When it was best to be on an NCL Tour (Long day trip report)

[old nutter]

One or two of our fellow Getaway 12-Day cruisers have already briefly mentioned the somewhat interesting visit to St Lucia on November 6th. We had booked what we thought was going to be a really special trip to see the Pitons and the waterfall in the Diamond Botanical Gardens in Soufriere. The journey south would take us up and down the only road on the west of the island for about 40 or two miles giving us fantastic views of the coast as we went in and out and up into the tropical rain forest on the side of the hills. At least that was the plan!

 

When we woke up in Castries Port that morning, the skies were looking a bit mixed and by late morning we could see some rain heading our way from the interior of the island. Not to worry, we were told that the rain around here was usually warm and it would soon pass and the sun would come out again ...... wrong (as we would find out)

 

It was raining a bit as we headed out on our NCL booked trip to the 20-seater bus waiting beyond the terminal shops area to take us to Soufriere. OK, a bit crammed-in with all 20 of us, but so what, we were all looking forward to seeing some great sights that afternoon as we headed of to see what Castries town offered on the way.

 

Our first sightseeing stop was overlooking the beautiful Marigot Bay. The view across the tropical plants on the hillside would have been spectacular on a calm sunny day and even with the light rain it was easy to see why it has been featured in lots of films and it did have a toilet, so all was not lost. Then we set off on the serious part of the journey up and down and round so many bends we were getting used to not seeing any straight roads ahead of us and the rain was getting a bit heavier as we went through the mixed building styles of the typical Caribbean fishing village of Anse la Raye.

 

More bends and hilly roads and we came to the town of Canaries. The rain was getting a bit heavier still and the river was rushing under the temporary bridge across the river in the middle of the village that had replaced the one that was washed away in the huge storm just before Christmas in 2013. Not far to go now so we pressed on up into the rain forest hills again. Then our driver stopped along with other vehicles ahead of us on the hill and we were told that there had been a landslide on the road ahead. He was told to abandon the trip and head back to the ship in Castries. He managed to turn us around on the narrow mountain road and we began our trek back. And the rain got heavier still....

 

As we headed down to Canaries we could see that the river through the village was flooding badly and when we got to the 2013 river bridge the thick brown water was flowing very quickly and by now it was only a few inches below the roadway. A quick chat with some of the villagers who were watching the rising river and our driver decided it would be best to cross the bridge because we all knew how much more water was falling on the hills above the village, so he took it steady and over we went. As we went over the bridge, we could see the houses alongside the river were already well flooded but we had to press on back towards our ship. Once we got up the hill on the other side and looked back, we could see the massive brown stain on the water where the river was carrying tons of mud and rubbish out to sea.

 

On we went up and down and round and round the bends knowing that there were other swollen rivers ahead that were heading for the sea and we started worrying what was to face us when we got to the next lowland part of the road. By now the rain was slowing a bit. Then we came across a river that was flowing down the hillside and the little concrete bridge we needed to carry on with our journey was flooded and water was going over it was well as under. Again we stopped so that the driver could weigh-up the options. The water over the road was about 18 inched deep on the top of the bridge and flowing quite quickly so he was worried that if the bus broke down on the bridge there was a danger that it would get swept off into the river. Again a few chats with locals and he backed up about 50 yards or so, revved the engine and went for it. At least that way, we would get over the bridge and we could worry about flooding the engine afterwards in the relative safety over the other side. We made it over and the engine was still running so on we went again.

 

As we went on towards Anse la Raye each bend brought the prospect of rocks, mud and water across the road and we certainly had a few times when the driver was picking his way round big rocks and deep water flowing off the hillside. When we got into the village we were stopped in a traffic jam because the road ahead was too flooded to carry on. At that point we got out of the bus and went to find a toilet because by then we had been cooped up in the van being lashed by the rain for well over a couple of hours. The guy with the keys to the toilet block must have thought his ship had come in at a dollar a visit but you could hardly begrudge him it with so much damage being done to his village by the floods and some of were quite desparate!!

