need southern carib help

[cruzobsessed]

this christmas... we will be 2 families on the senerade. so far we have booked pineapple beach in antigua..... silvermoon in barbados.....the other family is doing the 4x4 with my kids in st. lucia and we have nothing planned for st. martin.

i am considering reduit beach for myself and husband in st.lucia and possibly divi divi in st. martaan.

looking at these places....are there any "musts" that need to be done? are reduit and divi divi and pineapple beach too similar? thanks for your help

[CruisinCouple]

On St Martin there are many great beaches. If you have never been to the world famous Orient Beach on the French side. (It is clothing optional) its a very nice beach. However we really like the Dawn beach. Its not as crowded as Orient and it is still beautiful. All taxis can take you to both of these free beaches. They are both to far to walk from the ship.

[masterbaker]

Rendezvous is another option in St. Lucia that is an all inclusive beach resort, adults only, $38 pp. Lovely swim up bar in the pool. Friendly service, good food. We enjoyed our day there very much. It's not far from the dock, maybe a 5 minute cab ride. http://www.theromanticholiday.com/Content/ContentCT.asp?P=60

 

In St. Martin, we have enjoyed The Americas Cup sailing excursion, The Golden Eagle Catameran excursion and just hanging out on the beach in Phillipsburg where there are plenty of beach chairs with umbrellas, jet skis, servers to bring drinks and food right to your chair, and shopping. No long commutes to the french side wasting time sitting in traffic, just a short hop on the water taxi. It's very easy to have a relaxing beach day there.

[Lauri32]

If you get a chance to see Cherry Tree Hill in Barbados, it is an awesome view.

[sherry7]

My 16 yr old son and I are doing this same itenerary on the Serenade in January. So far, I have booked with Sunny Liston for the day in St. Thomas. He drops you off for shopping for your choice of 1, 2, or 3 hours, then you go on a 1.5 - 2 hr sightseeing tour, followed by by 2 hours at Sapphire or Megan's Bay Beach. He charges only $20 per person. His website is http://www.sunnylistontours.com/

 

For Antigua, I booked us for Eli's Ecotour. Everyone on the Antigua Ports of Call board absolutely raves about this tour, and it does book up early I hear. His website is http://www.adventureantigua.com/ . He recently started offering a new tour, The Xtreme Circumnav, as well. I don't know much about that one however, except the price is quite a bit higher than the one we are doing.

 

In Barbados, we are taking the Silvermoon Catamaran tour, which you already have booked. For anyone else wondering about this, check out the Barbados Ports of Call board, or the website (not very informative on details) is http://www.oceanadventures.bb/sailing.htm . This is another tour that everyone seems to just rave about.

 

For our other ports, I'm still debating on some choices. We're flying in to San Juan a day early, so my son and I want to see El Morro and probably San Cristobal Forts. Not sure what else yet. We're staying right in Old San Juan, so at least we're close to everything. In St Maarten, I'm thinking about the America's Cup Regatta, the zip line excursion through RCCL, or maybe just spending a lazy day at Orient Beach. I haven't researched St. Lucia enough yet to draw any conclusions, but I have Reduit Beach, the Pitons, and the 'drive-in' volcano jotted down in my notes.

[Ocean Boy]

First of all I live on the ocean so I don't look to go lspend the day at the beach when I cruise so here are a couple of thoughts if you want to do something other than the beach.

 

If Captain Stig is aboard Serenade when you go you do not have to take up you time making a journey to the Pitons in St. Lucia. He will bring you there on departure from the island and gives you the most amazing view almost parking the ship at the base. I found going to the volcano to be very worthwhile and interesting. It is a bit of a long ride but I'm glad that we went.

 

On St. Maarten you could consider Maho beach. It is right at the end of Princess Juliana airport's runway. It is amazing to have planes just a few feet off of your head as they come in to land. My brother was blown off his feet by the thrust of a 747 reving up its engines to take off. It is a type of experience that you won't find anywhere else. I know it isn't typical "caribbean cruise" stuff but it is unique.

 

In Barbados we really enjoyed going to the caves. And in Antigua we rented a cab and went to Nelson's Dockyard, Shirley Heights, and through the rain forest. This is a very beautiful island.

[maxs mom]

I would also like to recommend The Rendezvous in St. Lucia. It's very quiet....all adults. Nice beach and pool with swim up bar. On the beach, whenever you want something to drink, you just raise a little red flag and they are right there. The lunch they serve is very good. My husband was served enough beer the day we were there that he bought me a beautiful emerald necklace at Colombian Emeralds on the way back to the ship. You can bet that we will be going there again!

 

Another place that I will never forget and hope to go back to is Crane Beach in Barbados. It's quite a taxi ride but if you share with another couple it's not so bad and the driver will come back for you at a specified time. Absolutely gorgeous beach where you can rent chairs and an umbrella. Be sure and climb up to the hotel up above on the cliff. It is magnificent. They will let you tour the property. It is spectacular.

