Excursions in the caribbean

[lodge172]

Hi we are on Azura A328N

Barbados

St Kitts

Tortola

Grand Turk

St Maarten

Antigua

Dominica

St Lucia

St Vincent

This is our first time to the Caribbean so we are really looking forward to it. Can anyone help us with excursions. We usually like to do our own thing. Which ports are easy to do on our own and which ones do you think need an excursion. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks

[annieuk]

We loved the Sugar Train trip on St. Kitts. This can only be done through the ship's excursion as they book the whole train. It is an old double decker Sugar train which travels along the edge of the island - about 90 mins trip - you can either sit up top which has open sides, and that's what most people do, or you can go below which is airconditioned. You travel along about 6mph with the sea on one side and the interior of the island on the other. You go through all sorts of villages and the children will come out to wave if they are not in school. There is a hostess to each carriage who serves complimentary fruit or rum punch or wonderful banana daiquiris(?). There is also a local choir who goes from coach to coach singing. There was a wonderful commentary last time we went on (we've been on it twice) from a man who used to drive the train.

 

One of my most memorable memories was of the choir singing to us, the blue sea on one side and the verdant island on the other, sipping a daiquiri, listening to them singing "Itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini"! The trip is not cheap but we think it was great. Either before the trip you get a ride on one of the Train company's minibuses - very new and comfortable. You may get taken straight to the train and then when you get off you get a tour of part of the island before you return to the ship or it may be done vice versa.

[Essexlass2]

Hi we are on Azura A328N

Barbados

St Kitts

Tortola

Grand Turk

St Maarten

Antigua

Dominica

St Lucia

St Vincent

This is our first time to the Caribbean so we are really looking forward to it. Can anyone help us with excursions. We usually like to do our own thing. Which ports are easy to do on our own and which ones do you think need an excursion. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks

 

It depends really on your interests, but you can do your own thing at most of those ports of call. Having said that, I would highly recommend taking a tour with Cosol on St. Lucia, one of the very best tours we have ever done in the Caribbean. Taxis will be on the dockside at each of the ports of call willing to take you wherever you want to go or simply just give you an island tour. It would be worth doing your homework on CC's ports of call pages first.

[grush240]

St Kitts... google Uncle Millie brilliant guy he'll taylor a tour to suit you and quote for the trip so if you can get a few folk to go with you the price PP drops. The man is a legend and won't queue up to tout for business at the dockside.

 

Kev

[Judith Chalmers 48]

Hi can anyone tell me if we can go to Prickly Pear Island in Antigua on our own? I have been looking at the excursions and there is one to the Island it is called Crusoe Island Escape, but it is rather pricey and I know from experience most of the excursions you can do on your own at half the cost. We have not been to Antigua before but we usually do our own thing on the Islands that we have been to. Also if anyone has been what's it like?? Thank you

[ParCan]

On St Vincent, do a tour of some type. The town is not so nice.

[RobboM]

We used "Bernards Tours" in St Maarten a couple of years ago - I thought that he was pretty good - Look him up on google! ;)

[bigjohn7]

Hi can anyone tell me if we can go to Prickly Pear Island in Antigua on our own? I have been looking at the excursions and there is one to the Island it is called Crusoe Island Escape, but it is rather pricey and I know from experience most of the excursions you can do on your own at half the cost. We have not been to Antigua before but we usually do our own thing on the Islands that we have been to. Also if anyone has been what's it like?? Thank you

Hi we are on the same cruise as you and have booked Lawrence of Antigua for a day trip

[eastlands]

Hi we are on Azura A328N

Barbados

St Kitts

Tortola

Grand Turk

St Maarten

Antigua

Dominica

St Lucia

St Vincent

This is our first time to the Caribbean so we are really looking forward to it. Can anyone help us with excursions. We usually like to do our own thing. Which ports are easy to do on our own and which ones do you think need an excursion. Any recommendations would be great. Thanks

Americas cup racing experience in st marteens is a must, otherwise the island is quite over developed.

[EJMcruiser]

Barbados: take a taxi to Paynes Bay Beach, hire a chair/umbrella for $10 and enjoy this lovely little beach. When you get board walk along the beach up to the famous Sandy Lane Resort (Tiger Woods got married there).

St Kitts: as per previous comment def. the suger train via P&O.

Tortola: very busy island so book the P&O trip to the island of Just Van Dyke to escape the crowds.

St Maarten: get a taxi to Maho Beach & get some of the worlds best holiday snaps when a jumbo jet lands right on top of you (check it out on youtube if you havn't seen it).

Antigua: book the swim with sting rays with P&O in the morning and spend the afternoon on Jolly Beach (taxi $10 max).

Domenica: do the river tube riding with P&O, we did it as a family and everyone from the teens to the 70+ loved it. Its very calm and enjoyable.

