St. Lucia Spencer Ambrose Land and Sea Adventure

[kyrisong1]

One thing I'd do if I go back to St Lucia is book a beach day or something where you are not in the bus all day.

Be careful of the island tours. Some people love them and rave about them, but truly if you hate the thought of being cooped up in a bus most of the day you should reconsider one of the long island tours.

Another thing we hated about Cosol is that we got dropped off on at Jalousy beach <spell check me> and it was raining, cold. All of our cameras and things were getting all wet. We could snorkle but the equipment looked dirty. And we weren't allowed on the nice side of the beach, only the rocky side.

The people working there had all the covered seats so basically we had to huddle on the chairs, weren't allowed to skip the beach or I would have.

I have 10,000 dollars worth of electronics on my head and water can ruin them (I wear a cochlear implant and hearing aid) So basically I just tried to keep my things dry.

I really would have maybe rented an all inclusive from the "nice" side of the beach, the volcano was nothing to look at, just ashy ground really, with smoke.

I am usually one that loves to do the island tour and see all the sights, but this one, not for me.

Carole

[golfadj]

One thing I'd do if I go back to St Lucia is book a beach day or something where you are not in the bus all day.

Be careful of the island tours. Some people love them and rave about them, but truly if you hate the thought of being cooped up in a bus most of the day you should reconsider one of the long island tours.

Another thing we hated about Cosol is that we got dropped off on at Jalousy beach <spell check me> and it was raining, cold. All of our cameras and things were getting all wet. We could snorkle but the equipment looked dirty. And we weren't allowed on the nice side of the beach, only the rocky side.

The people working there had all the covered seats so basically we had to huddle on the chairs, weren't allowed to skip the beach or I would have.

I have 10,000 dollars worth of electronics on my head and water can ruin them (I wear a cochlear implant and hearing aid) So basically I just tried to keep my things dry.

I really would have maybe rented an all inclusive from the "nice" side of the beach, the volcano was nothing to look at, just ashy ground really, with smoke.

I am usually one that loves to do the island tour and see all the sights, but this one, not for me.

Carole

 

Going inside the volcano was interesting and smelled real good

[l2f]

We did the land and sea tour. We would never book with Spencer again.

[l2f]

We did the land & sea tour last year. Won't book Spencer again.

 

Short story, was the most disorganized excursion I've ever booked, and one of his boats broke down - we narrowly made it back to the ship. I understand that boats can have mechanical problems, but the way he handled it totally ticked me off. On top of that, we were given some mis-information. DH and I always call it our worst day ever on a cruise.

 

This is pretty how it happened for us.

[ibcnusoon]

I gave up on finding a reputable tour in St. Lucia and will just book with the cruise line.

 

First, we were going to use Spencer Ambrose sea tour, but was worried about the state of his fleet, I read once that people were scambling to find boats back to the ship when Spencer's boat broke down.

 

Then, I was going to do Cosol's tour but I did a youtube search and someone posted most of the tour in 6 parts. I was getting sick just watching, can't image sitting in a vehicle for 6 hours driving around, stopping at places where people come out and want you to buy things. No, that's not fun. I saw the stop at Marigot overlook and there were power lines and not a good view, basically wherever the drivers can pull over they do. I don't even think these land tours are even safe, all this pulling off the road, getting out to see, etc.

 

I then contacted Mystic Man to get a sea tour and they quoted me $150 each. Are you kidding? We are doing Calabaza in Barbados, which received rave reviews, and I'm not paying nearly that much!!!

 

We are going to go with the ship's snorkel tour that leaves after lunch to the Pitons. That's all I want to do at this point in St. Lucia, see the island from the coastline and get up close to the Pitons.

[vossjemi]

St. Lucia is a fabulous island!! Don't let the reviews of some people scare you away. We stayed in a villa on St. Lucia Thanksgiving week 2008. It was absolutely fabulous. We did many excursions that week, including several with Serenity Vacations and some with Hugo of Hugo's Tours.

 

We did Serenity's land/sea. We also went ziplining with them. They were fabulous! Yes, it was a long drive, but what gorgeous views. There was so much to learn about the culture and the city. Banana plantations. Castries markets.

 

Hugo took us to Mass at Immaculate Conception. What a gorgeous cathedral! Hugo taxi'd us wherever we wanted to go! Very knowlegeable and wonderful person. We did the Friday Night Jump Up Street Party with the locals that none of us will ever forget! My husband went deep sea fishing twice. We brought fresh snapper back to the villa for our cook to prepare! OUT OF THIS WORLD! My sister and her husband went scuba diving. The zipline WAS SOOO MUCH FUN! We loved the casava bread factory, the waterfall, the volcano, the mud baths, seeing all the sights on the way to the Pitons. Truly our land/sea day with Serenity was just that! We rode the boat through the "slipper"....rumor is you kiss your partner while going through it and you'll have love and happiness forever! :) And Serenity even had our driver at the docks waiting for us with charcoal as we had mentioned we needed some! Isn't that grand?

 

And one of the most memorable dinners was motor boating to the Rainforest Hideaway restaurant that Paula Deen recommended. The absolute best spicy squash bisque I've ever had!

 

Although I know cruise ship visiting will be different than an actual stay on the island, don't miss out! I would personally recommend Hugo or Serenity. Hugo has kept in touch every Christmas...you just can't go wrong with him! And Serenity made my Dad an "official" tour guide, even sending him their Serentity T-shirts for him and my Mom after our trip. They made my Mom's birthday (our land/sea) day so special. Buying her a hummingird ceramic painting because hummingbirds are her favorite, and scheduling us a meal at the Hummingbird Restaurant at the base of the Piton Mountains. Sherma Sherma Sherma! Gotta love that girl! And John! :)

 

I actually can't wait to go back and show my kids some of the sights here. I just wish we'd be there more than a day. I've heard good things about Cosol and Ambrose as well, though haven't used either yet. May this time if their tour fits more with what we decide to do. Or may touch base with our old friends at Serenity or Hugo. Probably will do just that!

[dz63]

Looking to do this excursion on St. Lucia. What can you tell me about it? Is there enough time to do this? It says the duration is 6-7 hours? Is it worth it? Would you suggest something else?

 

Thanks.

 

Although we did not do Spencer’s Land & Sea Tour, we did do his West Coast tour on our cruise stop in 2009 and then did a coastal tour with him this summer. Combining these two excursions would be fairly comparable to what his land and sea tour offers—sightseeing by land and also by sea. All I can say about our experiences with Spencer’s Tours is: Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! The sightseeing part of the land tour is the same on the West Coast Tour as it is on the Land & Sea one. We visited a banana plantation, met the “snake man”, saw the fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries, stopped at the Soufriere overlook for an amazing view of the Pitons, went for a dip in the Toraille Waterfall and smelled the “nice” aroma of sulfur at Sulphur Springs. After lunch we had 45 minutes left to spend at Jalousie Beach. This tour was a highlight of our cruise vacation! We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Spencer Ambrose--lots to see, lots to eat and lots of stories to keep us entertained! From all the tours we took on our Carnival Victory cruise, Spencer stood out heads above the others! He was an awesome tour guide and very personable too.

 

The coastal tour was amazing and we again had a wonderful time with Spencer Tours! We passed under the Natural Bridge (which was featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie), cruised into Marigot Bay where we could see some of the homes from the rich and famous, sped along the rocky coastline, went swimming on some amazing black sand beaches, and got up close to the Bat Cave—and yes, we really could hear and see the bats! It is true there is alot of driving involved on the West Coast Tour. The drive down from Castries to Soufriere was broken up with stops for photos and visiting sites, but the drive back was pretty much a direct drive on the winding roads of St. Lucia. If you are prone to motion sickness, this is the part of the drive that likely will get to you. It is approx. a 1 – 1 1/2 hour drive back up to Castries from Soufriere. If you wish to avoid this long drive, then taking the boat back along the coast is an excellent option. The time saved travelling by boat is tacked onto your beach time giving you more time to spend at Jalousie Beach. So if you want to see the sights of St. Lucia, enjoy a scenic coastline tour, avoid the long drive back on the winding roads and get more time on the beach, then the Land & Sea Tour option is definitely the way to go. We had a wonderful time on our tours with Spencer and would highly recommend him.

 

You could also check out Spencer Ambrose Tours on Trip Advisor. There are some recent reviews about Spencer’s Land & Sea Tour in there.

 

Here are some photos of our Sea Tour:

 

The Bat Cave up close. See the bats?

 

The Pitons from the Sea

 

Anse Mamim

 

Rugged Beauty of the coastline

 

Passing under the Natural Bridge

[beachbaby2]

Although we did not do Spencer’s Land & Sea Tour, we did do his West Coast tour on our cruise stop in 2009 and then did a coastal tour with him this summer. Combining these two excursions would be fairly comparable to what his land and sea tour offers—sightseeing by land and also by sea. All I can say about our experiences with Spencer’s Tours is: Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! The sightseeing part of the land tour is the same on the West Coast Tour as it is on the Land & Sea one. We visited a banana plantation, met the “snake man”, saw the fishing villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries, stopped at the Soufriere overlook for an amazing view of the Pitons, went for a dip in the Toraille Waterfall and smelled the “nice” aroma of sulfur at Sulphur Springs. After lunch we had 45 minutes left to spend at Jalousie Beach. This tour was a highlight of our cruise vacation! We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Spencer Ambrose--lots to see, lots to eat and lots of stories to keep us entertained! From all the tours we took on our Carnival Victory cruise, Spencer stood out heads above the others! He was an awesome tour guide and very personable too.

 

The coastal tour was amazing and we again had a wonderful time with Spencer Tours! We passed under the Natural Bridge (which was featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie), cruised into Marigot Bay where we could see some of the homes from the rich and famous, sped along the rocky coastline, went swimming on some amazing black sand beaches, and got up close to the Bat Cave—and yes, we really could hear and see the bats! It is true there is alot of driving involved on the West Coast Tour. The drive down from Castries to Soufriere was broken up with stops for photos and visiting sites, but the drive back was pretty much a direct drive on the winding roads of St. Lucia. If you are prone to motion sickness, this is the part of the drive that likely will get to you. It is approx. a 1 – 1 1/2 hour drive back up to Castries from Soufriere. If you wish to avoid this long drive, then taking the boat back along the coast is an excellent option. The time saved travelling by boat is tacked onto your beach time giving you more time to spend at Jalousie Beach. So if you want to see the sights of St. Lucia, enjoy a scenic coastline tour, avoid the long drive back on the winding roads and get more time on the beach, then the Land & Sea Tour option is definitely the way to go. We had a wonderful time on our tours with Spencer and would highly recommend him.

 

You could also check out Spencer Ambrose Tours on Trip Advisor. There are some recent reviews about Spencer’s Land & Sea Tour in there.

 

Here are some photos of our Sea Tour:

 

The Bat Cave up close. See the bats?

 

The Pitons from the Sea

 

Anse Mamim

 

Rugged Beauty of the coastline

 

Passing under the Natural Bridge

 

 

i agree! we did spencers land and sea tour, and although i do have to say that it did get a little confusing when it was time to leave jalouise beach and do the sea tour on the way to the port. st lucia is a BEAUTIFUL island!!!!!! no question about it. i would hate for people not see the island because of bad posts and not wanting to ride on the bus up and down the hills. st lucia is very mountainess and just gorgeous! it is very green also. the stops along the way were great too, the views were amazing! we did not feel that all the stops were people trying to sell us things, but they were there at some of the stips were the views were spetacular.

[cort43202]

We were on a Royal Caribbean cruise two years ago and booked with Spencer and took the Land & Sea tour. It was excellent and we had plenty of time at the beach. Before we left, I had read reviews about there not being enough drinks during the tour. I emailed Spencer and asked him about this. I thought his response was acceptable. He said some people expect this tour to be an "all you can drink" tour and people would hoard the beer or drink as much as they could. We had plenty on our excursion and had a great time.

 

We're going back to St Lucia next year and will most likely use Spencer again.

 

Whatever tour you take, if you take a bus for the drive out, try to take a boat back. It's interesting to see the island and hear about it but to get to Jalousie Beach, it's a long trip and I would think it would be a boring trip back and since it takes longer, you get less time at the beach.

[dcdiva]

Spencer took our group (of 60) on a modified version of the Jalousie Beach Break in January off the Carnival Victory. It was the highlight of our cruise, and everyone is still talking about it. A large catamaran took us to and from the beach with smooth sailing all day. Spencer and his crew were great, lunch was good and drinks were plentiful. (And as our name implies,'Team Cocktail' is a thirsty bunch.) We definitely plan to do the same trip with him again on our next January from RCL's Brilliance.

[Host Faith]

Spencer was great - we used him in September. If you want more beach time, ask to skip the volcano - there's not much to it, anyway. The island is understandably proud of it and it is kind of interesting, but the snorkeling at Jalousie Beach would be my pick of where to spend more time. The lunch we were served was outstanding, drinks and snacks along the way were plentiful and they stopped whenever one of us had an itch to take a photo - also knew where to find the FREE bathrooms (not all are -)

 

I would use Spencer again in a heartbeat and the views of the ship as we traveled back by boat were fantastic!

 

 

We had this experience with Spencer in 2009, and my family and friends had the same when we sailed the Serenade of the Seas back in 2010. I would book with Spencer again. We all toured with Spencer himself. He was great, and was always checked with us to make sure we were having a great time. The lunch was good, we had plenty to drink (that rum punch is strong!), and felt we had enough time at each location. We skipped the volcano as well.

