Which is better? Royston's Island Tour or Thenford Grey's Grand Tour?

[tusconcam]

Hi there. I'm looking for help/advice and your experiences with these two quite popular Tours.My girlfriend and I are on a cruise stopping at St.Kitts in early May and want to make the most of our time there with an interesting overview of key points of interest and a beach stop. These two Tours seem very well reviewed and somewhat similar. So help please.

 

According to Thenford's website the Grand Tour is $55 pp with stops at Basseterre :Memorials, Independence Square, a noted church and cathedral, plus visit shops? ( sounds like there isn't enough time to do that? Is that true?

 

Next Romney Manor and Caribelle Batik shop. Is there any time to go into the Manor? Is anything left of the Manor to see?

 

3rdly, a stop at Brimstone Hill Fortress (most interested about this one).Website says admission is included and not extra. Is there time to look around?

 

Lastly a stop at either Cockleshell or South friar's Beach. How long did you get to stay here? Do you know about how much it was to rent a chair/umbrella? How costly were the food and drinks (I know it ranges)? Was there an option to go back to the pier later if I want more beach time? If so, does anyone know how much a taxi might cost from those beaches?

 

What were the Pros and Cons of his Tour?

 

On the other hand Royston's Tours also seems to get very good reviews (hence my need for some more advice).The following is from his website:

 

ISLAND TOUR - everything included drinks lunch entrance fee and you would circle the island and see everything -romney manor, caribelle batik, brimstone hill fortress, black rocks, the peninsula, Basseterre - the capital, lots of other scenic and interesting places then have a beach snorkel stop if you like. beach is friars or cockle shell.

 

lunch is 'roti' you would have at a beach... a wrap with potato, mild curry, spices, and a choice of beef, chicken, conch or veggie.

 

After the island tour (about 4 hours) the group can be separated if some would like to be back to the ship, have more beach time or do more sightseeing.

 

$45 each

 

This too sounds intriguing. According to many reviews he too is polite friendly and passionate about his island (like Thenford), but if you get Royston, he apparently drives you over every surface possible to get you to some different sites in addition to the "key tourist spots" and higher up on the island too. Is this true? is it an experience with his tour? Has anyone stayed at the beach longer? If so, do you have to make it back to the pier by yourself, or do you arrange a pick up with Royston later?

 

Royston does include a lunch and drinks on/near a beach to cap off the tour. Some said that there was time to snorkel/relax at the beach, others said that it was a quicker stop. We like that it seems Thenford's might have more time on a beach? (not sure how long actually), but we like Royston's food/drink option and maybe his approach to the tour. So we are stumped!

 

I know it is very subjective, but I would appreciate hearing about your experience with one and/or both of these tours and which one you would recommend.

 

Thanks very much.

[geezer2151]

We just got back from an 8 day cruise on Carnival Valor. We took the Island Tour with Thenford Grey and we can not say enough good things about it. We originally booked this tour in 2010 but the island was cancelled so we were really looking forward to it. Thenford Grey was a most gracious, knowledgeable, entertaining and accommodating host you could ask for! We highly recommend him and are looking forward to seeing him again,

[bakersdozen12]

Not sure if you are still looking for info, but my husband and I did the Grand Tour of St Kitts with Thenford last week and it was ah-mazing!!! We had Thenford himself as our tour guide and this guy could not possibly be more knowledgeable about the island. He was just fantastic.

 

As far as doing a lot on the tour, you do, but you have plenty of time at each location. I'll be writing a review of the whole cruise, hopefully sometime this weekend or next week, but in the meantime, don't hesitate to book this tour. It's a tremendous value for the money. I actually think he could charge more for it if he wanted to.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[missygirl]

We used Grey's grand tour and his brother drove us. Yes we loved it he was very informative pointing all the island information. Thenford came to meet us at the fort, I will do this tour again.

[volleyballmom87]

You will only find positive comments about both tours. I have taken Royston's tour twice. He will take you off the beaten path in his van. So if you are up for an adventure as well as a traditional tour, Royston could be your man. The first time we went there were only 5 of us in the van. It has no AC, but the windows pop out which allow you a nice unobstructed view of the beautiful island. We even met his dog which he rescued from certain death - he named him "lucky bastard" LOL

 

Either tour will get you what you are looking for. Have a great time.

 

 

PS - sometimes the tour gets held up and getting back to town for your Roti is a problem. My in-laws did not get fed as they were closed by the time they got to town. Let him know that this is important to you because it was DELICIOUS!!!!

