blue_water

What @Ms411 said...pesticides and human waste are the big ones in many areas.

Yes we’re probably looking at staying in the Edgewood or Danai Beach area for this lower price point. At the $300 - $400/night rate we would instead drive down to the Keys. But I think everyone would prefer a relaxing couple of days closer to the airport…

Yes with the 2nd excursion you would ferry to Virgin Gorda, taxi to the Top of the Baths, and walk down the path to the beach. So there is no swim required. The first excursion does require a longish swim into shore. Many describe the swim as very difficult…

Looking at the Best Western FLL Airport/Cruiseport for 1 night pre-cruise, looks fine for that. We plan to stay 2 - 3 nights post-cruise and I’ve been looking at recommendations here. We’d like a hotel with a nice pool in a more walkable area with restaurants and shops, and Renaissance and the RiverWalk looked great. But next April the rates are $300+ and I need to look for something closer to $200+ and sacrifice that ideal location. Value Trips for Hyatt will likely be more than our friends will want to pay as well. Our friends will have a car so we can at least drive to the RiverWalk area, if recommended, and stay further out. Any suggestions other than the Choice Hotels-type hotels? TIA

The sargassum situation can change drastically - and quickly - due to currents and wind. We’ve enjoyed gorgeous beaches in the AM (webcam confirmed no sargassum) only to have sheets of the stuff start piling up after we arrived… So just a comment that it can change that quickly, no guarantees… When the west shore is impacted, as it occasionally is, there are many unhappy land vacationed who chose Coz over the Riviera Maya to minimize that problem…🤷🏼

We researched the water taxi option to Soufriere with Shashamane, Nio Rose, and a couple others. We ended up choosing another option, but a couple things to be aware of as you research the water taxis… All of the water taxis I could find for an excursion to Soufriere had bench seating, partial cover, and no head of course. They will share photos if you ask, but you may not get that boat of course. Of the 4 or 5 I looked at Nio Rose looked best to me. We knew exactly what boat and guide we were getting with her… Good luck!

Update - Celebrity Beyond 3/28/25 Ultimate Southern Caribbean cruise - St Lucia April 1, 2025 private catamaran excursion! ⛵️ 😎 ⛵️ Currently 6 couples, nice 45’ power cat with a great outfit reserved for this private, small group daysail. We have space for a few more couples @ $88/pp! cruisingfools@yahoo.com for more details! ⛵️ 😎 ⛵️

Another good point…I remember when we were staying in SXM, Great Bay was closed for a period of time due to toxins that contaminated the bay during storms…

Yes all bays that are not fully protected by a reef or a deep inlet are prone to shifting sand and rough water when there are undesirable sea conditions or high winds…And of course the area in front of the SBRM condo buildings is all rock, with the sandy area near the beach bar. Sorry that was your experience as Sapphire is amazing on normal days 🙁

Our favorite beach bars are not “rundown”, really. Sounds more like “seedy”, “undesirable” or in a poor state, rather than a modest but maintained spot. Maybe in its day? Our favorite beach bars are also quite modest…definitely never anything to write home about as far as the structure. Many are built from driftwood left by the last hurricane. In fact many like Miss Patricia’s place in Smuggler’s Cove, Tortola, or other bars in Mexico and Belize are actually not bars at all, just stands that the owner drags his stuff to everyday! But they aren’t dirty or being “let go”, and the owner takes care of us. So this may be just semantics, but I just wanted to chime in on @negn’s behalf…😄

No worries! In fact I wanted our friend to join here and research past feedback on the costs vs inconveniences of the various parking options…I may end up doing that!

