QM 2 Caribbean shore excursion questions….

[Namvet4]

As a newbie to the Cunard experience, I am asking anyone to share their experiences with the shore excursions booked through Cunard aboard the QM 2 – in particular the Caribbean itinerary. (If you have strong opinions about an excursion for other itineraries I would be interested too!)

I have spent some time reading the ports boards and learning about the independent tour operators.

 

I am really interested in your feedback about how the Cunard sponsored excursions fared, whether well :D or poorly.:mad:

 

 

Thanks in advance for your feedback!:)

[sailsalot]

Do you have a tripped planned already? If so, what are your ports? That would help in knowing which port excursions to talk about. :) Or is this just a general question about any port anywhere in the Caribbean?

[Namvet4]

Sorry about that sailsalot...

(I should have been a little more specific.. instead of a little more excited about my cruise :eek: )

Booked 2/2/2008 Panama/Carribean

Itinerary:

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Cristobal, Panama; Willemstad, Curacao; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Castries, St. Lucia and Charlotte Amalie, St.Thomas.

[cruiserking]

Hi Namvet4

 

We met on the Noordam this past January 6. I was perusing the Cunard Roll Call Boards and noticed your sailing on the Panama & Caribbean Voyage.

 

We took this cruise in 2006 and had a marvelous time. As far as excursions go, my all-time favorite is the Panama Canal Railway Journey. You can either book the Observation Car or the Executive Car, a ten dollar difference in fare for the better view.

 

This is an excellent excursion, the best we've ever taken. Beautiful railway cars restored to resemble the Orient Express. The journey paralells the Panama Canal and it's about an hour trip to and from the Panama Canal.

 

This trip sells out very quickly, it's a tad pricey but, worth every nickel. I would head to the excursion desk your first sea day early and book this trip. We managed to get the Executive Rail Car and the view was still perfectly fine.

 

Don't miss this trip, the trains are beautiful and so are the lovely Panamanian Ladies that act as conductors and perform an entertaining song on the return trip.

 

Happy Sails,

Jonathan

 

[sailsalot]

Hi Namvet4,

 

No problem, I know what it's like to be excited about an upcoming cruise!

 

Jonathan gave a great suggestion for an excursion at the Panama Canal. We took this cruise on the QM2 in 2004 with some of the same ports. If you want something a little more physically adventurous in Panama, I would recommend the excursion we took, which was a tour of the Canal and a hike through a rain forest. It was a wonderful, close-up experience with lots of wildlife and foliage on the hike. We even saw sloths hanging from trees just above our heads! I felt like I was in a National Geographic show. :) The guide was fantastic with our group, which went from elementary school-aged kids to retirees. And the hike was very easy, with a mostly flat surface. The excursion was very entertaining and educational.

 

In Curacao, I took a kayak and snorkle excursion. When I looked on the list on the Cunard site today, I didn't see that offered, but it looked like the snorkle trip they do offer goes to the same place that we went to. It was a well-organized trip and the people who ran the trip were great. But it looks like the trip offered now is a bit different, so I'm not sure if they use the same operator. Since we kayaked to the snorkling site, we didn't have a big boat to snorkle from.

 

I've been to St. Lucia and St. Thomas recently on another cruise line, but I'm not sure if you're interested in how their excursions were. It looks like Cunard offers the same excursions. Let me know!

 

Have fun planning! :)

[Namvet4]

Thank You Jonathan (cruiserking) for remembering and for your advice. I would do this in a "New York minute"... BUT..My DW doesn't care for the Iron Horse! (However, I may be able to "persuade" her ;) )

 

Thank You sailsalot for your impressions of the tour of the canal and rain forest hike combination.

 

I am also interested in how Cunard handled the entire " tour" and/or "shore excursion" experience. I have read that some ships efforts are rambunctious cattle calls and others are well thought out events....As always, thanks in advance to all who contribute a response...

[cruiserking]

Namvet4,

 

Sorry to hear your wife is not a train buff. I should add this train is by far the smoothest ride I've ever experienced. This train is equiped with a special device that maintains a level ride throughout the journey.

 

Here's a link with some more info and pictures.

 

http://www.panarail.com/en/passenger/index-05.html

 

Jonathan

[judy&steve]

Sorry about that sailsalot...

(I should have been a little more specific.. instead of a little more excited about my cruise :eek: )

Booked 2/2/2008 Panama/Carribean

Itinerary:

Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Cristobal, Panama; Willemstad, Curacao; Kralendijk, Bonaire; Castries, St. Lucia and Charlotte Amalie, St.Thomas.