Edited November 26, 2016 by volleyballmom87

[tusconcam]

Thanks for your information volleyballmom87.

It looks like Royston is our man. I like the adventurous go anywhere mentality that reviewers seem to convey about his style of tour. I could use some more clarification about the food portion of his Tours by yourself or others please.

 

What I must ask though is: when did your in-laws go on his tour? The reason I ask is, my travel partner does not like roti (as advertised on his website).

 

I checked a number of reviews and they mention chicken wings eaten on a table he pulls down from his van on a beach. I emailed him re roti/wings and he said that we could get the wings (maybe a small thing to worry about in the grand scheme of things).

 

I don't recall him saying that/reviews noting that he went into town to eat. Do you have any knowledge about his most recent meals? (I sure hope by the beach on his beach time part of his tour).

 

Thanks very much if you see this post, or to someone else who replies with the great food inquiry on Royston's tours.

[CRZAHOLIC]

Hi there. I'm looking for help/advice and your experiences with these two quite popular Tours.My girlfriend and I are on a cruise stopping at St.Kitts in early May and want to make the most of our time there with an interesting overview of key points of interest and a beach stop. These two Tours seem very well reviewed and somewhat similar. So help please.

 

According to Thenford's website the Grand Tour is $55 pp with stops at Basseterre :Memorials, Independence Square, a noted church and cathedral, plus visit shops? ( sounds like there isn't enough time to do that? Is that true?

 

Next Romney Manor and Caribelle Batik shop. Is there any time to go into the Manor? Is anything left of the Manor to see?

 

3rdly, a stop at Brimstone Hill Fortress (most interested about this one).Website says admission is included and not extra. Is there time to look around?

 

Lastly a stop at either Cockleshell or South friar's Beach. How long did you get to stay here? Do you know about how much it was to rent a chair/umbrella? How costly were the food and drinks (I know it ranges)? Was there an option to go back to the pier later if I want more beach time? If so, does anyone know how much a taxi might cost from those beaches?

 

What were the Pros and Cons of his Tour?

 

On the other hand Royston's Tours also seems to get very good reviews (hence my need for some more advice).The following is from his website:

 

ISLAND TOUR - everything included drinks lunch entrance fee and you would circle the island and see everything -romney manor, caribelle batik, brimstone hill fortress, black rocks, the peninsula, Basseterre - the capital, lots of other scenic and interesting places then have a beach snorkel stop if you like. beach is friars or cockle shell.

 

lunch is 'roti' you would have at a beach... a wrap with potato, mild curry, spices, and a choice of beef, chicken, conch or veggie.

 

After the island tour (about 4 hours) the group can be separated if some would like to be back to the ship, have more beach time or do more sightseeing.

 

$45 each

 

This too sounds intriguing. According to many reviews he too is polite friendly and passionate about his island (like Thenford), but if you get Royston, he apparently drives you over every surface possible to get you to some different sites in addition to the "key tourist spots" and higher up on the island too. Is this true? is it an experience with his tour? Has anyone stayed at the beach longer? If so, do you have to make it back to the pier by yourself, or do you arrange a pick up with Royston later?

 

Royston does include a lunch and drinks on/near a beach to cap off the tour. Some said that there was time to snorkel/relax at the beach, others said that it was a quicker stop. We like that it seems Thenford's might have more time on a beach? (not sure how long actually), but we like Royston's food/drink option and maybe his approach to the tour. So we are stumped!

 

I know it is very subjective, but I would appreciate hearing about your experience with one and/or both of these tours and which one you would recommend.

 

Thanks very much.

 

 

Royston is the best tour we have been on and we have been on 20 cruises, The only thing that I can say about Thenford Gray is that we are trying to do a trip with him on Nevis and we can't because we have to have 4 people. Royston doesn't have that limit.

[sturderick]

How do I get a hold of Royston to book a tour?

[dani negreanu]

How do I get a hold of Royston to book a tour?

Filled the "contact form" on his site. No reply.

Ended up booking with Thenford Grey :D

[baileybrad]

Filled the "contact form" on his site. No reply.

Ended up booking with Thenford Grey :D

If you had the same experience that we had with Mr.Grey, you will have a great time. Hopefully, you get Mr.Grey, himself. He is a wonderful person.

[hrmkr]

We toured with Thenford Grey's tour a few weeks ago. It is a very good tour. We were lucky enough to have Thenford as our tour guide.

[sturderick]

Thanks for the info on Royston. Ok, I heard back from Royston and he is not able to do the tour but he can send "Ashton" to do it. Has anyone had experience with Ashton?

