Need help w/Serenade excursions

[LouL]

We're on the Serenade 9/25 doing the Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Marten, St. Croix itinerary.

 

Usually on St. Marten we do Orient Beach..and St. Lucia we're doing a private tour..but for any of the others..any great experiences on

an excursion either with RCI or private?

[coast2coast]

Check out the Caribbean section under ports of call:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

You'll get a lot of great ideas there... plus you can also check out the roll call for your sailing:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1284324

 

Often times people on the roll calls will mention what they're doing for excursions. If not, just ask them what they're doing. :)

[cruiseguy1016]

We were on Serenade this past March. One of our favorite excursions ever was with Cool Runnings in Barbados. It was a catamaran tour. They picked us up at the cruise ship pier and brought us back after the excursion. We snorkeled with sting rays and turtles. We snorkeled over a sunken barge. There were free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) from the time we boarded until the time we got off. We pulled into a calm cove and had a fantastic buffet lunch aboard the catamaran. The crew was also fantastic. I would highly recommend this company to anyone going to Barbados.

[subtchr]

At Antigua we did Eli's Eco Tour and LOVED it!

 

On St. Croix we took the shuttle to Sandcastle Resort and had a wonderful, relaxing beach day there.

 

Lots of photos and info linked in my signature.

 

Enjoy!

[volleyballmom87]

At Antigua we did Eli's Eco Tour and LOVED it!

 

On St. Croix we took the shuttle to Sandcastle Resort and had a wonderful, relaxing beach day there.

 

Lots of photos and info linked in my signature.

 

Enjoy!

 

Eli's also does an Xtreme circumnav which is a high speed boat that takes you to stingray city and will completely circle the island with snorkel, beach and lunch stops along the way. Awesome day. DH & DD want to do it again when we return in Dec.

 

We also go to Sandcastles in St. Croix. Unless you want to spend the $$ to go to Christiansted there isn't much to do where we port. Fredericksted isn't as developed.

 

Barbados - we did one of those booze cruises the first time we were there. Lots of fun! Sea turtles were very cool. Last time we just went to the beach. Sand is like powder. They have gorgeous beaches all over the place. Pick one and plant it!

[cheaptravel]

I am on the same cruise and we have a great roll-call going, you should come and join us. We have been discussing our excursion plans.

[Host Faith]

We did an excursion in Antigua with Creole Cruises both times we visited Antigua. Just a fabulous day. I have photos in my review of the Serenade of the Seas, in my signature.

 

Such a great itinerary! Enjoy your cruise :)

[mysparky]

We also loved our excursion w/ Eli's Eco Tour on Antigua - really great guides, informative, beautiful water and a great mix of chillin' time and activity.

 

On St Croix, we did an ATV tour w/ Gecko Adventure Tours- loved it! Great ATV trail followed by time on a very low-key beach w/ reasonably priced drinks. Definitely a great day.

[52marv]

Hi LouL,

 

We did the Serenade a few years ago and loved it! In St. Lucia we did Cosol tours, one of our best vacation experiences EVER! Here's my review: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147343-d1227382-r27030600-Cosol_Tours-Castries_St_Lucia.html

 

On St. Martin, we have done Orient Beach 2 times, but we read good reviews of Pinel Island on Tripadvisor.com and loved Pinel!! The water is shallow and calm (waist deep), the beach is nice and so relaxing and for lunch they will pull a lobster out of the ocean and grill it for you over charcol. . . amazing food! If you want the energy of Orient, then go there, but if you want a tropical, relaxing escape with amazing food, go to Pinel this time. Here's my review: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g147346-d538340-r102087537-Pinel_Island-St_Maarten_St_Martin.html

 

On Barbados we took a Catamaran tour to swim with the turtles. We saw a few and had fun, but it wasn't the best snorkle trip I've been on. My dad rented a taxi and had a fun day touring the island on his own.

 

On Antigua, we took a taxi to the Darkwood Beach. It is very quiet there, with huge wave action and a small wooden restaurant with bathrooms. Here's a great site with pics of many of the beaches that we found accurate: http://www.paradise-islands.org/antigua.htm

 

Happy Sailing!

 

Lee

[gjsmth]

Barbabos:

My two thumbs up would do a private catamaran swim w/ the turtles with Calabaza. We did this one last year on the Carnival Victory and I would have to say this was one of our favorites for the week. They limit to around 12 people so as not to give you that ship excursion crowded feeling. All of us were treated great and the food Gina prepared was fantastic. http://www.calabazasailingcruises.com/crew.html

 

Have a great time 7/25, we are just off the 7/10 Serenade and I must say the ship is beautiful and the staff were very friendly. Schooner bartenders Larry and Priscilla were the best.