 

The only thing I would change is getting back to the ship by water taxi rather than by van. The roads are very winding and I would rather enjoy a coastal boat ride than riding the long way back. Highly recommend.

[hoosiergirl34787]

My group of 4 booked the Land and Sea with Spencer this past week, (March 29th) and it was not at all as advertised. There was mass chaos at the port. Spencer didn't seem to know which people were going with which tour and he called off names four and five times before finally sending us on our way.

 

We didn't get on our bus until after 9am. We traveled with Terry who was very informative. My issue was with the fact that we did not stop at many places that were advertised online. We didn't stop at the large Massav tree or Derek Walcott Square. When we stopped at the Morne Fortune Overlook we were bombarded by vendors trying to sell their wares. The vendors were literally shoving bird feeders in our faces.

 

There was a drive by of the banana plantation, we didn't even stop to take pictures. We did stop shortly at Anse La Ray. Then it was straight on to the Sulphur Springs. We spent about 15 minutes there before heading back to Soufrierie to get the boat to Jalousie Beach. We did not stop at the waterfall or botanical gardens which was a huge disappointment for me. One of the reasons I chose this excursion was for the waterfall. There was no explanation of why we didn't stop.

 

Jalousie Beach was very crowded on the left side as many other reviewers have stated. The four of us shared two chairs while we ate lunch. Lunch was nothing spectacular and there wasn't very much. The snorkeling though was wonderful and we were able to see squid, sea urchins, and many different types of fish. We spent about 2 hours at the beach. One issue was that we were told to meet at 1:30 to catch the catamaran back to the boat, but at 1:30 Terry was with the spring break girls instead of telling us what to do. We ended up standing around for a good 30 minutes that we could have spent snorkeling or laying in the sand instead of worrying that we were going to miss the boat.

 

The catamaran back was fun because there was an open bar, but there was no tour and there was no photo opportunities at any of the places that were mentioned on Spencer's website.

 

All in all, the four of us had a great time because we made it a great time, not because of anything that Spencer or his associates did for us. If I went to St. Lucia again, I would not use Spencer.

[Redwing55]

Wow, what a divergence of opinions on Ambrose. Checking Trip Advisor, the reviews were much more positive, though indeed there were some negative comments about organization.

I admit that having a boat trip return sounds much more interesting than going back in a van, but I have to consider some of the comments above. Hmm, choices, choices.

[chaching]

Such mixed reviews. I'm hoping some others since March of 2012 have used Spencer and Cosol so I can make a better decision. I'll look on tripadvisor and see what reviews have to say too. I'll also look on my ship's excursions and see what's offered so we don't miss the ship!:confused:

[kak2836]

we are also very confused in terms of booking SA or not...does anyone have any recent experiences with his Land and Sea Tour?

[dz63]

we are also very confused in terms of booking SA or not...does anyone have any recent experiences with his Land and Sea Tour?

 

Have you checked out Trip Advisor? There are quite a few recent reviews for Spencer's Land & Sea Adventure in there.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g147343-d1724874-Reviews-Spencer_Ambrose_Tours-Castries_St_Lucia.html

[SailingDisney]

I'm too scared to go with Ambrose now as well but I don't want to be in a bus all day or even half a day!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!:eek:

[dz63]

I'm too scared to go with Ambrose now as well but I don't want to be in a bus all day or even half a day!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!:eek:

 

We have toured with Spencer Ambrose on more than one occasion and each time we have had a fantastic experience. It is true that the drive from Castries down towards the Pitons and Jalousie is a long drive on winding roads--but this is the only route by land to get there and all tour operators travel the same route. If you would like to see the Pitons and spend a day at Jalousie Beach and avoid the land route, Spencer Ambrose does offer a boat tour that takes you directly to Jalousie Beach. You travel along the rugged coastline of St. Lucia and this takes about 40 minutes to get there--this is much faster than travelling by land and you would not have to sit in a van at all!

[sippican]

I'm too scared to go with Ambrose now as well but I don't want to be in a bus all day or even half a day!!!! Help!!!!!!!!!:eek:

 

What is it that is scaring you?

I just went back and read the recent reviews on TA and they are very positive. My son did the Beach Break last year and raved about it.

One of the worst excursions of my life was a ship's tour in Jamaica through Royal Caribbean. They put us on a boat that smelled of fuel so bad we felt sick! The boat was so old we feared we were going to sink any moment, and to top it off, there were raging thunderstorms. We had visions of a Gilligan' "3 hour tour". :eek: We sill laugh about it.

