St. Martin dropped from December itinerary

[Sammigar]

I understand completely, but at the same time, I'm a bit bummed. St. Martin was the reason we chose this itinerary. We've also been to St. Kitts before, so I think I'd like to do an excursion to Nevis. Anyone have any suggestions to that effect? Thanks.

[jules815]

We're sailing on Reflection in December, also on the 8th. We were supposed to overnight in St. Maarten and were just notified about our revised itinerary. We'll now be doing a day in St. Kitts, and one in Punta Cana, which I didn't even know was a cruise stop.

[RotaryMike]

How did you find out about the change? We're on a 14 day Eclipse cruise in january, and wondering how we'll learn of changes. 2 of our scheduled ports are St. Maarten and Dominica.

Those of us fortunate to be able to cruise to these places should remember to send some financial aid to groups trying to help them recover and rebuild.

[Smmessineo]

They are sending out emails, as well as an update on the website. It looks like they have confirmed changes to cruises through December 2017. These just came out last night.

I am on the December 10 Eclipse sailing and they have substituted Punta Cana DR for St. Maarten.

[mmacdcc]

I understand completely, but at the same time, I'm a bit bummed. St. Martin was the reason we chose this itinerary. We've also been to St. Kitts before, so I think I'd like to do an excursion to Nevis. Anyone have any suggestions to that effect? Thanks.

 

We did the excursion to Nevis when we were on the Reflection last year. Very nice. Not real strenuous, lunch was good, beach was awesome, the tour around the island was interesting. Nothing better than lying on the beach in Nevis listening to the soundtrack of Hamilton. :D

 

It's a nice day out. We did the ship excursion just so we'd be sure to be back in time. It was worth it for the peace of mind.

[gentlemancruiser]

How did you find out about the change? .

Email from Celebrity this morning with the changes

[rwb]

How did you find out about the change? We're on a 14 day Eclipse cruise in january, and wondering how we'll learn of changes. 2 of our scheduled ports are St. Maarten and Dominica.

Those of us fortunate to be able to cruise to these places should remember to send some financial aid to groups trying to help them recover and rebuild.

 

You can always check the Celebrity website's "Travel Alerts" page. They have been posting the new itineraries there as they are altered. They just now added the December cruises to the list and the emails went out shortly thereafter. Clicking on the cruise on that page will bring up the email sent to passengers, but you should receive the email at about the same time they post it on the website.

 

We're on the 12/21 holiday cruise and St. Lucia replaced St. Maarten, while Martinique replaced Dominica. The Barbados stop changed dates, as did one of the sea days.

[bouhunter]

Received email for Dec 17 Silhouette, St Kitts replacing St Maarten. They're sticking with St. Thomas for now.

[jagoffee]

I understand completely, but at the same time, I'm a bit bummed. St. Martin was the reason we chose this itinerary. We've also been to St. Kitts before, so I think I'd like to do an excursion to Nevis. Anyone have any suggestions to that effect? Thanks.

The Catamaran trip to Nevis is nice.

[OCruisers]

The Catamaran trip to Nevis is nice.

 

Agree with the above! (y)

The catamaran sail to Nevis is very enjoyable! :)

[drakes2]

Yes the cataramaran trip to Nevis is enjoyable however I did not care for the lunch buffet served but that of course that is subjective.

 

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Forums mobile app

[Janet524]

St. Martin has been our favorite port for years. It is heart breaking seeing the devistation caused by Irma. Prayers for the citizens of all of the islands effected by the hurricane. Our disappointment over missing a port call cannot be compared to the anguish felt by so many who have had their lives literally turned upside down.

 

Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70F using Forums mobile app

[awhfy]

We're on Eclipse on 26 November 17 & received this today

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Smmessineo]

The situation is fluid on upcoming cruises. We are on the Eclipse December 10. Last night, we were told st. Maarten was replaced with Punta Cana. Tonight we were told that's been changed to st. Croix.

I am happier with this option, since it is a dock rather than tender port.

So keep up with your emails from Celebrity. Nothing is finalized yet.

[donaldsc]

I understand completely, but at the same time, I'm a bit bummed. St. Martin was the reason we chose this itinerary. We've also been to St. Kitts before, so I think I'd like to do an excursion to Nevis. Anyone have any suggestions to that effect? Thanks.

 

Somehow I think that the residents of St. Martin are a bit more bummed than you are right now.

 

DON

[fielddreamer]

The only problem with St Kitts is that dock holds two ships and there with be five in port on the 14th. That means some will tender. The Reflection is scheduled for 7 A.M. which might help. I also understand that Nevis is not in good shape right now !

[riclop]

It will be that way for a long time.

[CaribbeanBound]

This appears to be a duplicate post. Anyway, St. Kitts is a wonderful replacement port!

 

Basse-Terre, St. Kitts

We hired Thenford Grey himself for this "Island Tour". As of January 2015, the cost was $48 per person and ran from 8:00am until about 2:00 pm with beach time available at Cockleshell Beach at the end of the tour. Thenford first took us through the historic city of Basseterre which was founded in 1625 by French settlers. After the city highlights we stopped at the ruins of an old sugar cane processing factory and Romney Manor-Caribelle Batik which was once owned by Captain Samuel Jefferson, the great, great, great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson. The Plantation House which sits amidst 25 acres of lush tropical gardens, is now a batik factory and store. The gardens feature a large collection of exotic plants, palms and trees from all over the world. We saw numerous green tailed monkeys in the short drive between the ruin and the Manor. We then spent an hour at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park which sets atop a volcanic cone that is 800 feet high and offers 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and neighboring islands. Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a World Heritage Site. (The $8.00 entrance fee was included). The Fortress is indeed impressive. I could have easily spent 4 hours exploring this impressive site. A lot of monkeys make their home in the vegetation surrounding the fort. Thenford shared a lot of local history with us as we explored the island. We also saw a live cockfight (two roosters going at each other) in the middle of the street. Our last stop was Cockleshell Beach where we had an opportunity to swim, collect shells, and grab a beer. On the way, we saw wandering goats, cows, and more monkeys. Recommended!

 

 

On our second tip we wanted to spend a lot more time at the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park so we arranged with Thenford Grey to be dropped off early and then join his regular tour when they arrived at the fortress prior to continuing on to South Friar's Beach. We spent 3 hours exploring the fort and outlying structures. Hint: bring a flashlight to explore dark passages. Next to the fort is a tall grassy mound called Monkey Hill (aka Fort Charlotte). A worker had recently cut a 6-foot wide access path to the top of the hill which offers nice views. About 75% to the top is a side path that will take you to a recently rediscovered 15x20 foot (my estimate) stone out-building, with openings for 3 cannon, that was hidden under vegetation. It also offered views of the fort and the steep gorge behind it. After we left the fortress, we visited an overlook where you could see the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean on either side of a thin stretch of the island. The bodies of water could not have been separated by more than a quarter-mile. We the got dropped off at South Friar's Beach which offers an active bar and grill with lots of shade and picnic-style seating, restrooms, an outdoor shower, changing rooms, a nice beach with black and beige sands, a protected swim area and some snorkeling opportunities. We saw over a dozen different types of fish along the manmade reef and lots of sea urchins (some close to a foot in diameter).

 

 

More "Secrets of the Caribbean": http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

First-hand information on excursions we've taken in 26 Caribbean ports. With photos!

[Host Jazzbeau]

We also did Nevis with Thenford Grey's company and had a wonderful time. This was in 2015 -- don't know what recent hurricanes may have changed! This was our custom itinerary:

• transport from ship to ferry dock

• 9:30 ferry from Basseterre to Nevis [45 min]

• tour of Charlestown

• Nelson Museum

• Nevis Botanical Garden (one hour, lovely)

• Montpelier Plantation Inn (photo stop)

• Golden Rock Plantation Inn for lunch (lobster sandwiches!)

• Nisbet Plantation (photo stop)

• 3:00 Sea Bridge ferry to St. Kitts [20 min]

• scenic drive back to ship

 

The tour cost USD75pp (admission fees and lunch extra) and was worth every penny.

[Sammigar]

Somehow I think that the residents of St. Martin are a bit more bummed than you are right now.

 

DON

 

Wow Don, get off your high horse. It is possible to feel bad for the people and the arduous task they have ahead and be disappointed that you'll miss the port that is the very reason you chose that itinerary.

[Sammigar]

My apologies for the snarky comment above. I thought better of it and wanted to delete it, but there's no edit button. I'm sorry.

[gerelmx]

Maybe the change also applies for some sailings of 2018, Find it in Cruise time tables the change for our vacations in Eclipse March 18, 2018

 

It's not official from Celebrity.

[TFLG]

Yes the cataramaran trip to Nevis is enjoyable however I did not care for the lunch buffet served but that of course that is subjective.

 

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Forums mobile app

 

Agree, the trips was fun, the snorkeling was mediocre and the food wasn't really my favorite (we has some kind of chicken curry salad), but over all it was a blast. We had a great group of people on the catamaran so the music got turned up and the party was on!

[riclop]

It's expected.

[neverbeenhere]

My apologies for the snarky comment above. I thought better of it and wanted to delete it, but there's no edit button. I'm sorry.

 

 

No need to be sorry. Your original comment and retort were perfectly correct.

 

 

 

BTW: You would have had to mention constipation for it to be snarky.