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St. Kitts Scenic Railroad tour

rjack22

By rjack22,
in St. Kitts & Nevis

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rjack22

rjack22

Posted
Posted

Loved this tour! We had perfect weather, just beautiful. The trip was very scenic and relaxing.

 

We boarded buses that held only 24 people at the pier. We were in bus number 1. We found out from the driver while in transit that since we were on bus number 1 we would be in car number 1 on the train. And when we got off the train he would be there to meet us and we would again get on bus number 1. Our driver explained that we would have seating on either level of the train car. The downstairs compartment was glass enclosed and air conditioned. There were tables and seats in there. Up top was open but there was a roof for shade. The seating up top was padded benches running the length of the car on both sides.

 

Each car had an attendant that kept us supplied with drinks. There was assorted soda pop, beer, water, Pina Coladas, and rum punch. There was a tour guide who kept us informed of what we were seeing and a little bit about the island of St. Kitts. The loudspeaker she used was good and you could hear everything she said. We passed through many sugar cane fields and plantations. Spectacular views of the Atlantic side beaches and even a black sand beach!

 

The train is a narrow gauge railway. This resulted in a lot of back and forth swaying up top on the second level. It was better on the lower level. It made walking up top very difficult even for the able bodied. If you are elderly or handicapped you had best just remain seated and not move around.

 

Now you might be wondering if the swaying would make you motion sick. It didn't make me sick. I am VERY prone to motion sickness. I took a Bonine every night of the cruise. And the two excursions I did on water I took an extra one (and still got sick on one of them). I did not double up on the meds for this excursion and I was fine.

 

The train ride lasts 2.5 hours. It does not return to your start point. Instead it stopped somewhere on the NW side of the island. Our buses met us full of people taking the next trip which went from there back the way we had come to the station. In other words, the reverse. They got off the buses and boarded the train while we boarded the buses for the 35 minute drive back to the ship. This 35 minutes drive took us through many small towns along the way. The driver gave us a lot of information of the things we passed. The later group did this drive first and then the train.

 

So I have to give a thumbs up to this excursion! It was great and we enjoyed it very much. It was a nice change of pace from the usual tours. I recommend it.

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  • 3 weeks later...
gatour

gatour

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the information. I am looking at cruises for next spring and one of the ones I am considering stops at this island. The description of this excursion on Princess web site sounded interesting.

 

Do you have any other pointers on this island, like shopping etc?

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rjack22

rjack22

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No, 2.5 hours was not long at all! It was very relaxing and the scenery was very beautiful. You got a narriation thorughout pointing out the various things you were seeing.

 

They had some singers on board who entertained you from time to time. The drinks were complimentary....yes, FREE. Beer, rum punch, soft drinks, pina colatas.

 

I was almost sorry to get off of the train. No, don't worry about the length of time at all. It passes very quickly. And is very relaxing.

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  • 1 month later...
Coolmama_1

Coolmama_1

Posted
Posted

We too loved the railway. We were on the first trip and had a great time. We spent most of the time up top in the open car and got some great pictures. You get to see most of the island and it really shows how people live.

 

It started to rain bigtime about 15 minutes before we were back, so we had to go downstairs for the duration.

 

There was a little car that ran on the track ahead of us to make sure the track was clear. We were sitting up front so we could see what was going on. Every now and then we would have to stop so they could clear the track of fallen branches or shoo a goat or cow off the track:D

 

Enjoy your cruise!

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hermang

hermang

Posted
Posted
\

 

Yes there are. There is a nice bathroom on the lower level of the train.

We have been collectinh "hat pins" from the various railroads we have traveled

namely Alaska RR and WP and Yukon as well as Panama Canal.

Planning on doing this train if we take the Constellation next March.

 

Do you know if they sell pins or other souvenirs??? Nothing on their website

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hermang

hermang

Posted
Posted
Hermang,

 

I don't remember there even being a souvenier shop where we boarded the train. Some of the shops in town might have something. My husband collects hat pins too and he did get on of the island, but not the train specifically.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

So far all of the train excursions we have done sell them and the Alaska RR has a new one every year. If you do the Panama RR they have a really nice one.

 

Thanks for theinfo

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AmandaNS

AmandaNS

Posted
Posted

My husband and I are going down in January. Our trip takes us to St. Kitt's, but for some reason this excursion isn't listed. It was on the list when we looked at it a few months ago, but it's not now. Does anyone know why this might be? We were really looking forward to it....

Thanks!

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Suzy B

Suzy B

Posted
Posted

We’d like to know too as we were planning on doing that excursion in December. I called RCCL but they didn’t have any information on it. She suggested sending an email request to shorex@RCCL.com which I did. I’ll let you know what they say.

 

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We’ll be very disappointed if it isn’t offered. :mad:

Take care,

Suzy B

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Suzy B

Suzy B

Posted
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We’d like to know too as we were planning on doing that excursion in December. I called RCCL but they didn’t have any information on it. She suggested sending an email request to shorex@RCCL.com which I did. I’ll let you know what they say.

 

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We’ll be very disappointed if it isn’t offered. :mad:

Take care,

Suzy B

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Suzy B

Suzy B

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Here's the reply I received from RCCL:

 

“Dear Guest

We are in the process of adjusting to the itinerary changes with our tour counts. We will be contacting our tour operators for new inventory counts. This will take a process of approximately weeks. We apologize for the inconvenience. You may check the website then to see the tours we will be offering for your sail date. Have a nice day.

 

We Look Forward to Welcoming You Aboard.

Thank You and Enjoy Your Cruise

Shore Excursions & Explorations”

 

So there’s still hope! :) Originally, we were supposed to be in St. Kitts Thursday, Dec. 8th. But that got moved up to Tuesday, Dec. 7th. So it looks like we need to check on the Excursion Site every so often to see when it is being offered again.

 

If anyone notices it back, please share with us on Cruise Critic so we all can book it! ;) Thanks!

 

Take care,

Suzy B

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Suzy B

Suzy B

Posted
Posted

Here's the reply I received from RCCL:

 

“Dear Guest

We are in the process of adjusting to the itinerary changes with our tour counts. We will be contacting our tour operators for new inventory counts. This will take a process of approximately weeks. We apologize for the inconvenience. You may check the website then to see the tours we will be offering for your sail date. Have a nice day.

 

We Look Forward to Welcoming You Aboard.

Thank You and Enjoy Your Cruise

Shore Excursions & Explorations”

 

So there’s still hope! :) Originally, we were supposed to be in St. Kitts Thursday, Dec. 8th. But that got moved up to Tuesday, Dec. 7th. So it looks like we need to check on the Excursion Site every so often to see when it is being offered again.

 

If anyone notices it back, please share with us on Cruise Critic so we all can book it! ;) Thanks!

 

Take care,

Suzy B

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