 

We were stuck in the village for around 30 minutes and then everyone decided the water had subsided enough in the main street for us to slowly head on as we were probably only around a couple of miles from the ship. The next little issue was another blocked bridge on the outskirts of Castries just below a large industrial and oil storage complex, but the company was allowing traffic through the narrow complex, albeit in one direction at a time, hence the traffic jam.

 

On into Castries town and we discovered that it had been hit pretty badly and was flooded so traffic was jammed everywhere. By now we could see the Getaway across the bay but the traffic was completely jammed and we were stuck for around 30 minutes or so until the driver managed to work out that the problem was not being able to turn right at the far end of the road and we wanted to turn left, so he gingerly drove past all of the stationary jammed cars and made the left turn towards the ship. Finally after the best part of four and a half hours in the little bus we headed back onto the ship just before the due departure time,. However, it soon became clear that others were still on their way back and it was well over an hour later that the ship finally headed away from the island. At least one of the last groups that we think were probably from the earlier Soufriere trip that got through before the landslide closed the road, came back late to the jetty by boat because they had become effectively trapped by the landslide that stopped us getting through to Soufriere. As far as we know, nobody was left behind, but there was plenty of potential for people to get stuck in such a difficult and complicated situation. I have to say that we were all certainly a great deal happier knowing that we were on a company trip not out there on our own. Just goes to show how easy it can happen.

 

Finally, as we got back to the ship senior crew members were there to meet us and they told us straight away that half of our trip cost would be refunded because of the issues we had. It was very interesting to later hear the differing views from other passengers who had been affected on their various tours. Some, like us, were happy with the 50% refund, whilst others were insisting that they should get a full refund and others were blaming the crew for not cancelling all trips that morning. We spoke to a senior crew member later and found that they had checked thoroughly with locals that morning and everyone was expecting the rain for just head-on through like normal and then the sun would come out behind it.

 

That deep tropical trough came in off the Atlantic and went over the island with little or no warning of how bad it was going to be and even the local government emergency people were caught off guard. Locals told us that it had been the worst weather event on the island since the Christmas Eve trough in 2013 that caused damage and death on the island. Looking back on this day later, there had been one local man drowned when he was trying to rescue a cow from a swollen river and two people were fortunately recovered alive when they were swept into an open drain, so we counted ourselves very lucky to only have suffered a few missing views, photos and stiff bones. We were the lucky ones, heading off in comfort on the next leg of a great cruise, not having to spend the next days rescuing all of our belongings from flooded or destroyed homes.

 

I have to say there were times when it seemed a bit like a very realistic Disney attraction, but just when we expected to get off and get another ice cream, it all started over again – more like a recurring nightmare really.

[Shawnino]

So how was it "best to be on an NCL tour" exactly?

Sounds like a nightmare indeed.

[old nutter]

Surely better than sitting in that bus all of that time stuck somewhere on the island on your own not able to get back expecting the ship to leave without you...... At least if you are delayed beyond departure time on one of their trips they keep the ship back as long as they can for you - do they do that for independent trips - I think not? Two or three calls on the PA and off without you, I suspect.

[Shawnino]

Just sounds dangerous to me, as you write, "crammed-in" on roads that weren't passable.

 

Glad you had a wonderful time.

[RuthlessBoss]

So how was it "best to be on an NCL tour" exactly?

Sounds like a nightmare indeed.

 

The tour itself may not be better than an independent and cheaper one, but if an NCL tour is late returning to the ship, the ship does not leave without you. If you are late on an independent tour, the ship does leaves without you.

[SuiteCruiser]

Surely better than sitting in that bus all of that time stuck somewhere on the island on your own not able to get back expecting the ship to leave without you...... At least if you are delayed beyond departure time on one of their trips they keep the ship back as long as they can for you - do they do that for independent trips - I think not? Two or three calls on the PA and off without you, I suspect.

 

I sure would have felt safer on an NCL tour as well. Whenever we're tight for time I always go that route.

 

It may be a bit of a false sense of security as apparently they don't always wait for their tours, BUT there's a much higher liklihood of them waiting for their own tour than a random late person.

