juneholaday

Hi all

i just returned from an 11 night on celebrity summit so I’m late replying. Definitely take bonine or Dramamine before your tour. If you’re prone to motion sickness try to sit toward the front of the bus. You will be picked up and dropped off at the pier with plenty of time. Have fun!

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that there is a fee at the baths but it’s nominal. I want to say maybe 5$. 

The walk is safe but it is sort of through some construction areas. They are rebuilding the waterfront area there which was destroyed by the hurricane. If anyone in your party has a wheelchair or walker it will be slow going. As for snorkeling at the baths, it is good but just remember that you need to carry everything on your back. Some of the spots are very tight and some are through water. We had a great time without snorkeling but those who did saw many types of fish. 

YES! My husband who has been sailing offshore for 30 years really regretted not taking it. We were in the last seat in the back of the van and I, who get carsick in my own driveway, did fine. Him, not so much 

I was there last week. We took the 9am Speedys Ferry out of Roadtown and took their 12:40 ferry back. The only two times returning are 12:40 and 3:30. The $30 rt price includes the taxi on the VG side to get to the Baths and back to the ferry dock. We had more than enough time to explore and swim. The nice thing about taking the 12:40 back to Roadtown is that it gave us time for a relaxing lunch (and some painkillers). 

I agree with Ashland. Read my review below from last week's cruise.

I'd like to weigh in on this topic for just a moment. We just cruised last week on the NCL Dawn and we booked COSOL tours in St Lucia. I have been cruising for 20 years and this Cosol Tour was absolutely one of the best tours I have ever been on in any country.  Not liking the price gouging by the cruiselines on shore ex, we usually hire a taxi when we arrive in port and have them take us wherever we like. However, this being my first time to St. Lucia I didn't want to miss anything. Cosol offered all the highlights I wanted to hit (as opposed to the cruiseline that offered only some of the sites. 

These guys are very organized. Each van holds about 12-15 passengers and we had 3 vans in our "caravan". We were going right from the start at 8:30am. We drove through Castries to get out to the countryside. Our guide YELLOW BIRD (brother of Cosol) was fantastic.  He tells the history of the island as we are driving through the city into the countryside. He answered every question we asked. Stopping for beautiful overlooks, we could get out and take some pix.  Once in the countryside, the real fun begins and the feasting. The food on this tour was amazing. I was never hungry or thirsty. First stop the banana plantation. After a quick history lesson on bananas and how they grow, we sampled banana ketchup and banana bbq sauce on banana chips. Yum. Then we each got a whole banana to try. We washed it all down with a few homemade spiced rum shots - wow 10 am here I come!

Then on to see two different fishing villages. In the second village we stop for breakfast. All 3 vans together was less than 50 people and did not feel crowded at all. In fact most of the time we were getting out on the shoulder of the road for photos and we were not a big group. I won't spoil it for you but breakfast was an amazing variety of local foods all cooking right there. One of the vans had the "mobile bar" in the trunk. Water, beer, rum punch, soda, juices. As many as you wanted. I won't detail too much more because you should be surprised and delighted as we were. The water taxi to the beach between the Pitons was quick and the beach is wonderful. Be sure to swim on the hotel side for softer sand. You just cannot use any hotel chairs. We had a full hour there - lovely.

Back on the water taxi and on to the volcano. We only had 3 of our van who wanted to go into the mud baths so YellowBird set them up where they needed to go. Then he drove the rest of us up the hill to hear a guide speak about the volcano and sulfur springs. That was not part of it, but he gave us a great tour so we didnt just sit around waiting for the mud pit folks. And he paid all the entrance fees. Then we picked up the mud folks and headed to the waterfall. So beautiful. After working up an appetite we stopped for hot baked bread and cheese. Loving the homemade food on this trip plus of course more  drinks from the mobile bar. 

