Spencer Ambrose

[kittenaround]

I have read many good things about Spencer's tours but can't seem to find a website describing his tours. Will be in St. Lucia at the end of January and trying to figure out what type of tour and tour operator to choose. Does Spencer have a web site and if so can anyone send me the link?

[PeterPan]

http://www.spencerambrosetours.com

[kittenaround]

Thank you so much for the link. :)

[njladycruiseson]

I have read many good things about Spencer's tours but can't seem to find a website describing his tours. Will be in St. Lucia at the end of January and trying to figure out what type of tour and tour operator to choose. Does Spencer have a web site and if so can anyone send me the link?

 

We did Spencer's tour last year and were the only ones there - 2 other couples didn't show up. We had to wait a long time for the no shows and then we were lead to a van and were the only 2 people in the tour which was interesting but boring. Spencer was not the tour guide - the guy was nice but it was uncomfortable. The van we were in was very dirty on the outside and the windows were very dirty. We wished we had gone with the flow and booked with Consol. The best part about it was that we got to go to Jalousie beach (the beach in between the Pitons) but Consol goes there 2. We saw friends from the cruise ship there and they were with Consol and highly recommended them. Remember to take lots of dollars (no charge cards) to purchase items because they stop at all the little tourist traps and people want dollars to take pictures. I can understand - I would be the same way if I lived on one of their islands LOL

 

We are going again this year and will be with Frank's St. Lucia Taxi & Tours - we just want to go to Jalousie Beach not the full tour thing. So the new experience begins LOL

[dz63]

I have read many good things about Spencer's tours but can't seem to find a website describing his tours. Will be in St. Lucia at the end of January and trying to figure out what type of tour and tour operator to choose. Does Spencer have a web site and if so can anyone send me the link?

 

 

We toured with Spencer in July and had an excellent tour with him. He is a fantastic tour guide and you would not be disappointed booking with him.

 

I wrote a detailed review describing our tour in another thread in this forum. It has lots of photos and will give you a good idea what to expect on his tour. If it is of interest to you, you can read my review by clicking on the link below and then scrolling down to post #160.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=718495&page=8

[Stuster]

We toured with Spencer in July and had an excellent tour with him. He is a fantastic tour guide and you would not be disappointed booking with him.

 

I wrote a detailed review describing our tour in another thread in this forum. It has lots of photos and will give you a good idea what to expect on his tour. If it is of interest to you, you can read my review by clicking on the link below and then scrolling down to post #160.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=718495&page=8

 

We toured with Spencer's brother on Dec. 26. Spencer was with another group from our ship so in all, there were probably about 25 people from Carnival Miracle on the tour. St. Lucia is spectacular and we learned alot about the island, the culture, tried local food and fresh bananas, and saw small towns, spectacular scenery and perhaps the world's most scenic beach (located between the Pitons). Our van was small and crowded, and the roads are narrow, very hilly and curvy.....but we kinda just went with the flow and my family had a fabulous time. Highly recommended. Hope that helps.

[Babygirlsmom]

We did Spenser's tour also in Dec. 2009. We got a brother named Small, not Spenser. He was fine. I have to say the roads are extremely hilly/curvy--if you are prone to car sickness, this may not be a tour for you (same on Grenada). But, having said that, the tour was great! We loved all the little stops. Extremely scenic. They seemed to be planned at about the right time when you needed to get out of the van for a stretch. We stopped at a banana plantation, several photo ops, got young coconut and "golden apple", at one point a bizarre guy was standing in the road with a Boa Constrictor. He wanted $$ to take a pic with him---whatever---take a few extra single dollars for ops like this. Here's something kind of funny that our tour guide didn't know....at one of the stops my husband (a middle aged white man....) got approached to buy "congee"??(pot) (I'm a bit naive and don't know how to spell that) --we actually laughed at it, but it was a bit bizarre. Lunch was included, but not ready when we got to the place where we needed to pick it up, so had to wait quite a while to get it at the beach. Not a big deal, just a comment.

We took a boat to Jalouise Beach and did the MOST AMAZING snorkeling of our trip there. I'd go back there again. The weird part about that was the number of people that they tried to cram onto the tiny stretch of beach we were allowed access to--but, I was in the water most of the time, so that was fine with me.

On the way back we stopped and got the local bread with butter--that was YUMMY! ask for that--I don't know if he was planning to stop there, but I knew of it from another post so I asked for it--it was yummy.

 

overall, I would recommend the tour. we enjoyed it.

[bertha]

Loved It! Spencer was waiting at the pier. We had 12 people on our tour. All there on time and we left immediately. We saw the boa guy on the road but all decided on the spot not to stop and Spencer kept on driving. He will customize. No wait for the water taxi to Jalousie. He had called from the vehicle to advise that we were on the way. Spencer told us that he has arranged for lunch on the beach now to save time. It worked. The lunchs were in boxes for us, picked up just before the water taxi ride and distributed as soon as we got to the beach. Beach is not private, just the water sport toys and the hotel amenities. We used the whole beach. Seems as if you are crowded to one side if you just want to snorkel, which is where the good snorkeling is, near the rocks at the edge of the beach below piton. The lunch was the best lunch we had all week! Spencer provided water, soda, beer and rum punch as well as the lunch and many snacks along the way. He responded to our special requests to find certain things. Very accomodating and always aware of our needs while considering the timing regarding our ship's departure. It was a very good day. Hope you will have a similar experience.

[lcmslady]

Thanks for all the comments - we are booked with Spencer next Thursday, 1/21 - can't wait!!!!

[PeterPan]

We're booked with Spencer on 3 Feb. Glad to hear all the positive comments! My emails with him have been quite positive as well.

[2PinaColadas]

From those of you who have toured with Spencer already-- about how much time did you spend riding in the van?

[bertha]

The tour was about 7 hours in total and probably spent about 2 or so in total in the van. It was a lot of in and out for the ride to pitons and beach. Got a long bit of stretch time at the volcano. We stopped a lot so it seemed fine to me. Ride back was about 45 minutes straight (up and down and windy roads!) Remember, van time=drinking time!

 

I have to say I did not mind it at all. It was what I expected because knew where we were going and how the tour would flow in advance.

Gail

[wingnut2005]

[We are going again this year and will be with Frank's St. Lucia Taxi & Tours - we just want to go to Jalousie Beach not the full tour thing. So the new experience begins LOL

 

njladycruiseson

 

Is that just round trip with no stops in between from ship to Jalouise Beach

 

Could you please tell me what the cost is of just going to Jalousie beach with Frank is.

 

And how long do you have on the beach,

 

Does he wait for you at the beach or comes back at set time

 

Thanks

Brent

[dz63]

From those of you who have toured with Spencer already-- about how much time did you spend riding in the van?

 

St. Lucia is very mountainous and it is about a 1 – 1 1/2 hour drive (depending on traffic conditions) on winding roads to get down to Soufriere and Jalousie Beach, but the drive down is broken up by various stops, where you can actually get out of the van and take pictures. Our stops included the Banana Plantation, Anyse La Raye, the snake man, Canaries, and the Soufriere overlook. Once in Soufriere it was a short drive to the Toraille Waterfalls/Botancial Gardens and Sulphur Springs. Jalousie Beach was absolutely breathtaking, a dip in the Toraille Waterfalls was refreshing and a visit to Sulphur Springs, inspite of its offensive odor, was a unique and educational experience. It is not everyday that you get to be on top of a volcano and see bubbling mud and steam rising! . . .Oh, and don't forget the food stops too!

 

It took us approx. 50 minutes to drive back to the ship. We only stopped twice. Once at the bakery for fresh Creole bread (but we stayed in the van) and again at the Morne Fortune Overlook. Spencer offered to stop again for some jerk pork, but we were all too stuffed and so skipped this stop. Overall the tour is about 7 hours in length and I agree with bertha that the total amount of time spent driving around was approx. 2 hours. To us the amount of time driving/spent in the van was not an issue, as it was worth seeing some of the beautiful sites St. Lucia has to offer. Besides, not only is there a cooler of drinks right at your fingertips in the van, but Spencer is also a fantastic host and he will keep you entertained!

[dz63]

[We are going again this year and will be with Frank's St. Lucia Taxi & Tours - we just want to go to Jalousie Beach not the full tour thing. So the new experience begins LOL

 

njladycruiseson

 

Is that just round trip with no stops in between from ship to Jalouise Beach

 

Could you please tell me what the cost is of just going to Jalousie beach with Frank is.

 

And how long do you have on the beach,

 

Does he wait for you at the beach or comes back at set time

 

Thanks

Brent

 

Since you are asking a question about Franks Taxi & Tour Service in a Spencer Ambrose Tour thread, I don't think you will get many responses. However, Spencer Ambrose Tours also offers custom tours, where you can go directly to Jalousie Beach, but since we did not do that, I can not say what that would cost. I cannot speak for Frank, but as for Spencer, he keeps his clients in his view at all times. He stays right on the beach and will come and get you when it is time to go.

[cruzwpj]

This is exactly what we want to do- go directly to the Jalousie Beach, how did you do it and at what cost. We will be in St. Lucia March 3. Thanks alot

MyVal

[dz63]

This is exactly what we want to do- go directly to the Jalousie Beach, how did you do it and at what cost. We will be in St. Lucia March 3. Thanks alot

MyVal

 

Your best bet would be to email Spencer at:

 

spencer7114@gmail.com

 

He will be able to provide you with all the details, cost and information you need to go directly to Jalousie Beach.

[cruzwpj]

Thanks, I have emailed Spencer and I am sure he will get back with me, I am just anxious to have a plan in place for what we want to do.

Regards,

MyVal

[mmcm18]

We're going in April and I have emailed Spencer already, but haven't set anything in stone yet. Apparently, he has a private tour scheduled the day we are going to be there, so we probably won't be able to do the tour with him. How many people have experienced his brothers/cousins/etc. as tour guides and what was your experience? Thanks for any info.

[avaclark]

We went on Spencer's tour just last week. He was, without a doubt, one of the most wonderful people we had met. We were a group of six adults, four had many excursions under their belts while the other two were on their first cruise. He was there when we arrived at the port, with a very nice air conditioned (thankfully) van - that fit us with room to spare. He was welcoming and friendly, making all of us very comfortable. We were together for most of the day, and learned more than I could have imagined. He made frequent stops, going out of his way to share his island with us. We were able to go relax and go swimming at an amazing beach, see the volcano and visit the waterfall. He also made stops sharing that allowed us to see what local life is like. Spencer is amazing with his attention to detail- even stopping to grab a cinnamon leaf - to share with us. He truly enjoys people, and sharing his beloved island with them. With lunch included, and a packed cooler to boot...he overlooks nothing. Thank you Spencer for such a great day!!! From...the "Cujo" group...Boston, MA

[fourcruisin]

I was part of avaclark's group and although I have been on many tours both ship sponsored and private, Spencer's tour was by far the most comprehensive and amazing. He is a perfect gentleman. He loves St. Lucia and loves to show it off to others. He took us to so many local spots and shared his knowledge. His driving skills are top notch which trust me, are important since St. Lucia is so mountainous.

 

He overlooks nothing. His vehicle is well maintained and large. He went out of his way to provide a wonderful tour and share St. Lucia with us for a full day.

[4 cruis'n]

Wondering if anyone chose to take the water taxi back to the port rather than drive with him in the van? It costs a little more. It would be worth it to us if it we get more beach time. Not sure how it works.

[cruzwpj]

Next week we hope to be doing the same so I will be interested in knowing the extra cost to get back to the port via water taxi.

[Jules Verne]

We had an island tour with Spencer on 8 Feb 2010 and it was the highlight of our cruise. He was amusing, informative and brought everything to life. As an ex policeman he is very well known locally and can get to all sorts of places. He is very concerned that everyone has a great time and stops so you can sample a vast array of local foods plus a superb creole lunch. Also he has a cool box of soft drinks, beers and his own unmissable spiced rum punch. As well a seeing all the natural sights you also feel part of the island for a day. Go with Spencer - you will not regret it.

 

Chris and Claire Jones:)

[mrpayroll]

we booked recently for Spencer Ambrose. The same night we received an e-mail back from him thanking us for booking. He said that his web-site was new and because we used it he would drop the price from 65.00p/p to 55.00p/p............looking forward to this excursion as everything we have read has been very promising...:rolleyes: