo stops--including the Morne Fortune Overlook and a stop with the Snake Man. We saw so many beautiful and interesting sites, such as the Roseau Banana Plantation, the fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries, Toraille Waterfall, Sulphur Springs and the famous Pitons. We also spent 45 minutes at Jalousie Beach. When we did the West Coast tour, the resort did not yet provide the complimentary lounge chairs, however when we returned to Jalousie Beach in 2011 the complimentary lounge chairs on the snorkeling side of the beach were available. Jalousie Beach is a public beach and although the free chairs are located on the Petit Piton side of the beach, you are able to access the water and walk anywhere along the beach and of course you can put your towel down anywhere along this stretch.

Throughout the day, Spencer kept a cooler of drinks right in the van which we could help ourselves to at any time. He also kept us well fed and between lunch, snacks and fresh Creole bread, we were stuffed the entire day. Although the drive down to Soufriere was broken up with stops and site attractions, the return trip was basically a straight trip back along the windy roads. If motion sickness is an issue, the drive back could effect you.

I have put together a YouTube video of our West Coast tour with Spencer Ambrose. You can view that, by clicking on the link below:

We also did this tour about a week ago with a group. Everything turned out perfectly. Spencer was great with communications (I was the coordinator for the group) and we met him at the exact time we were told and in about 10 minutes, we were on the boat and starting the tour (Jalouise Beach Break). He did not try to recruit others and he only allowed so many in the boat so everyone was comfortable. We really enjoyed our day and it was the highlight of our cruise. I would book one of his tours again in a heartbeat and have used him many times in the past, and even have sent clients of mine on his tours. The entire staff is wonderful.

We just did the Spencer Ambrose Jalousie Beach Break tour this past Tuesday. We booked in advance (only 2 weeks prior), for 14 people. Spencer was very prompt in all communications. On the day of the tour, we met Spencer at the designated spot just outside the security area. We walked about 100 yards to the dock, and waited about 10 minutes while Spencer hopped on a boat to get his boat and bring it to the dock. There were 2 additional people who joined at the last minute, as they wanted to hike the Pitons. We left in his speedboat, 16 customers and 3 staff. The boat is rated for 21 people. Going to the Pitons is not a leisurely ride. He moves pretty fast and since it was windy, he had to go a little faster so the people sitting in the back didn't get soaked by the spray. The boat has twin 300 HP engines so it moves. We had 8 adults and 8 kids, ranging from 11-17 years old. The people sitting in the front get the bumpy part of the ride, so all of the kids, and I, sat there. It really was a great and fun ride, but it is not a ferry ! We actually went around the far side of the Pitons to drop off the couple hiking, with a guide provided by Spencer. It gave us a nice view, and took about 10 minutes. Spencer then brought us to Jalousie Beach, where we met a small group of people that had arrived on an earlier boat from Spencer. We sat in the free chairs in front of the snorkeling area, which was under some tree cover and had some huts. We chose not to move down the beach towards the resort since most of our group wanted to snorkel. We spent hours snorkeling, which was excellent. Tons of fish and coral and the kids loved it. I always wondered what kind of food would be served when I read these reviews. Spencer has someone cook up a nice selection of local fare. BBQ chicken, rice and beans, pasta salad, coleslaw, etc. The food was outstanding. Everyone commented how great it was and the kids even ate it all. We had an oversized plate, plenty of food. We also had plenty of beverages, whether it was soda, water, beer or rum and Spencer's crew was always there to help get you more. At about 2 PM we loaded back up into Spencer's boat along with his other boat and we both headed back to Castries. The ride back was slower at times than the ride to the Pitons, as Spencer made the stops already mentioned, the Bat Cave, the Natural Bridge, Marigot Bay, etc. We arrived back at the dock at 3:30 PM, an hour before All Aboard.

 

I was a bit nervous about booking this tour, since I convinced 13 other people to go so I wanted it to turn out OK. It was the highlight of the cruise. When you think about what you get for the $85pp it is well worth it. A boat ride back and forth to the Pitons, no driving ! Chairs at the beach, lunch, drinks, it became a no brainer.

 

I would highly recommend Spencer and his team. It was well organized, very professional and all the staff were very friendly. If I ever returned to St Lucia I would not hesitate to book him again and will refer anyone I know going there as well.

As of today, there are 160 reviews of Spencer's tours on Tripadvisor. 17 of those rate him as average, poor or terrible. So, approximately one out of ten customers feel his excursions are not above par. That, along with the reports of the beach itself helped us to decide to look for something else. Everyone needs to decide what your priorities are and go with realistic expectations. Hopefully you'll be in the 90% who will have a good or excellent day! :D

Thank you for this detailed review. Sounds fun! Think we will book. My husband is a big snorkeler so this sounds just right for us.

This mirrors my experience last week. Good review!! Can't wait to get back. I would recommend Spencer's tour.

We did not book a sea tour with him but did do a land package and Spencer is simply the best. My with became will during the tour, nothing too serious thank God and Spencer went the extra mile to get her back to the ship. I can't say enough good things about him. He is a very caring man. :)

We just returned from an NCL Sun cruise in Feb 2013. I booked 4 of us with Spencer Ambrose Tours based on good reviews and we LOVED everybit of it. They were easy to find at the port & had us back in good time.

Small was our guide and we were joined by Spencer's daughter who is training as a guide. They were both delightful! We booked the Land & Sea Tour and it was a nice taste of both. The Pitons are amazing. Jalouise Beach area where we went snorkeling was great!! It was clear water and we saw many different fish. The snorkeling area does not look like much, but when you get in....it is!!