 

In Puerto Limon, there is a great excursion that takes you through the rain forest in a Russian missile launcher turned bus. It's something like a 6-wheel drive vehicle and the guides are great. The scenery is beautiful. We took this excursion through Carnival a few years ago. I'm sure Cunard has the same contractors as the other lines.

Curacao, we toured the Synagogue on our own and walked through the town. I can't recommend any excursions, since we have always done that island on our own. It's a nice Dutch town with a lot of nice shops.

St. Lucia, we also have done on our own. Next time, we would do an excursion.

St. Thomas is for die-hard shoppers (me!) There are a number of excursions available on Cunard's website, but you can only book them onboard the ship, unlike some of the other lines. There are some beautiful beaches on St. Thomas.

Sounds like a great cruise. When is it?

--Judy

[travel-to-go]

Namvet,

I was on the same trip as Jonathan (Cruiserking) We waited too long and did not manage to book the rail car in Panama. Instead, we took the cruise up the river. It is a flatboat, with a guide. They try to get you near as much flora and fauna as possible. (The monkeys were a hoot!) We ha a wonderful time. I never felt herded anywhere.

In the terminal in Panama there are many booths and kiosks of native craft and clothing. Make sure you realize there is a hole other section behind the main section with many more booths with native art and crafts and jewerly, scarves, etc. Don't get stuck in the main area. There is twice as much beyond it! Additionally, there is a center area where native performance is done. The instruments are all hand made (and they explained how) Be aware that this group does not normally wear clothing, or at least much of it. In respect of our "sensibilities" (What's sensible about too much clothes in the heat?) the men wore what appeared like loincloths and the women wore bright floral skirts. All of the women had beautiful long hair, and body paint. However, their breasts, though covered by the long hair mostly, were bare, in case there are any sensitive ones you need to prepare with a little bit of cultural education. Another friend on our cruise did the Indian village which they loved.

In Curacao, we did the Ostrich farm and Aloe farm. We loved it, but even more so, was the long bus ride out. We were treated to information as we rode, but we also delighted in seeing the different types of plants, the way the houses are built, (and some interesting little bits about houses with one wall not painted, and how taxes are assessed.) Other friends try to visit synagogues all over the world. There is a tour taking you to the synagogue in Cuacao, but I believe they went on their own. They loved it. Hopefully, the swing bridge will be working when you are there, We have "Ridden it" on a previous trip, but it was being refurbished the last time we were there. We also had fun on another trip just walking around town.! It's a beautiful area with typical dutch architecture and colors. One thing about Curacao- It's almost like four or five different places, depending on your vantage pint and where you are. Everything from colonial village to rural to industrial modernity! Sailing away at night, you see the fires from the excess gas burning off from the refineries. It's kind of pretty!

 

St Thomas- I always recommend (unless you are a die-hard shopper) taking the ferry , either from Red Hook or the town center over to the ferry terminal at St John. Then hook up with a Jitney driver for a tour of the island. Half of the island is National park. There is a lot of history, a lot of scenic overlooks and such. Be aware the jitney drivers will want to take as many as they can, and many of the jitneys hold 18 passengers. They are open air. They will make sure to get you back to the dock in time for the ferry back to the ship. (They run frequently) Just across from the St John terminal is Sunny Caribbee spices. They are up a flight of stairs, in case you have mobility issues (as I do) but it wasn't too bad. Nice teas,spices, kitschy stuff. some souvenirs and tote bags and hand bags and such. For souvenirs on St Thomas, I say you can't beat Captain's Cove. (I think I got that right. I always have to look) They have nice clothes, quality t-shirts, A fan that folds out and hooks into a sunhat, emery boards (nail files) that have Caribbean scenes for a nice small gift for someone, booze (Including Single Barrel Cruzan Rum, made on St Croix) , Marmalades, pirate stuff- Good for pirate night! and so much more. the prices are decent, and the variety and quality is good. It is right across from the city ferry in Charlotte Amalie, (also in Havensight)

We particularly enjoyed the helicopter flight over the islands one of the times we've been there. It is pricey, but you can see so much, and the gradations of color of the sea, the harbors and the coral is absolutely amazing! You also get to peer down on some fabulous homes. And see how really close the British Virgins and the American Virgins are. Sometimes it is easy to think they are a world away.

 

Enjoy your trip! I never felt heard on any Cunard trip I took. And I am not one to feel herded! I am kind of slow due to my mobility issues, but never felt I was being rushed or that I was a nuisance.

 

Karie,

who Really REALLY needs to book something soon!

