Tour In St. Kitts

[phish tales]

i asked this on the rccl board but got no reply. now i will try it here. we are sailing to st kitts in feb. 08 and plan to do the scenic rail tour while there. before we book, has anyone tried this tour? any knowledgeable info is greatly appreciated. the cost is $200.00 per couple. not bad if the tour is ok. again, thanks in advance for all knowledgeable input.. THE PHISH TALES

[oceanhut]

By all means, book this tour! We just returned from our holiday cruise, visiting St. Marten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, and Tortola aboard Carnival's Miracle. We loved this scenic railroad tour!! It showed us parts of the island that we otherwise might have missed. The views from the open top deck of the shoreline were breathtaking! Well worth the price!! They also served refreshments (rum drinks, soft drinks, water, etc.) At the end, the bus driver gave us each a DVD of tour..free. Feel free to ask questions.

[phish tales]

thank you oceanhut. with your recommendation my wife and i will be booking and am looking forward to this tour. thanks again.:) :) :)

[98Charlie]

i asked this on the rccl board but got no reply. now i will try it here. we are sailing to st kitts in feb. 08 and plan to do the scenic rail tour while there. before we book, has anyone tried this tour? any knowledgeable info is greatly appreciated. the cost is $200.00 per couple. not bad if the tour is ok. again, thanks in advance for all knowledgeable input.. THE PHISH TALES

 

Did this tour in Jan. 2007 and highly recommend it. Entire staff from bus drivers to train personnel are very informative and extremely pleasant. Tour gives you a great insight into the life of the people and the beauty of the island.

 

Dianne

[montrealaise]

Hello!

 

My husband and I wiil be on the Crown in March and looking into taking this excursion too. My only worry is with the language. Is it easy to understand their english or is there a big accent? English is our 2nd language and my DH is not quite bilingual. Don't want to spend 200$ and having him not getting a word!!;)

 

Thank you for the info.

[oceanhut]

Hello!

 

My husband and I wiil be on the Crown in March and looking into taking this excursion too. My only worry is with the language. Is it easy to understand their english or is there a big accent? English is our 2nd language and my DH is not quite bilingual. Don't want to spend 200$ and having him not getting a word!!;)

Thank you for the info.

 

Montrealaise,

We sat next to a couple from Germany, and they did not seem to have a problem with the language spoken, which by the way is English, with a definite "English/British Accent". There is so much to see, and it is an experience in itself just to ride this train through the sugar cane fields, and along the coast. The train runs on a narrow guage track, with only 30 inches between the tracks. This train excursion just started five years ago, and I would not be surprised if it has already become one of this island's main attractions. If you are concerned about the language barrier, perhaps you could try and do some research on the internet about this excursion, i.e., how it was started, the route it takes, etc. for your husband. I really don't think you will have a problem with the lanquage.

Hope this helps.

[Robin G]

I have a questions about the rail tour too: Did you go around the entire island, or just one way and then have to take other transportation to/back to the ship? Thanks.

[oceanhut]

I have a questions about the rail tour too: Did you go around the entire island, or just one way and then have to take other transportation to/back to the ship? Thanks.

 

We scheduled the "early" Scenic Railroad Tour that left around 9:30. We were picked up by bus at the dock, and transported to the train's starting point. There were several "numbered buses", at the dock, and the "numbered" bus you were on, corresponded with the "numbered train car" you were assigned to. No problem with overcrowding, etc.. This is a very organized company! From there, we rode the train half way around the island to a spot where we were met by the same buses filled with passengers that had booked the later tour. We exchanged places, and explored the rest of the island by bus before being taken back to the dock.

So, to sum it up, if you want to see the first part of the island by train, take the early tour. If you want to do the train tour last, take the later time. Hope this helps. ..oops..just had a thought. There may be an excurusion that does the entire island by train. This may just depend upon how many ships are in port that particular day.:rolleyes:

[paul58]

The train starts at the station near the airport. It then travels counterclockwise around the island to near Sandy Point. When they first started this train ride they did go all the way back to the station near the airport. I believe the cost of keeping the tracks in decent shape became prohibitive so they changed it. There is no difference between the tours, only the direction of travel.

[cantwaittogo!]

I heard the the train jumps the track A LOT! Have any of you heard of this problem. Recently i read a post on another site and someone said that when they went to do the tour it was out of commision for the whole day due to this problem. They added that it jumps the reack more trips than it doesn't.

[cantwaittogo!]

I heard the the train jumps the track A LOT! Have any of you heard of this problem. Recently I read a post on another site and someone said that when they went to do the tour it was out of commision for the whole day due to this problem. They added that it jumps the track more trips than it doesn't.

[paul58]

The rail line was originally built in the 1920's to transport the cut sugar cane to the central sugar factory near Basseterre. It is a narrow gauge line with the rails set on ties with no rock ballast underneath. It takes a lot of maintenance to keep it up.

[Robin G]

Thanks Oceanhut!