[zacthusker1]

Is there a minimum number of people that need to be in your group? My wife and I are looking at both of these tours and trying to pick, but it is just the two of us.

[sturderick]

Is there a minimum number of people that need to be in your group? My wife and I are looking at both of these tours and trying to pick, but it is just the two of us.

 

From what I read, I don't think so. He may add another group with you two.

[dani negreanu]

If you had the same experience that we had with Mr.Grey, you will have a great time. Hopefully, you get Mr.Grey, himself. He is a wonderful person.

 

Thank you. I certainly hope so. He was quick to reply to my emails, kind and informative.

About half of the tour operators recommended here and on Trip Advisor failed to reply....

[cruzinchad]

I've had the same problem getting to book tours. No one but no one wants to take just two people, inc Thenford Grey. It's all well and good but if you don't meet or click with others on the ship, and don't book through the cruise ship themselves you could be stuck. All the tour operators I've contacted, I've said we don't mind sharing with others we don't know. No one has come back and said yes there's a group from ship X and you can join them. I'm worried we'll get to the port and the tours conducted be the locals will be booked up by larger groups travelling together!!

[hrmkr]

We booked our tour online with Thenford Grey by ourselves and it was just 2 of us. We did not know at the time that there were a few other people from the roll call doing the same tour.

[cruzinchad]

We booked our tour online with Thenford Grey by ourselves and it was just 2 of us. We did not know at the time that there were a few other people from the roll call doing the same tour.

 

 

Well as said the reply I had was 2 people isn't enough. There was nothing said about others doing the same tour and being able to join them. Hopefully there'll be something available when we arrive or we'll hook up with others from the ship. I've posted on our roll call regarding interest from others to book something but no joy. I guess people don't want to commit which is understandable.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[printingchick]

Both are excellent and both are great guides. I personally preferred Royston's tour for the following reasons:

 

* The open air bus made for great photo opportunities.

* He added other stops to the tour, places no other tours went. He seemed so proud of his island and wanted to show off some of his own favorite places.

* He took us to a 100% EMPTY beach. The same day,fellow cruisers on Thenford's tour indicated they decided to skip the beach because the crowds were overwhelming.

 

I'm sure you'll be happy with either tour, these are just some of the reasons I particularly liked Royson's version.

[dani negreanu]

Both are excellent and both are great guides. I personally preferred Royston's tour for the following reasons:

 

* The open air bus made for great photo opportunities.

* He added other stops to the tour, places no other tours went. He seemed so proud of his island and wanted to show off some of his own favorite places.

* He took us to a 100% EMPTY beach. The same day,fellow cruisers on Thenford's tour indicated they decided to skip the beach because the crowds were overwhelming.

 

I'm sure you'll be happy with either tour, these are just some of the reasons I particularly liked Royson's version.

I couldn't agree more about Royston's tour. That was the reason I've sent him an email, asking for a booking.

But if someone isn't even replying...

My experience so far, for all the 5 ports we're going to be -- either the guides replied in a matter of hours, or they didn't reply at all.

And, yes, there were those who replied saying "sorry, we're already booked". Fine by me.:D

[sturderick]

[/color][/size]

I couldn't agree more about Royston's tour. That was the reason I've sent him an email, asking for a booking.

But if someone isn't even replying...

My experience so far, for all the 5 ports we're going to be -- either the guides replied in a matter of hours, or they didn't reply at all.

And, yes, there were those who replied saying "sorry, we're already booked". Fine by me.:D

 

I would send it again because I got a response about 2 days after I sent one. That was last week. He did tell me he couldn't do the tour and would send someone else. I want to know if anyone has used this other person and if they were as happy with him as Royston.

[ladybug0103]

I agree with trying again. It took me two tries to get a response. He apologized for the delay and said he wasn't sure if he would be in town when we were but would have his cousin do the tour if not. I'm ok with this since the reviews of his cousin Ashton on trip advisor are good.

[sturderick]

I agree with trying again. It took me two tries to get a response. He apologized for the delay and said he wasn't sure if he would be in town when we were but would have his cousin do the tour if not. I'm ok with this since the reviews of his cousin Ashton on trip advisor are good.

 

Oh, so Ashton is his cousin? I didn't realize that and didn't know there were reviews on Trip Advisor. I'll have to check them out. Thanks!

[ladybug0103]

Ashton doesn't have his own review page but his name comes up a lot under Royston's.

[dabeers1]

I'm booked on a Thenford tour next week and I booked for two people. I expect to join up with others but they never told us that 2 was too few.