Itinerary change..What to do in St. Vincent

[Patpcozy]

Hi I just read on the NCL site that they are substituting Kingston, St Vincent for the Grenada stop. I Haven't seen anything on the boards about this island. What is there to do. Anyone been there recently? Any tips? Thanks Pat

[palolake]

We did a snorkeling excursion last year with Princess. The snorkeling was so so. They did take us to our first black sand beach, which was interesting, and they also pointed out where part of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" was filmed. We also used that stop to e-mail everyone back home. There was a very nice internet cafe in the shops right after you get off the ship. It was $5 for an hour.

[phoenixlady]

[b][color=purple]I just found out that this ship will not be going to Grenada as a port of call for the obvious reason. Instead it added Kingston, St. Vincent. If anyone is interested in scuba diving, I contacted a very nice woman who runs a scuba diving service. The name of the company is Scubamom's. The site is: [url="http://www.scubamom.com/grenadines/"]http://www.scubamom.com/grenadines/[/url] Her email addrss is:[/color][/b]
[b][color=#800080][email="scubamom@scubamom.com"]scubamom@scubamom.com[/email] I found her to be most accommodating. I'm not able to use her service because we are too old (65) and have some medical problems. I explained that to her and she was nice enough to make some suggestions as to what to see and how to see it. She suggested that we wait and see if our ship is going to offer tours. So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Just thought, for you scuba divers, you may want to check her out.[/color][/b]

[Wendy Mommy]

Hi,
We're going on the NCL Spirit on 12/17. I hope no more hurricanes will destroy the beautiful islands.

I bought a great guide book that covers all the islands, Fodor's 05 Caribbean.
It is a great resource!

[Patpcozy]

Hi I have Frommers 2004 carribean port guide. And it doesn't have St. Vincent in it. I'll ahve to check out fodor's Thanks Pat

[phoenixlady]

This is a recommendation from a local: "St. Vincent has some wonderful drives through valleys and lush tropical foliage. There are several gardens to see also. Perhaps the cruise
director can arrange a driver or there are tours available. I do not
recommend renting a car for the day since many roads are not marked and
only the locals know the best vistas and views. We had our driver take
us through several country side roads with wonderful views and then
along the eastern shore."

[phoenixlady]

[b][color=purple]Here's a great site I found yesterday that describes the activities on St. Vincent.[/color][/b]
[b][color=#800080][/color][/b]
[b][color=#800080][url="http://www.scubasvg.com/activ/activStVincent.html"]http://www.scubasvg.com/activ/activStVincent.html[/url][/color][/b]

[b][color=#800080]It's 5 pages long and very infomative.[/color][/b]

[curiousx]

I visit st. Vincent regularly. A highlight is always a tour with Dani and Norris of Chez Norris- they also run a small B&B, yacht provisioning and taxi services. Norris is very knowledgeable about his island and a great cook - tours include lunch and drinks (but not hard liquor). Prices are very reasonable. A typical tour would include Fort Charlotte (which I am sure was copied for "Pirates of the Caribbean"), scenic Mesopotamia Valley, Montreal Gardens (offering both formal garden and rainforest landscapes), a picnic lunch and a swim stop. You can contact them at [email]gotalife@caribsurf.com[/email]. They will tailor things to your interests, so tell then what you want.

Hazeco is another, but larger, company and very reputable. Recommended for trips by sea up the west coast to the Falls of Baleine.

The tourist infrastructure on St. Vincent is limited, so best to make your arrangements in advance. To really appreciate St. Vincent, you have to get out of Kingstown (although it is not without its own demented and raffish charm).