St Vincent

[lyntony]

We are going to St Vincent for the first time. Any suggestions for places to see, things to do, etc?

[Toto2Kansas]

The 'Caribbean Other' section of CC would be the best place for answers to this question, there are many responses there for things to do in St. Vincent. It is located here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=68

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes the ports board. :)

[PescadoAmarillo]

We loved our day on St. Vincent visiting the Falls of Baleine with Hazeco tours. It's been a long time now, 6 years, and I heard the falls were closed for awhile due to a rock slide, but it looks like they may be back open again. It ranks in my top five favorite excursions ever.

 

http://www.hazecotours.com/site/tours/tour/baleine

 

It was the coolest waterfall we'd ever jumped into (until we got to Tahiti a few years later), and, most fascinating for me (a Johnny Depp fan), we were able to visit a set left behind after the filming of the first Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

The town where the ship docks is tough...we were among the first off the ship on a second visit to St. Vincent. It was early on a Sunday morning, and we witnessed crime scene chalk and blood spots in a little alley not far from the port. It had all been scrubbed away an hour later, but I would keep my "travelers awareness" about me at all times if wandering away from the beaten path.

[Toto2Kansas]

We have always had a wonderful time touring with Wayne in St. Vincent. http://sites.google.com/site/whalbich/home

In fact, we have enjoyed it so much, we have booked with him each time we visit, so many times I have lost count.

Each adventure is as exciting as the first, and we usually form a great group on our roll call to share the day.

[suesie]

I can really recommend Waynes tours by boat up the coast - you get to see the island and stop in a bay for some good snorkelling. We visited the bay where they filmed Pirates of the Caribbean and the waterfall which had just reopened a few days before we got there.

Really fantastic.

The journey back to the ship we went out to sea a little way and Wayne said we might be lucky and see dolphins...we were very lucky and saw loads - jumping swimming ...........truly magnificent, it really made the day.

Wayne is a really excellent guide and provides some pretty mean rum punch.

If you are going to St. Vincent I can really recommend him.If you have any questions please ask.

[sail7seas]

How long a ride is it from the ship to the falls?

 

[suesie]

We didn't go direct from the ship ( Wayne meets you at the dock right by the ship).

If Wayne took you there direct it would be about 20 minutes I guess to the falla and then the walk to the falls. The trip in total was about 5 to 6 hours and well worth every penny. If I can help any further...

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Suesie.

 

Another question if you don't mind.

Was it just your private group with Waynes or did you join with others? About how many does the boat hold?

 

[suesie]

We booked it for ourselves and Wayne said he needed 10 people to make it cost efective for him. We found 4 others( on these boards) as there were 6 of us, Then Wayne found 3 others so there were 13.

We had loads of room on the boat and if it were full I guess it could hold 20 to 24. We had plenty of room to laze. A really enjoyable day.

Anything else please ask.

[sail7seas]

Thanks. Appreciate your help. Wayne sounds great.

[Seavoyage]

Hi Suesie - your tour with Wayne sounds great - how did you book him?

Via E-mail?

 

May I ask cost per person?

 

"We didn't go direct from the ship ( Wayne meets you at the dock right by the ship)"

Do you mean that Wayne meets you in his boat at the Ship Dock?

 

Is this tour up the east or west coast of the island?

 

What time of year did you go, did you have good weather? Our cruise is in December....

 

Do they provide lunch or a snack?

 

Did you bring your own snorkel gear? Is that allowed?

 

Thank you in advance for your kind reply!

 

Have a great day...

[KSCPA]

I am not Suesie But I just got back from his Tour and it was one of the best excursions I have ever taken. We had 25-26 people JUST from Cruise critic on our boat. It was from 9:30- 2:00 but we got back later than that...he just took his time!!! He pulls right up to the dock to pick you up, 80PP...kids were lower ~ 40. He stops at the waterfall first (and talks and stops all the way up the coast about the island)...We dove into the waterfall!! Fresh water...not salty!! Bring Reef shoes its easier to walk to. Then we stopped at the where "The Pirates of the Caribbean" was filmed for a lovely lunch (Included) and Great pictures. Got dressed upp like Pirates and took pictures!! Cheap Beautiful jewerly at the dock...I got them down to 5 bucks for GREAT necklaces!! Then we went to the snorkeling spot that was Great visability and a Black sandy beach (we even got some Black sand to take home and the people at the airport hand to test it for explosive material-I explained it was from the volcanic ashes of St Vincent!!) We even got to see a Whale!!!!

