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Staying onboard

mrsd2fan

By mrsd2fan,
in Royal Caribbean International

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MikeNJ1109

MikeNJ1109

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Absolutely!! You won't have a problem having a quiet time at the pool or at the bar of your choice. The only places that are *usually* closed are the duty free shops and the casino.

 

There are a handful of ports where we've been to before that we have no desire to visit again ... and we just wait for the mass exodus of people off the ship, and then relax amongst the quiet and serene.

 

Michael and Sillke

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M&M Hayden

M&M Hayden

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Every island has issues (Jamaica more than any other IMHO).

Just because someone says there are major issues on St Lucia doesn't mean that it's true (it may or may not be true).

We're stopping there (for the 3rd time) in March and looking forward to it.

Enjoy your time on the ship, we're going to enjoy our time on the island. :D

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mrsd2fan

mrsd2fan

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Every island has issues (Jamaica more than any other IMHO).

Just because someone says there are major issues on St Lucia doesn't mean that it's true (it may or may not be true).

We're stopping there (for the 3rd time) in March and looking forward to it.

Enjoy your time on the ship, we're going to enjoy our time on the island. :D

What do you like to do on that island?

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ARCruisinNana

ARCruisinNana

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I recently got back from a cruise on Serenade that stopped at St. Lucia. I didn't think that I would get off the ship, but a couple we met told us that Oprah had picked the Pitons on St. Lucia as one of the 5 must see places in the world. So, we booked a ships tour- Coastal Cruise to the Pitons. It was a 4 hour tour and cost $59. We left at 9:30 and so we were back in time to have a leisurely afternoon on the ship. The catamaran left right from the same dock and was a very nice trip. I don't know if I would put it on the 5 must see places of the world, but it was very nice and worth the money.

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Bobal

Bobal

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We've done island tours, we went to the Pitons, this time we're doing the "Caribbean Scenic Railway"....friends are doing that also, but theirs also includes a sail around a side of the island.

 

I thought the scenic railway was in St Kitts :confused:

 

Having been to St Lucia many times for a land-based holiday I can assure you it is nothing like Jamaica in terms of safety issues.

 

I would also recommend a catamaran tour which takes in Marigot Bay, the Pitons and a visit inland to the drive-in Volcano and a Cocoa Plantation. :)

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Scoobydobe7

Scoobydobe7

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Every cruise we go on (DH and I) we pick an island and do not make any plans -- we sleep in, get a seat by the pool -- enjoy breakfast and lunch without the crowds. Sometimes (if there is a shopping center right at the dock) we will get off after lunch and do a little shopping and go to a bar and have a drink or two :D but other than that staying on the ship is very relaxing.

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basebare

basebare

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We are thinking of just staying on the ship during our stop at St. Lucia (not reading good things about this port) and I was wondering if the pol bar stays open during the ports of call?

 

Please reconsider not seeing St. Lucia. We did the Serenade this past summer and I have to say St. Lucia was my favorite port! We took Cosol's tour and I cannot say enough good things about this day. We met a ton of people, he took us to so many places and we really enjoyed every second of our day. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions but I would seriously consider booking a tour with Cosol and enjoy that island! you won't be sorry.

Patti

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bigque

bigque

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Did the Seneade Southern Route back in October. I don't know who told you that information, but St. Lucia is a great island! We enjoyed it and it is beautiful. Don't let people influence you to not get off the ship. We got off on every stop, just so we can get our own "opinions" about the places were going to. We didn't really like St. Croix, but a lot of people do. You have to be the judge yourself!

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M&M Hayden

M&M Hayden

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I thought the scenic railway was in St Kitts :confused:

 

Having been to St Lucia many times for a land-based holiday I can assure you it is nothing like Jamaica in terms of safety issues.

 

I would also recommend a catamaran tour which takes in Marigot Bay, the Pitons and a visit inland to the drive-in Volcano and a Cocoa Plantation. :)

 

OOPS. Me bad. We're on b2b Serenade next month and the islands are all meshing together. Yes, the RR is on St Kitts.

 

We're going back to the Pitons this time.

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jennmaybe

jennmaybe

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We are thinking of just staying on the ship during our stop at St. Lucia (not reading good things about this port) and I was wondering if the pol bar stays open during the ports of call?

Oh my! You sure will be missing out on St. Lucia if you stay on the ship! We absolutely loved St. Lucia!! It is beautiful and the Pitons are not to be missed! We did an island tour with Herrod and it was awesome. We saw the island, the Pitons, did snorkeling and took went back to the ship by sea (speed boat-which was lots of fun) which gave us absolutely stunning views of the Pitons from the water.

 

Please reconsider staying on the ship....I do think you will regret it!

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negc

negc

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If you look hard enough, and sometimes not even hard, you can find someone recommending that you stay onboard when your ship arrives in almost any Caribbean port. If you do so, you risk missing out on some wonderful experiences. We were told by some fellow passengers not to get off the ship in Dominica. Fortunately, we disregarded that advice and had a wonderful day with a relatively inexpensive tour that took us to Trafalgar Falls and the Botanical Gardens. If you use common sense, remain aware of your surroundings, you should not have any reason not to get off the ship in beautiful St. Lucia or any other port on your itinerary.

The last time we were in St. Lucia we did the rainforest canopy zip line and found it wonderful. On other occasions we have gone to the drive in volcano, spent time on one of the beautiful beaches, and bought a day pass for one of the Sandals resorts. :)

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Havin'fun

Havin'fun

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Please reconsider not seeing St. Lucia. We did the Serenade this past summer and I have to say St. Lucia was my favorite port! We took Cosol's tour and I cannot say enough good things about this day. We met a ton of people, he took us to so many places and we really enjoyed every second of our day. Let me know if I can answer any specific questions but I would seriously consider booking a tour with Cosol and enjoy that island! you won't be sorry.

Patti

 

I agree toatlly with you. We also did the Cosol tour last Feb and St Lucia has to be one of my favorite places in the caribbean. I never felt unsafe, nor did my DH who stayed behind with the locals when I took the water taxi to the Pitons. We met so many great people and the island is beautiful.

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basebare

basebare

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What is this Cosol's tour and do they have a website?

 

Cosol is the tour operator. here is the website http://cosol-tours.com/

here is the copy of the email confirming our tour:

 

We will be leaving at 8:30am, we meet at 8:20am. As soon as you come off the ship you walk into the building right in front of you, then turn right until you meet the security booth, where I will be standing with a sign "COSOL".

 

Its 5 to 6 hours. You only pay in cash at the end of the tour. We will be stopping every 10 mins for your "wow" photo moments. Entrance fees to the waterfall & botanical gardens, volcano and water taxi is included in the price.

 

 

We will be visiting the banana plantation where you will learn about its growth and taste them, fishing villages (Anse La-Raye and Canaries), also Marigot Bay where the movie Dr. Doolittle was filmed, then we will be stopping for breakfast where you can sample the local fish cakes, johnny cakes, coconut cakes, and different local fruits from the Island. We will be having a mobile bar with rum punch, local beer, water, soda. All eats and drinks will be free.

 

Then we head down to Soufriere where you will have an overlook of the pitons, then the waterfall and botanical gardens. Then to the only drive-in Volcano in the world where you will be getting an informative guide to show you around. From the volcano we will be going to the beach which is the Jalousie Beach between the pitons for swimming and snorkeling for 1 hr, where we will be taking the water taxi where you will enjoy unbelievable views of the coast. Please bring along your snorkeling gears, It is also available for rental.

 

After the beach we will be stopping for a drink and sample the local spice rum. On the way back to the north we will be stopping for the best local hot bread in all of St. Lucia and cheese for lunch. Our last stop will be 5 mins drive from Castries where you can do all your shopping for local souveniers to take back home.

 

Bring along your camera. Because of the small changing room at the beach you can wear you swimsuit under you garment to save time. If you have any more queries call me on my cell (758) 7196697 or visit my website at cosol-tours.com <http://cosol-tours.com/> . Thanks for emailing me. Looking forward to your confirmation reply.

 

Hope that information helps. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! Highly recommend this tour!

Patti

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kyriecat

kyriecat

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I can't imagine staying on the ship in St. Lucia, but it's my favorite Caribbean island. I've been there 4 times on cruises and 1 land vacation. The locals are friendly - I've never felt unsafe. There are beaches, ziplining, helicopter tours, snorkeling, shopping, and sightseeing. I've done tours with Cosol and Serenity and enjoyed them both. Cosol tour was more party atmosphere while Serenity focused more on history and culture. I'd recommend either of them. I did the "Land and Sea to Soufriere" tour that RC offers. It was also great - see the island from both boat and bus. I've hiked up to Fort Rodney and took some really nice photos of the island then relaxed at the beach.

 

Has something happened lately in St. Lucia to cause people to not want to get off the ship? I've seen plenty about Mexico but don't remember anything for St. Lucia.

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