Cab or ship tour

[jkjmt]

We're going to be in Martinique on Thursday, April 1 from 7:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. We always feel safer taking the ship's excursions because we travel with our now 11-year old daughter. We don't speak a foreign language and have always felt safer taking a ship's excursion.

 

The Carnival Legend has limited ship excursions so we're thinking about venturing out and taking a cab on our own. HELP!!! I always like to have everything all lined up....and know the costs. Is there anyway of having something lined up ahead of time. We'd like to see Mt. Palee, the jail cell, the rum distillery, St. Pierre, the fort, and possibly the rainforest/waterfalls and banana/sugar cane plantations.

 

Please help me.......

[scubaRN]

We'll be in Martinique in a couple weeks and are planning on taking a cab tour. I'll let you know what it's like when I get back. We've heard good things about getting a taxi tour. We've never had trouble before with not being able to speak the language, the taxi drivers understand enough english to get by, and get you where you need to go.

We're cruising on 2/23 on the Legend, and am very excited.

[pomliane]

What I think is that you should take the ship excursion to St Pierre. But if you can't because there are no more places, don't be afraid to take a taxi tour. Most taxi drivers speak enough english to drive you where you want to go : St pierre, Mount Pelee museum, cyparis cell and ruins of the theater. Ask the driver to go to habitation Depaz (wonderfull ditillery) and a very nice garden Habitation Anse Latouche. the price is 50 € to rent a taxi based on 4 passengers in the cab.

[jkjmt]

scubaRN..........I can't wait to hear about your vacation......we leave 3/27. What excursions do you have planned at the other ports. We've booked the Rhino Riders in St. Martin and the 5 hour catamaran w/turtle swim in Barbados. We booked these through the ship.

[jkjmt]

pomliane......what is the price in dollars??? Do the taxi drivers take dollars? Have you been on the ship's St. Pierre excursion????

[scubaRN]

In Barbados we are diving with an independent dive shop, and going to the Boatyard at night. In St. Martin we are shopping a little and going to Orient Beach to soak in the sun. I've heard good things about the catamaran tour in Barbados. You should have a ball. I'll let you know about our experiences when we return. Less than a week and we fly, yee haw!

[pomliane]

I don't excatly know the price in $ but i think it's about $65 the cab.

 

Don't worry, taxi drivers accept dollars.

Enjoy, and don't worry

[pomliane]

I don't excatly know the price in $ but i think it's about $65 the cab.

 

Don't worry, taxi drivers accept dollars.

Enjoy, and don't worry

[dotatbeach]

JKJMT - we will be on the Carnival Legend with you. We also have an 11 year old daughter traveling. please send me an email so we can chat about our upcoming vacation!

[jkjmt]

jkjmt@cnyti.com

 

 

Let me know your cabin number....and if you have any excursions planned...

[scubaRN]

Back from a wonderful cruise. I'm jealous :( that you guys are looking forward to it and now I'm looking back. Oh well, time to plan another one I guess.

 

It was a beautiful day in Martinique, hot and humid. Very beautiful island. I would go back to explore because we only got to see a very small portion. We choose to take a taxi to town, $3 pp, and shopped for awhile. We found a market in the middle of town, not at the park but near the church. That is where we bought things like spices, photo albums and little knick knacks. There is definitely a distain for the $$$, they use the Euro and it will cost you more to use the dollar, and some places wouldn't take the dollar. After shopping for awhile we took a taxi for a couple hour tour of the island.

 

My recommendation is to dicker with the taxi drivers, and walked around to find one. Find a driver you can easily converse with and you will feel comfortable. The first taxi driver was OK, but a little hard to understand. When you get off the ship there a ton of drivers available. It is organized, there is even a blue and white line to follow.

 

After shopping we returned to the park where we were dropped off, there is a small market area. We again sought out a taxi, and the first taxi driver quoted 25 pp for a two hour tour, so the six of us said "no". I approached another taxi driver, a women, and offered $20 pp, she said "sure", so off we went.

What a wonderful time. She took us to a beautiful church up the mountain, and to a waterfall in the rain forest, where we hiked around for awhile and cooled our feet off in the stream and a rum distillery (sp?) with rum tasting. I requested a french pasterie and so she took me to a shop and gave me Euro to use. We just had told her to show us the island and that is the places she took us. We also went through a poor neighborhood, middle class and then wealthy. She explained the culture, government, school system, flora, and agriculture. Very knowlegeable. If I remember her name I'll let you know.

 

If I went again I would probably go to the beach across the island on the ferry. We talked with another couple who did that. Kinda funny, you can go on the beach by the hotels but can't use their chairs. So take a towel. Ferry was only $6 round trip.

 

Good luck with your choice. I wouldn't do the ship tour, it's very safe and a lot of people speak english so we felt fine. Most of the people we met were not overly friendly, not rude, just serious. I noticed they weren't smiling at each other anymore than at us. When our friends talked with the locals in French, the Martinique's would talk back to them in English. So even is you know French you might not be able to use it.

