DIY Caribbean Suggestions Please

[ROSEBASKETS]

Having done the Med ports to death we've decided to travel on Ventura to the Caribbean this November. As we've never done any of the Caribbean destinations I would be grateful if anyone could give us an idea of what to expect (apart from hot weather, sandy beaches and clear seas)

 

Any helpful hints / suggestions / tips on what to do for a few hours each day while ashore would be most welcome, as we don't want book any of the P&O excursions as most, if not all seem a little too energetic or water based for us old, non swimmers.

 

If anyone would like to pass on their expertise or has any suggestions as to watch out for / what to avoid would also be welcomed.

 

Barbados, Bonaire, Aruba, Ocho Rios, Grand Turk, St Maarten, Antigua, Dominica and St Lucia are the destinations

[dreamweaver767]

Hi Rosebaskets,

We did the Caribbean last year on Ventura, and we are going again this December. Was in the same vote as you last year. Most of the ports you dock will have endless number of minibus style taxis waiting to take you off round the islands. We used to buddy up with around 8-10 people agree a price usually around 10 dollers per person and tell them what you want to see, or in our case as these are the locals let them decide.

We did this on most stops off and couldn’t complain at any of the trips, we had some friends on the ship that did some of the p&o trips and paid a lot more and saw less.

First time you jump in a minibus you feel like you may being taken to the middle of know where and is a bit daunting, but just relax you will have a fab time.

Rgds

Andy

[KenAndJulie]

Barbados - about a 15 minute stroll into the town and a little further for the Marina. Other things to consider are orchid World, Harrison caves, Sunbury plantation.

 

Bonaire - you come alongside the town and there is a nice walk along the sea front - watch out for various fish in the water.

 

Aruba - a shopping town within easy walking distance.

 

Ocho Rios - if you have never done it before have a look at climbing Dunnes Falls ... a lot of fun.

 

Grand TUrk - never been there

 

St Maarten - another shopping town. You can either get the water taxi or walk it (about 15 minutes). You might want to consider a look at Maho beach (the one at the end of the runway).

 

Antigua - Make sure you visit Nelsons dockyard and Shirley heights/Dows Hill .. the views are incredible.

 

Dominica - I have heard good reports about the forest canopy tour and zip lining here ... never done it though.

 

St Lucia - Depends on where the ship docks, in the town itself or in a touristy port area. For this one I would suggest having a look at the 'Land & Sea' tour on the ship... well worth it (you may also be able to do it independently).

[CRUMB]

Rosebaskets, sounds like you're on the same one as us (5TH NOV?). I have pretty much done all my research from the ports of call sections on the forum. I just put aside a day and went through each port at a time to come up with the kinds of things we would want to do.

[jenny wren]

We had a fabulous day with Cosol tours in St Lucia....$65 for the day ....four of us went off in the minibus (with rum punch in the back) and had a lovely tour around the area, time on the beach, etc....great value....put Cosol into Google and see the website.

[ROSEBASKETS]

Thanks Andy, Ken and Julie for the replies :cool:, lots of good info.Jenny thanks, I'll have a google later, was it $65 dollars (US) each or for the 4 of you $260 dollars sounds expensive for the day and $65 dollars for 4 sounds extermely cheap for the day :o ? There will be 2 adults and our 2 kids 7 & 9, so buddying up may be a problem.

 

Crumb, yes it's the same cruise, but we fly out a day later from EMA, we wanted a full day in Barbados on the last day. We fly back on the 20th, I guess you fly back on trhe 19th.

 

Any more suggestions? please keep them coming :)

[vizzog]

"Having done the Med ports to death we've decided to travel on Ventura to the Caribbean this November. As we've never done any of the Caribbean destinations I would be grateful if anyone could give us an idea of what to expect (apart from hot weather, sandy beaches and clear seas)"

 

Here is a list I passed on to a friend earlier this year there are some islands you are visiting.

 

Tortola

 

Port:

You can walk out of the port area where there is a local market selling loads of usual touristy things like bags, t-shirts, shells etc quite nice to walk around and have a haggle! The town here is quite ok we walked into it for lunch and sat at a restaurant had a beer but it took so long to get food we gave up and went back to the ship.

 

Trips:

Here we have been to Cane Garden Bay nice Caribbean beach can be busy if two ships are in dock ok if you want a sunbed and a paddle.

We have also been on an excursion to the Baths of Virgin Gorda this is an island about 40mins away by ferry. It is gorgeous but the path to the beach is very rocky and steep you do get wet so great if you like the water. There are huge unusual rocks, which is why a lot of people visit.

 

St Maarten

 

Port:

Catch the water ferry ($6 for an all day wristband last year) to the beach from the cruise terminal or stop off “downtown” for shopping. Great place we have always stayed in the bay so can’t comment on the island. It is very American lots of nice bars and the place to buy duty free, jewellery. Sunbeds and brollies on the beach usually in front of the beach bars so someone comes out and you pay them (I think it was $10 for 2 beds last yr) then they will run back and forward if you want drinks or snacks!

 

St Kitts

 

Port:

If I remember there were a couple of shops and a bar at the cruise terminal you can catch a local taxi that will take you on an island tour. Last year we hopped on a local taxi/mini bus and when he had about 8 people onboard we all decided to go to Cockleshell Bay it is quite a nice beach with a bar ok for a couple of hours chill out.

I would recommend though St Kitts railway as this is the old sugar train you either go half way round the island on the train and back on a coach or the other way round. It does give you a good tour and you do see quite a bit took some great photos. The island though is very poor so the housing is an eye opener! We are here again next month and have booked a boat trip to Nevis for our visit. - This was a fantastic day if you enjoy snorkelling and just chilling out on a catamaran then a BBQ lunch on Nevis, a beautiful island, then an open bar all the way back!

 

 

Antigua

 

Port:

The first time we came here it rained!! So we didn’t go anywhere but walked around the town and had coffee. There are a few nice arty shops if you like that as well as the usual touristy ones quite a nice place for a wander.

We have also been kayaking here out in the mangrove swamps! Also visited one off the small islands on the Atlantic side of Antigua the sea is very rough on that side not for the faint hearted. It is a very beautiful island so probably a good island to go out and about there are the English Harbour and Nelsons Dockyard, which are popular places to visit.

 

Dominica

 

Port:

There is a warehouse where the ship docks, the locals set up a market there so ok for a wander. The town is about a 20-minute walk away not very much there though (extremely hot walk last year!!).

We have done the Arial Tram in the rain forest here I liked it. (OH fell asleep! Had to nudge him in case the guide spotted him!) Great for seeing the rainforest, plants, trees and I did see hummingbirds. We have also been river tubing here twice we loved it but only great for those who love the water and getting wet.

 

Barbados

 

Port:

The actual cruise terminal has lots of shops etc but walk (about 15mins) or taxi it to Bridgetown a lot more here. As far as beach you could get a taxi to Malibu on Brighton Beach ($20 return for the 4 of us last time) it is about 10 mins from the ship and for about $5 you can have a tour of the distillery and taste the rum as well as a Malibu from the beach bar at the end. There are beds and a bit of shade on the beach it is an absolutely beautiful beach (If you smoke do not light up near the factory wall apparently you may explode in the fumes!!) If you take a taxi anywhere on most islands you only pay the driver when he returns to take you back to the ship just give yourselves plenty of time to get back before the time they want you back onboard. We always walk to Carlise Bay on our last day before the flight home for one last swim about a half hour walk away.

 

Tobago:

We have always tendered here (you are taken ashore in the tender boats) so cannot really remember the port. We have always taken a taxi to Pigeon Point we get off the ship as soon as possible and get there before the ships excursions turn up later in the morning. It is much cheaper this way especially if there are 4 of you. Think it was about $50 for a return taxi and about $5 dollars to get in. It is a private resort beach so you are not so hassled by vendors. There are bars for drinks and food and usually a steel band turns up and plays while you are lying on your sunbed! We have always enjoyed our days here.

 

 

Isla Margarita

 

Port:

We have always stayed in the port area never have fancied looking around the island. There is a cruise terminal with a few shops; a good craft market and you do have to have a Margarita in Margarita from one of the port bars. Don’t do what I did have a couple of drinks and ended up buying a swinging hammock!! I did get it home though and it is great in the garden in the summer. There is a beach the water is very shallow and warm you can walk out for yards. Look out for Pelicans there, there are lots showing off diving for fish. There are sunbeds, brollies and a bar service on the beach to!

 

St Lucia

 

We have always gone out here, there are two cruise terminals the one on the right side of the bay does not have much, on the left side it is much better with shops and bars. Lots of taxi’s offering trips

We have visited Pitons and the volcano ok but Lanzarote and the volcano’s in Italy are better, OH says when you have seen one hill and one volcano… The last couple of times we get a taxi to Wharf Bar on Choc beach it is fabulous. There is a small Sandals resort at one end but it is quite quiet there is never that many people there. We did go and have a look at Reduit Beach where all the taxi drivers try and take you, it was packed and so busy we got straight back in the taxi and went back to Choc Beach!

 

Grenada

 

We always either take a water taxi or road taxi to Grand Anse you will see the beach from the ship it is about a mile across the bay. It is about 2 miles long a great place for a couple of hours but there are a lot of vendors trying sell you things just say politely NO they can be a pain. Last year we did go to the next bay along call Mon Rouge it was very nice there to not so big and less hassles. Don’t be put off by the vendors they are not aggressive or anything just more of a nuisance. We will be visiting here next month and will probably go to Mon Rouge again.

 

St Vincent

 

Not our favourite, there is a little cruise terminal here. We have taken a catamaran to Bequia I loved it OH hated it as it was open water sailing. We have also done an island tour and visited the Pirates of the Caribbean film set that was ok. The film people have left a bit of the set on the island so they take you there on the excursions. We will be here again next month but will probably stay on board it will be our last day and we will use it to chill out and pack!

 

Anyway have a great time and enjoy yourselves!!!

[lancashire_cruisers]

I wouldn't recommend Reduit Beach if either you don't swim or aren't a strong swimmer. We were there in February this year and the undercurrent was viciously strong. I ended up getting dragged over some rocks and cut my leg quite badly (I only went in for a paddle to cool off:eek:) and my husband had to do his Baywatch impersonation and saved an elderly gentleman from drowning.

 

Add to this the constant grief from the sellers on the beach and it wasn't exactly the relaxing day at the beach I'd pictured:cool:.

 

If your kids are into pirates then a trip on the Brig Unicorn might be worth considering as an alternative to the beach.

 

Debbie:)

[Somerset Cruiser]

You definately wont get hassled at Pidgeon Point in St Lucia. Its a national parkand cost about 5 dollars to get in, the beach is quite small but bathing is safe, you can hire beds and there is plenty of shade. There is also a walk to the fort, a small museum and a cafe.

 

You should get a taxi for about $40 return (don't pay until the return journey) they will collect you at a pre arranged time. They will try to charge $60-80 but you need to haggle.

 

Not the cheapest DIY beach day but the best bet in St Lucia IMO.

 

Barbados, You can hire a car for approx £40 a day all in, I can find a link if you are interested.

 

Ocho Rios, I would say DO NOT do independant, not worth the hassle

 

St Maarten, trips are for sell at the end of the jetty, priced according to numbers but easy to get others to share.

 

Antigua, loads of beaches and trips to Nelsons dockyard and Shirley heights, not the cheapest taxis in the Caribbean but they are easy to deal with.

[jenny wren]

Rosebaskets....it was $65 each which we thought was excellent value as it included a caribbean breakfast and also a snack lunch with as many rum punches as you could manage !!!!:D

Really it was tailor made for us as there were only 4 of us (we hadn't met before) lots of photo opportunities, visits to the botanical gardens/waterfall, sulphur springs, banana plantation with a fresh banana to eat (heavenly), a boat ride from Soufriere around to a private beach in between the pitons for a swim break, breakfast was in a private house set in the side of a cliff with stunning views, lunch was hot bread straight from the bakers with cheese......we had Cosol himself as our guide who was very knowledgeable and would recommend him. :)

[ROSEBASKETS]

Thanks again everyone, some really good info there and will definately help plan our days out. Jenny, it does sound a good price for what you got from Cosol tours, I didn't realise they fed and watered you as well, which seems really good value, with a beach stop too. Did the others on the tour come from the same ship? and was there room for others?

 

The last thing I want to do is book the tour then get stuck with some loud mouth American or some non English speaking Japanese who want to stop every two minutes to take a picture (I'm being highly stereotypical here, so please forgive me) Alternatively I don't want to offend any nice British people who don't want to sit with dull, fat, sweaty, palefaces with two extermely loud kids who can't sit still (that should frighten most of the ship off now!:D)

 

Another question; Has anyone been to Grand Turk since, hurricane Ike and has anyone used the cruise terminal there with the large pool and beach?

I want to hire a Cabana, but can't seem to book it in advance and as there are only 8 available and its first come first served on the ship and we don't arrive till day two! Any help or advice would be most welcome........ Thanks again everyone :):):)

[capasamari]

We have also used Cosol tours. There were seven of us and another couple from our ship. We all had an excellent day and I would recommend them.

 

Carol x

[vizzog]

We were in Grand Turk in February this year, unfortunately for us the weather was not too good. We did walk along the beach and stop for a beer at Jacks Shack then went back to large pool and had a dip quite good as there were only about 6 others in the water. There is a swim up bar but the beers were quite expensive in our opinion, many people stayed around this area due to the weather so they were doing a roaring trade in drink and food. There is also a DJ and music playing many people just making the best of the day. There are also the typical cruise terminal shops, duty free, craft type etc.

If it had been a good sunny day it would have been a great place for spending it on the beach.

[jenny wren]

Rosebaskets....we did this off Oriana and the other couple were very nice, ...younger than us but it didn't matter...I think we were all pretty easy going and really let Cosol lead the way and we all followed!! He did ask if we wanted to go to the beach and we were all up for it so off we went ! :D

 

I think he would keep passengers off Ventura together so you are likely to be with other Brits.... or you could ask him to just take your family and see what he says....

[LACEY2011]

We were in Grand Turk last November and the weather was hot and sunny. We did the swim with stingrays tour with our 3 children and had a fabulous time, I highly recommend it. We went on the beach in the afternoon and had a swim. When we are there next Feb I think we are just going to laze on the beach ;)

[Merlin7]

Don't be put off doing DIY in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We had one of the best tours ever earlier this year with Phil Lafayette. $20 per person and pay for entry to Dunns River,he got us there before all the tourists arrived, we had it to ourselves, and then river tubing on the White River. A drive through Fern Gulley and the local area and the tour lasted longer than we booked.

 

Check out his reviews on Tripadvisor. A very knowledgable local man who made our day in Jamaica.

[capasamari]

I think the argument on Jamaica would be not to just wander off on your own. If you book a proper local tour guide you should be fine. Your trip sounds great.

 

Carol x

[Elaine0138]

Rosebasket if you check out this site it will tell you the ships you are in port with, it might help you with your planning

 

http://www.cruisett.com

[LACEY2011]

Elaine thank you for that, I was searching the internet for ages the other day trying to find that site! I'm glad I commented on this thread now ;)

[ROSEBASKETS]

Thank you for all your responses they have been really helpful :):):)