Royston vs Thenford Grey Tours

We've heard both are good but a little different. Its just the wife and I with no kids and looking for a little adventure which tour would be the best?

Cheers!

My impression is that Royston's tour is more "adventurous," though I've only been on his and not Mr. Grey's. Both are reportedly excellent. Royston uses an older van with the windows popped out and only takes a small group. He has a well-stocked cooler with water, local sodas, and Carib beer, and later provides a locally sourced lunch. He took us all over the island, covering entrance fees and tips out of the tour fee and stopping to taste local foods, feed donkeys, and many other little adventures, such as driving through fields, along a beach, and to the top of a hill to view Nevis. Royston had everything we needed from a first-aid kit to beach chairs, umbrellas, and snorkel gear. I don't know where he keeps everything in that van--it's a bit like Mary Poppins' magic valise. We're stopping at St. Kitts on our cruise this year in November and have booked again.

We've toured three times with Royston, so he has my vote. Totally agree with prior poster about what a great day he delivers!

We've toured three times with Royston, so he has my vote. Totally agree with prior poster about what a great day he delivers!

My impression is that Royston's tour is more "adventurous," though I've only been on his and not Mr. Grey's. Both are reportedly excellent. Royston uses an older van with the windows popped out and only takes a small group. He has a well-stocked cooler with water, local sodas, and Carib beer, and later provides a locally sourced lunch. He took us all over the island, covering entrance fees and tips out of the tour fee and stopping to taste local foods, feed donkeys, and many other little adventures, such as driving through fields, along a beach, and to the top of a hill to view Nevis. Royston had everything we needed from a first-aid kit to beach chairs, umbrellas, and snorkel gear. I don't know where he keeps everything in that van--it's a bit like Mary Poppins' magic valise. We're stopping at St. Kitts on our cruise this year in November and have booked again.

How many people can fit in this van? We are a group of 12.

How many people can fit in this van? We are a group of 12.

12 in the van may tight.

I've toured with Royston twice. Once was the island tour and the second time we hiked the volcano.

Royston used to do triathlons (I'm not sure if he still does) and he is in very good shape. If you are up for quite a hike with actual scrambling over boulders the volcano hike cannot be beat.

Royston is amazing! We have sent many many people to him!

How many people can fit in this van? We are a group of 12.

Royston can only accomdate 6 to 8 people but he was great. Best tour we ever did.

........Royston uses an older van with the windows popped out and only takes a small group......

Anyone take the tour with Royston in the October time frame? Just how hot would it be in a van with windows that only pop out?

Anyone been able to get in touch with Royston's lately? Trying to book for December and filled out his form, but never heard back. Been nearly two weeks. I'll try again but just wondering if anyone's been able to get in touch with him lately.

Anyone been able to get in touch with Royston's lately? Trying to book for December and filled out his form, but never heard back. Been nearly two weeks. I'll try again but just wondering if anyone's been able to get in touch with him lately.

I've had the same problem. Booked online but haven't heard bsck from him. How long does he usually take?

I've had the same problem. Booked online but haven't heard bsck from him. How long does he usually take?

No idea, but I think nearly two weeks is too long. I had no problems booking my Antigua excursion. Very prompt with confirmation within 24 hours. So, I am not sure spotty internet is to blame here. Think I am going to look into Thenford Grey's Tours.

I've only toured with Thenford Grey, his knowledge and delivery was beyond exceptional! We did the island tour and Thenford was our guide. The fort is an absolute must see, take the time to climb to the top, and his knowledge of plants at the botanical garden was amazing! We were with him in October, air conditioned bus was refreshing and appreciated! I received a reply from online booking inquiry within 24 hours.

No idea, but I think nearly two weeks is too long. I had no problems booking my Antigua excursion. Very prompt with confirmation within 24 hours. So, I am not sure spotty internet is to blame here. Think I am going to look into Thenford Grey's Tours.

He got back to me and unfortunately he is fully booked that day. We'll try to rent a car instead and drive ourselves around.

He got back to me and unfortunately he is fully booked that day. We'll try to rent a car instead and drive ourselves around.