Since we really want to see the pitons, and relax and snorkel, it seems the best option; we're booking.

[SailingDisney]

What is it that is scaring you?

I just went back and read the recent reviews on TA and they are very positive. My son did the Beach Break last year and raved about it.

One of the worst excursions of my life was a ship's tour in Jamaica through Royal Caribbean. They put us on a boat that smelled of fuel so bad we felt sick! The boat was so old we feared we were going to sink any moment, and to top it off, there were raging thunderstorms. We had visions of a Gilligan' "3 hour tour". :eek: We sill laugh about it.

Since we really want to see the pitons, and relax and snorkel, it seems the best option; we're booking.

 

Yes your right the TA reviews are much better than CC, but I have always gone with the best reviewed operators on CC and this island's reveiws are all over the place. I think your right about the tour and I can't find anyone else with any better reviews that does the Pitons boat tour. So if we book I will make sure to let you know how it goes since we seem to be going right before you. Have you booked the other islands yet? This one is the last island I have left to make plans for.

 

Our friends just got back from their Carnival cruise Sunday and there most horrible excursion also was in Jamaica. They actually hit a bus tour that decided to only stop at the last stop....an expensive shopping center!!

[sippican]

Yes your right the TA reviews are much better than CC, but I have always gone with the best reviewed operators on CC and this island's reveiws are all over the place. I think your right about the tour and I can't find anyone else with any better reviews that does the Pitons boat tour. So if we book I will make sure to let you know how it goes since we seem to be going right before you. Have you booked the other islands yet? This one is the last island I have left to make plans for.

 

Our friends just got back from their Carnival cruise Sunday and there most horrible excursion also was in Jamaica. They actually hit a bus tour that decided to only stop at the last stop....an expensive shopping center!!

 

I guess Jamaica is not he best place for tours :D

We have booked Caaaza for Barbados, am thinking of Thenford Gray for St Kitts, beach days for ST M (Orient) and St T (Saphire).What are your plans?

[SailingDisney]

I guess Jamaica is not he best place for tours :D

We have booked Caaaza for Barbados, am thinking of Thenford Gray for St Kitts, beach days for ST M (Orient) and St T (Saphire).What are your plans?

 

We booked SilverMoon in Barbados, they are the sister company to the one you have booked. The other was already sold out by the time I got to them. However SilverMoon is highly rated too and we went with their 12 person boat instead of 24.

 

We were going to go with Thenford Gray too on St. Kitts until I read several posts that tallked about a tour operator named Javin. He only takes 1 to 2 families at a time and he makes the tour real personable. I couldn't find one person who disliked his tour and since we wanted personable we went with him. Real reasonable prices. If your interested I would just search by his name.....several posts pop up and he he is rated on TA too.

 

St. M we decided to do a boat tour. Our DD is 9 and being honest with you I didn't really want to take any chances that we would run into any nudity. So we decided to play it safe and go snorkeling. ;)

 

St. T - we are also going to the same beach...afterwards we will do some shopping and top it off with a ride up to Paradise Point

 

Are you sailing out of San Juan? We are flying in a few days early and staying in Old San Juan. I am looking for things to do there now.

[CHERRYBRANCH]

we are also very confused in terms of booking SA or not...does anyone have any recent experiences with his Land and Sea Tour?

 

I sent in a request and have already heard back from Spencer Ambose with confirmation for the Jalousie Beach & Soufriere Highlights tour in . I have been thinking of changing this to the Land and Sea tour to get the best of both. Reading a lot of posts here now have me concerned however, Trip Advisor has great reviews. I too would like to know if anyone has been recently and what their thoughts are. One thing for sure.....I do not want to get stranded somewhere and not make it back to the ship.

[jasminelee]

Am I missing something here?? - trying to compare Spencer's Land and Sea and the West Coast Delight - does anyone (Reedprincess especially)know the difference in the two?

thanks

[reedprincess]

Am I missing something here?? - trying to compare Spencer's Land and Sea and the West Coast Delight - does anyone (Reedprincess especially)know the difference in the two?

thanks

LOL - you guys are funny!!! The Land & Sea tour is just that - down by land, back by sea. The West coast delight is down and back by land. Both include all the same stops - Marigot, Morne Fortune, Scenic stops, volcano, waterfall and Jalousie beach. The Land/Sea tour then returns by sea for views of the coastline from the sea, bat cave, Lady Slipper arch, etc. The West Coast returns by land over the same road you came down on.

Both are great tours. Enjoy whichever you choose!