I was just giving blackfly info I’d learned with a few quick phone calls… But yes, they are researching the hotel/self-park/RightWay/Park n Go options.…

We are flying in so have no need for a Park & Sail hotel option. But I checked for friends who are driving in. Most hotels I contacted do not offer this feature - parking is available only to guests staying there. I did find a couple that offer parking - Four Points Sheraton - $7/night Cambria Suites - $10/night Others I called with no parking - Best Western FLL airport/cruiseport Comfort Suites Sleep Inn

Thanks! I did contact Billy Bones, they have one option, a private powerboat for up to 10 ppl, cost is ~$185/pp with a full compliment. Open bar, snorkel gear, we buy lunch. The ferry looks to be ~$78 USD/pp with the Anguilla departure tax, giving us just 3 hrs there…Just a tease! I guess we’ll just head to our favorite SXM beach ☺️ Thanks! 🙏

We know from staying on St Maarten and St Martin that there are reputable independent outfits that provide full-day excursions to Anguilla. Can you recommend any that provide half-day excursions or that cater to cruise passengers. Short 7AM - 5PM port time…

Friends who have been recently are not concerned as drivers routinely return at a specified time for them and others. So even if Patricia can’t call you should be fine. And with the Long Bay Resort being so close I would not be worried as long as you give yourself time. And I know that if you saw a private driver they would stop for you as it is a very friendly island 😉 Enjoy your time there!

That is the one concern most have and for good reason, although I’ve never once read of someone being left at SC…Most people will pay the driver on the return and that would be the best option for you if a driver agrees. I’m thinking that Patricia could also call her favorite driver too. There are taxis based at Long Bay Resort and Sebastian’s which you pass enroute to Smuggler’s. So the worst-case would be making the 20-minute, 1.5km walk to the LB Resort to grab a taxi. But I really don’t expect you to have a problem…Let me see if I can find out if Patricia can assure your return…

I see 2024 room rates (except for January- March).Any idea when the 2025 rates are posted, at least for the 1st quarter? I’d prefer to see the rate before booking the rooms…

Yes, we’ve seen strong swimmers swim in to the Baths from moored cats to the right of the boulders and be exhausted from the current or undertow. Regarding Smuggler’s Cove, we wouldn’t be concerned about the cruise line Jeep excursion. Sounds like a small group and they are not there long. And Miss Patricia is there serving her famous burgers, chicken, and salads (her potato salad is deelish)! Not to mention great drinks and cold beers. She is our favorite vendor on the island. Nigel has also been a fixture there, but you want to have Patricia take care of you. I just learned that her husband, Bush, is a talented chef and is sometimes her cook! And there will be a portapotty or two so you have everything you need! 😉 Gorgeous beach and water and beautiful views…

Now knowing that the Vista corner cabins have access to the VC pool we’ll probably go that way rather than the aft balcony…We love the typical aft-facing balcony, but with these HC aft cabins the railing with the gate + the walkway take away from the water view…Looks like the corner balcony just has the conventional rail…

We’ve cruised to most Carib nations over 20+ years and stayed on several, the Caribbean is our favorite destination…We’ve wintered in our retirement home in Mexico the past 8 years, and we are looking forward to returning to the eastern and southern areas iof the Carib…The BVI is our favorite area…gorgeous beaches, wonderful people on Tortola… Grenada has always eluded us and we happened to choose an upcoming cruise that stops there. I have to say we’ve toured many of the islands and we’re not really interested in seeing the typical sights, but we do always look forward to seeing the beauty of the island and learning her history. So we (two couples) booked a private island tour, and will spend some time on a less-developed beach after. For your interests, a similar excursion sounds about right! Have you been to the Western Caribbean? Mexico, Belize, Jamaica, Roatan and other areas offer beautiful rain forests, amazing Mayan and other ruins, and of course gorgeous beaches!

Aah yes, I see that excursion now. I see they also offer the Jeep excursion with a stop at Smuggler’s… Enjoy your visit!

Are you referring to the shared “safari” taxis? The open-sided bench seating on pick-up trucks? If so there are drivers offering shared island tours, some with a stop in Cane Garden Bay…

Thanks, it’s more clear after seeing YouTube videos of the HC area exactly how it is set-up. The only concern would be the number of HC and other qualified guests would be at the pool but that’s not a big deal. We’ve cruised in Carnival aft cabins years ago, and this HC set-up is something we’ve not seen and we would definitely go this route 😄

Yes I do see the Premium Vista wrap cabins do have the HC perks listed on other booking sites…Funny Carnival’s booking doesn’t seem to state that…Unless I’m just missing that…?