It took him nearly two weeks but I also heard back from him, but at that point, I had already booked with Thenford Grey. And it's true, their response time was within 24 hours. Very organized booking info and I like that. Looking forward to the tour!

We just toured with Royston on Thanksgiving day! Initially when trying to book with Royston it did take a while for him to respond - about 2 weeks. We had read that he can be delayed in responding and somewhat unreliable. We also booked with Thenford Grey as a back up. Once Royston assured us that we were booked and he would be there, I cancelled the Thenford tour. I was still a bit nervous the day of the tour, my hubby thought I was crazy to even take the chance he may not show.

When we first walked through the security building we immediately saw a sign for Thenford's tour, but my email for Royston said he would be outside to the left, so away we went. He was not there, but we were a couple of minutes early. Then right on time (815), we see this thin young man trotting toward us with a huge smile. That was Royston. We were a party of 4 and he had another party of 2-3 booked for the same tour. So we waited, and waited. Royston wanted to wait on the other party since he had toured with them before. Finally at about 837 Royston said let's go. They were a no show.

Royston gave the best island tour we've ever had! By the time we were finished we had driven up the mountain side, rode down "roads" that Royston created himself with his little blue van, held monkeys, pet a donkey, thought we may drive off a cliff, collected shells, & had a great lunch with our new friend! Royston is a great guy. Be aware though, he is fearless! He has many stories and is a very interesting person.

If he doesn't get back to you as soon as you would like, wait a little longer. It was well worth it! He is very busy and often travels to the US in the Summer months, I think he was here for 3 months this year just returning in Sept/Oct. If Royston is ever in our neck of the woods on one of his adventures, I wouldn't hesitate to invite him in.

We just toured with Royston on Thanksgiving day! Initially when trying to book with Royston it did take a while for him to respond - about 2 weeks. We had read that he can be delayed in responding and somewhat unreliable. We also booked with Thenford Grey as a back up. Once Royston assured us that we were booked and he would be there, I cancelled the Thenford tour. I was still a bit nervous the day of the tour, my hubby thought I was crazy to even take the chance he may not show.

 

When we first walked through the security building we immediately saw a sign for Thenford's tour, but my email for Royston said he would be outside to the left, so away we went. He was not there, but we were a couple of minutes early. Then right on time (815), we see this thin young man trotting toward us with a huge smile. That was Royston. We were a party of 4 and he had another party of 2-3 booked for the same tour. So we waited, and waited. Royston wanted to wait on the other party since he had toured with them before. Finally at about 837 Royston said let's go. They were a no show.

 

Royston gave the best island tour we've ever had! By the time we were finished we had driven up the mountain side, rode down "roads" that Royston created himself with his little blue van, held monkeys, pet a donkey, thought we may drive off a cliff, collected shells, & had a great lunch with our new friend! Royston is a great guy. Be aware though, he is fearless! He has many stories and is a very interesting person.

 

If he doesn't get back to you as soon as you would like, wait a little longer. It was well worth it! He is very busy and often travels to the US in the Summer months, I think he was here for 3 months this year just returning in Sept/Oct. If Royston is ever in our neck of the woods on one of his adventures, I wouldn't hesitate to invite him in.

Did Royston give you any options to deviate from the standard tour? We've been to Brimstone Fortress, and while it was a very historic and informative site, we'd like to see more of the sites off the beaten path, so to speak. We truly enjoyed Mr. Grey's tour, but wanted to see St. Kitts from a less traditional perspective - Was that option offered to your group?

Thanks in advance!

Did Royston give you any options to deviate from the standard tour? We've been to Brimstone Fortress, and while it was a very historic and informative site, we'd like to see more of the sites off the beaten path, so to speak. We truly enjoyed Mr. Grey's tour, but wanted to see St. Kitts from a less traditional perspective - Was that option offered to your group?

 

Thanks in advance!

We did go to Brimstone Fortress, which is where we ate our lunch that Royston bought from a local place. He even made his own paths at Brimstone where a van bigger than his could not...he had his bushwhacking tools in hand and off we went on foot to where he felt were the best views. We definitely were off the beaten path for most of the tour. I made a comment to him that there probably weren't many buses or tours going "here" (can't tell you where here is ;) ), and he said he's the only one he's seen there. I think he would definitely cater to your wants as long as you were the only ones in the van. Just let him know where you have been before, even though most likely his perspective on that same place could be very different than the one you had before. Also let him know your activity level, that may play into what he would plan for you. Have fun!