[bplazo]

Sherry,

 

We are on the Serenade in December and it sounds like we are doing alot of the same tours. We are schduled with Eli in Antigua and Silvermoon in Barbados. My daughter wanted to try the Bob in St. Thomas so we booked that and wealso we booked a 4x4 Excursion with Shal in St. Lucia. We decided just to do our own think in St. Martin.

[sherry7]

Sherry,

 

We are on the Serenade in December and it sounds like we are doing alot of the same tours. We are schduled with Eli in Antigua and Silvermoon in Barbados. My daughter wanted to try the Bob in St. Thomas so we booked that and wealso we booked a 4x4 Excursion with Shal in St. Lucia. We decided just to do our own think in St. Martin.

 

bplazo, is your daughter excited about swimming with the sea turtles on the Silvermoon tour? My son is 16, and he even HE thought it would be cool...it's hard to impress teenagers, so I'm trying to gear a lot of our excursions toward him. This is actually 'his' vacation. My dh and I are going on a Hawaiian cruise for 14 days in May, and he can't go because of school. So, my dh suggested that I take him somewhere for a week. Lucky kid! Plus, I get to take 2 vacations now instead of 1. :D Works for me.

 

I hadn't heard about the 4x4 Excursion with Shal in St. Lucia. I'm still trying to figure out something to do on that island. I'm assuming this is a private excursion and not through RCCL, right? Do you happen to know the website? Thanks. :)

[janep]

Oh! you must if you can book Eli's Tour!! We went strictly on the advice of these boards and it was by FAR the best tour of our week!! Call right away!!! You will have a great time. Their knowledge of the island is amazing, their lunch was fantastic, their boat is sparkling!! We were a party of 4 ( our kids were 17 & 11)and they both loved it. Trust me, you will be so happy!:D

[sherry7]

If Captain Stig is aboard Serenade when you go you do not have to take up you time making a journey to the Pitons in St. Lucia. He will bring you there on departure from the island and gives you the most amazing view almost parking the ship at the base. I found going to the volcano to be very worthwhile and interesting. It is a bit of a long ride but I'm glad that we went.

 

On St. Maarten you could consider Maho beach. It is right at the end of Princess Juliana airport's runway. It is amazing to have planes just a few feet off of your head as they come in to land. My brother was blown off his feet by the thrust of a 747 reving up its engines to take off. It is a type of experience that you won't find anywhere else. I know it isn't typical "caribbean cruise" stuff but it is unique.

 

Ocean Boy, the view from the ship of the Pitons sounds awesome. However, I noticed that you said, "If Captain Stig is aboard..." Does the relief captain not do the same thing? If not, I say make him walk the plank!

 

Maho Beach sounds cool as well. I did a search on Webshots and found a bunch of pictures of it. It's amazing how low the planes are! :eek: I would bet that most people automatically duck the first couple of times a plane passes over...gut reaction. I asked my 16 yr old son if he'd rather go to this beach or Orient Beach. Suprisingly, he said he like to go to Maho Beach. I'm just shocked that he chose it over the semi-nude/nude beach...especially at his age. :D

[bplazo]

Sherry,

 

Here is the website for the excursion http://www.jungletoursstlucia.com. It looks like it might be fun. There was a few reviews where some people wouldnt do the tour again because it was a rough ride and the vehicles were old and not air conditioned. However, that is something that I look for when doing an excursion.

 

We decided to add my daughter and her frined to the cruise after we had made booking arrangements with Silver Moon. Unfortunatley, they were already booked solid for that day so they wont be going with us. I am hoping maybe someones cancels out and we can take them.

[sherry7]

Sherry,

 

Here is the website for the excursion http://www.jungletoursstlucia.com. It looks like it might be fun. There was a few reviews where some people wouldnt do the tour again because it was a rough ride and the vehicles were old and not air conditioned. However, that is something that I look for when doing an excursion.

 

We decided to add my daughter and her frined to the cruise after we had made booking arrangements with Silver Moon. Unfortunatley, they were already booked solid for that day so they wont be going with us. I am hoping maybe someones cancels out and we can take them.

 

 

Thanks, I will check that out.

 

Bummer that Silver Moon is booked up. If the kids are old enough to leave on the island by themselves, I hear the Boatyard Beach is nice.

[cruzobsessed]

we're on the serenade for christmas... which cruise are you on? it looks as though rendezvous is a better choice than reduit......correct? and for st. martaan..... dawn or maho beach is better than divi divi...... is this the consensus?