We started to head back to Castries. On the way a car came roaring up beside us honking their horn. Yellow bird got out to meet a woman. He came back into the van with baggies of homemade cookies for the ride back! This tour was absolutely the best bang for your buck and I feel like I got to see the whole island. Oh, and did I mention that it rained for most of the day? Anyone on that tour would agree with me. We were having so much fun that the rain didnt even matter. If you're on the fence, just go for it. You won't forgive yourself if you miss out. Only warning I have, take a dramamine before getting in the van. The hairpin turns are numerous. Ask your driver to show you the one stretch of straight road on the island... it's pretty funny. Have fun!

Just went to Barbados last week. Got the day pass to the Hilton on Needham's Point. Even though it's a Hilton, the beach was empty. Got there about 10 am. Lunch and one drink (alcoholic or non) is included. 2 pools, 2 beaches, good food. Drinks are expensive so bring your own water if you can.

Just on the Dawn and the alcohol stopped at 2am. Non alcohol and food go 24 hrs.

20 hours ago, Island girlz said:

We did the Epic last year - one of the worst ships I have been on. The back of the ship smelled like sewage, very odd layout, and honestly the worst wait staff we have encountered (we have been on 12 cruises). The Getaway is much better if you are looking at another NCL cruise

I did the EPIC this past summer in Europe, Roundtrip Barcelona. I will NEVER book a ship that large again if all 4000+ passenger ships are the same. Could never get into dinner in the MDR. Must make a reservation or wait forever. Ate dinner every night in the buffet. Buffet was excellent though - one of the best I've seen. Could not get into shows unless you booked pre cruise. No elevator mid ships! Only one forward and one aft making them impossibly crowded. Travelling with my parents in their 80's and to have them climb more than 2 or 3 flights of stairs was criminal. Since our itinerary was so port intensive (off the ship at 6:30am, back on at 7pm) we only ate and slept on the ship. I remember walking by the pool saying to my husband that I hope this ship doesn't go to the Caribbean because the pool is much too small for the capacity of passengers. Our cabin steward was amazing but our other two companion cabins on another deck had a terrible time. They couldn't even get ice in their ice buckets all week. And the bathrooms in the cabins.... OMG! The sink is next to the bed. The toilet is in its own cubby and the shower is in its own cubby. The shower was great. The toilet was cramped and stifling. Thank goodness we brought POO-Pouri with us. We were in an inside cabin and there was no light bright enough to read by. The brightest light was in the toilet so makeup application, shaving and reading all took place in there. Our other family members had balcony cabins and so they did all their shaving and makeup on the balcony. At night it was as dark as our inside cabin. Oh, and the a/c didn't get cold enough so my husband and I slept under soaked bath towels to cool us down. Yikes! Please think about your situation before booking this ship. Consider the type of cabin, the age and girth of the passengers, mobility issues and food choices. Fabulous trip and itinerary but the ship I could do without ever again. Best of luck!

Thanks to all for your insight. I have booked flights which arrive the day before cruise departure.:D

Boston to Barcelona nonstop and I do have trip insurance. However, your message clearly answers the question of "am I crazy". Thanks for your input.

Hi all,

Am I crazy to fly into BCN on the same day as the cruise departure? It will be June 2018 so no weather issues. We would arrive at 9:25am and the ship departs at 6:00pm. Planning on a post-cruise stay in Barcelona so trying to shorten the front end. Thoughts on this?

Thanks, June

Hi LBeeE,

Just got off the Equinox Feb 10-17 Western. The menus on the App are pretty accurate however, there were a few days that they were off. Comparing the app to the in-stateroom tv menus was a daily routine for us. The food was very good all around with flashes of great here and there. We did not eat in any of the specialty restaurants and the buffet, while good, was redundant. The maitre d' on the starboard side always gave us a table for two on the rail upstairs. Great place to dine. Port side seemed more crowded and they always wanted to seat us with others. Main dining room service by Mellanie and Pande was excellent! and they appreciated our additional tips.

Have fun!

We are sailing on Feb 10th. This has been absolutely fantastic! I so appreciate all your photos and comments.

Hello,

This is my first post.

Sailing Feb 10 on Equinox and like the looks of 40 Canones (Pez Quadro) for all inclusive. But I only see threads about Maya Chan. Any insight?

Thanks, June