Last year I tried to book with Royston unfortunately he was going on vacation that week so Thenford was our backup and boy was I glad. Lunch stop a local restaurant on the French side, great fish. His knowledge is amazingly loved the view of the Atlantic Caribbean oceans together. Would book with him in a heartbeat

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Royston was kind enough to book us on December 17, 2017 even though he typically requires 4 people to conduct the tour. If anybody will be coming in on the Adventure and wants to go with us, please contact him. (I also posted this on the roll call.) I will be happy to report back when we return though.

Oh, also, he was really prompt in responding to my request. He responded the same day and has been responsive going back and forth over email. Just wanted to throw that out there in hopes maybe the previous posters' experiences were just an anomaly.

We just toured with Royston on Thanksgiving day! Initially when trying to book with Royston it did take a while for him to respond - about 2 weeks. We had read that he can be delayed in responding and somewhat unreliable. We also booked with Thenford Grey as a back up. Once Royston assured us that we were booked and he would be there, I cancelled the Thenford tour. I was still a bit nervous the day of the tour, my hubby thought I was crazy to even take the chance he may not show.

 

When we first walked through the security building we immediately saw a sign for Thenford's tour, but my email for Royston said he would be outside to the left, so away we went. He was not there, but we were a couple of minutes early. Then right on time (815), we see this thin young man trotting toward us with a huge smile. That was Royston. We were a party of 4 and he had another party of 2-3 booked for the same tour. So we waited, and waited. Royston wanted to wait on the other party since he had toured with them before. Finally at about 837 Royston said let's go. They were a no show.

 

Royston gave the best island tour we've ever had! By the time we were finished we had driven up the mountain side, rode down "roads" that Royston created himself with his little blue van, held monkeys, pet a donkey, thought we may drive off a cliff, collected shells, & had a great lunch with our new friend! Royston is a great guy. Be aware though, he is fearless! He has many stories and is a very interesting person.

 

If he doesn't get back to you as soon as you would like, wait a little longer. It was well worth it! He is very busy and often travels to the US in the Summer months, I think he was here for 3 months this year just returning in Sept/Oct. If Royston is ever in our neck of the woods on one of his adventures, I wouldn't hesitate to invite him in.

We toured with Royston the day after you and I agree with EVERYTHING you said. He is amazing and caring and definately a dare devil. We had a great day!

We toured with Royston on December 26, 2017. I feel I need to contribute a head's up that our experience was a bit different than others have had. Ya know how when you read TripAdvisor reviews and there's the one really detailed bad one amid all the upbeat ones, and you think that poster must just be cranky? I wish I had paid a bit more attention to the one poster.

We had booked ahead of time for our party of three, and agreed to pay a nominal fee for 3 other seats so we could have a private tour. We like to get really in depth in our touring, asking tons of questions and pausing at interesting parts, and we didn't want to bore another party who might have ended up riding with us. Royston met us right on time and started driving us around the island. So far so good.

The van is really in bad shape. The windshield is cracked, the sliding door doesn't latch well, there were holes in the floor. It was fine, and certainly added character to the tour, but not particularly comfortable. There were several quick hard rainstorms through the day that made the lack of windows a bit unpleasant. If we hadn't brought raincoats, we would have been soaked through for the rest of the trip. The island is beautiful.

We got plenty of time to look at things, because Royston would pull up to a ledge and pause for long moments, lost in reverie. I assume he was giving us more than enough time to take pictures, but it was also kind of weird. There were occasional monologues about colors only he could see. In fact, we were treated to a few repeated themes of monologue as we went along. One about the students at the vet school being drunks and unChristian. Another about St. Kitts avoiding the recent hurricanes because it is a Christian island, while St. Martin deserved its damage because they have casinos and don't pray. And then the colors. Lots about the special colors only Royston could see.

