Excursion Recomendation for St. Lucia etc

[Cyndi Pettit]

Hello.

My husband and I are going on an 11 day cruise next Feb. There are several islands we have not visited yet. If you have any advice on excursions I would really appreciate it. The islands are: St. Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, and St. Kitts. I'm so excited. This is our 8th cruise but we have not visited these islands. Let me know what you think!!:)

[CruiserBruce]

Come on over to the Caribbean Ports boards, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

and do some research. As we don't know what interests you, what your limitations and budget might be, etc, better to see what is available, then put up some more specific questions.

[John Bull]

Great itinerary.:)

 

St Lucia.

Has to be to the drive-in volcano at Soufriere. Marigot Bay, the Pitons, waterfall & other places on the way, various photostops, Share a van with others at the quayside, about $25 p/p plus odd little admissions.

Take your beach gear - at the end of the tour the driver can drop you at Choc beach (10 min drive from the ship, idyllic palm-backed crescent beach, just one bar, no toys, uncrowded beach, mainly locals) or 10 mins further on at Reduit beach in Rodney Bay (tourist beach, bars, all the whistles & bells). Can't decide which beach? Get the driver to pull over at Choc beach, take a quick look, carry on to Rodney Bay if you don't rate it.

 

Barbados.

Just soooo many options. Taxi to good beaches & snorkelling just a few miles up the coast from the ship on the west coast. Walk or taxi into Bridgetown. Tour round the island incl the wild esat (Atlantic) coast - but no swimming there. Lots of inland options too.

 

Martinique.

A favourite of mine. Few ship call there nowadays. Very French. Administered as a department of France, same as departements in France itself. You berth in the capital, Fort de France. Consider booking a rental car & explore the island. Up the coast to St Pierre, destroyed by lava 100 years when Mt Pelee erupted. Drive up that too. Then down the pretty east coast. Currency is the euro, some places don't accept USD so ask first.

 

St Kitts.

Much more limited. The sugar train can only be booked on a ship's tour. Expensive too, though the atmosphere's great.

But to follow the train route & more you can share a round-the-island van from the port - don't go for the cheapest, their route is very short. For about $15 US p/p you can get one to Fort Brimstone, Fig Tree, Batik workshop, the lava at Black Rock, end up on a beach like Frigate Bay for an hour or two before the driver takes you back to the port. Again, take your beach gear.

 

Plenty of info on the Caribbean ports forum that Bruce has linked.

 

JB :)

[cruiseapril]

The forums will give you lots of ideas.

 

We have been to: St. Lucia, Barbados (2x), and Martinique.

 

A planned excursion is important in St. Lucia. The roads are narrow and winding and it's a good idea to have an experienced driver and tour guide- as there is so much to see on this island.

 

In Barbados, we liked the beach time at Carlisle Bay. There are several places on the beach for day passes. (See the Barbados forum.)

Also, we took a half day tour of the island which was interesting. (Went to Bathsheba, Andromeda Gardens, St. John's Church, and Franconia Plantation.)

 

In Martinique, we took a ship's tour to St. Pierre and then Balata Gardens.

It was very good; glad we had a tour and guide.

 

You can ask specific questions on the forums. Have fun planning.

[spunkyhungry]

For St. Lucia do a jungle tour. I did one with Princess, and it was so much fun! It was one of my favorite excursions ever.

[t_car]

For St Lucia you need a tour guide. The previous poster was right about the winding roads and distances to various points on the island.

When we were there last year, we went on a tour with Cosol tours. It was a full day 7.5 hrs, of fun, and informative, We visited the Pitons, a beach, boat ride, the volcano, mud baths, banana plantation. Enjoyed a buffet brunch, refreshments all day including good beer, and fresh bread and local cheese.

All for $65 pp. Google them for their website, and set it up by email.

Most of our roll call went on this tour, that made it even more fun.

[DonnaK]

I also recommend Cosol's tours in St. Lucia. It's a great value for the money, and we saw all the highlights of the island, and had beach time swimming and snorkeling between The Pitons. Snacks and beverages were included.

 

 

We toured St. Kitts with Thenford Grey (google him, and check out his reviews on Trip Advisor). He is a wonderful guide, and again, showed us all the highlights of the island including the fort, with plenty of beach time (he took us to a really nice beach club). Another great value for the money.

[Bonnie J.]

Yes, CONSOL's in St. Lucia!!!!! We went with them in May. They said the tour was about 6 hours but ours was over 7 hours and worth every minute. Baptist was a fantastic guide! At every stop- and there were quite a few- there was water, beer, soda and rum punch. At one stop a lady decided not to buy a dress. Later she changed her mind so at end of tour Baptist took us back to where she saw it. The vendor was leaving at end of day and Baptist stopped by her driveway, she saw us and came out. She was told about the dress and went into her house and got the dress! He didn't need to do this at all but did. I highly recommend Cosol. Others have said what you see and you will be happy with every bit of the tour!

Edited July 13, 2014 by Bonnie J.

[OCruisers]

Come on over to the Caribbean Ports boards, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

 

For LOTS more opinions and suggestions go to the Caribbean Ports Board here on Cruise Critic. Clicking above will take you directly there. :)

LuLu

[csmjfmbe]

Hello.

My husband and I are going on an 11 day cruise next Feb. There are several islands we have not visited yet. If you have any advice on excursions I would really appreciate it. The islands are: St. Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, and St. Kitts. I'm so excited. This is our 8th cruise but we have not visited these islands. Let me know what you think!!:)

 

For St Licia, you cannot go wrong with Cosol Tours. Whoever you choose, beware of the rum punch, it tastes like juice but is very strong.

Have a great time.

Mike

[Cyndi Pettit]

Thank you so, so much! Can't wait to start investigating!

[Cyndi Pettit]

I just love this Cruise Critic. Thanks so much to everyone. I appreciate you taking the time!!

[cruiseapril]

Does your ship offer the St. Pierre and Balata Gardens tour in Martinique?