 

If you have anymore questions don't hesitiate to ask. Hope you all have a great time! :)

[jkjmt]

Your message gets me sooooo excited. Tell me about the rest of your cruise. What you liked and didn't like. We have been on this ship before but it was when it was brand new. We took the Legend to Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama.

 

Sounds to me like we'll take the taxi. Why did you say don't take the ship's excursion? Did you hear comments on the Catamaran and sea turtle excursion in Barbados or the rhino riders in St. Martin?

[henri]

scubaRN,

glad you enjoyed your trip.

Questions are:

Is the waterfall in Fond St.-Denis ??

Is the church the Sacre Coeur of Balata-Tourtet ??

Where is the rum-destillery ??

How far is it walking from ship to city ??

Thank you, Henri.

[mlbcruiser]

ScubaRN, you mentioned the next time you will take the ferry to the beach. Do you mean Pointe du Bout? Also, knowing what you know now and have seen, would you recommend doing a cab tour or just going to the beach? Our ship doesn't get to Martinique until noon and we must be back on board at 6 p.m. Plus, I've heard there are some wicked traffic jams in the city at rush hour, which may shave some time off of what we can do as well. Our cruise leaves in a week and I am so confused as to which thing to do on Martinique!

[scubaRN]

Sorry this has taken so long to reply. What is with these boards, everytime lately I've logged on they are down, oh well. To answer a few questions I know the answer to the church we visited was St. Josoph, and the rum distillery was called Distillerie Dillon or Rhum Dillon. It was not in operation yet, but was due to start production in the next week. The rum distillery was on Fort de France, per my brochure.

 

Sorry I'm unsure what the name of the waterfall was, all I can tell you is that is was past the St. Joseph church.

 

Cab drive from port to city is about 5 minutes, so it is possible to walk. With all the traffic I would take a taxi. That leads to the other question about taxi vs beach with being in port in the afternoon. I think in that case I'd choose the beach, as the traffic is heavy. Not only are people getting off work but the schools would be letting out. The water taxi lets you off right by the beach at Pointe du Bout. We experienced the traffic jams at 10:00 am.

 

When we took the taxi tour we did not direct the driver just told her to show us some sites and she directed the tour. We enjoyed her choices. It gave us a feel for the city and surrounding area.

 

Good luck with your choices. Let me know what you decide.

[mlbcruiser]

ScubaRN, you brought up some very good points. I did read there is a lot of traffic there, but hadn't connected it to doing a taxi tour in the afternoon. Oh, well, maybe the beach is best. Or else if we want to sightsee on land, a ship's tour so we'll know they won't leave us. I think the "good" ones are already booked, though, even so far ahead as they are waitlisted online. Thanks again for your advice!

[ONCRUISEMODE]

Back from a wonderful cruise. I'm jealous :( that you guys are looking forward to it and now I'm looking back. Oh well, time to plan another one I guess.

 

It was a beautiful day in Martinique, hot and humid. Very beautiful island. I would go back to explore because we only got to see a very small portion. We choose to take a taxi to town, $3 pp, and shopped for awhile. We found a market in the middle of town, not at the park but near the church. That is where we bought things like spices, photo albums and little knick knacks. There is definitely a distain for the $$$, they use the Euro and it will cost you more to use the dollar, and some places wouldn't take the dollar. After shopping for awhile we took a taxi for a couple hour tour of the island.

 

My recommendation is to dicker with the taxi drivers, and walked around to find one. Find a driver you can easily converse with and you will feel comfortable. The first taxi driver was OK, but a little hard to understand. When you get off the ship there a ton of drivers available. It is organized, there is even a blue and white line to follow.

 

After shopping we returned to the park where we were dropped off, there is a small market area. We again sought out a taxi, and the first taxi driver quoted 25 pp for a two hour tour, so the six of us said "no". I approached another taxi driver, a women, and offered $20 pp, she said "sure", so off we went.

What a wonderful time. She took us to a beautiful church up the mountain, and to a waterfall in the rain forest, where we hiked around for awhile and cooled our feet off in the stream and a rum distillery (sp?) with rum tasting. I requested a french pasterie and so she took me to a shop and gave me Euro to use. We just had told her to show us the island and that is the places she took us. We also went through a poor neighborhood, middle class and then wealthy. She explained the culture, government, school system, flora, and agriculture. Very knowlegeable. If I remember her name I'll let you know.

 

If I went again I would probably go to the beach across the island on the ferry. We talked with another couple who did that. Kinda funny, you can go on the beach by the hotels but can't use their chairs. So take a towel. Ferry was only $6 round trip.

 

Good luck with your choice. I wouldn't do the ship tour, it's very safe and a lot of people speak english so we felt fine. Most of the people we met were not overly friendly, not rude, just serious. I noticed they weren't smiling at each other anymore than at us. When our friends talked with the locals in French, the Martinique's would talk back to them in English. So even is you know French you might not be able to use it.

 

If you have anymore questions don't hesitiate to ask. Hope you all have a great time! :)

 

ScubaRN: I read the post you wrote a long time ago about Martinique and it was so very helpful. I just wanted to thank you. If you were going the first time, would you do what you did or would you take the ferry to the beach?

 

Thank you.