Godfrey Tours is a great bargain!

[rjscott]

Just back from the Dawn Princess and used Godfrey Tours. We had been to St Thomas several times b/f, but this time were traveling with friends who had not seen much of the island. We felt Godfrey Tours would offer a good mix and it did. We asked for the 9AM pickup at the ship and he was waiting for us as we disembarked. We took our snorkeling equipment along, and he kept it for us while we shopped. Following our pickup in town at noon, we had our island tour, with several stops for photo op's and a stop for the famous banana daquiri at Mountain Top. Since our entire group opted to go to Coki beach, Godfrey waited there and we were able to store our purchases with him during our beach time. We arrived back at Havensight with enough time to stop in at a grocery there for some pop and other supplies.

 

For $20pp, for an entire day, it was so worth it. We were able to do a bit of everything, without having to run back and forth from the ship.

 

Becki

[green eyed lady]

Becki,

 

How many total people were in your tour? I'm worried about 25 people being crammed into a bus or jeep or whatever. Any info would be great.

Jen

[herb]

Glad you had a great time with Godfrey. We're looking forward to using his tour company to finally see St. Thomas instead of spending our time going from duty free shop to duty free shop as we have in the past :D

 

Did you feel comfortable leaving everything in his truck during your beach stay?

 

How was MountainTop? More to it than just gift shops?

[rjscott]

Jen,

Godfrey has an open-air jitney, which is like a tram with a roof. I believe there are 6 rows of seats, and each row holds about 4 adults comfortably(more if they're small). There is plenty of space between the rows, so it is not cramped for leg room (my hubby and two of the other guys in our group are over 6'4"). I believe there were 10 in our group when we left the ship to go downtown to shop. When we reboarded for our tour and trip to the beach, about 6 more had joined us, but there was still plenty of room for all of us and our snorkeling equipment and shopping packages. If you have a concern about the maximum number Godfrey allows on his tour, ask him. We emailed back and forth a couple of times. Here is his email: godfrey@godfreytoursvi.com

 

If you want any further specifics, let me know.

Becki

[REDBULL]

Do it. It is the best. Great bargain, very clean and professional.

[rjscott]

Herb,

We did feel comfortable leaving our things with him while we snorkeled. He stayed within sight of the vehicle, talking with other drivers that were doing the same thing. Mountain Top is really a cluster of shops with this large bar where you can get alcoholic or 'virgin' drinks, as well as some food. There is no pressure put on you to purchase anything, however. But, the views are awesome from the outside deck and there is seating out there as well.

 

Becki

[Mactarheel]

 

Did you feel comfortable leaving everything in his truck during your beach stay?

 

Herb... You can have utmost confidence with the integrity of Godfrey. Let me try to briefly relate my story.

 

My wife and I went on tour with Godfrey last Wednesday, April 20 while cruising on the Star Princess. I took my scuba dive mask and snorkel (expensive models) along with two of the ships beach towels in my dive bag with us. While shopping, Godfrey locked my bag inside the cab of his truck along with many others while we shopped. We had planned to stop at one of the beaches at the end of the tour. However, my wife and I were both tired and hot and decided instead to return to the ship. He took us to the ship and as I paid him, fortunately he handed me one of his business cards.

 

You can probably guess where this is going. We went back to our cabin to have a nap before getting ready for dinner. I woke up from my nap about 4:30 PM to remember I had left my dive bag in his truck. I grabbed his card, some cash, my cruise card and dashed off the ship. Remember, the ship must boarded no later than 5:30 PM. I ran into a bar across the street to get change and the owner graciously allowed me to use his cell phone. I called Godfrey's cell phone only to get the answering service and then to his home with the same result. One more try connected me to him. He said he had my bag and had asked everyone trying to locate who it belonged to. I asked him if he could possibly return it as the ship was leaving soon. He said he would try to make it but he was a distance away and rush hour traffic was really bad.

 

I waited with the security guard at the gate for about 45 minutes and here he comes in his bright red truck at 5:28 PM. He handed me my bag with a huge smile and I gave him a hardy thanks and handshake with a little green in the palm.

 

I cannot say enough about the honesty and intregrity of this man. Not only did he give us a great tour at a super price but he made a superb effort to return my property which I had forgotten before the ship left.

[herb]

mactarheel -

After reading about your dilema I know I can count on Godfrey to do his best to keep watch over everyone's belonging while we're at the beach.

 

Isn't it nice to know there are honest people in the world? And I believe what he did for you will gain him countless future bookings from people here at cruisecritics reading your story and the outcome. Word gets around :D

[MamaParrotHead]

and now I'm even more excited to patronize his business in a few weeks. thanks for relating the story. :)

[rharrz]

That is a great story. I think we will go with Godfrey too. If someone does not swim well or snorkel is there other things to do at the beach?

[rjscott]

At Coki Beach, you can see the fish in very shallow water, so just wade on out a few feet and look down! :) I don't swim well, but always wear a flotation vest when I snorkel, and I do fine. There are a few shops at Coki and also Coral World is next door. This would be a good place to see lots of fish if you don't care to go into the water.

 

Becki

[FlyingPhotog]

So riding around in the back of his truck like that isn't uncomfortable? The photos on his site of the vehicles just make me curious.

