Eastern Caribbean Cruise June-Itinerary and Questions

[ucfchuck]

Hello all! Hoping someone will be able to help answer these questions. We are avid travelers, who have been around the world, and have traveled quite a bit domestically even since the birth of our daughter, but this is our first time being on a cruise with her, she is almost 4-we will be with family, but any specific advice for safety and etc. traveling with a younger passenger?

 

Just to give you an idea of itinerary, we leave on Princess, June 9th out of Fort Lauderdale. So: 

June 8th: Leave from home (near Tampa Bay), and drive to Miami. Marlins vs. Guardians (go Cleveland) at LoanDepot park and some other looking. 

June 9th: Maybe some morning time walking around Fort Lauderdale Downtown or Hollywood Broadwalk, then boarding midday. 

June 10th: Princess Cays. Just a typical cruise island beach day. 

June 11th: Sea Day

June 12th: US Virgin Islands (Charlotte Amalie)-I specifically am doing a snorkeling excursion here, at Trunk Bay. Wife is not interested in water stuff, so just hanging back. We will rejoin after I am back from St. John, and this self-guided walking route: Historic Walking Tour - Virgin Islands This Week

June 13th: St. Maarten (Philipsburg)-Philipsburg itself looks compact and charming to explore. However, we might take an Uber to/from Maho Beach. 

June 14th: St. John's (Antigua and Barbuda)-Here, we might just explore the downtown area-go to the museum downtown and other civic buildings, do some shopping, get some good local authentic food in town.

June 15th: Basseterre (Saint Kitts and Nevis)-Here, I am thinking that Brimstone Hill Fortress is the move-it looks really cool and scenic. 

June 16th: Road Town (British Virgin Islands)-There is an affordable looking boat ferry excursion I found which takes you to The Baths. So probably that. 

June 17th: Sea Day

June 18th: Sea Day

 

So, I have the following few questions: 

1. I see that the Brimstone Hill tour offered from the ship is $100. I do see one from Viator that is $67. I am not sure if anyone else has done Brimstone Hill and has other thoughts on cheaper providers who would drive you up there/tour on island that would be recommendable. Or if this one is worth just doing with the cruise, since it also covers Carabelle Batik and Romney Manor. 

2. I personally really enjoy seeing the urbanism, architecture, history of the places we visit, really getting to know them. In Nassau, we even toured the government buildings in 2018. Just curious, which of St. John's in Antigua or Basseterre in St. Kitts have a better overall downtown, in terms of overall: Safety, General Urban Realm/Walkability, Food Places, Attractions/Things to Do, and Shopping? 

3. I see there is a bus from St. John's to Shirley Heights-has anyone else taken it? Does doing so feel fairly safe? 

 

Thanks all!

[John Bull]

Sint Maarten.

If you go to Maho beach, privately-run vans take folk there from the port.  Be sure to be there sometime between 11am & 2pm when the big jets arrive over the beach at Princess Juliana airport. The beach itself is "OK" but not the best on the island.

Yes, Philipsburg is compact & attractive, with a good beach. Large-capacity ferries run between the cruise port and the centre of the beach in  Philipsburg. Lots of bars with beachfront sunbeds etc. Try "Big Bastaards Bar" - Canadian IIRC, with a warm welcome & a bucket of cold beers. Good beach furniture, good snacks and good wifi, Safe swimming.

So a van to Maho, then back to explore Philipsburg town & beach-time, then the ferry back to the ship would make a good day.

An alternative - or an add-on - is to cross over to Marigot on the French side of the island (no border).

Basseterre.

Excellent precinct of cruiseport shops, bars, etc., clean & safe. Totally touristic,, but  I don't recall much of interest in the town. Lots of vans offer clockwise circum-navigations of varying lengths at varying but inexpensive rates, most give the option of finishing with time at a beach - Frigate Bay is popular, though a little grubby compared to Philipsburg.

Romney Manor is an interesting little diversion which most vans take for a 20 minute break,

But none that I know include Brimstone Fort. Twice on different occasions I asked taxi drivers if they'd take us up to Brimstone Fort, twice they declined without even mentioning a price, altho' googlemaps & photos give the impression that it's a good metalled road. I wish you better luck.  

Roadtown & the Baths of Virgin Gorda.

Yes, a very pleasant boat ride, formations of huge rounded boulders at one end of the beach on Virgin Gorda. Take great care with junior - it's easy for even small waves to sweep a youngster against a boulder resulting in tears. This is a ship's excursion, yes? The ferry is cheaper, but if there's a problem you have no Plan B other than swimming to the next port!!

An alternative staying on Tortola is a pleasant van ride to Cane Garden Beach. Clean, safe.

St John's Antigua

St John's is crowded, traffic-jammed, and scruffy. Not unsafe, but not pleasant. I suggest you negotiate a shared van to Shirley Heights (brilliant) and Nelson's Dockyard. If you want to go into Nelson's Dockyard it's worth an hour or more - some vans don't stop for a break there, some (well, one in particular 😡) say they will but don't, some do. Make sure that you and sharers all agree on whether you want at least  an hour there or not. Back via Fig Tree Drive (actually they're bananas) and the west coast with a beach stop. 

Antigua is best on your itinerary for colonial history.

 

We've not been to Charlotte Amalie.

For different reasons I don't rate the towns of Basseterre or St John's - Philipsburg is the best for a local feel of the town.

 

All just MHO as always

 

JB 🙂

[Ashland]

Don't bother with an Uber to Maho. Lot's of large shuttle taxi vans from the taxi stand to Maho (Sunset Bar). Purchase the round trip ($12.00pp) and when your ready to return ask them to drop you off in town...Then take the water taxi (7.00pp) back to the ship.

[SbbquilterUT]

Your daughter may enjoy the beach area in St. Maarten  (ferry ride from the pier) - walk along and find a nice spot.  Walk in beach and beds/umbrellas for rent.  Food is available all along the boardwalk. 

[ucfchuck]

I appreciate the guidance of all 3 of you on these places so much. Genuinely wish I could pay it forward. I'm not that familiar with the Caribbean itself, but I am very, very familiar with all of the Florida cruise port cities-so if you ever need guidance on sights or eats in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, I am happy to provide it. 

 

When people talk about private vans (that is exciting to hear, as it sounds like a pretty affordable option), how is the safety factor, seating, etc. for little ones? Specifically, talking about a toddler who is almost 4, here. Would she be allowed, or would we feel comfortable putting her in one of those? As to the first poster, John Bull's, comment about Princess Juliana Airport, the timing guidance is appreciated too-I may look up a specific flight schedule for the day, too, but it it good to know that most (all?) take place in that given time frame. 

 

Re: Brimstone Hill, it does sound as though it is difficult to get there inexpensively through other means, and so it sounds like the default option might be just taking the excursion from the ship. The only other one I saw on a cursory Google search was from Viator, which is a legitimate company, but it was 67, not that much cheaper, and perhaps more concerningly, had no listed reviews. So just considering that as what it is, I suppose it's not a terrible value since it gets us there, and includes multiple stops as well. 

 

The one I saw on BVI is an independent one for $40-I don't know how frequently there are issues, or if one were to come up on the earliest trip of the day, if we would have enough time to improvise on getting back. That was sort of what I was banking on-that if leaving by 7:45 and expecting to be back by 10, that if we encountered problems that we could somehow negotiate them in time. The ship doesn't leave BVI that day until 4. 

 

I hear you on the urbanism and walkability of Basseterre and St. John's overall not being the best, and I will take that into account. The vans to Shirley Heights does sound like a decent idea-I guess my concern again, is without a car seat in a vehicle smaller than a bus if it would feel unsafe? Good reminder on being mindful of waves with the little one too, thanks for that : )

 

I see people mentioning the water taxi.. is that from Maho Beach back to the ship, or is that from the downtown area of Philipsburg? It does look like only about a 20 minute walk back from the pier to roughly the start of the Philipsburg Boardwalk stretch. That being said, I know it will be quite hot too, and honestly the 7$ spent on that might be fun just for enjoyment of the water taxi itself. 

 

Antigua is best on your itinerary for colonial history: What is it about Antigua overall in terms of either architecture/sights, or just historical events/context, that makes it best for the history? I see the views from Shirley Heights are stunning, but what specifically makes Nelson's Dockyard special or worth seeing? I do see there are a few architectural landmarks in town, such as Museum of Antigua and Barbuda and St. John's Cathedral, but at the same time, not something that would consume an entire day of enjoyable sightseeing either. I also figured that Charlotte Amalie might have more history/architecture, and Philipsburg more walkability, than either St. John's and Basseterre would have. However, because those are officially two new countries for me, I figured I would check if there was an inclination or leaning on which one was better overall just of those 2 : )

[Essiesmom]

I have only been to St. Kitts once, and being a fan of trains I took the tour that includes the sugar train.  It is only sold through the cruise line.  It is in two parts: half in on small buses and circles half of the island.  The second part is on the train.  The bus part stops se era, places and I believe there was narration.  The train is double decker.  The lower level is enclosed and has tables and chairs that will accommodate everyone, and a restroom.  A spiral staircase takes you to the upper level which is open air and has benches all around.  They mixed a punch and passed it around, or you could have sodas.  
  I took the afternoon tour that did the bus part first.  There is a bus for each car of the train.  If you are in the first bus, you will be in the first car.  I was slow, so in the last bus and last car.  I loved it.  It’s narrow gauge and sways a lot, so goes really slow.  I loved watching the countryside and little villages.  The buses stopped in a large field with train tracks, we got out and waited.  The train came, the folks on the early tour got off and boarded the buses we had just left, and we boarded the train.  EM

Google the St. Kitts Scenic Railway.

Edited April 24 by Essiesmom

[John Bull]

Most of the roads, drivers & vehicles in the Caribbean are a great deal safer than 20 years ago !!. Roads are much busier than they used to be - that and the laid-back nature of the people keeps speeds low. Vans purely for transport are generally clean, modern & well-maintained, with aircon & seatbelts, and my experience of drivers is that they're careful and patient. Of course that would be no fun on "experience" transport like open jeeps and converted trucks.   

I don't know my stuff about 4-year-olds, I don't think any vans or taxis carry infant seats or booster seats but I don't think that's a legal problem. Ask older relatives about the USA in the pre-seatbelt era, and youngsters sat on their parents' laps. Not saying that no child seats is safe by modern standards, but it's certainly safer than the USA (or the UK) in the 1950s/60s. 

 

If you get to go up Brimstone Hill please post a photo or two when you get home.

 

@Essiesmom mentioned the sugar train on St Kitts. Yes, when ships are in port it can only be booked with the ship - that'll doubtless be a condition set by the cruise lines, who are of course by far their biggest customers. Last year was the first time we decided to try it, but we backed-out when we learned that it was pot-luck whether we'd be upstairs where we'd been told all the fun was. Perhaps Essiesmom can say whether that's the case. And also whether the van part included a stop at a batik demonstration & Romney Manor. 

 

The water-taxi - more like a big water-bus -  runs just around the corner from the cruise pier to a pier halfway along the Philipsburg boardwalk.

Yes, probably about a 20 minute walk in the sun, but we've only ever used the water-bus or picked up a van at the cruise pier.

 

If you're looking for a new "country", the French side of Sint Maarten (St Martin) is actually a departement of France, same as Normandy & Brittany etc. And its capital Marigot is quite chic and French. Currency is the Euro, but although some outlets don't accept USD, payment by Visa or Mastercard is widespread. Language is French but English is very widely-spoken. Mebbe take a van from Philipsburg then a taxi for the 7 miles from Marigot to Maho beach.

 

There are quite a few reminders of the British influence on Antigua, a lot of disused forts around the coast & churches & & little things like cricket & street names & driving on the left,  But the two main easy-to-reach sites are

- the blockhouse, fortifications, cannon emplacements & the remaining barracks etc on Shirley Heights

- and Nelson's Dockyard. Careening docks & capstan, various 18th & 19th century workshops & stores & offices, a museum and a pub. All very spacious & pleasant, altho' nowadays the setting is a little spoilt by sailing yachts & gin-palaces moored around it - I guess they need the rent money.

 

If pushed I guess I'd say that St John's is much  livelier & more interesting than Basseterre

 

JB 🙂

[navybankerteacher]

30 minutes ago, John Bull said:

…

 

There are quite a few reminders of the British influence on Antigua, a lot of disused forts around the coast & churches & & little things like cricket & street names & driving on the left,  …

 

JB 🙂

Reminds me of one of the stupidest situations in the Western Hemisphere:  when the US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark well over a century ago during WWI  (to provide a base for defending the Panama Canal routes from the Kaiser), most road traffic must have been donkey cart etc. rather than motor vehicles, but anyway decided to keep driving on the left. Denmark wised up in the mid 1950’s and switched to right side driving - but USVI kept to the old way - so now we are stuck with that insane anomaly.  
 

Who was failing to think ?

[Honolulu Blue]

8 hours ago, John Bull said:

If you get to go up Brimstone Hill please post a photo or two when you get home.

You mean like this?  

 

Photo from 2014, my first visit to St. Kitts.

[John Bull]

2 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

You mean like this?  

 

Photo from 2014, my first visit to St. Kitts.

 

You've been up there?

 

JB 🙂

[Honolulu Blue]

6 minutes ago, John Bull said:

You've been up there?

No, I scanned that from the postcard I bought in town.

 

Just kidding.  OF COURSE I've been up there.

 

[John Bull]

2 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

No, I scanned that from the postcard I bought in town.

 

Just kidding.  OF COURSE I've been up there.

 

 

I can't find a jealous emoticon, so you'll have to make do with 🤢 😄

Looks worthwhile.

Perhaps not worth the grief of a lot of hunting around for a tour, but you know what it's like when you can't have something, even if its quite trivial 🙄

 

JB 🙂 

 

[John Bull]

8 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Reminds me of one of the stupidest situations in the Western Hemisphere:  when the US purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark well over a century ago during WWI  (to provide a base for defending the Panama Canal routes from the Kaiser), most road traffic must have been donkey cart etc. rather than motor vehicles, but anyway decided to keep driving on the left. Denmark wised up in the mid 1950’s and switched to right side driving - but USVI kept to the old way - so now we are stuck with that insane anomaly.  
 

Who was failing to think ?

 

I didn't know that USVI drive on the left - it would be a good quiz question 🙂.

 

Haven't been there but photos & street-views show me that vehicles are left-hand-drive, obviously sourced from the USA, making that anomaly worse. 

That used to be the case in former British territories in the Caribbean, but vehicles that we used there last year were right-hand-drive. A lot of them Japanese, so possibly sourced from the Japanese home market where they also drive on the left.

 

JB 🙂 

[Essiesmom]

It’s been many years since I visited St. Kitts, but my recollection on the sugar train is that it was your choice whether to sit upstairs or down.  I thought there was space for most either place.  EM