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Chosen to stay on board during St Kitts port...mistake?!

Pier290

By Pier290,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Katie H

Katie H

Posted
Posted
We love St. Kitts. The first time we went there we didn't really like it all that much (no hate, just no love). Then we took a tour with Royston (http://www.roystontoursstkitts.com/) and now we love it. Royston's excursion is not listed with the ship, but he doesn't charge you until you take it so if it ends up not happening for whatever reason you don't end up paying.

 

The tour is different than most. He has a really old Toyota van with no windows. He goes to places others don't go. And, it's even a little scary at times because you wonder if he really knows where he's going.

 

But, we had a blast and it gave us a whole new perspective for the island. I highly recommend the tour. He's also a great person.

 

If nothing else, there's a good cruise bubble on St. Kitts where you could get off and just walk around and see a few monkeys and crafts and then go back on the ship. It would probably take around an hour or so.

 

Tom

 

We did the tour with Royston a few years ago. It may not be the best day for children, but our group of adults loved it. It is probably the best tour we have ever taken. And he does drive through some very interesting places.

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mom says Excellent Advice! Rare

mom says

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One more vote for Thenford Grey's Grand Tour. You get a great tour of the island (and it really is a picturesque island) , and get to spend time at both Romney Manor and Brimstone Hill fortress (which the kids would likely enjoy exploring) before hitting the beach. And the price is certainly better than the almost identical excursion provided by the ship. We've been to St. Kitts a few times, and have never felt unsafe.

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davekathy

davekathy

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We aways get off the ship at every port...problem....can't find an excursion we want to do that doesn't break the bank...we have 2 kids along too...wanted to do day trip to Nevis but heard boring for kids and it's expensive! !

 

Will we really be missing out a ton if we don't check out St Kitts?? Also heard it's not the safest.......

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Forums mobile app

 

For your reading pleasure...http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=428

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willcruiseanythyme

willcruiseanythyme

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We haven't seen any excursions we feel like doing either so we are just catching a taxi to Carumbola beach, renting 2 chairs and an umbrella and spending the day on the beach. Very reasonable price and already reserved the chairs. I figured we have to at least get into the ocean! If it weren't for already having 3 sea days on our cruise I may have opted to stay on board. But this way I still get to feel the warm Caribbean waters! Good luck!

 

Sent from my SM-G925V using Forums mobile app

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pbrady

pbrady

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We love St. Kitts. We take new folks cruising almost every year and always use Rose of Rose & Jim's Taxi when in St. Kitts. Our usual must sees are Romney Manor - all ages find the process of waxing the cloth to get the pattern fascinating. Most people like the black rocks - from a volcano long ago & my favorite is the south end of the island where the Atlantic meets the Caribbean - simply breath-taking. We always do a private tour because we do not like the big bus tours. Last year we had 4 & this February will be 6, no problem - Rose is truly reasonable - much less expensive than other islands. She is originally from England & is married to Jim, an island native. We just give her the ages, and any 'musts' or 'not for us' (we are not snorkel people) & she makes suggestions. It's always interesting to see how many people on the island she knows. If you are interested - just email Rose at: info@roseandjimstaxi.com

Whatever you choose, enjoy!

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Im A Happy Cruiser

Im A Happy Cruiser

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For your reading pleasure...http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=428

 

If this is your first trip to St.Kitts, you might be interested in the word of caution I placed in a comment on the above mentioned forum. It is in the thread on Pereira Tours but concerning arrival at the island.

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davekathy

davekathy

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Posted (edited)
If this is your first trip to St.Kitts, you might be interested in the word of caution I placed in a comment on the above mentioned forum. It is in the thread on Pereira Tours but concerning arrival at the island.

 

I posted the St. Kitts link for the benefit of the OP. I did read your post and it supports why I recommended to the OP to review the St. Kitts link. A lot of good info shared here on CC. We've been to St. Kitts many times. Heading there again in April.

Edited by davekathy
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KCalla

KCalla

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We are just off a cruise that included St Kitts. We were warned on board to avoid the monkey/photo vendors. Not just because of cost but also because the monkeys are unpredictable and there have been instances of scratching/bites. We, too, did not see a shore excursion that appealed for this trip. We walked around the contained port area shops to a bit. It was very nice. We had no problems with monkey/photos, but did see quite a few vendors. We did not want to go to a beach for the day, so returned to the ship. It was lovely to have a "vacation from our vacation" on board. It was so relaxed with many folks on shore. We do this regularly when we cruise if we have not identified an appealing destination on shore. The ship is our resort.

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Livin on the Edge

Livin on the Edge

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I don't know what your budget is, but one of the best tours we have ever done was with My Island Tours by Javin. It was a fantastic day, doing a variety of things, and going to places others do not. Also we have taken Poinciana tours they were very good also. check them both out on Tripadvisor, they both get excellent reviews.

 

 

 

+1. We loved our Javin tour! The kids will love all aspects of the day.

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hcat "Live from...." Rare

hcat

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Have a look at Palm Court Gardens. No beach but they have a nice pool. Walking distance to the ship. We decided on this with a five year old.

http://www.palmscourtgardens.com/pool_-_day_pass

 

Nice place, great pool and views, nice lunch, bar service....it is walkable but would not be that easy uphill

Might be a bit much of a walk for little kids.& not that much for them to do at the resort. Popular place for crew

 

. We took a cab there, but could not get one to go back despite hotel making many calls, so we walked....luckily downhill..goes thru neighborhood but we felt safe...straight line back to the port area..

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DrivesLikeMario

DrivesLikeMario

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We absolutely loved St. Kitts! I think it really depends on what you do for a tour there. If we hadn't done our tour, I probably would've felt totally different about the island.

 

Not sure how old your kids are, but we had an absolute BLAST doing an ATV tour. I was the only one in our small group of 4 that hadn't ridden before and I was a little nervous, but they were so accommodating without making me feel like a moron. It was SO much fun!! Truly one of the best tours we've ever done.

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derekjp47

derekjp47

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We were in St. Kitts just last week on the Reflection. We took the train tour and had a blast. We're seasoned cruisers so we know the islands well, and the train tour was one of the best. The shops around the port aren't anything special, if you want to enjoy and island you have to venture out, it's an education for the children to experience a different aspect of life than what they are used to seeing. Enjoy yourselves !

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craftymom914

craftymom914

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Another vote for Thenford Grey. He was reasonable, knowledgeable and reliable. I loved the sites of St. Kitts - the batik factory, gardens and fortress. And the monkeys in the mango trees! Something for everyone.

 

I understand not getting off if you have seen the island. But, you should do it at least once. I just got back from Silhouette and know that I never need to get off the ship in Jamaica ever again!

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tnfcruise

tnfcruise

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We were in St. Kitts just last week on the Reflection. We took the train tour and had a blast. We're seasoned cruisers so we know the islands well, and the train tour was one of the best. The shops around the port aren't anything special, if you want to enjoy and island you have to venture out, it's an education for the children to experience a different aspect of life than what they are used to seeing. Enjoy yourselves !

 

 

I second this! Loved the train -- interesting, a lot of fun, and unique island experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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