[rjscott]

The vehicle is what they call an open-air jitney. You'll see lots of these being used as taxis on St Thomas. There are bench seats and they are comfortable. Quite a few of our group are rather tall, and there was plenty of room b/t the bench seats, so we weren't cramped. There is a canopy over the seats to keep the sun at bay.

 

Becki

[islandreaming]

Hi All, my husband and I will be cruising for the first time. I've heard so many great stories about Godfrey Tours, I think I'm gonna book. Do you pay in advance or after? I'd like to do some shopping and head for a nice beach for awhile in St. Thomas. Do you have to guarantee a certain amount of people in a party to get a tour booked?

[Flip2cruise]

Hi All, my husband and I will be cruising for the first time. I've heard so many great stories about Godfrey Tours, I think I'm gonna book. Do you pay in advance or after? I'd like to do some shopping and head for a nice beach for awhile in St. Thomas. Do you have to guarantee a certain amount of people in a party to get a tour booked?

 

You dont pay until he returns you back to your ship. Just contact him and you are good to go. He will always have others that are booked, so dont worry about the number of your party.

[rjscott]

Islanddreaming,

Just to add to what's already been posted; you will need to tell Godfrey want time you want picked up at the ship to be transported into town for shopping. He offers on the hour, beginning at 9AM. Then, he will pick up everyone at noon in town for the island tour. The last stop is at the beach, and he'll offer a choice of Coki or Sapphire. After the beach he'll return you to the ship.

 

Becki

[knothead]

Never been to St Thomas - What is the difference between Coki & Sapphire beaches? Less crowded, more things to do, More sceneic(photo opts), Clearer water, Better snorkeling, Rental opts?

[rjscott]

This website will give you lots of info on St Thomas, and includes info on the two beaches you've asked about.

 

http://www.*****/

 

Becki

[islandreaming]

We begin to get off the boat in St. Thomas on the Carnival Glory around 10 AM. However, I believe customs comes aboard and goes through everyone on the ship. Because of this I wonder what time I should book a tour? :confused:

[cometsmom]

Our group of 11 is supposed to be getting picked up at 10 (I've already been in touch to set this up) - now 5 of our group want to Snuba first and won't be back to the ship till 12:30 or so - do you think Godfrey would pick 6 of us up at 11 to go shopping and then go back to the boat for 1:00 or so to pick up the guys to continue the sightseeing and then beach or do you think that's too much to ask?!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Godfrey is very flexible and will do everything in his power to accomodate you. We were lucky when we went. We asked for an 11:00am pickup as we didn't want to shop. Fortunately for us we were the only people who requested an 11:00am pickup so we got picked up in an air conditioned van.

 

You can search high and low on the internet for bad reviews about Godfrey but you won't fine one. He even sends out emails for Christmas to his past customers. :)

 

Bill

[rjscott]

Islandreaming, does your ship dock at 10AM? We docked at 8AM, and they set up immigration clearance by deck, starting at 8AM. We were cleared to disembark w/in an hour. So, allowing an hour for that, you might not be off the ship until 11AM. Perhaps you'd want to post this ? on the Carnival board to see how it's worked for that ship on prior stops in St Thomas. Then, you'll be better informed.

 

Cometsmom, since there are 11 of you, he might be willing to do this. Typically, his last pickup at the ships is at noon, and then the island tour and then beach. But, since you have a large group, it may be worth his while to accommodate you. Send him an email to see.

 

Becki

[foilman2002]

Four of us went on the Carnival Legend in Sept, 2003, and booked Godfrey because of reviews on these boards. The man is gracious and helpful to a fault. I have never seen anything bad written about him, and have nothing bad to say.

 

When we got into town to shop, Godfrey warned us about a "free tour" that might be touted to us that was nothing but a front for a time share, then he told us to look for the 5 for $10.00 t-shirts. He locks your gear in his cab and I believe he makes trips back and forth from the docks picking up additional people who booked for later times, so I don't think your stuff is ever left alone.

 

During the island tour, he takes you through expensive, middle class, and poor neighborhoods. The man knows the island, and obviously loves it. At the Mountain Top I took some "postcard pictures", the views are gorgeous.

 

At Coki beach, there is food for sale, which while I didn't indulge, looked very good (it was smoked and was in the "hut" at the far end of the beach). Drinks are available, but we don't drink, so I can't vouch for them. If you don't swim, buy or bring some dog biscuits and wade out into the water, some pretty and colorful fish will come up to you and eat out of your hand. Put your camera in your other hand, or have a friend near by, and you'll get some nice shots.

 

I had pictures of all of this, but they expired on the net. I'll have to see if I can repost them

 

When we got back to the ship, we paid him, and I tipped him. And I laughed as he thanked me, LOUDLY, for the tip. Can't say the man isn't a marketer, but he was always a gentleman.

 

As we gathered our stuff, one of our party said they wanted to walk over to the stores near the dock as we had plenty of time left. Godfrey immediately offered to drive us over. We declined, but were pleased at the offer.

 

And, yes, I got a happy new year greeting from him THIS year.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Larry

[islandreaming]

My ship says it docks at 10 and then we have to go through immigration. So maybe 11 would be a good time to book. I've heard they let people go through immigration first that have a tour booked, but who really knows. I'm glad to hear immigration only took an hour to go through for you. I think I'm definitely going to book Godfrey!! Thanks everyone for your help. Oh and if anyone has pics to share of their Godfrey excursion, I'd love to see them!

[richtersl]

Here are some from mine: http://lrichters.photosite.com/STT/