[karoo]

Usually if roads are jammed or some other factor occurs causing delays etc. the ship's tours are delayed also, so the ship leaves later giving private tours time to get back too. In Puerto Vallarta the main road was blocked/jammed and we worried as we were cutting it fine to get back (private tour), we were late by about 10 minutes, but still had to wait another 90 minutes for all the ship tours to get back.

Edited November 17, 2015 by karoo

[Kellyann]

What an awful experience but you sound grateful that it wasn't any worse. Excellent details about one awful day trip. Some times events like the ones you described become the ones that stick in your mind forever and you guys will never forget your trip to St. Lucia.

[suzycruise]

So how was it "best to be on an NCL tour" exactly?

Sounds like a nightmare indeed.

Perhaps the OP meant "it was best to be on an NCL tour" vs a private one such as I did with Herod tours on this same day., 11.6.15. At least the OP got a partial refund. Out trip was harrowing and dangerous as the last part of our tour consisted of a return to the Getaway by boat.

The seas were rough, swollen and treacherous yet HERODS boat operators blasted through the waters at very high speeds. We asked them to slow down and the response was that if they did the boat could flip over.

Terrifying and none of us were wearing life vests.

 

HAROD gladly accepted everyone's money even tho many complained.

 

I'm glad to be alive.

One or two of our fellow Getaway 12-Day cruisers have already briefly mentioned the somewhat interesting visit to St Lucia on November 6th. We had booked what we thought was going to be a really special trip to see the Pitons and the waterfall in the Diamond Botanical Gardens in Soufriere. The journey south would take us up and down the only road on the west of the island for about 40 or two miles giving us fantastic views of the coast as we went in and out and up into the tropical rain forest on the side of the hills. At least that was the plan!

 

When we woke up in Castries Port that morning, the skies were looking a bit mixed and by late morning we could see some rain heading our way from the interior of the island. Not to worry, we were told that the rain around here was usually warm and it would soon pass and the sun would come out again ...... wrong (as we would find out)

 

It was raining a bit as we headed out on our NCL booked trip to the 20-seater bus waiting beyond the terminal shops area to take us to Soufriere. OK, a bit crammed-in with all 20 of us, but so what, we were all looking forward to seeing some great sights that afternoon as we headed of to see what Castries town offered on the way.

 

Our first sightseeing stop was overlooking the beautiful Marigot Bay. The view across the tropical plants on the hillside would have been spectacular on a calm sunny day and even with the light rain it was easy to see why it has been featured in lots of films and it did have a toilet, so all was not lost. Then we set off on the serious part of the journey up and down and round so many bends we were getting used to not seeing any straight roads ahead of us and the rain was getting a bit heavier as we went through the mixed building styles of the typical Caribbean fishing village of Anse la Raye.

 

More bends and hilly roads and we came to the town of Canaries. The rain was getting a bit heavier still and the river was rushing under the temporary bridge across the river in the middle of the village that had replaced the one that was washed away in the huge storm just before Christmas in 2013. Not far to go now so we pressed on up into the rain forest hills again. Then our driver stopped along with other vehicles ahead of us on the hill and we were told that there had been a landslide on the road ahead. He was told to abandon the trip and head back to the ship in Castries. He managed to turn us around on the narrow mountain road and we began our trek back. And the rain got heavier still....

 

As we headed down to Canaries we could see that the river through the village was flooding badly and when we got to the 2013 river bridge the thick brown water was flowing very quickly and by now it was only a few inches below the roadway. A quick chat with some of the villagers who were watching the rising river and our driver decided it would be best to cross the bridge because we all knew how much more water was falling on the hills above the village, so he took it steady and over we went. As we went over the bridge, we could see the houses alongside the river were already well flooded but we had to press on back towards our ship. Once we got up the hill on the other side and looked back, we could see the massive brown stain on the water where the river was carrying tons of mud and rubbish out to sea.

