can st. lucia be missed?

[cruzobsessed]

traveling december 24th sereande. have already booked the silvermoon catamaran for barbados, pineapple beach for antigua, am planning maho, divi, AND marigot for st. martaan.......here's my question.... since i am sure that i will see the pitons when we leave st. lucia and i've been to many caribbean beaches (not to mention bermuda this past summer), am going to the rainforest in puerto rico...... can i stay onboard when we dock in st. lucia? what do you think?

[KJHorton]

No way! St. Lucia is absolutely beautiful and one of our favorites! We fell so in love with it that we are going back and staying at Sandals for our anniversary next year.

[Beach lady]

Yes, in my opinion. I have been to most of the islands and when I was in St. Lucia, the beach we were taken to (cruise shore excursion & don't remember name of beach) was the most disappointing I've ever seen. Sand was grayish-black, water was gray and rocky, and that was when I learned "not all Caribbean beaches are created equal!" Other people on the ship also expressed diappointment with the beaches they went to; all said St. lucia was a beautiful island (lush vegetation, etc.) but not the beaches. If I'm on a cruise again that includes St. Lucia, I'll definitely stay aboard.

[franma]

We've only been there once, but were very impressed with the beauty and lush scenery. We did a land and sea tour so got to see a lot of the island, but did not spend time on a beach. I would suggest getting out and at least doing some sort of tour. There's an active volcano that you can see (and smell) and some beautiful gardens. To each his own, but generally we try to see and/or do something each new place we visit. That also gives us an idea about where we would like to re-visit some time. Anyway, enjoy your cruise.

[Iamthesea]

We went to a beach and didn't care for it that much. Wish we had taken a tour, but we had toured in Antigua before going to the beach and just wanted to relax.

My brother and SIL have gone to Sandals and loved it! We were expecting more from the beaches in St. Lucia, therefore, we were disappointed.

[rebburke]

We also did the land and sea tour (4 hour land tour and 4 hour catamaran trip) in St. Lucia and after approximately 10 cruises and 5x that many excursions this still remains our favorite. The island is beautiful - you don't want to miss it.

[audaciousred]

St. Lucia is great! You'd be missing a wonderful island if you don't explore. My favorite beach is Reduit beach (pronounced Red o wee). Great drinks -fresh fruit boat that pulls up in the water...gorgeous water - fun water sports....Go, definitely Go! I'm going to spend a week there someday!!!

[Laoghaire]

Hi...We have cruised to St. Lucia several times. The first time we took a "taxi" -and I use the term loosely!, and went on a wild ride to The Pitons, and the Volcano. Since then, we have remained onboard and sunned at the pool most of the day. We will be there again in December, and plan on a quick tour of "downtown" to see what's changed, and then "poolside'! If you will be sailing by the Pitons, You will see the most scenic part of the island (IMHO)....Helen

[syndyj]

I have been to St. Lucia many times, and it is a lush, beautiful island but I can see someone going on a Cruise not wanting to explore the island. The Pitons are a long drive from the port (but worth it to see more of the island) and the beaches are not "typical" white sand Caribbean beaches,the tours are somewhat expensive and there are not many option to do tours on your own. BUT there is a very nice beach at Rodney Bay called Reduit Beach. If you are feeling to get off the ship later in the day, that could be an option.

[SuzyL]

Just returned from the Western Caribbean on Rhapsody yesterday:(! Anyway, enough of the depressing news (being back, I mean). Loved the Rhapsody, not impressed with the ports, and compared every one of them to St. Lucia...which is absolutely beautiful (I would consider flying in to stay a week....and I HATE flying). We did a jungle tour and the catamaran to the Pitons, all in rain most of the time. Still my favorite excursion and my favorite island.

[racephoto]

I'm one of those people who would never miss a port so I would say no. :) (Though if I ever went back to Caracas I might have to change that stance :D )

 

Gail

[trish1c]

The pitons are majestic but the best view is from the water. If you will sail by them on the ship, you're probably covered. The volcano is really interesting but putrid smelling. The botanical gardens are lovely but were too crowded on the organized land / sea tours. If you have any interest in those two unique sites, go on your own. Otherwise, your cruise certainly won't be ruined or anything, if you stay on board.

[Dadofsara]

We have been on 7 Caribbean cruises and St. Lucia was the best by far of all the islands visited. Do the jeep tour!

[maxs mom]

Even better than Reduit beach is an all inclusive resort called The Rendezvous. It is adults only....very quiet and relaxing...beautiful beach and a pool with a swim up bar. It is $38 pp and includes all drinks and a very nice buffet lunch. We'll definitely go there again on our next trip to St. Lucia. It is only a five minute taxi ride from the ship and your taxi driver will come back and get you at a specified time.

[nanfromatlanta]

The Land & Sea tour is not to be missed, It was by far our favorite on 14+ cruises

[lacruiser]

I have to vote with the stay aboard group. We went to St. Lucia on Radiance in 03; got roped into taking a van tour (one of those big passenger vans) through the jungle to the "volcano" and a botanical garden. At the mid-point (some 2+ hours), I'd have paid any amount of money for a helicopter to magically appear and take me back! I've NEVER been carsick in my life (I'm 52, so that's a fair amount of time!), but the combination of the twisty, up and down roads, poor surface, high humidity was really awful. And the "volcano" -- can we say stinking, sulphur mud pit. Really -- no more than that. The botanical garden was nice, but in no way worth the agony we endured getting to it.

 

We avoided the beaches, which we'd been told couldn't compare to the other Caribbean islands, so can't speak to that. Also stayed away from downtown, since we didn't want to shop.

 

My advice -- view the Pitons from the deck, with a drink in your hand -- you'll have MUCH more fun!:D

[bplazo]

I vote for seeing the port. That is one of the reasons I cruise to see different places (even if it is just a couple of hours). You might miss a great experience!

[BuyReallyLow]

My immediate reaction was to scream NO - DON'T MISS ST.LUCIA. IT IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 

But after reading the posts, the most important question for you to answer is why you get off the boat in the first place. If it is for the beaches, then I would concur with many of the above posts - St. Lucia has some nice beaches, but you will see better in other ports.

 

But if you get off the boat for the people, the port, the land, etc.... I would strongly suggest you visit St. Lucia and do a land/sea tour. We toured the island by taxi, and saw more diversity of flora, topography and social economics on St. Lucia than any other Southern Caribbean island. I would strongly suggest Cosol - he was fantastic! JMHO - but the question is yours to answer!:)

[JessLCH]

Been to St. Lucia twice and didsn't care for it much either time. It is one of my least favorite ports. Of course, I did not do one of the big excursions like "Land and Sea" which is supposed to be great but a very long 7 hour day. If you aren't up for something like that, I'd stay on board. The beaches there are just fair. Much better elsewhere on your itinerary.

[Mike & Sue]

St. Lucia is amazing and is a "do not miss". We spent a week there several years ago, and can't wait to get back again in Feb. It is not as "modern" as some islands, but that is part of the attraction, and this may scare some people off. The natural beauty of this island is spectacular.

[luckymbt]

Next year when your ship stops there ...maybe...stay on board. But definately do not miss a chance to explore a new island for the first time. Even if it is just to make your own opinion.

The parts of the island I saw were lush and had beautiful flowers. We took the horseback tour w/ I think her name was Deflora or somethng like that, I can look it up if you are interested. It was fantastic, my 2 year old even went,rode w/ her dad. We got to ride bareback in the ocean and it was very memorable.

[northof69]

We just came back from the Serenade sailing last week. There was a group of us and most of us did the Nature hike through the rainforest. Though the bus trip there was a bit long and tedious, it was well worth it in the end. Everyone in our party thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Got to bathe in a pool of water/mud with water heated from the volcanic lava flowing well below....An absolutely invigorating experience.

 

The views alone that you experience from the bus trip are worth the price of admission (in my mind anyway).

 

I will add however, that one couple in our group ended up downtown after a visit with friends at one of the resorts and stated that the downtown area was a complete waste of time.

[lv2bcruzin]

St. Lucia is beautiful island on the interior. The beaches do not compare to Magen's Bay in St. Thomas or perhaps even the beaches of St. Marteen. But, the island itself is absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend a tour. I usually do tours that are done by the locals, as in a guy and his car. Some people might be a little iffy not doing a tour offered by RCI. But, I find these tour guides more knowledgeable and ready to take you anywhere not to mention cheaper. These guides do have to be licensed by the way.

[TupeloHoney]

The Land & Sea tour is not to be missed, It was by far our favorite on 14+ cruises

 

I hope you see this! I'm trying to get some info on this excursion. I would really like to go on it with my family this spring. But can you tell me if there is any reason why someone who is not terribly able bodied shouldn't go on this trip? The RCCL website claims you need to be able to walk a long time over uneven terrain, but the description doesn't sound like it. I know you stop to snorkel - maybe that's what they are talking about? If my father-in-law stays on the boat for that, is that the only thing that might be hard for him? He has MS and doesn't walk all that great. He's okay on level surfaces, but not for long periods of time. I think he'd be able to get in and out of the boat okay, with a hand from my husband. Can you think of anything else that might be a problem?

 

And do you think this tour will be able to hold the attention of a rambunctious 8 year old boy?

 

This excursion sounds great - just not sure if the whole group can/should go.

 

Thanks for any help you can give me!

[sgdg]

I agree that you shouldn't skip St. Lucia if you get a chance.

 

Last year, we booked a private tour with Frank(http://www.*****). I highly recommend it if for nothing other than his home-made rum punch!

 

We saw practically the whole island, including a stop for a swim under a waterfall. It was one of the highlights of our cruise. Highly recommended.