 

P.S. Jonathan will tell you..Don't mis Trivia in the Golden Lion Pub! You meet the nicest people there! Some may go on to become lifelong friends, as one already has to me- and we have booked another cruise together we had so much fun and liked her so much!

[lexxity]

We did much the same itinerary back in 2004. In Panama we did the Cunard excursion to the canal, Miraflores lock, then onto Panama City. Panama City is a dump, but well worth seeing for some of the very beautiful buildings. The trip included lunch at the best hotel in Panama City, it was buffet style, but excellent. Well organised and very tasty. The whole trip was well handled, including finding a replacement coach at the beginning of the day.:p We also visited a market next to an archealogical site and picked some trinkets up.

 

In Curacao (oh to go back!) we did the snorkelling. It was FANTASTIC! We disembarked the QM2 and walked across the jetty to the excursion boat. We then sailed out to the dive area which was a sunken boat. I had a little problem with the mask (claustraphobia) and the crew stayed with me in the water until I found my confidence. I would advise sitting at the bow of the boat as it can get a little bumpy, especially after being on the mighty QM2 and keeping the horizon in view will help keep mal de mer at bay. In the afternoon we pottered around Willemstad, watching merchantmen sail in and out and the Dutch Marines zooming under the boat bridge!:eek:

[sailsalot]

Reading lexxity's post, that reminded me that our tour in Panama included a stop at the Gatun locks, and then the hike through the forest. So maybe that will help in finding that excursion on your list of choices.

 

As the others said, the excursions are well-organized by Cunard. But there are crowds at the meeting place, which is usually one of the public rooms on the ship. Everyone waits there for their excursion to be called. And when your excursion is called, there's a crush of people who head to the gangway. But once off the ship, the crowd disperses to their buses, boats, etc., and there's no problem.

 

On many of the excursions, cruise staff will be with you, usually a member of the entertainment staff or cruise director's staff. If there are any problems or concerns, it is nice to have a ship's representative right there.

 

Overall, the people who you'll meet on the excursions are well-behaved folks who are very interested in learning about new cities and cultures, and the experiences have all been very positive.

 

Hope this helps!

[Namvet4]

Thank you EVERYONE who responded to date! Great ideas and opinions being shared. :)

 

I have only experienced the shore excursions on Holland America and have nothing else to compare with. I am assuming that the Cunard experience will be a well defined and well run excursion . . .

[patwell]

The only port you have that we did last year is St Thomas...biggest thing about it seems to be the shopping which is not my cup of tea. My friend and I took a simple bus tour of the island (Cunard sponsored) but I have to say it was a waste. It took us to a couple of "shopping stops", a scenic overlook or two and then dropped us at Blackbeards castle to make our way back to the ship after the tour there. Seeing QM2 from a high point on the island and walking down the 99 Steps from there was the best part of the tour. A number of people did the St John's excursions and enjoyed them....will probably do one of those this year.

 

Cheers, Penny

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

[Namvet4]

The only port you have that we did last year is St Thomas...biggest thing about it seems to be the shopping which is not my cup of tea. . .

Cheers, Penny

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

Penny, How can I convince my DW to adopt your attitude relative to shopping !?!?! :rolleyes:

I have also read that the trip to St. Johns is worthwhile...Now the object is to time the tour and the shopping to keep everyone (read DW) happy;) !!!!!

[sailsalot]

Namvet4,

 

To keep your mind at ease on the shopping, thought you'd like to know that on the St. John's tour that we took through Holland America, there was a stop for about 20-30min. to do some shopping at about 4 shops/boutiques that were clustered together. They had quite a selection of items, from jewelry, ceramics, and glass objects, to island trinkets. There was also an ice cream shop, which the guys seemed to enjoy while the ladies shopped. All the tours seemed to stop there. So if you do take a St. John island tour, rest assured your wife should be happy with the shopping offered. :)

[sailsalot]

And here's a bit of trivia if you do take the St. John tour. On one of the tour boats that takes you over from St. Thomas to St. John, there's one person there that used to be on the cruise director's staff of the QM2 in its inagural year in 2004, a young guy named Brent. He's easy to spot, as he's the only guy who's not an island native. We were so surprised to see him on the tour boat! It truly is a small world. :)

[patwell]

Penny, How can I convince my DW to adopt your attitude relative to shopping !?!?! :rolleyes:

I have also read that the trip to St. Johns is worthwhile...Now the object is to time the tour and the shopping to keep everyone (read DW) happy;) !!!!!

 

LOL Namvet.....don't be too hard on your DW...I've done all my shopping BEFORE the ship sails!!! Just ask my patient DH!!! (a "Namvet" too if I read your name right....)

 

Cheers, Penny

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053