OCEAN BOY......i live in new jersey but also have a home in westerly. where do you live in rhode island? also, i completely understand not needing to be on a beach every port you go to.....i will also look into a land tour on st. lucia and st. martaan

[Ocean Boy]

Ocean Boy, the view from the ship of the Pitons sounds awesome. However, I noticed that you said, "If Captain Stig is aboard..." Does the relief captain not do the same thing? If not, I say make him walk the plank!

 

Maho Beach sounds cool as well. I did a search on Webshots and found a bunch of pictures of it. It's amazing how low the planes are! :eek: I would bet that most people automatically duck the first couple of times a plane passes over...gut reaction. I asked my 16 yr old son if he'd rather go to this beach or Orient Beach. Suprisingly, he said he like to go to Maho Beach. I'm just shocked that he chose it over the semi-nude/nude beach...especially at his age. :D

I am not sure if the relief captain does the same thing or not. That was why I specifically mentioned Captain Stig. I think he is a great captain and my idea of how one should conduct himself.. He is a bit reserved and not too showboaty like some captains. On the last sea day you will pass many islands on your way back to San Juan. He will announce which island you are passing and tell you the history of the island. He will also give you an amazing view of the Island of Monsarrat. He takes you as close in as he can to show you the town that is buried in ash from the volcano's eruption. That type of stuff means far more to me than going to the beach.

 

Of course your son picked Maho. It is unique. He can find semi-nude / nude people anywhere..... just joking!

[n8vtexn]

... I'm just shocked that he chose it over the semi-nude/nude beach...especially at his age. :D

 

Well considering most of the nude people on Orient Beach are MEN....Maho is a much better choice!

[sherry7]

I am not sure if the relief captain does the same thing or not. That was why I specifically mentioned Captain Stig. I think he is a great captain and my idea of how one should conduct himself.. He is a bit reserved and not too showboaty like some captains. On the last sea day you will pass many islands on your way back to San Juan. He will announce which island you are passing and tell you the history of the island. He will also give you an amazing view of the Island of Monsarrat. He takes you as close in as he can to show you the town that is buried in ash from the volcano's eruption. That type of stuff means far more to me than going to the beach.

 

Of course your son picked Maho. It is unique. He can find semi-nude / nude people anywhere..... just joking!

 

 

Thanks Ocean Boy. I hope we have Captain Stig on our Jan. 14 cruise. I'll have to do some checking...could make a big difference in our shore excursion plans for the day in St. Lucia if we don't have to do a land trip to see the Pitons. Also, this sounds like a good evening to possible skip (early) dinner in the dining room. Sounds like we'd be eating while the other 1/2 of the ship would be seeing the Pitons, Monsarrat, etc. That would be a bummer to miss.

 

LOL at what you said about my son and the beach. :D

[sherry7]

Well considering most of the nude people on Orient Beach are MEN....Maho is a much better choice!

 

 

Hmmm...maybe I'll have to overrule him, and we'll go to Orient Beach afterall. :D However, I read somewhere that a good portion of the nudies are old people and all wrinkly. I'm no bathing beauty myself, but I'm not sure I want to subject my poor eyes to that for an entire day. ;)

[sessa]

The $38.00 charge for Rendezvous Beach in St. Lucia..is that lunch and open bar included in the price. Also can you snorkell on the beach and swim or is the pool better for swimming. How much is the cab to the beach? Just wondering, I might change my ships tour and do this.

Thanks for any info.

[masterbaker]

The $38.00 charge for Rendezvous Beach in St. Lucia..is that lunch and open bar included in the price. Also can you snorkell on the beach and swim or is the pool better for swimming. How much is the cab to the beach? Just wondering, I might change my ships tour and do this.

Thanks for any info.

 

Rendezvous is all inclusive. It includes all drinks alcoholic or non whichever you prefer, buffet lunch, use of all the resort ammenities including the pool (really nice, check out the pictures in the link I provided) volleyball, beach chess, motorized and non motorized watersports (waterskiing, wind surfing, kayaking, sailing, snorkeling) The snorkeling is not that great right at the resort because it has a sandy beach which doesn't make the best snorkeling, however if you arrive early you can sign up for a snorkle tour and they will take you by boat to a reef. They do limit the number of people at the resort and advance reservations must be made. The $38pp is for a half day pass which means arrival after 10am and departure by 5 pm. We arrived a little early and had no problem checking in. They provide towels too. Not included are spa services which got rave reviews from some people we were with from our ship. They do poolside masages in a cabana for something like $35 for a half hour full body massage, I heard it was excellent. It's a nice resort that I would definately go back to. Cab to the resort was not expensive, it's a very short drive from the pier, I think it was about $5 each way but I might be off a little, but not much.