 

On we went up and down and round and round the bends knowing that there were other swollen rivers ahead that were heading for the sea and we started worrying what was to face us when we got to the next lowland part of the road. By now the rain was slowing a bit. Then we came across a river that was flowing down the hillside and the little concrete bridge we needed to carry on with our journey was flooded and water was going over it was well as under. Again we stopped so that the driver could weigh-up the options. The water over the road was about 18 inched deep on the top of the bridge and flowing quite quickly so he was worried that if the bus broke down on the bridge there was a danger that it would get swept off into the river. Again a few chats with locals and he backed up about 50 yards or so, revved the engine and went for it. At least that way, we would get over the bridge and we could worry about flooding the engine afterwards in the relative safety over the other side. We made it over and the engine was still running so on we went again.

 

As we went on towards Anse la Raye each bend brought the prospect of rocks, mud and water across the road and we certainly had a few times when the driver was picking his way round big rocks and deep water flowing off the hillside. When we got into the village we were stopped in a traffic jam because the road ahead was too flooded to carry on. At that point we got out of the bus and went to find a toilet because by then we had been cooped up in the van being lashed by the rain for well over a couple of hours. The guy with the keys to the toilet block must have thought his ship had come in at a dollar a visit but you could hardly begrudge him it with so much damage being done to his village by the floods and some of were quite desparate!!

 

We were stuck in the village for around 30 minutes and then everyone decided the water had subsided enough in the main street for us to slowly head on as we were probably only around a couple of miles from the ship. The next little issue was another blocked bridge on the outskirts of Castries just below a large industrial and oil storage complex, but the company was allowing traffic through the narrow complex, albeit in one direction at a time, hence the traffic jam.

 

On into Castries town and we discovered that it had been hit pretty badly and was flooded so traffic was jammed everywhere. By now we could see the Getaway across the bay but the traffic was completely jammed and we were stuck for around 30 minutes or so until the driver managed to work out that the problem was not being able to turn right at the far end of the road and we wanted to turn left, so he gingerly drove past all of the stationary jammed cars and made the left turn towards the ship. Finally after the best part of four and a half hours in the little bus we headed back onto the ship just before the due departure time,. However, it soon became clear that others were still on their way back and it was well over an hour later that the ship finally headed away from the island. At least one of the last groups that we think were probably from the earlier Soufriere trip that got through before the landslide closed the road, came back late to the jetty by boat because they had become effectively trapped by the landslide that stopped us getting through to Soufriere. As far as we know, nobody was left behind, but there was plenty of potential for people to get stuck in such a difficult and complicated situation. I have to say that we were all certainly a great deal happier knowing that we were on a company trip not out there on our own. Just goes to show how easy it can happen.

 

Finally, as we got back to the ship senior crew members were there to meet us and they told us straight away that half of our trip cost would be refunded because of the issues we had. It was very interesting to later hear the differing views from other passengers who had been affected on their various tours. Some, like us, were happy with the 50% refund, whilst others were insisting that they should get a full refund and others were blaming the crew for not cancelling all trips that morning. We spoke to a senior crew member later and found that they had checked thoroughly with locals that morning and everyone was expecting the rain for just head-on through like normal and then the sun would come out behind it.

 

That deep tropical trough came in off the Atlantic and went over the island with little or no warning of how bad it was going to be and even the local government emergency people were caught off guard. Locals told us that it had been the worst weather event on the island since the Christmas Eve trough in 2013 that caused damage and death on the island. Looking back on this day later, there had been one local man drowned when he was trying to rescue a cow from a swollen river and two people were fortunately recovered alive when they were swept into an open drain, so we counted ourselves very lucky to only have suffered a few missing views, photos and stiff bones. We were the lucky ones, heading off in comfort on the next leg of a great cruise, not having to spend the next days rescuing all of our belongings from flooded or destroyed homes.

 

I have to say there were times when it seemed a bit like a very realistic Disney attraction, but just when we expected to get off and get another ice cream, it all started over again – more like a recurring nightmare really.