There was a cooler in the van with a variety of drinks, which we appreciated. When I asked about lunch, around 11ish, trying to plan ahead, Royston replied that he would have to see what he could do. To be fair, this was Boxing Day and a lot of places were closed. But surely that was not a surprise? Doesn't it happen every year? Nonetheless, we toured for several more hours, with no food in sight, when finally we ended up at the Fort, which has a junky little tourist grill. By this time, it was around 2 and everyone's blood sugar was low. When I asked if there was a plan for lunch, Royston replied that he had hoped to see people grilling in the picnic area but there weren't any. So we got really bad sandwiches from the grill and made do. Royston did pay for these, as lunch was advertised as included, but as he did he commented that he didn't need food anymore, so he forgot other people did. A far cry from roti prepared on the beach!

We continued our tour. We saw wonderful things. St. Kitts is so beautiful. Also, kind of big for a day tour. We began to encourage Royston to wrap it up, so we could get back on time. He did not have watch or a phone to keep track of time. At this point, we were still having fun, although glad we had not laid out a ton of money. We figured it was weird but basically good. Some of the drop-offs made me a little nervous, as the van edged right along them, but all part of the adventure, right?

And then, the last 45 minutes: we were quzzed about our own religious beliefs, specifcally what our beliefs required of us in order to get into heaven. Once we had answered, I guess correctly, Royston felt safe to launch into his own spiritual journey, including exactly what it feels like when God comes to talk to him, what Jesus really looks like, why he was kicked out of his own church after he confronted them about using the wrong calendar since Rome and the Pagans conspired to destroy the real calendar system in the beginning (??), and who exactly the antiChrist is, and Royston's proof of this. Also, how helpful YouTube has been in interpreting all the numbers God has confided to Royston in dreams, so that he is in the process of calculating when precicely the world will end. Spoiler alert: he's narrowed it down to 2040 but still iffy on the exact day. This might sound quirky and funny, but delivered in a rundown van on the edge of a cliff, from someone who clearly wasn't joking, it bordered on scary. Like he might save us all the trouble of waiting until 2040 and just take us over the cliff now. At the very least, it was not a pleasant way to end a tour.

Fortunately, we did arrive back in town without the world ending. It was a funny story to tell our friends at dinner. But I wouldn't want to repeat the day. We decided that both the great reviews and the few completely negative ones are accurrate. I think Royston must take medication for whatever mental condition he has, and this allows him to focus and function the majority of the time. Unfortunately, he must have literally gone "off his meds" for the holidays, and we got the unfiltered version. My husband kept asking me, "and everyone on cruise critic loves this guy????" So I felt obligated to comment. In fact, I would have started a new thread, with a title along the lines of "Warning!" but I read the posting rules and that would seem a violation.

If anyone tours with him in the next couple of months, I hope you'll come back and comment. I'd love to hear that he's settled down because I'm not so sure how sustainable the current level of nuts will be. (On the other hand, I suppose he really could be hearing from above, and come 2040 I'll wish I'd paid more attention.)

We toured with Royston on December 26, 2017. I feel I need to contribute a head's up that our experience was a bit different than others have had. Ya know how when you read TripAdvisor reviews and there's the one really detailed bad one amid all the upbeat ones, and you think that poster must just be cranky? I wish I had paid a bit more attention to the one poster.

 

We had booked ahead of time for our party of three, and agreed to pay a nominal fee for 3 other seats so we could have a private tour. We like to get really in depth in our touring, asking tons of questions and pausing at interesting parts, and we didn't want to bore another party who might have ended up riding with us. Royston met us right on time and started driving us around the island. So far so good.

 

The van is really in bad shape. The windshield is cracked, the sliding door doesn't latch well, there were holes in the floor. It was fine, and certainly added character to the tour, but not particularly comfortable. There were several quick hard rainstorms through the day that made the lack of windows a bit unpleasant. If we hadn't brought raincoats, we would have been soaked through for the rest of the trip. The island is beautiful.

 

We got plenty of time to look at things, because Royston would pull up to a ledge and pause for long moments, lost in reverie. I assume he was giving us more than enough time to take pictures, but it was also kind of weird. There were occasional monologues about colors only he could see. In fact, we were treated to a few repeated themes of monologue as we went along. One about the students at the vet school being drunks and unChristian. Another about St. Kitts avoiding the recent hurricanes because it is a Christian island, while St. Martin deserved its damage because they have casinos and don't pray. And then the colors. Lots about the special colors only Royston could see.

 

There was a cooler in the van with a variety of drinks, which we appreciated. When I asked about lunch, around 11ish, trying to plan ahead, Royston replied that he would have to see what he could do. To be fair, this was Boxing Day and a lot of places were closed. But surely that was not a surprise? Doesn't it happen every year? Nonetheless, we toured for several more hours, with no food in sight, when finally we ended up at the Fort, which has a junky little tourist grill. By this time, it was around 2 and everyone's blood sugar was low. When I asked if there was a plan for lunch, Royston replied that he had hoped to see people grilling in the picnic area but there weren't any. So we got really bad sandwiches from the grill and made do. Royston did pay for these, as lunch was advertised as included, but as he did he commented that he didn't need food anymore, so he forgot other people did. A far cry from roti prepared on the beach!

 

We continued our tour. We saw wonderful things. St. Kitts is so beautiful. Also, kind of big for a day tour. We began to encourage Royston to wrap it up, so we could get back on time. He did not have watch or a phone to keep track of time. At this point, we were still having fun, although glad we had not laid out a ton of money. We figured it was weird but basically good. Some of the drop-offs made me a little nervous, as the van edged right along them, but all part of the adventure, right?

 

And then, the last 45 minutes: we were quzzed about our own religious beliefs, specifcally what our beliefs required of us in order to get into heaven. Once we had answered, I guess correctly, Royston felt safe to launch into his own spiritual journey, including exactly what it feels like when God comes to talk to him, what Jesus really looks like, why he was kicked out of his own church after he confronted them about using the wrong calendar since Rome and the Pagans conspired to destroy the real calendar system in the beginning (??), and who exactly the antiChrist is, and Royston's proof of this. Also, how helpful YouTube has been in interpreting all the numbers God has confided to Royston in dreams, so that he is in the process of calculating when precicely the world will end. Spoiler alert: he's narrowed it down to 2040 but still iffy on the exact day. This might sound quirky and funny, but delivered in a rundown van on the edge of a cliff, from someone who clearly wasn't joking, it bordered on scary. Like he might save us all the trouble of waiting until 2040 and just take us over the cliff now. At the very least, it was not a pleasant way to end a tour.

 

Fortunately, we did arrive back in town without the world ending. It was a funny story to tell our friends at dinner. But I wouldn't want to repeat the day. We decided that both the great reviews and the few completely negative ones are accurrate. I think Royston must take medication for whatever mental condition he has, and this allows him to focus and function the majority of the time. Unfortunately, he must have literally gone "off his meds" for the holidays, and we got the unfiltered version. My husband kept asking me, "and everyone on cruise critic loves this guy????" So I felt obligated to comment. In fact, I would have started a new thread, with a title along the lines of "Warning!" but I read the posting rules and that would seem a violation.

 

If anyone tours with him in the next couple of months, I hope you'll come back and comment. I'd love to hear that he's settled down because I'm not so sure how sustainable the current level of nuts will be. (On the other hand, I suppose he really could be hearing from above, and come 2040 I'll wish I'd paid more attention.)

Reading this review makes me VERY happy we went with Thenford Gray's tour instead. We went there on 12/22/17 and had a great time, driver was professional and it was a very comprehensive tour. Lunch was not included, but we ate at the beach and enjoyed the food. This sounds like a complete nightmare! yikes.

Thenford Grey was awesome - we were a group of 17 and had a van/bus with plenty of room. The day we were there was the funeral of the former prime minister of st. Kitts so he was dressed in a suit and tie out of respect. His knowledge about the island is incredible. Two of his children live in the states, we had plenty to talk about. All went to college here but one returned to the island. If you closed your eyes you’d swear you were listening to Morgan Freeman. He did a fantastic job.

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We toured with Royston on December 26, 2017. I feel I need to contribute a head's up that our experience was a bit different than others have had. Ya know how when you read TripAdvisor reviews and there's the one really detailed bad one amid all the upbeat ones, and you think that poster must just be cranky? I wish I had paid a bit more attention to the one poster.

Thank you for taking the time to write this review. Scary!:eek: