"The Tour", Thenford Grey excursion, reviews?

[hillbilly1]

Read all the great reviews about Thenford Grey and "The Tour". I got on his website Thenfordgrey.com and booked "the Tour" for Dec 2 (we are on the Carnvial Victory) Received a message back this morning we are booked for 10am. Thenford gave us a rate of $39.00 each for the tour instead of $48.00. He is offering this rate to other Carnvial Victory cruisers on this date & time.

[VtBowMan1]

Has anybody recently taken this excursion and was it worthwhile? Any comments/suggestion will be appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

We took the tour in March after reading the reviews on Cruise Critic. Thenford is everything they say, great gentlemen and guide. My wife and I chuckled allot at stops on the tour. Thenford was so knowledable about the island and all the history. You would see folks from other groups coming over and listening in to the talks and information he was giving us. I felt bad for them that they didnt get the same experience on there tour that we did.

[lrtjs5]

Great Reviews on Thenford Grey. I do have a question about "The Tour" and the 1-2 hour beach or shopping portion at the end. What kind of shopping is available during this part of the tour? Are we close to the pier so we can get back on the ship if we want to? Or do we have to be driven back after the beach break? Not sure of the logistics. Since live in Florida we get the beach scene plenty throughout the year and do not necessarily want to spend 2 hours at the beach. Thanks!

 

I do not think this is the best port for shopping or the beach. It has so much more to offer as the batik factory and the views from Unesco Heritage fort are spectacular. The top of the mountain (Timothy's Hill?) where you see the Caribbean on one side and the Atlantic on the other is not to be missed. St. Thomas and St. Maartin's are both better for shopping.

[eaglewar]

Just returned from 7 days in St Kitts. Used Thenford Grey exclusively for cab and touring. He is all the reviews say he is a true gentleman ! I asked

several Marriott employees who was best on the island and all came back with Thenford.

His island tour was full of sights and history with insights you wouldn't find in someone less knowledgeable !

He is the best... don't miss Thenford.

 

Eaglewar

[Ocean Boy]

Great Reviews on Thenford Grey. I do have a question about "The Tour" and the 1-2 hour beach or shopping portion at the end. What kind of shopping is available during this part of the tour? Are we close to the pier so we can get back on the ship if we want to? Or do we have to be driven back after the beach break? Not sure of the logistics. Since live in Florida we get the beach scene plenty throughout the year and do not necessarily want to spend 2 hours at the beach. Thanks!

 

The tour stops at the beach where he drops off the folks who want to go to the beach. He stays there for about 15 minutes so those who want to go back to town for shopping can take some pictures of the beach area. He will then take the shoppers back to town and he goes back to the beach latter to pick up the beach folks. If you select the shopping option you will be back in town around 1 PM. Everything is right around the pier area so you can then return to the ship whenever you feel like it. The town area is very walkable.

[Krazy4Krusin]

Day five of the cruise found us docked in St. Kitts where we had booked "The Tour" with Thenford Gray. Once again, we were met on the dock by Thenford himself and were soon boarding his air conditioned bus for a tour of St. Kitts. Thenford is a well educated man who has a vast understanding of the history of his island as well as its people, plants and sites. We rode through downtown and the port area getting a feel for the history of this island and why it was called the Gibraltar of the West. We made our way out to Romney Manor

 

 

and got an inside look at the Batik Factory and how they make their clothes. Thenford walked us through the gardens of Romney Manor pointing out several plants along the way.

 

 

He is a very personable tour guide offering multiple times to take pictures of families on his tour. Back on board his bus, we came to find out just how personal Thenford takes each of his guests. While we were waiting for the other couples to return, Thenford pulled out a two dollar bill and a twenty dollar bill to help explain to my 10 year old daughter the history of Romney Manor. He also went on to teach her a game Thenford played when he was little. Using a bud off a plant (I can't recall the name), Thenford opened it to expose the thistle. He challenged my daughter to a duel using the thistles and whoever's thistle broke was the loser and they would battle again until there weren't any thistles left.

 

 

Once everyone was back on board, we headed to Brimstone Hill Fortress. We received a brief orientation from the staff there and set out to explore the fort on our own. Now, I didn't find this out until we got back home, but my mother and father aren't able to walk long distances and couldn't make it up the steep incline to the main fort. Well, Thenford took it upon himself to load them into the bus and drive them to various sites around the fort. He explained what they were looking at and gave them a personal tour.

 

 

We finished our exploration of the fort and headed to the other side of the island to Timothy Hill. We got some great photo ops of the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

 

 

Some of the guests asked to be dropped off at the beach for some surf time and Thenford graciously agreed and told them he would pick them up in two hours. We finished the tour and had lunch in Piccadilly Square at a place called Ballahoo's that Thenford recommended. After our delicious meal, we headed back to the ship.

[Sunseeker11]

I took a tour with Thenford in December, it was my favorite tour i have ever been on. St. Kitts is beautiful and Thenford is a great guide. You can't go wrong booking with him!

[BlackSonata]

My wife and I (both 50's) took "The Tour" with Thenford on July 13, 2012.

 

We both thought Thenford's excursion was one of the major highlights of our 7 day Carnival Victory cruise and the 6 excursions we took.

 

First, he was great to talk to, from the moment we met. He is extremely polite and kind, and speaks the "Kings English". Next, his large, late model Toyota van is immaculate, and unlike many others in the Carribbean, he keeps it COOL, even it means that he has to keep the van idling.

 

Next, he is an amazingly well educated and intelligent man, but is never condescending. Both my wife and I have post graduate degrees, but there was not a subject that anyone on our tour raised that he could not speak knowledgeably about. He also takes pride in pointing out that he will not give an answer unless he truly knows it to be true-a rare thing to find in the world today.

 

His knowledge of the Caribbean in general and St. Kitts/Nevis in particular is near encyclopedic, or so it seemed to a couple from the midwest. Also, the facts he gave us about the island were not mere trivia-they were interesting items that helped us understand St. Kitts, and how it came to be the way it is. He also explains a lot about how the locals live, which we loved. It was like getting a mini introduction to the culture.

 

Finally, he offers a lot of little touches. From providing a small bottle of cold water for each person during the tour, to including the cost of visiting the Brimstone Fortress in the charge of $48 dollars per person that he collects for the tour, Grey really thinks of it all.

 

If you want to take an informative and lively tour from a wonderful guy on St. Kitts, look no further than Thenford Grey. If my wife and I ever return to St. Kitts, which we would love to do, we will most definately include another excursion with Grey. You will not be disappointed if you tour with him !!!!

 

P.S. you can each him at thenang06@yahoo.com

[heavenlysea]

My wife and I (both 50's) took "The Tour" with Thenford on July 13, 2012.

 

We both thought Thenford's excursion was one of the major highlights of our 7 day Carnival Victory cruise and the 6 excursions we took.

 

First, he was great to talk to, from the moment we met. He is extremely polite and kind, and speaks the "Kings English". Next, his large, late model Toyota van is immaculate, and unlike many others in the Carribbean, he keeps it COOL, even it means that he has to keep the van idling.

 

Next, he is an amazingly well educated and intelligent man, but is never condescending. Both my wife and I have post graduate degrees, but there was not a subject that anyone on our tour raised that he could not speak knowledgeably about. He also takes pride in pointing out that he will not give an answer unless he truly knows it to be true-a rare thing to find in the world today.

 

His knowledge of the Caribbean in general and St. Kitts/Nevis in particular is near encyclopedic, or so it seemed to a couple from the midwest. Also, the facts he gave us about the island were not mere trivia-they were interesting items that helped us understand St. Kitts, and how it came to be the way it is. He also explains a lot about how the locals live, which we loved. It was like getting a mini introduction to the culture.

 

Finally, he offers a lot of little touches. From providing a small bottle of cold water for each person during the tour, to including the cost of visiting the Brimstone Fortress in the charge of $48 dollars per person that he collects for the tour, Grey really thinks of it all.

 

If you want to take an informative and lively tour from a wonderful guy on St. Kitts, look no further than Thenford Grey. If my wife and I ever return to St. Kitts, which we would love to do, we will most definately include another excursion with Grey. You will not be disappointed if you tour with him !!!!

 

P.S. you can each him at thenang06@yahoo.com

 

 

Do you remember how long you stayed at the fort? Did you also see the black volcanic rocks?

[Krazy4Krusin]

We took his tour in June of this year. If I remember correctly, we stayed at Fort Brimstone for about 30 mins or more. He gives you plenty of time to see the orientation film at the beginning of the tour so you have an understading about the fort and what you are looking at. You also get to see the black volcanic rock that the fort was made out of. Make sure you have your cameras ready as you enter and leave the fort because no one back home will believe you when you tell them it was a tight fit getting into the fort. You'll see what I mean when you get there...:)

[DrSeuss]

Could you tell me how much driving is invloved and how long each driving segment is? Is it quite flar and straight or winding like Jamacia? :confused:

[NCTribeFan]

I just booked a cruise for November 2013 and get to return to St Kitts, which I visited on my Victory cruise in May 2009. My first thought was, "I hope Mr. Grey is still doing tours!" All the ports except St Thomas were new-to-me on that cruise, so we did an island tour on each.

 

St Kitts was our last stop, and by that time, we were getting a little tired of bouncing along rutted island roads in mini-vans. But Mr. Grey had a much larger van - not full-sized bus - but bigger than some of the others we'd been on.

 

Unfortunately, we were accompanied by THE LOUD FAMILY. You know the type - they're the only people on the planet and their little group takes over every place they are; who talked over him while on the bus and ignored his instructions when we stopped and were always late back when time to move on. :mad:

 

Anyway, I'll probably be solo, so if he's still doing this tour in 14 months, I hope to go again and NOT have THE LOUD FAMILY on the same tour. ;)

[tlund]

Our ship will only be in port from 7-3 meaning we will have to be back on board by 2:30 (and I would like to be back by 2). We would like to see Romney Manor, the fort and spend an hour or so at Cockelshell (I think that's the name) Beach. Do you think it would be possible to get all these things in and get back to the ship in a total of 4 hours?

[Ocean Boy]

Our ship will only be in port from 7-3 meaning we will have to be back on board by 2:30 (and I would like to be back by 2). We would like to see Romney Manor, the fort and spend an hour or so at Cockelshell (I think that's the name) Beach. Do you think it would be possible to get all these things in and get back to the ship in a total of 4 hours?

 

The tour can be done in 4 hrs. easily without a beach stop. However, I suspect that Mr. Grey would taylor the tour to fit the hours that the ship is in port. As I remember it, we got back to town a little before 2 PM. We had made a brief beach stop to drop people off who wanted to spend some time at the beach and then he brought the rest of us back to town before returning to the beach to pick up the beach goers.

 

You can e-mail Mr. Grey with your concerns and tell him what you would like to do for the day. He will get back to you. He is very responsive.

[phabric]

We are booked for his tour in March.

 

At the beach are there chairs to put your things on?

 

Bathrooms?

[hancogran]

We are booked for his tour in March.

 

At the beach are there chairs to put your things on?

 

Bathrooms?

 

When we went on Thenfords tour, we stopped at Cockleshell Beach for a few hours. You could rent chairs and umbrellas (not sure of the cost). It started to rain while we were there and we basically spent our time in the Reggae Bar which is right on the beach and a great place to grab a drink or something to eat. There were bathrooms at Reggae.

[labatsman]

Based on the great reviews here I think we will book with Mr.Grey.:D

[kingoftheicedragons]

The tour can be done in 4 hrs. easily without a beach stop. However, I suspect that Mr. Grey would taylor the tour to fit the hours that the ship is in port. As I remember it, we got back to town a little before 2 PM. We had made a brief beach stop to drop people off who wanted to spend some time at the beach and then he brought the rest of us back to town before returning to the beach to pick up the beach goers.

 

You can e-mail Mr. Grey with your concerns and tell him what you would like to do for the day. He will get back to you. He is very responsive.

 

He is very good at knowing what time guests need to be back on board the ship and makes sure he gets them back to the ship with plenty of time to spare--just in case something unforeseen happens and he wants his guests to enjoy their time on the island and not have to stress about making the ship on time.

 

He also gives guests the choice of what beach they go to--an upscale one or a more modest one. I know the more modest one has green monkeys nearby.

[thecatcher]

Based on the great reviews here I think we will book with Mr.Grey.:D

You won't regret it. We had great tour and beach on 30 October and would strongly recommend.

[Addictedtocruising]

We just had a tour with Thenford on November 6th, their were 8 of us and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

 

 

Highly recommended! :D

[topspot]

I also did "The Tour" with a group from our roll call. Had a great tour of the island and spent about 1-1.5 hours at the beach (Lobster...something) which had chairs to rent, bathrooms, changing area, bar oh and don't forget the monkeys and mongoose that decided to visit us this day.:)

[DrSeuss]

Does anyone know what is the longest time you are in the coach? Are the roads winding like St Lucia? Do you have bathroom breaks? Thank you

[Ocean Boy]

Does anyone know what is the longest time you are in the coach? Are the roads winding like St Lucia? Do you have bathroom breaks? Thank you

 

I would say that the longest ride between stops would be around 30 minutes. And pretty much all of the stops have bathroom facilities. I do not recall the roads being all that winding except for the approach to the fortress and, of course, the frequent turns during the tour portion of the capitol city Bastierre.

[DrSeuss]

I would say that the longest ride between stops would be around 30 minutes. And pretty much all of the stops have bathroom facilities. I do not recall the roads being all that winding except for the approach to the fortress and, of course, the frequent turns during the tour portion of the capitol city Bastierre.

 

Thank you oceanboy. I get a little seasick on coaches but that sounds fine. :)

[lucia_bb]

can anyone tell me if he picks you up at the port or do you have to take a cab to a meeting spot somewhere?