Which port would you skip on a S. Carib. sailing?

[searoses]

I would never want to return to st marten....too much traffic.....so touristy and the lovely boardwalk beach is often not clean enough to swim in......been numerous times and would only go back if it was on an itinerary with cuba....barbados is my favorite port....

[Keith1010]

I would just do St Thomas or St Maarten on my own.

 

Keith

[biker@sea]

Disembarkation port.

 

+1 ( hate getting to that port ) :eek:

 

.

[Canuker]

I'd find out what other cruise ships are in port when my ship is there. If there are three in port, that would be the day I'd stay on board.

These places are, by Western urban standards, not big; quite the opposite. They cannot easily absorb so many extra people at once.

My best example was our sole visit to (not on your itinerary but it underlines the point) Cozumel. Nine (9) ships in port. By noon we thought that we would enjoy the day far more by just returning to the ship. So we did. And we did. A haven from the haven.

Edited August 15, 2015 by Canuker

[zookiebird]

On one of our last cruises we chose to skip St Maarten. We'd been there a couple of times before so much preferred our day on the ship. Many folks are saying St Thomas. Guess I'd agree if we didn't love going over to St John so much.

[navybankerteacher]

Which beaches on St. Kitts do you feel are better than St. Thomas, St. John? I'm not being argumentative, I'm actually curious because on our last stop at St. Kitts I wasn't impressed with the beaches at all. We did the full tour of the island, Cockleshell, South Friars, Frigate etc. I know questions like this are subjective, just curious for your opinion because we're stopping again in December and I'm open to suggestions.

 

Without going across to St. John, I feel the beaches on St. Thomas are unimpressive and generally crowded. Perhaps barely on a par with Cockleshell and South Friars - but too crowded. Really beautiful ones are Sand Bank Bay and Majors Bay ( although Majors lacks facilities, if these are important).

[tweetypie_67]

St. Thomas, no way any of the others!!!!

[iancal]

We try to avoid St Thomas. We have been there a few times and done the private tours via those pickups with seats in the back.

 

For us, St. Thomas is too crowded, there are too many jewelry stores, so called duty free stores, and trinkets/trash stores, etc. It is on the bottom of our list of port stops.

 

My understanding is one reason that many cruises stop there is that the cruise lines have invested heavily in St. Thomas facilities. In return they get a massive 'rebate' in port taxes based on delivering a minimum number of passengers per season to the port. Plus they are getting all those juicy commissions on cruiser purchases in those 'cruise line approved' retail establishments.

[iancal]

We try to avoid St Thomas. We have been there a few times and done the private tours via those pickups with seats in the back. The beaches we have been to are good, but not what we would call special by any means.

 

For us, St. Thomas is too crowded, there are too many jewelry stores, so called duty free stores, and trinkets/trash stores, etc. It is on the bottom of our list of port stops.

 

My understanding is one reason that many cruises stop there is that the cruise lines have invested heavily in St. Thomas facilities. In return they get a massive 'rebate' in port taxes based on delivering a minimum number of passengers per season to the port. Plus they are getting all those juicy commissions on cruiser purchases in those 'cruise line approved' retail establishments.

[Ashland]

Sorry...but I can't see any reason to "avoid" any port stop...even if it's just to take a quick look around ;)

[navybankerteacher]

Sorry...but I can't see any reason to "avoid" any port stop...even if it's just to take a quick look around ;)

 

It's always worthwhile to check out a new place. But the question raised was which of several ports would we want to skip. Having seen St. Thomas several times (and recognizing the value of having the ship largely to ourselves once in a while), skipping St. Thomas is a no-brainer. lancal's recent posts said it all.

[tbmrt]

Which beaches on St. Kitts do you feel are better than St. Thomas, St. John? I'm not being argumentative, I'm actually curious because on our last stop at St. Kitts I wasn't impressed with the beaches at all. We did the full tour of the island, Cockleshell, South Friars, Frigate etc. I know questions like this are subjective, just curious for your opinion because we're stopping again in December and I'm open to suggestions.

 

So many better beaches to visit. We've tried a few on St. Kitts...just not as pretty or nice.

[Hlitner]

Our quick answer would be St Thomas. But why even overthink this issue. Just see how things develop (such as the weather, how you feel that day, etc) and do what feels right. As an example, last December DW and I took our usual annual 14 day Celebrity cruise that hits about 9 ports. We had our own snorkel gear and know every island very well, have our favorite spots, and often just use public transit or a shared taxi. At the first port, DW was feeling a bit tired and I suggested we just stay on the ship. We enjoyed the empty ship so much that we did not bother to get off the ship for the next 7 ports :) even though we originally had plans at every port. Finally, at the last port (which was St Maarten) we walked off the ship for about 15 min so I could buy a few bottles of decent Cognac. So during a 14 day cruise, where we normally would have been ashore for full days in every port, we only got off the ship one time for 15 min!

 

So, we have that same cruise coming up again this fall and have no clue what we shall do in those ports. Depends on our mood at the time.

 

Hank

Edited August 16, 2015 by Hlitner

[carolslc]

On St. Kitts, we loved Cockleshell. The drive there was beautiful. We got there early and had our pick of chairs. Had the best pina coladas delivered to our chairs, rented a kayak, had massages on the beach. Very low key. We just taxied there and back. I have heard Carambola is the best - more upscale. But we like things pretty laid-back.

 

If we didn't love St. John so much, I would skip St. Thomas. It didn't appeal to me. St. Maarten was crowded - traffic was terrible. But it has beautiful places if you know where to go.

 

If we don't feel like doing much, we just hop a taxi to a beach that has a beach club (I have a list ahead of time), put our toes in the sand, sample some local cuisine, and come back to the ship whenever we're tired. Even if it's just for a few hours, I would always leave the ship, but that's me.

[cruiseapril]

St. Maarten can be a relaxing short trip to town and then back to the ship.

 

St. Thomas is very crowded when many ships are docked at once. We only do

excursions there to avoid traffic and the busy shopping area.

 

We enjoy Carlisle Bay in Barbados where the Boatyard is- which is near the pier. This is a relaxing beach day.

 

For us it is very important to have a good excursion planned for St. Lucia as it

a place with narrow winding roads- one needs a good driver and guide.

[dorisis]

Shopping port of St Thomas. I would go to the French side of St Martin.

[Putterdude]

I could probably skip St. Thomas, however being an avid snorkeler I do love to catch a cab out to Coki Beach for a couple hours of snorkeling. My favourite island, bar none, is Barbados. Barbados, St. Kitts and St Lucia each have unique cultures and histories and should not IMO be missed.

[SuiteTraveler]

The BEST place to go on St. Thomas is to St. John! St. Thomas is a bunch of shopping/jewelry stores and some overused beaches. St. John is more unspoiled and lush and definitely the best place to spend your ship's time in Port of St. Thomas.

[abisha]

So many better beaches to visit. We've tried a few on St. Kitts...just not as pretty or nice.

 

Not too many people mention or know about Carambola Beach club in St. Kitts. It is lovely there. Very quiet and peaceful. Nice loungers with market style umbrellas, lovely resort type furnishings on the sand (round loungers and four poster "beds"). The restaurant is also very nice and elegant. We felt like we were in a "Coors" beer commercial..lol. The mountains of the island of Nevis were in the distance. Such a great setting.

 

Just google "Carambola Beach Club on St. Kitts". There was no entrance fee, but I did do a City Tour with Rosevelt Taylor Tours, and part of that tour was going to the beach, and that's where he took us (we were the only ones who booked with him, so it was a private tour!).

Edited August 20, 2015 by abisha

[capncarp]

The same one I'd like to skip on every cruise I'd take: ,,the one where I'm supposed to debark.:D

[toberman]

My vote is for St Thomas. Our US friends want to go there cause they can buy alcohol and take it back to the US free of duty. We just don't like the town or shopping and always find we have to go elsewhere (off the island) for a memorable experience (at a price).

[JUST TRIPPIN']

To many, St. Lucia is a top island to see. For us, not so much. Once you have seen it, it is not on our must return list. We are beach people and almost every other island has better beaches. Perhaps choose a port in the middle of your week to give you a breather. Happy sails!