Great tour...post on your roll call and get a group together!! Oh---you cant buy the rum (and take it with you) that they served us with our Rum and cokes...its explosive too!! No Kiddin!! :eek: LOL

 

http://www.baleinetours dot com

Kris

[Seavoyage]

Kris - thank you for that wonderful review! Will you be posting pictures? Would love to see them. Man that sounds like so much fun! I take it the boat was not too crowded with 25 peeps?

That sounds like some powerful Rum - maybe it's moonshine.....:eek:

Too funny..

Thank you again!

[KSCPA]

The boat is custom made....we all fit comfy... I sat in the back by the motors (only 4 people can sit there) and got great shots,,,,plus the cooler was right there so the bartender (Captain's Mate) "Emmas" quickly gave me refills!!

I have to go to my other computer and I will try to post pictures.

Kris

[hula dancer]

We are going to St Vincent for the first time. Any suggestions for places to see, things to do, etc?

 

 

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY CONCUR WITH BOOKING WAYNE'S BALEINE TOUR. We have cruised many, many times and taken many, many excursions (some ship sponsored but most have been booked on our own).

 

Wayne's tour was the best and the most fun of any excursion we have ever done!

 

I arranged the tour with Wayne and then posted it on CC and had no trouble meeting the minimum (think minimum was 12, max was about 23 people). Everyone agreed this was the highlight of the entire 14 night cruise.

 

The cruise line has a similar tour BUT -- it costs about $60 more per person, and instead of a fast boat ride both directions, you apparently go one way on a catamarran and then the other way on a LONG 2 1/2 hour mini-bus ride.

 

The boat ride is exciting! Swimming in the fresh water falls was exceptional and almost everyone in our group got in. The snorkeling was outstanding! It was fun to roam around what is left of the the movie set from Pirates of the Carib and lunch there was very good. Most everyone had the fish and it was delicious. Looked like the chicken is in the same good sauce as the fish. One person in our group had the pork and said they didn't care for it.

 

Capt Wayne and Emmas are both great. Watch out for the Rum Punch -- it can be lethal (but delicious!).

 

We have booked this same trip again for next year mostly so we can take our son and his wife on Wayne's tour. You will love it!

 

If you go, please tell them "Hello" from Molly & Steve.

 

They are hard to reach by email. I'm guessing it costs them a bunch to have regular email service but they have a "free" phone line. You need to email them your phone number and they will call you back.

baleinetours@hotmail.com

 

Hope this helps you decide what to do. In our mind, this is THE ONLY way to go on St. Vincent.

 

Molly

ps -- I saw where another poster mentioned to watch out for crime, etc in the Port, although they hadn't been there for about 6 years. We were there in March and there was no visible crime element anywhere. It is a small port area with few shops. Very clean, just quite small.

[CruiseDuck]

We just recently returned from our cruise and Baleine Tours aka Wayne's Tour was the best tour in 9 islands that we visited.

 

We had 26 Cruise Critic members on the boat and it did not feel crowded.

 

 

The highlight of our tour was seeing a Hump Back Whale resting close to shore. Wayne has never seen one that close to shore.

 

 

The water at the Falls of Baleine was very cold and very refreshing. The food at the restaurant on Pirates of the Caribbean movie set was very good. We had fish, rice, slaw, fried eggplant and plantains.

 

 

The snorkeling was fantastic. We saw all varities of beautiful fish. You can either bring your own snorkeling gear or Wayne will supply you with some.

 

[Toto2Kansas]

CruiseDuck, Those are some fantastic pictures. The whale is amazing. Great shot of Capt. Wayne and his tour boat also. We need to book a cruise to go back to St. Vincent real soon, we have enjoyed Waynes' tour so many times in the past, but it has been a couple of years now since we have sailed that direction. Since the waterfall is again open (we visited it a couple of times after the landslide but before it was closed to the public), it makes me want to return even more. I hope he is doing well, he is such a wonderful tour operator. :)

[CruiseDuck]

CruiseDuck, Those are some fantastic pictures. The whale is amazing. Great shot of Capt. Wayne and his tour boat also. We need to book a cruise to go back to St. Vincent real soon, we have enjoyed Waynes' tour so many times in the past, but it has been a couple of years now since we have sailed that direction. Since the waterfall is again open (we visited it a couple of times after the landslide but before it was closed to the public), it makes me want to return even more. I hope he is doing well, he is such a wonderful tour operator. :)

 

Thanks Toto.

 

Not sure if the walkway at the Falls was there the last time you were. There's a sign that says to beware of falling boulders. There were many places along the walkway that showed damage. The following picture shows one section.

 

 

Wayne is doing well. Did you know that Wayne fixes watches in his real life when he's not out on the water. I thought that was an interesting tidbit. He is a great guide and goes out of his way to make sure everyone has a good time.

[Toto2Kansas]

That walkway looks brand new. Was it a boulder that feel on it to cause that damage? Such a shame.

The falls had been closed for several years the last time we visited, that is why we would like to return, to see them again the way they look now. Our last time we could enter the falls, there were no walkways at all, we had to climb over all those huge fallen boulders, some the size of VW's. lol It was a tough climb, but worth it. I have seen pictures of how it looks today, and it is amazing in comparison. After a couple of visits, the Government closed the falls to visitors so we had to skip them and just make it down to the lava flow. It was also fun, but not the same as visiting the falls. I was so glad to hear they were finally cleaning them up and opening them for those wanting to see them. Now, they had better find a way to repair any damages to them if they want to keep them open it looks like. ;)

 

No, I did not know that is what Wayne does when not touring in his boat, will have to ask him about it the next time we visit.

 

We also have always had a great time with Wayne and his son Troy, and can't wait to return again, I hope someday soon. :)

[seastar2]

Thanks for all the great information....this looks like what we like to do!!!:D

[curlyd]

If the speedboat isn't right up to a dock, how difficult is it to get back into the boat? Does anyone have a picture of the ladder? My husband had problems in GC when we were on a much smaller boat and the ladder barely went down into the water and you had to practically climb up into the boat yourself.

[CruiseDuck]

If the speedboat isn't right up to a dock, how difficult is it to get back into the boat? Does anyone have a picture of the ladder? My husband had problems in GC when we were on a much smaller boat and the ladder barely went down into the water and you had to practically climb up into the boat yourself.

 

On Wayne’s tour when we stopped at the Falls of Baleine the boat was pulled up to the dock that had tires for protecting the boat. The dock was much higher (this is probably affected by low and high tides) than the boat and the current kept the boat constantly in motion with the boat banging against the tires and then going away from the dock. Anyone with any mobility issues would have a hard time getting back in the boat safely. Also on the walk from the Falls there is one part by the beach where you have to climb up by a rock to get back on the walkway.

 

We had lunch at the set of Pirates of Caribbean. We were at the dock and I don't remember any issues with getting in and out of the boat.

 

When we went snorkeling Wayne backed up to the beach. There was a platform out from the transom. I believe he had a small ladder to get back in by the platform?? Maybe someone else can weigh in on this.

 

At the dock by the ship there was easy in and out access.

 

 

Cathy

[curlyd]

Thanks Cathy, you have been a big help. I believe he could handle the boat to the dock, it's being down in the water and having to raise your legs up high and pulling at the same time. I am also not sure he plans on snorkeling, so it might not be an issue.

[nicholasnana]

We're on the Jan 17th Princess Grand and our roll call is full for Wayne's Tour. We're on the wait list along with several other people that Molly so graciously started. Anyone know if Wayne does more than one tour at a time?