[NCTarheelsCruiser]

My 16 yr old son and I are doing this same itenerary on the Serenade in January. So far, I have booked with Sunny Liston for the day in St. Thomas. He drops you off for shopping for your choice of 1, 2, or 3 hours, then you go on a 1.5 - 2 hr sightseeing tour, followed by by 2 hours at Sapphire or Megan's Bay Beach. He charges only $20 per person. His website is http://www.sunnylistontours.com/

 

For Antigua, I booked us for Eli's Ecotour. Everyone on the Antigua Ports of Call board absolutely raves about this tour, and it does book up early I hear. His website is http://www.adventureantigua.com/ . He recently started offering a new tour, The Xtreme Circumnav, as well. I don't know much about that one however, except the price is quite a bit higher than the one we are doing.

 

In Barbados, we are taking the Silvermoon Catamaran tour, which you already have booked. For anyone else wondering about this, check out the Barbados Ports of Call board, or the website (not very informative on details) is http://www.oceanadventures.bb/sailing.htm . This is another tour that everyone seems to just rave about.

 

For our other ports, I'm still debating on some choices. We're flying in to San Juan a day early, so my son and I want to see El Morro and probably San Cristobal Forts. Not sure what else yet. We're staying right in Old San Juan, so at least we're close to everything. In St Maarten, I'm thinking about the America's Cup Regatta, the zip line excursion through RCCL, or maybe just spending a lazy day at Orient Beach. I haven't researched St. Lucia enough yet to draw any conclusions, but I have Reduit Beach, the Pitons, and the 'drive-in' volcano jotted down in my notes.

 

Sherry...if you feel up to it, when in St. Maarten, I would recommend hitting the beach early, which ever you prefer,(but I have to say Orient Beach is great), and still catching the afternoon America's Cup excursion. We were in St. Maarten in April on the Jewel and did both. We got up early, ate a big breakfast and were off the ship not long after we docked. We were at Orient Beach by 9AM, stayed for three hours and caught a cab back to the ship. We still had time to drop off our beach stuff back in the cabin, put on our sneakers and get to the meeting spot for the America's Cup (which is right on the cruise pier). I believe our excursion was at 1:30PM. The America's Cup was great IMO, and we would definitely do it again. You can get as involved as you want into sailing the ship or just sit back and take it easy. I have to say, normally the winds kick up in the afternoon, so if you really want a good sailing experience the afternoon excursion is even better. Whatever you decide, have a great time!

[sherry7]

Sherry...if you feel up to it, when in St. Maarten, I would recommend hitting the beach early, which ever you prefer,(but I have to say Orient Beach is great), and still catching the afternoon America's Cup excursion. We were in St. Maarten in April on the Jewel and did both. We got up early, ate a big breakfast and were off the ship not long after we docked. We were at Orient Beach by 9AM, stayed for three hours and caught a cab back to the ship. We still had time to drop off our beach stuff back in the cabin, put on our sneakers and get to the meeting spot for the America's Cup (which is right on the cruise pier). I believe our excursion was at 1:30PM. The America's Cup was great IMO, and we would definitely do it again. You can get as involved as you want into sailing the ship or just sit back and take it easy. I have to say, normally the winds kick up in the afternoon, so if you really want a good sailing experience the afternoon excursion is even better. Whatever you decide, have a great time!

 

 

I was considering doing the America's Cup in the morning, and a beach in the afternoon. However, I hadn't considered the wind. Thanks for mentioning that. :) If we do indeed do the America's Cup, I'll definitely book the afternoon one.

[Lauri32]

Hmmm...maybe I'll have to overrule him, and we'll go to Orient Beach afterall. :D However, I read somewhere that a good portion of the nudies are old people and all wrinkly. I'm no bathing beauty myself, but I'm not sure I want to subject my poor eyes to that for an entire day. ;)

 

You're right on the money on that one. Mostly older gentlemen who are happy to prove the effects of gravity. It is a beautiful beach, though. Just stay on the topless side. Occasionally, you'll see Mr. Wrinkles walking down the beach, but it's not like being surrounded. Besides. the bikini (topless) side is much prettier.

[Ocean Boy]

Mostly older gentlemen who are happy to prove the effects of gravity.

Oh there are some women experimenting with Isaac Newton's laws of gravity too!

[Ocean Boy]

Also, this sounds like a good evening to possible skip (early) dinner in the dining room. Sounds like we'd be eating while the other 1/2 of the ship would be seeing the Pitons, Monsarrat, etc. That would be a bummer to miss.

We ate in the Windjammer that night. Early seating misses a great show. I'm not sure how the timing will work in January, but in April we were at the Pitons for sunset. You probably will be too as he does not just sail by. The ship stops dead in the water and you stay there for awhile right between the two pitons. It was just a stunning departure from St. Lucia. Don't miss it. You can always get food later.

 

You will pass by Montsarrat the next day. I think it was somewhere in the time of 9-10 in the morning. He slows the ship down to a crawl to give people time to take it in. It is such an incredible sight that the folks around where we were standing were actually talking in subdued voices. It guess it was kind of out of respect for what happened there.