Yes, the designated area is a bit small but as stated in other reviews, the beach which is large is public and you can walk down and get in the water if you want. If you want to go by the resort and pay $20 a chair you can, or just stay in the deignated area which is perfectly fine and have a free chair. Then the boat ride back to the ship with Terry & Raymond was great too. I saw remarks from another review that were mostly negative and we would completely disagree! I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you look at the reviews, the good ones far out number the negative.

St. Lucia is a beautiful island and Spencer Ambrose tours is wonderful our van had 8 people and we all agreed...we give it 10/10 and would use them again!! ;)

We just returned from our first cruise experience on Carnival Valor in March 2013. I booked our family of five, two adults and three kids ages 17, 15, and 12 on the Land and Sea Tour with Spencer Ambrose. We all had a great time!

The tour was easy to find and had us back by 3:30 so we still had time to explore the shops in port. Our driver and guide for the land portion was Big Al. He was an excellent driver and gave us a lot of information about the island. Including Big Al there were thirteen passengers on the air conditioned bus. I sat in the middle with my daughter, my husband and boys sat behind us. My only suggestion would be that the driver be given a speaker system so that those in the back of the bus can hear him. My husband was not able to hear most of Big Al's commentary.

We were given refreshments through out the bus tour which included water, pop, rum punch, beer, fresh sweet bananas and freshly baked creole bread. Our stops were fairly brief at the banana plantation, Toraille waterfall, and the two look-out points, approximately ten minutes each. We drove through the fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries. The stop at the Sulphur Springs was around twenty minutes, however, we did not have time to visit the mud baths. We ended up waiting almost twenty minutes for the other two bus groups to join us at the dock before we took the boat to Jalousie Beach between the Pitons.

Spencer had two boats available to take everyone to the beach. The lunch was served buffet style and included BBQ chicken, rice, pasta, beans, two salads and drinks. It was very tasty and there was plenty of food available. As others have mentioned, the beach to the left was a bit small for the number of people on the tour, however, the lounge chairs were complimentary and there was available shade. We brought our own snorkel gear and had a fantastic time snorkeling! The water was very calm and clear, we saw lots of fish and coral. I believe we spent over an hour and a half at the beach before taking the boat back to the ship.

We went with Spencer and his daughter on the sea portion of the tour. His daughter is in training to be a guide and both she and her father did an amazing job. The stops on the sea portion included the bat cave, the natural bridge "Lady's Slipper" and Marigot Bay. We all really enjoyed the sea portion and were glad we returned to the ship by sea rather than by land.

I've read both positive and negative reviews for Spencer's Tours. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, however, my family and I had a wonderful time on this tour! We found St. Lucia to be a beautiful island and everyone worked very hard to make our trip a memorable one. Thank-you again to Spencer and his team for providing us with such an enjoyable excursion :)

We did the SA Land and Sea tour on 3/14 and were not pleased. The land part was fine. I agree with the other comments about Big Al, who was also our driver. Great guy, plenty of stops for photos, very hospitable.

We got to Soufriere and boarded the boat for the ride to the beach. I noticed a shopping bag full of styrofoam containers. I thought perhaps this was lunch for his crew. Wrong: it was our lunch. I wasn't keen on the idea of food like pasta salad and chicken sitting around in the heat. I passed.

The beach area is small but wouldn't be so bad if there weren't so many people crammed in there. There aren't anywhere near enough seats for everyone.

If you're there early in the day the snorkeling might be okay but by the time we arrived there was a lot of sand stirred up and you couldn't see much.

The thing that makes me not recommend this tour is Spencer himself. For some reason he doesn't collect money for the tour until you're at the beach. Why not do this before you leave? In our instance there were 2 or 3 people who hadn't paid and none of us could leave until they paid. On top of that there were more people leaving on the boats than arrived on them. On the short ride from Soufriere we had about 10 or 12 people. Going back to Castries, a much longer ride, we had 18. A significant increase on a small boat.

The worst part was Spencer's attitude. He was short with both customers and staff. He seemed argumentative and swift to want to blame others for the problems he was experiencing (i.e. people paying late, boats overcrowded, etc.). He seemed like a jerk to me.

The second worst part was when our boat broke down. I'm not sure what happened but we were idle in the water. Lucky for us another tour operator, Papa's Boat Tours, came along and rescued us. After getting a late start we were really starting to sweat getting back to the ship on time. We made in with about 30 min. to spare.

If its not a busy or hectic situation, Spencer would probably be okay. Big Al was excellent as were his other employees. His tour just seemed badly organized and poorly operated in my experience.

Have done over 30 boat excursions while cruising the carribean. Spencer Ambrose on St Lucia was the best I have ever done. Laughed so much my sides hurt. Did the speed boat, mud bath, lunch, beach/snorkeling. Spencer and his daughter were great!!:cool:

Beaches in St Lucia are public, so even though the area with chairs was small, there was a large beach and water section that was very spacious. There was frequent turnover in the smaller section and we easily found chairs for my group of 10.

Thanks to Spencer for the best time ever!

After he read my review here, I was contacted by Spencer Ambrose himself. He expressed his sincere apologies for the bad experience we had. I got the feeling that showing visitors to his island is something he takes great pride in. He was very upset about our negative experience.

As a result of my comments, and those of others, he tells me that he is making some changes that will keep his operation running in a more orderly and effecient manner.

I applaud him for this. It's very impressive to see someone who cares, not only about their business but about their home, St. Lucia, as much as Spencer does. It would have been easy just to write my comments off as another whiny American. But instead, he took the time to contact me and tell me about the concrete steps he's taking to make sure his customers have the best time possible when they visit St. Lucia.

I wish all business people cared as much as Spencer does!