St Lucia: do the helicopter ride if you have the cash around the Pitons (its suppose to be an experience of a lifetime according to my parents) or otherwise just get off and sign up to one of the mini bus tours of the island as its beautiful (about $25 pp). Avoid the local $6 beach transfer as its terribly overcrowded and not very nice.

St Vincent: if you are reasonably fit I would do the hike to the seven sisters waterfall. You can swim under the falls and its in a beautiful forest.

[Housie]

When are you going? Have you been yet?

[lodge172]

Has anyone used Cosul tours in St. Lucia?

[coralsmum]

Yes we have - great day can highly recommend them. Our daughter and her husband have booked with them for later this month. We have done the trip before though so are not joining them this time. Sue

[soobs]

We are using Colsol tours on the 11th December, comes highly recommended we cannot wait

[bee-ess]

Hi can anyone tell me if we can go to Prickly Pear Island in Antigua on our own? I have been looking at the excursions and there is one to the Island it is called Crusoe Island Escape, but it is rather pricey and I know from experience most of the excursions you can do on your own at half the cost. We have not been to Antigua before but we usually do our own thing on the Islands that we have been to. Also if anyone has been what's it like?? Thank you

I don't think you can book this independently if a cruise ship has booked the space - it is not very big. We were booked on this with P&O in March and I was unable to book independently, the tour was cancelled in the end due to sea swells and being unable to land so cannot comment on what it is like. This is the email to book yourself - miguels_ha@hotmail.com

Edited November 12, 2013 by bee-ess

[Judith Chalmers 48]

Thank you so much Bee Ess we may just go to Dickenson Bay, don't want to depend on sea conditions.

[kathsmum]

We are using Colsol tours on the 11th December, comes highly recommended we cannot wait

Also used Cosol, best tour and best value ever.

[alynn]

Also used Cosol, best tour and best value ever.

 

We also used Cosols, I think we may have had a great time, I think we could have been in St Lucia, I think his rum punch could have been strong, hic...I cant remember

[sagaris]

We have been on two tours of St Lucia with Cosol - brilliant and yes the rum punch is strong:)

 

Molly

[Essexlass2]

Has anyone used Cosul tours in St. Lucia?

 

Yes we have and he gave us one of the best tours we've ever had anywhere in the Caribbean. Go for it! :D

[Essexlass2]

Hi we are on the same cruise as you and have booked Lawrence of Antigua for a day trip

 

We also used Lawrence of Antigua and had a wonderful time, highly recommended. :)

[ParCan]

Our best tour ever has to be the Rum Runner out of Grenada.

Great Rum Punch. fresh Fruit to die for.

Oh - the rum was good.

Then we beach a found

and rum was served

and then we Boated back to the Conga with a steel band.

Did I mention the rum ?

 

Great fun all round :)

Note: You need to like Rum !

[Jean Jeanie]

We have also been with Cosoll Tours. Yellowbird was our driver/ guide and he was great. Definitely to be recommended. We are going again in January and thinking of repeating the tour as it was so enjoyable.

[tartanexile81]

We tend to DIY in the Caribbean and have had no problems at all. Not only is it cheaper but it also gives you a much better insight into the islands and the people. Don't feel you have got to do tours as that is not really the Caribbean way. Just go to relax and enjoy the great weather and beaches and think about everybody back home in the Winter chill :D.

 

We have travelled with Cosol a couple of times in St Lucia and a lot depends on your driver as we had a much better tour the first time with Yellow Bird, Cosol's brother. The mountain roads are very twisty with lots of ups and downs and both times I felt really travel sick and that is something I do not usually suffer from.

Barbados - Last year we had a look round Bridgetown including lunch at the Bridge café then went to the cricket museum and the Kennington oval tour (both near the port). We've also walked through the centre of Bridgetown to Carlisle Bay (the Boatyard) for a beach day.

St Kitts - Only been once. Did tour with Greg's safaris but would not recommend. Have heard very mixed reports about the train so can't decide if it's worth £60.

Tortola- Highly recommend the open buses which are waiting at the port gates and which depart every few minutes. Excellent value ($12 I think) and you get a great overview of this beautiful island including time at the beach (Cane Garden).

St Maarten- Fab for duty free shopping especially cosmetics, alcohol and perfumes. Lots of bargains to be had, although it is pretty commercialised. There's a shuttle ferry from the port to the town. Takes about 10 minutes and last year cost $6 for a day pass. There's a reasonable beach in town too. There's also a bus service which will take you to Marigot for the beach, town and market. This is in the French half of the island.

Antigua - Worth taking the local bus to English Harbour / Nelson's dockyard. Bit of history (historic buildings and museum), beautiful scenery (walk out to the old fort over the sea) and wander round admiring the lovely yachts.

 

Happy to give anybody more detailed info if they're interested!

[lodge172]

Thanks for the great information. Is it easy to walk to the Boatyard in Barbados. Which resorts are easy to do on your own, and which do you think we need to book a trip to make the most of our time there.