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[albean99]

Interesting to read about tours that drove back through the even worse weather. We did the ship excursion to the volcano that left earlier. It was definitely an adventure. It was pouring when we left with no sign of let up so a lot of us bought the $3 poncho from the ship. I was happy I had it because it was cooler from the rain. We were one of at least 8 buses leaving at the same time. We did the same stop at the viewpoint although the women's toilet was clogged so we waited for the next stop. Nobody was very interested in shopping in the rain but I did get a good photo from the viewpoint. The fishing village was fine when we went through it. We passed by the botanical gardens that we were supposed to tour and the guide said maybe later if the rain let up. We got to the volcano and got off the bus at the interpretive center to watch the video and use the bathrooms. We were able to drive into the volcano and got out in the drizzle to take pics but weren't able to do a tour. It was kind of a cool place but was very foggy so didn't have the best view. We couldn't even see the Pitons that morning.

 

They took us the the cafe that was the scheduled stop. At that point we thought we'd get back early but after about an hour which was longer than the 25 minutes we were supposed to be there, they finally told us that we weren't going to be able to get back by bus and that they were going to have to get boats for us. It took a while after that so my dh & I had a snack and chatted. There was a great view of the Pitons from there although still overcast but by that time no rain. Eventually we all got back in the buses and headed to the fishing village. I didn't notice flooding so maybe our route was different.

 

When we got there we were left in the buses what seemed like forever while the guides and bus drivers talked. I wished we had gotten out of the bus like some others I talked to later. The bad part was not knowing anything. They could have checked back occasionally even if they didn't know anything. After what felt like forever we all got out of the buses and lined up at the dock. We thought we were bus 4 but there were 2 buses that were on another street that seemed to cut in ahead of us. Not sure what time they got there but didn't seem fair at the time. The first boat was a big catamaran that took a lot of people. Boat 2 was a fishing boat that was really fast but only held around 25 or so. We got in boat 3 which was for scuba diving. We got in the upper level because you could lean back on the bar unlike the tank holders below. By now the weather was pretty good and warmer. Sadly we had to leave about 19 on the dock plus some of the guides.

 

Our ride was great. We got a great view of the village and the Pitons pulling away. We weren't wearing life vests either but they did talk about where they were. Most of the way it was fine but you could see debris and muddy water as we got closer to Castile and was more choppy so we were bouncing a bit. I heard later that there was garbage floating by the ship and someone even saw a microwave. I thought our driver did an excellent job and I was never worried. We got back at 5 which was supposed to be sail away and we told them there were people still coming which they knew. They had towels and hot chocolate which was nice although we barely had time because they rushed us in. I think they were closing one of the entrances. We decided we would have a snack and drink before showers so headed to O'Sheehans first. We saw the letter with the 50% offer on it and were happy about that. I heard after that it was the ship who commissioned the boats to get us back. I will say I was happy to be on a ship excursion. All in all it wasn't ideal but was a bit of an adventure. We were joking about getting a "two-fer" since we only paid for a bus tour.

Edited November 18, 2015 by albean99

[noddingheadgirl]

Perhaps the OP meant "it was best to be on an NCL tour" vs a private one such as I did with Herod tours on this same day., 11.6.15. At least the OP got a partial refund. Out trip was harrowing and dangerous as the last part of our tour consisted of a return to the Getaway by boat.

The seas were rough, swollen and treacherous yet HERODS boat operators blasted through the waters at very high speeds. We asked them to slow down and the response was that if they did the boat could flip over.

Terrifying and none of us were wearing life vests.

 

HAROD gladly accepted everyone's money even tho many complained.

 

I'm glad to be alive.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

 

We were on Herolds tour too-- and I found it enjoyable, up till the beach part. The speedboat had an issue going to the beach, than getting there it was a joke with the beautiful beach next to us but we had the one with the broken chairs :confused: and I didn't go swimming because I don't like it when there are vendors around with my valuables. Not that we had much, but ID's to get back on and stuff. So we sat there waiting for the hour to be up, than the speedboat back was rough. I ended up in the front of the boat and was bouncing around like crazy. After seeing how NCL refunded the ship excursions, I realized maybe Herold should have done the same?? Our tour guide was great, making sure we were okay and all but I honestly don't know if I would have done the tour if it was raining when we first got off the ship. Thankfully we came back via speedboat, otherwise we might have been late if we returned by land!!