Theford Grey or Royston?

[Walt fan]

We were with Gray's Tours Spring Break week in March, but with his brother, Sackville Gray. It seems like from what I have read he takes people to different beaches, and I cannot tell you what the name of the beach was where we were. I would have preferred a more remote beach, but this was a resort type, with monkeys and mongoose on the side of resort. The resort had umbrellas and chairs you paid for, and the hottest sand you ever stepped foot on. We had our own snorkel gear, but the snorkeling was just so-so. It also had a bar you could purchase drinks.

[Leo's Rule]

I've only used Royston and would highly recommend him. Royston was booked so my tour was with his cousin. He's very knowledgeable and the tour was awesome. We toured Bastik Castle/Romney Manor, I just forgot the name of the fort we went to, but the views are breathtaking from up there. We went to a black sand beach, saw where the Atlantic and Caribbean Ocean's met; we had a beach break, and we were fed and had endless amounts of soda, beer, and water.

[packedandready]

For those that did the volcano hike. What type of shoes did you use? Would the closed toed Keen type shoes work or do we need regular hiking boots?

[jasminelee]

Thenford Grey without a doubt - we had an awesome tour with him. When it was time for us to leave Brimstone, I noticed some more ruins on a lower level that I hadn't explored.

He showed me a path I could take and said he'd pick me up at the bottom of the hill. Wish I'd been on the bus, because he didn't tell anyone else about it, so DH said they all freaked out when they thought he was leaving me behind. Everyone got a good laugh out of it.

[rokncow]

Totally agree! Thanford

[Putterdude]

I am repeating myself, but no question in my mind Thenford Grey is one of the very finest tour guides we have ever used anywhere. We would likely have used him again in January but I chose to go on a catamaran snorkel cruise with the Leeward people....which was great but at least I got to say hello to Thenford on the way by.

[NCTribeFan]

Toured with Mr. Grey for the 2nd time last Monday. It was my birthday, and there was a couple celebrating an anniversary, and someone else celebrating something and he wrote our names on the back window of the van.

 

We had a late port day (12-7) and the tour started at 1 pm. Went to Romney Manor, Brimstone Fortress, stopped to take photos of the "neck" with the Atlantic on one side and Caribbean on the other, then a quick stop at Carambola. Wish we could've been there earlier and for a longer time as it looked beautiful.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Toured with Mr. Grey for the 2nd time last Monday. It was my birthday, and there was a couple celebrating an anniversary, and someone else celebrating something and he wrote our names on the back window of the van.

 

We had a late port day (12-7) and the tour started at 1 pm. Went to Romney Manor, Brimstone Fortress, stopped to take photos of the "neck" with the Atlantic on one side and Caribbean on the other, then a quick stop at Carambola. Wish we could've been there earlier and for a longer time as it looked beautiful.

 

Thank you for the report. We are glad we get to visit St. Kitts twice on our B2B cruise in May. We have never been there before, so it looks like a good island to repeat. We plan to just go to Carambola Beach club the first week, so glad to hear that you liked it. The second week we will be touring with Clay Villa.

[NYCrews]

I've used Thenford Grey before, and recently tried contacting him for our upcoming trip to St. Kitts, but I haven't head back from him. Has anyone had recent contact with him? Is he still running tours?

[2Fltravelers]

I've used Thenford Grey before, and recently tried contacting him for our upcoming trip to St. Kitts, but I haven't head back from him. Has anyone had recent contact with him? Is he still running tours?

 

Yes, I was in touch with him by email in the past 2 weeks. Try him again- he might be very busy since season has just started again.

[kermit99]

Can anyone tell me if the Volcano Tour is doable for my 6 and 10 year olds?

[paul58]

I would not recommend it for kids that young. Their strength and size would be issues.

[cuiser8349]

We were on the Conquest in Nov... we booked with Royston... I was very unhappy with the terrible tour.. 5 hours with no lunch stop (as stated) ... I was NOT going to eat street food at one of our stops... no fortress (as stated)..

I booked with Royston because of the positive reviews... we had people on our bus that required food for medical reasons...

We were quoted a price that was to include food and a tour...

They were VERY unorganised.. don't rely on positive reviews..

Book at your own risk!!

[erby2283]

We were on the Conquest in Nov... we booked with Royston... I was very unhappy with the terrible tour.. 5 hours with no lunch stop (as stated) ... I was NOT going to eat street food at one of our stops... no fortress (as stated)..

I booked with Royston because of the positive reviews... we had people on our bus that required food for medical reasons...

We were quoted a price that was to include food and a tour...

They were VERY unorganised.. don't rely on positive reviews..

Book at your own risk!!

 

When you say they were unorganized, do you mean you did not have Royston himself? If that's the case, that's the first I have heard of him needing help.

 

Have you emailed him since returning?

 

We enjoyed our tour very much and out lunch choice was yes, from a street vendor, but very delicious; or a conch-something - can't remember bc I don't eat seafood and it was 2 years ago.

 

I too would be unhappy if i booked expecting one thing and getting another. I would definitely email him if you haven't already!

 

 

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[cuiser8349]

Our tour was with a lovely gentleman that was a day hire for Royston..

 

He didn't have money given to him to get in the National Park, so he skipped it...

 

He didn't know we were to get a lunch... so he skipped it... when a diabetic person on our tour asked when the food stop was... we were pointed to a BBQ pit and told to have at it... it was NOT clean.

 

Our last stop was a lovely beach resort.... no one wanted to stay because we needed to get back to the ship.

 

so.. that was the unorganized part... we gave our driver $28 and will never recommend Royston Tours to anyone.

[mamk]

We booked with Roystan last April and we really enjoyed our tour ! He's a really nice guy and goes out of his way to show you the real St. Kitts!! The tour was well worth what we paid and we gave him a nice tip thinking he deserved more than what we paid for the tour!! I certainly would not hesitate to book with him again in St.Kitts.

[NCTribeFan]

I'm not diabetic, but I always (yes, ALWAYS) make sure I have something with me to eat when I'm in port, even if it's just a granola bar or two. Be sure to take something that is sealed and don't make the mistake of bringing fruit or getting a sandwich from room service and wrapping it up. Not allowed.

 

Mr. Grey's tour does not include lunch. The first time I toured with him, I got a hot dog at the snack bar at the fort. This time, I just brought my granola bars and had one at one of the picnic tables.

 

I have no issues eating local food. In fact, it's one of the things I enjoy about foreign travel. Have never had a problem.

 

Just saying. I see no reason why anyone who absolutely has to be sure they have food at regular intervals would ever risk not having something with them. That's just poor planning on their part. Things happen. Be prepared!

[CntPAcruiser]

Our tour was with a lovely gentleman that was a day hire for Royston..

 

He didn't have money given to him to get in the National Park, so he skipped it...

 

He didn't know we were to get a lunch... so he skipped it... when a diabetic person on our tour asked when the food stop was... we were pointed to a BBQ pit and told to have at it... it was NOT clean.

 

Our last stop was a lovely beach resort.... no one wanted to stay because we needed to get back to the ship.

 

so.. that was the unorganized part... we gave our driver $28 and will never recommend Royston Tours to anyone.

 

Very sorry to hear this. We had an overall positive experience with Royston and also gave him more money than the asking price because we felt it was well worth it. On our trip, he took care of all cash for lunch, admissions, etc., including tips to street performers and the like. The OP's experience doesn't sound at all like what we've heard and experienced with Royston's tours. Hopefully there is some explanation, since I'd be disappointed if I couldn't continue to recommend him.

 

Honestly, this doesn't even sound like Royston's tour, which is in a van, not a bus, has a cooler full of beverages, and stops at a very nearly empty beach, not a resort. The fee for the "full-day" tour with lunch was more than $28, in any case.

[cuiser8349]

It WAS a Royston tour... he did have a gentleman working for him for the day... he did not provide the gentleman with admission fees... or lunch fees.... The was NO way I would eat from an open BBQ pit in the middle of no where... It was filthy!!

I heard from many others in different vans that they had a lovely day... our van did not... and for that reason, I let people know that ALL Royston tours are not fantastic... and you will be at the mercy of your driver... and Royston being unorganized.

I do believe the original price was $49... I took money off for the items that we did not receive.

I only give my account of the days events to let people know not to just trust ALL the wonderful reviews.

[mamk]

All I know is we had a good time with Royston in an open air van which was great for taking pictures. He stopped along the road where a man was holding a small monkey enabling us to take pictures. He paid our admissions, stopped at a roadside market and bought us cookies, drove on a beach where horses were enjoying the surf, he stopped and picked some sugar cane and fed donkeys out of his window, we stopped at a beach with a beachside snack bar and he bought us lunch which was a wrap like sandwich filled with meat. All enjoyed our lunch and ocean view. Overall, both my husband and myself saw a lot more and enjoyed ourselves more than we would have seen on any tour we've taken.

[VaCruzers]

My husband & I just spent a second day with Royston last week, the first being last November. There were four others who were scheduled to be on the tour with us, but they never showed. Their ship had arrived an hour before ours and we were delayed a half hour by the port authorities before we could disembark, so they had ample time to have checked in. Since we had toured the island before, we were able to request our favorites to revisit and then we went to the far end of the island, closest to Nevis, and enjoyed a BBQ chicken picnic atop a high peak overlooking the Atlantic, Caribbean, Nevis and St. Kitts. We didn't realize it, but my husband's watch battery was dying and his watch had been losing time all day. Although we thought we had time for swimming, Royston pointed out the correct time and got us back to the ship with an hour to spare, although he spent 2 hours longer with us than the scheduled tour. Although he didn't ask for it, and he appeared sincerely grateful, we paid him more than double his going rate for the day since we had such a special day. He had bags of dolls and marbles he passed out to children all along the way that day since he had planned to give them out at the school the day before, but a medical emergency on his tour had prevented him from getting to the school. I hope we were able to help him help others have a good Christmas with the extra money. St. Kitts is a beautiful island and I can't wait to visit again!

 

I'm sorry a previous poster didn't have the experience that was hoped for, and I hope the poster will contact Royston directly to allow him to make it right.

[mamk]

va. Cruisers, Thanks for posting such a positive review of Royston!! I felt like I wanted to defend such a good guy on my previous post compared to the one slamming him. This is Royston's livelihood we're talking about!

[erby2283]

va. Cruisers, Thanks for posting such a positive review of Royston!! I felt like I wanted to defend such a good guy on my previous post compared to the one slamming him. This is Royston's livelihood we're talking about!

 

I felt like defending Royston too, and I did in a post above. But let's be fair to the OP. If Royston was extremely busy that day and had to hire a 3/4th person who didn't know the normal routine and didnt take them to the fort as promised, etc, i would be a little upset too.

 

I've even though about email Royston myself to make sure he was aware of what happened bc the OP never answered my question as to whether he did or not. If Royston is not aware thag one of his crew did this, how can he fix it next time?

 

 

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[CntPAcruiser]

I felt like defending Royston too, and I did in a post above. But let's be fair to the OP. If Royston was extremely busy that day and had to hire a 3/4th person who didn't know the normal routine and didnt take them to the fort as promised, etc, i would be a little upset too.

 

I've even thought about emailing Royston myself to make sure he was aware of what happened bc the OP never answered my question as to whether he did or not. If Royston is not aware that one of his crew did this, how can he fix it next time?

 

 

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Agreed--I would definitely be more than a little upset. I'd also like to know if OP contacted Royston about the issues, though obviously after the fact it's too late to do anything about their spoiled day. Those of us who had a good experience with Royston just want to make sure this was a one-off occurrence on a bad day, I think.

[erby2283]

Agreed--I would definitely be more than a little upset. I'd also like to know if OP contacted Royston about the issues, though obviously after the fact it's too late to do anything about their spoiled day. Those of us who had a good experience with Royston just want to make sure this was a one-off occurrence on a bad day, I think.

 

Absolutely! His tour is still one of my favorites to date!

 

p.s. - note to self - do not post just after waking up from the bed in the morning from your cruise ap..spelling and grammar were awful in that post...lol

Edited December 12, 2013 by erby2283