St. Kitts- not up to expectations

[CrucianGal]

We (9 of us) will be taking a tour with Rosevelt Taylor when we visit St. Kitts in a few weeks (from Serenade of the Seas). We chose him based on the positive reviews and because we were very impressed with how professional he has been with his responses to our inquiries. His email replies have been prompt and very kind.

 

I will post a review of our tour when we get back in June.

[lrtjs5]

We (9 of us) will be taking a tour with Rosevelt Taylor when we visit St. Kitts in a few weeks (from Serenade of the Seas). We chose him based on the positive reviews and because we were very impressed with how professional he has been with his responses to our inquiries. His email replies have been prompt and very kind.

 

I will post a review of our tour when we get back in June.

 

We will be going with Roosevelt in 3 weeks. It will be our second tour with him. We think he is awesome and does exactly what he says.

[buffi001]

:(

We were on the Celebrity Mercury out of Baltimore on January 3.

One of the stops was St. Kitt's. I was looking forward to it- since we had not been to that particular island before. What a disappointment. The excursion cost us 45.00 per person. Other cruisers took a cab which only cost them 13.00.

The beach was not nice. It was loaded with women who wanted to massage our feet- for a price- and who got more and more aggressive as the day went on. There was also a man with a young monkey trying to get people to pay him to take a photo with the monkey. I heard from other cruisers that the monkey nipped 2 or 3 people.

When I complained to the excursion desk the best the manager could do was to refund us 20%.

My advice- stay on the ship in St. Kitts- it does not feel safe - the beach was nothing- and the natives were frightening.

 

I could not disagree more. We had a fabulous time at the Marriott, which sounds like the beach this person is mentioning. I had a 1 hr massage for $35, loved the beach and the hotel/casino......Different strokes for different

folks....

[CrucianGal]

We just returned from Serenade of the Seas and thoroughly enjoyed our island tour with Rosevelt Taylor. He was prompt, very informative and an excellent driver. He shared a lot of knowledge about the history of the island and also told us about the fruits and plants. He was pleasant and courteous.

The gardens of the Romney Manor were lovely and the Brimstone Fort was one of the best restored forts we have seen anywhere in the Caribbean. We felt the tour ran a bit late. The main reason was that two guests were no shows which caused us to leave the port late (no fault of Rosevelt and very rude of the people to not call and cancel). By the time we got to Cockleshell beach we were hungry and tired. Otherwise it was a very enjoyable day and we highly recommend Rosevelt and Island Paradise Tours.

[lrtjs5]

Last week at this very moment we were touring with Rosevelt Taylor on the beautiful island of St. Kitts. It was a wonderful tour and I echo everything said in the post by Crucian Gal. We were on the Carnival Victory and had one of our best cruises ever!! You can't go wrong with Island Paradise Tours!!!!!!!

[LEtue]

Thanks for the information about this tour! We're sailing on the Victory in February and can't wait :D

[lrtjs5]

The Victory is wonderful!! The crew was the BEST. Our room steward, waiters, matre d were all great friends by weeks end. We have been on the Victory twice and there was an air of excitement on board that was not there last year. Hard to explain but I have to credit it to the crew!!

[Shekim]

The USA has beautiful beaches all along the Gulf Coast. The things listed in the post about are not to be missed.

I see you're from AL...have you been to the TX Gulf Coast; like Galveston? I live 30 miles from Galveston and seldom go. Unfortunately it stays stirred up and the water is brown. YUCK...and I'm a native Houstonian! One of these days I'll venture up your way to see the beautiful coast lines the gulf coast has...

 

We're interested in renting scooters for the day to tour the island. Hoping to hear back very soon. but others in our group have reserved with a private driver (can't remember the name right now...) but one that is highly recommended here.

[lrtjs5]

lol, no I have not been to the beaches in Texas. I would like to go on a cruise out of Galveston though. I guess I should have said the Alabama and Florida panhandle have beautiful beaches!!

I did not see any scooters for rent in St. Kitts but then again I was not looking for that. It is very mountainous where the attractions are.

[hladygirl]

my dh and ii went to st kitts last fall and were horrified by the aggressive sellers and monkey people around. when we got end of port terminal we were even more horrified. didn't feel safe and got back on ship. this year it is our last stop out of seven ports and we are not getting off the ship. saw a news report that right after we were there a cruise ship excursion tour was stopped and robbed. no thanks!!!!!

[lrtjs5]

You must have seen something a lot different than I did. I saw no monkey people at the pier....none. Our tour guide was right there to meet us and off we went to see the beautiful island. There were people selling things at Timothy's Hill but they were not aggressive. The whole key to enjoying things is not to venture out on your own. Get a reputable guide. St. Kitts is beautiful and I have felt very safe on both my visits.

[jeffstew]

:(

We were on the Celebrity Mercury out of Baltimore on January 3.

One of the stops was St. Kitt's. I was looking forward to it- since we had not been to that particular island before. What a disappointment. The excursion cost us 45.00 per person. Other cruisers took a cab which only cost them 13.00.

The beach was not nice. It was loaded with women who wanted to massage our feet- for a price- and who got more and more aggressive as the day went on. There was also a man with a young monkey trying to get people to pay him to take a photo with the monkey. I heard from other cruisers that the monkey nipped 2 or 3 people.

When I complained to the excursion desk the best the manager could do was to refund us 20%.

My advice- stay on the ship in St. Kitts- it does not feel safe - the beach was nothing- and the natives were frightening.

 

Do not listen to this post at all! St. Kitts is a beautiful island and the natives were friendly and welcoming. We did the Capital and Beach Splash tour with Thenford Grey this past April and it was a lot of fun! Thenford took us on an island tour (the south peninsula is stunningly beautiful!) and then brought us to Reggae Beach Bar at Cockleshell Beach for an afternoon of sun and fun. The beach was great, the food and drink were out of this world and Thenford waited for us and brought us back to the port when we were ready to go back. We had time to explore Basseterre for a bit before we had to get back to the ship- we were on the Sea Princess. I thought St. Kitts was a great port of call and would welcome the chance to go back. The natives were certainly not "frightening" as this poster would have you believe. I guess some people just need to get out more...

[CruisinRoxy]

Thank you for posting this! We are going on an island/beach tour with Thenford in August - and we are so looking forward to it!!

[Stevesan]

Do not listen to this post at all! St. Kitts is a beautiful island and the natives were friendly and welcoming. We did the Capital and Beach Splash tour with Thenford Grey this past April and it was a lot of fun! Thenford took us on an island tour (the south peninsula is stunningly beautiful!) and then brought us to Reggae Beach Bar at Cockleshell Beach for an afternoon of sun and fun. The beach was great, the food and drink were out of this world and Thenford waited for us and brought us back to the port when we were ready to go back. We had time to explore Basseterre for a bit before we had to get back to the ship- we were on the Sea Princess. I thought St. Kitts was a great port of call and would welcome the chance to go back. The natives were certainly not "frightening" as this poster would have you believe. I guess some people just need to get out more...

 

 

But they sometimes get restless!:rolleyes:

 

A strong second for Thenford Gray. Excellent tour and a real gentleman.

[Stevesan]

I see you're from AL...have you been to the TX Gulf Coast; like Galveston? I live 30 miles from Galveston and seldom go. Unfortunately it stays stirred up and the water is brown. YUCK...and I'm a native Houstonian! One of these days I'll venture up your way to see the beautiful coast lines the gulf coast has...

 

We're interested in renting scooters for the day to tour the island. Hoping to hear back very soon. but others in our group have reserved with a private driver (can't remember the name right now...) but one that is highly recommended here.

 

That's odd. My grandson and his friends often drive to Galveston's beaches during summer. He's 18YO so he might go for more than just the beaches.:D

 

The powder beaches on Florida's panhandle are definitely world class. They are always rated in the top 2 or 3 in the world.

 

Biloxi/Gulfport beaches are excellent, too. I spent some time on them when stationed at Keesler AFB.

[jackdiamond]

IMA, your point is well taken. I seriosly question the motive behind the original post.

[jeffstew]

Thank you for posting this! We are going on an island/beach tour with Thenford in August - and we are so looking forward to it!!

 

You're going to have a great time! Thenford is a terrific guide and a wonderful ambassador for his home country. A pack(?) of monkeys were running across the road as we were heading south down the peninsula and he stopped for us to watch them and take pictures. He was genuinely pleased that we were so excited by seeing them! If you get to Reggae Beach, be sure to look for Wilbur the pig- he's quite a sight. Have a great trip.

[CruisinRoxy]

Thanks for the info!

[volleyballmom87]

Another vote for Royston! He met us at the gate and off we went. He was super flexible also. If you are more athletic than I am, he also does hikes to the volcano.

 

The robbery someone mentioned earlier was an annomoly in St. Kitts. The culprits were caught and punished. St. Kitts is serious about their tourists being safe. Crime on the island is actually very low. It is a beautiful island it is on my top 3 of all of the islands I have been to to return for a land vacation (if I can ever stop cruising ;)). This is not Jamaica kids... it is a truely safe place. And I say that as a Jamaica lover.

 

I don't understand people that can't find something awesome on every island (except maybe Nassau). Some people are destined to not enjoy their vacations and I feel sad for them. It was raining and cold the day we were in St. Kitts but we still have fantastic memories. You have to see the sun through the clouds, if you know what I mean.

 

Do not stay on the ship!

[volleyballmom87]

BUT if it is your first time to St. Kitts you should take a tour with a reputable vendor... recommendations here are good sources. See what the island has to offer and then the NEXT time you will know where you want to go. We are going to South Friars this time, but sending the in-laws (who are in the Caribbean for the first time) with Royston.

[Shekim]

That's odd. My grandson and his friends often drive to Galveston's beaches during summer. He's 18YO so he might go for more than just the beaches.:D

 

The powder beaches on Florida's panhandle are definitely world class. They are always rated in the top 2 or 3 in the world.

 

Biloxi/Gulfport beaches are excellent, too. I spent some time on them when stationed at Keesler AFB.

hahaha, I believe this statement is correct! There are a few days a year that the water is blue and nice(er). I guess having a beach so close is fun for some, even Galveston. I enjoy a few days a year; not many. I enjoy Galveston more at night than the day. I love going out there, sitting on a jetty and listening to the water. It is soooo peaceful.

[CaroleSP]

my dh and ii went to st kitts last fall and were horrified by the aggressive sellers and monkey people around. when we got end of port terminal we were even more horrified. didn't feel safe and got back on ship. this year it is our last stop out of seven ports and we are not getting off the ship. saw a news report that right after we were there a cruise ship excursion tour was stopped and robbed. no thanks!!!!!

We were on the Mercury last NOvember and it was the bus before ours that was robbed. We saw the bus and police as we were heading to the fort. It was very frightening and I won't tour again. I know it is not the norm, but the memories linger. If we were ready 15 minutes earlier, we would have been on bus 1. Machetes and mayhem was not what those poor people bargained for; it was well planned and very aggressive.

 

That being said, it was not our first trip to this island and we did find many parts of it to be beautiful. We will be going again in November, but have not decided if we are leaving the ship. Our friends are heading over to South Friars Beach and we are considering it for a few hours.

[Sandy Sails]

I'll never forget my time on a beach in St Kitts. My friend had gone to the restroom, leaving me there by myself, laying on my lounger, enjoying the sun and sounds of the surf. Suddenly a beach vendor sat down on the end of my lounger and began laying necklaces across my legs. I sat up angrily and went "HEY!....ooooh, that's a pretty one." I ended up buying 2 necklaces and a pair of earrings from her. ;)

[CruisinRoxy]

Great attitude! Way to enjoy, not complain.

[caissonqueen]

I will gladly add another vote for Royston. I toured St. Kitts in Feb. 2010 and had no expectations for the island. Royston made it so much fun. He took us all over the island and went places that i would never take that van. :o The fort was cool, enjoyed seeing the old sugar mills, great lunch and just a great day over all. I travel solo when I cruise and felt no danger in St. Kitts. I will gladly go back to St. Kitts on another cruise. It is a pretty island and nice to see a touch of old Caribbean. :)