Recommendations for shore excursions on 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Maasdam?

[Paja]

We are booked on the Maasdam for the 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Feb. 13th. I am just starting to look at shore excursions and it is a little daunting with so many ports. We have cruised once before (HAL Panama Canal) and I booked most of the tours privately. That worked great because I could follow the advice of people on this website. If you have a recommendation for any of these ports, either an excursion through the cruise line or a private one, or something to do that isn't organized, I would really appreciate it. We are in our 50's and love to snorkel. We are travelling with my elderly parents but may take a couple of excursions separately. Here are the ports:

San Juan, Puerto Rico

St, Thomas, Virgin Islands

Basseterre, St. Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Roseau, Dominica

Bridgetown, Barbados

Castries, Saint Lucia

Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe

Philipsburg, Netherlands Antillles

Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (we were there on the last cruise)

[sail7seas]

We just returned from this cruise and it is fantastic. You are going to love Maasdam, her crew and this itinerary.

 

Although we did not do it, most people recommend the all day St. Lucia tour which goes from Castries and ends on the other side of the island. The only way you can do that is through the ship's tour as the ship comes to Soufriere to pick up those guests. They have to drop tenders to bring them back aboard and only guests on the ship's tour can do this. Everyone seems to think this a great tour.

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[Akheila]

we are doing this trip in january. you may want to note that your guadeloupe stop has changed to antigua.

 

so far we have booked the turtle swim in barbados, and a private island tour in dominica. I expect we'll wander around st. thomas, and san juan.

 

I agree it is daunting to try to choose with so many options. I think that is all we will book til we are on the ship.

[michmike]

check out the dominica port of call board for reviews of tours by a guy named beno. He did an excellent job for us a couple yrs back. In Tortola I'd recommend Tobin at Tobin's taxi service his e-mail is tobintaxiservice@yahoo.com phone is 1-284-499-2159.

 

Can't recommend anyone specific for Antigua but be sure to get up to Shirley Heights.. views of the water from up there that look like they came right out of a travel brochure

[sail7seas]

we are doing this trip in january. you may want to note that your guadeloupe stop has changed to antigua.

 

 

 

That is correct. HAL has cancelled port calls at Guadeloupe for safety reasons. St. John's, Antigua is a better, safer port IMO

 

[knitlady037]

Another vote for Beno in Domenica. We used his service twice. Joseph was our guide both times. Graet people

[kyriecat]

My husband and I are on Maasdam in April but I've got most of our tours booked already. Here is what we're doing:

 

Puerto Rico - HAL Distillery and San Juan City Tour, wander around on our own, then Legends of Puerto Rico tour in the evening. We spent several days in Puerto Rico a few years ago so thought we'd spend the day in the old town area, which was our favorite. We want to spend more time exploring the forts and cemetery.

 

St. Thomas - HAL Champagne Catamaran to St. Johns then wander Charlotte. We decided the catamaran tour sounded relaxing after a full day of Puerto Rico. We also looking into doing an island tour with Sunny Liston.

 

St. Kitts - We have a tour of the island booked through Thenford Grey. We're going to see the island sites then take some time on the beach. We'll probably look through shops in town after the tour.

 

Dominica - We have the river tubing tour booked through Antours. We're going to spend a little time at Emerald Pool, go tubing, then visit the beach. We should have a little time afterward for wandring through town.

 

Barbados - We booked the Atlantis sub for the morning through HAL. We've got an afternoon snorkel tour booked through Barbados Outdoors to see the sea turtles. Silver Moon was also recommended for snorkeling with the turtles, but they only do morning tours. We wanted to do the submarine in the morning.

 

St. Lucia - We're booked on the island tour with Cosol. That will take us all day so no time for anything else.

 

Antigua - I'm still looking for something. I haven't found a tour company yet that offers tours on Sundays.

 

St. Maarten - We're going to rent a car and drive around. We've been there before so we'll probably go to the beach for a while.

 

Tortola - We booked HAL's Virgin Gorda tour. We might change and do this on our own. It depends on how adventurous we feel.

 

Half Moon Cay - Booked the orange cabana. I want to go horseback riding but hubby doesn't. I might go without him or might not go. I haven't decided. I heard you can book it on the island so I might wait until then to decide.

[kruznkanuk]

Hi,

I highly recommend you check the boards for each port. We were just in St Kitts (Thenford Grey tour arranged here by internet was FANTASTIC) and I am now a huge fan of the Baths.. you don't need to take the ship's tour there unless your port time is very short or just the wrong schedule for the ferry. We were on Noordam B2B in Nov/Dec.

If you like gardens, check out the Flower Forest in Barbados. We had a great time sailing with yacht racing in St Thomas (we had been there before a number of times) but that was a HAL tour.

I am sure you will have a wonderful time!

[seafun]

I discussed my trip and the shore excursions -- both ship sponsored and done on my own -- on this thread...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=891700

 

Favorite ones this time were the Aerial Tram ride and zip lines on St. Lucia, and taking the ferry over to Virgin Gorda to see the Baths from Tortola.

You will have SUCH a good time! :D

[Golden Cat]

We're doing this trip in February, and like Kyriecat we've got most of our excursions booked already:

 

Puerto Rico - in the morning, taking the 2 hour Segway Tour of Old San Juan, then catching the Catano ferry across the harbor and taking a cab to the Bacardi factory for their tour.

 

St. Thomas - My parents used to live here so we've been here a bunch; not much planned, perhaps a ride up the tram (Skyride at Paradise Point) for some photos and a little window shopping for jewelry. If you're looking for a beach, Magen's Bay is the place to see and be.

 

St. Kitts - We have an island tour booked with Thenford Gray.

 

Dominica - Like Kyriecat, we've opted for the river tubing booked through Antours.

 

Barbados - Nothing booked, we may need a day of rest by this time. However, we are planning on stopping in at the Mount Gay Rum visitor's center.

 

St. Lucia - We've booked a private island tour with Vincent.

 

Antigua - We plan on taking a taxi over to Nelson's Dockyard at English Harbor to check out the historical site and see the boats. Including stops at Falmouth Harbor to ogle the megayachts and at Shirley Heights for the view. We anticipate this taxi adventure to be about $20/pp.

 

St. Maarten - Another place we've been many, many times. We're renting a car and giving our friends a tour of the island with quick stops at Oyster Pond, Orient Beach, Anse Marcel, Grand Case, Marigot and Maho Beach to watch the airplanes land (we really miss the Sunset Beach Bar on Maho Beach, though it's supposed to be back in action later this spring).

 

Tortola - We booked HAL's tour to The Baths. If there's one thing you should see in the BVIs, it's The Baths.

 

Half Moon Cay - Sit on the beach under a clamshell and relax!

 

The Ports of Call boards have been an invaluable source of information for us as we did our planning. Check them out!

[Paja]

Thank you all so much! This is just the kind of input I am looking for. Any more advice on snorkeling?

[sbn cruisers]

Thank you all so much! This is just the kind of input I am looking for. Any more advice on snorkeling?

 

We took this trip last January and like you, love to snorkle. We have made over 10 cruises to the Caribbean, and so here's my recommendations (IMHO)

San Juan - no real snorkeling I would recommend.

St. Thomas - you must take the ships excursion to St. John for the very best snorkeling, other excursions are OK

St. Kitts - the cruise line's snorkle St. Kitts was a good excursion, lots of snorkeling and lots of wildlife, but not the very best reefs

Dominica - The champagne reef excursion is very good. Very clear water but not alot of sea life

Barbados - we took a cab to "lobster alive" restaurant on Brighton Beach, not very good snorkeling, but a nice beach day

St. Lucia - Anse Chastenette is the best place to snorkle. Cabs are expensive, but the resort allows you to snorkle from the beach. Don't bother with the Pigeon Island snorkeling, there is nothing to see.

Antigua - sorry, our cruise went to Grenada, which was the best snorkeling I have ever experienced.

St. Maarteen - take a taxi to Dawn Beach $15 each way, another $10 to rent snorkle equipment. Very good snorkeling from the beach and $.75 beers when you are done, FANTASTIC. Don't bother with the Pinel Island snorkeling, very murkey and shallow.

Tortola - take the Virgin Gorda Excursion or arrange one on your own. The surf is rough, but the snorkeling is phenominal and it is truly an experience of a lifetime.

Half Moon Cay - some snorkeling, but not really great.

[airlink diva]

We are booked on the Maasdam for the 14 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Feb. 13th. I am just starting to look at shore excursions and it is a little daunting with so many ports. We have cruised once before (HAL Panama Canal) and I booked most of the tours privately. That worked great because I could follow the advice of people on this website. If you have a recommendation for any of these ports, either an excursion through the cruise line or a private one, or something to do that isn't organized, I would really appreciate it. We are in our 50's and love to snorkel. We are travelling with my elderly parents but may take a couple of excursions separately. Here are the ports:

San Juan, Puerto Rico

St, Thomas, Virgin Islands

Basseterre, St. Kitts, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Roseau, Dominica

Bridgetown, Barbados

Castries, Saint Lucia

Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe

Philipsburg, Netherlands Antillles

Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (we were there on the last cruise)

First of all, you pick a great cruise!! I loved my trip on the Maasdam last October/November and can't wait to sail on her again!!

I can make some suggestions, but like others have mentioned, go to the port of call boards on this website and review what others have suggested. I have found that 99% of the time, the local tours are the way to go. They are smaller than the ship tours, the guides have pride in their island and gave a better view. They will also have you back in port in plenty of time. Alot of them get the majority of their business from websites like cruisecritic and want to keep it that way.

Anyhow, these are my suggestions

San Juan-I took a Segway tour. They offer a 45 minutes and a 2 hour tour. I suggest the 2 hour tour. It's a fun way of touring Old San Juan. Also, Old San Juan is easy to explore on your own. Just take plenty of water!!

St. Kitts-I toured with Ilva Wallace! She was a true gem! I came as a tourist and left as a friend!

Dominica-Like several others, I also suggest Beno! This is an Eden like island and one that I want to return to again.

St. Lucia-I've toured with Cosol two times and enjoy each time. You see alot in the time that you are there

St. Martin-I toured with Joyce Prince and she has alot of pride in her island and will cater it to your needs.

Road Town-I didn't use them this year (mainly because to me the Baths are something that I just enjoy once) but Patouche is a great operator. They only take about 20 people max to the Bath. Mind you they dock off shore at a near beach and you have to swim to shore (they have floaters for the weaker swimmers). The snokling is great coming and going to the ship.

Sorry I can't help you with St Thomas. I have to say it was too crowded for my taste. Also since HAL change Guadaloupe I can't say about the new island.

But have fun!!

[geshaw30]

Thank you all so much! This is just the kind of input I am looking for. Any more advice on snorkeling?

 

I brought my own snorkel with a digital camera with the turtle swim in mind...

http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/02/liquid-image-intros-underwater-digital-camera-mask/

 

The camera works fantastic (although the mask seal is not as tight as I hoped). I got some great shots with two or three turtles coming within 5 feet of me. With that being said here is the biggest drawback to that particular excursion---the sea of humanity that will be in the water with you. Once the turtles arrive you will no longer be "snorkeling" but instead your activity will resemble more of a "dead man's float". I made the foolish mistake of diving below the floating crowd only to be kicked in the head upon my attempts to return to the surface. The problem here stems from the fact that the group must stay together during their time in the water. Chances are your excursion will not be the only one in the area at that given time. In our case there were two other catamarans full to capacity. Do not fall into the trap of believing you can swim where ever you want. I fully understand the reasoning behind this mandate but it just never occurred to me when I booked the swim. Lesson learned.

 

Even with this obstacle I really do recommend the 5 Star Catamaran Turtle Swim. It's a real treat "floating" with those creatures. Just remember to bring some form of camera in the water with you---you won't regret the photos you'll get.

[CDRMark]

Great itinerary! Lucky you. :)

 

While I personally would remain aboard in three of these ports, I will recommend strongly the 12-metre America's Cup Race in St Martin. It is one of the coolest things I have done.

The St Kitts railroad tour was a great way to see much of the island, and don't forget the Mount Gay rum tour in Barbados.

Cheers (and tell us all about it after!)

Mark

[Ballwin Babe]

We disembarked the Maasdam yesterday from this itinerary over Christmas and New Years. You are in for a real treat! The ship is wonderful and the staff is amazing, so warm and friendly.

 

We enjoyed a mix of: ship excursions, independent excursions and "beach days".

 

In San Juan, we enjoyed the Segway tour of the fortifications. It's 2 hours and led by Jose or his associate. The Segway's are a blast, and only take 5-10 mins to learn to use. Jose deliver's a top-notch tour, the equipments is perfectly maintained and the tour was a highlight of our cruise. You can see this tour:

 

http://www.segwaytourspr.com/aboutus.html

 

In Barbados, we booked the HAL 5 star catamaran excursion. We were glad to learn that HAL contracts with Tiami cruises, as we'd been on Tiami before and were not disappointed. A rather pricey excursion, but a great time including swimming with the sea turtles.

 

In Antigua, we took a cab to an all-inclusive resort across the island called Hawksbill Resort. (There is a natural rock formation in the bay which looks EXACTLY like a Hawks Bill!) For 1/2 day, which begins at 11 am, the price is $40 pp and includes full all you can eat lunch, unlimited alcholic and non-alcoholic beverages). That day they were serving Blue Marlin freshly caught and it was incredible. They also serve excellent burgers, chicken, etc. with all the sides and salads.

 

In Dominica we booked the HAL mountain bike excursion. It was OK, but not sure if I'd do it again. We booked it because it was a nice long, downhill trip through the rain forest...nice change from typical cruise ship excursions.

 

We discovered a new (for us) beach in Tortola called Cane Garden Bay. This is an absolutely marvelous destination for a relaxing beach day. It's on the north side of the island and is a $6pp cab ride from the dock.

 

Rather than do our typical St. John's or Magen's Bay in St. Thomas, we tried something new. We ended up at Sapphire Bay which is a nice beach. Kind of quiet and a nice change from Magen's Bay which seems to be getting a bit crowded. St. John's remains a wonderful choice for the day.

 

We expected Half Moon Cay to be a highlight, and it did not disappoint. I don't know how HAL does it, but their day at the private island is flawless. This was the only stop for tendering (which is amazing for a 11 port cruise) and even the tendering was flawless. The Prinsendam was also in port and HAL arranged volleyball and basketball games between the two ships!.

 

Lastly, although not related to excursions, I must include a comment about Maasdam food. I don't know how the Pinnacle Grill aboard the Maasdam ever has any business...the food in the Rotterdam dining room is absolutely tops! We've been on all the other mid-scale lines, including Celebrity. The food on the HAL Maasdam is the best across the board, no question. We had the same excellent quality when we were aboard the HAL Zuiderdam a few years ago.

 

Hope this give you some helpful information. Please feel free to ask for anything more specific...we are on our post cruise adventure in Orlando for a couple of days and I'll be checking back often!

 

Joy

[Paja]

Great itinerary! Lucky you. :)

 

While I personally would remain aboard in three of these ports, I will recommend strongly the 12-metre America's Cup Race in St Martin. It is one of the coolest things I have done.

The St Kitts railroad tour was a great way to see much of the island, and don't forget the Mount Gay rum tour in Barbados.

Cheers (and tell us all about it after!)

Mark

Thanks for the input. Which 3 of the ports would you stay aboard for? My Dad is 89 years old and is fantastic for his age and a great sport, but probably could have some "down-time". If he runs out of energy, it would be great to know which are the more or less interesting ports to go ashore for.

[Ballwin Babe]

San Juan - we booked a 2 hour SegWay tour which was incredibly fun and educational too!

 

Barbados - The Tiami catamaran snorkel & sea turtle tour. We had done this one before. By far, my husband's favorite day. They serve a great lunch of fruits, salad, cooked flying fish, etc. and all the beverages you'd like.

 

Tortolla - Take a $6 per person cab ride to Cane Garden Bay. Nice, beautiful beach with plenty of food and beverage concessions available.

[newlaxfan]

I haven't been to any of the other islands, but at HMC I did the deep-sea fishing and the parasailing, and enjoyed both!

 

For the fishing, I went at the 10:30 time slot (the second time slot of the day that was offered) and we didn't catch a lot. Hooked three fish but reeled only one in. The passengers that went out at the 8:30 a.m. time slot did REALLY well though -- they reeled in some seriously big fish!! I don't know the species of them, but they were impressive looking!

 

I really enjoyed the parasailing!! My 78-year-old dad went and so did my sister and my two brothers. We all LOVED it!! I was a bit nervous at first but it seemed the boat operators let the line out a little slower for me than for the others, so I was fine. We got so high up in the air that we were higher up than the Westerdam was!! And I should point out that I do have a fear of heights so for me to say how much I loved it really says a lot.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip!!

[Sayyadina]

Here's what we did:

 

Dominica: we did the drive around the island and to the Emerald Pool through HAL, and I don't think I'd recommend it. You would do just as well to rent a taxi yourself and you'd probably pay less for it. Also, keep in mind the Emerald Pool is a good 100+ stairs down, then back up again. They don't tell you this in the materials and they really should because it can be an issue for people with even minor mobility problems (I have a tempermental knee).

 

Half Moon Cay: we did the 1-hour kayak trip via HAL and had a wonderful time. It is a good intro to kayaking, not too taxing in terms of strength/stamina, and you still have time to eat and relax on the beach.

 

Barbados: we took a cab on our own around the island and went to Orchid World, which is great if you like orchids but not so much if you don't. We also went to Earthworks Pottery, which is to die for if you happen to like to collect handmade pottery. Gorgeous work.

 

St Kitts: we took a cab on our own to the fortress on the other side of the island and were just blown away. It was about 20min one way, but the cab driver was very nice and it was an educational trip. We were the only ones from the ship to do this, I think. Fantastic historical landmark, fantastic views, just wonderful.

 

I have several pictures of the fortress and Orchid World here: http://family.webshots.com/album/551679299kwOsyt?start=0