Godfrey Review- Carnival Destiny 3/28-4/4

[latte]

Review of our stop in St Thomas............

 

Booked with Godfrey a few weeks before sailing. He was very quick and informative with his responses. Requested a 10 am pick up. He was waiting for us as we walked off the ship, after a 10 minute wait for someones husband to get off the ship we were on our way (Please be kind to your fellow travelers and be prompt, Godfrey offered to come right back for him but she made him wait and he apologized for the delay)

 

First stop - Downtown shopping. There is a street side market where he drops you that sells your basic gifts. Very good t-shirt deals, 6 for $10. We walked up and down Main street. There are no other stores besides jewelry stores, even the liquor stores sell both. We checked prices on rings at a lot of stores and in my opinion is a rip-off. I priced rings at home before we went and found most to be double or more than home. Do your homework before you go. Sure you save the "duty", but the stores I go to at home, I pay cash so they dont charge tax anyway. Look down the alleyways, lots of little bar/restaurants with outside seating, had a quick lunch and beer at Coconuts. (coconut chicken was excellent). Went back to meet Godfrey at 12:00 to start island tour.

 

Island Tour - The open air van was very comfortable, I was worried about the heat but was fine. Mostly a driving tour with a few stops for pictures. He does keep you informed of what you are seeing and gives a little history of the island along the way. We stopped at Mountain Top, home of the banana daquiri. Very good, very pricey $6.50 each. Nice views. After another quick drive, it was beach time.

 

Coki Beach - We all picked Coki Beach. This is the one part of the trip I did not like, it seemed to me Godfrey was pushing Coki a bit too much (may have a deal with the local snorkel/chair rental guy because he ran right to the van and shook godfreys hand when we arrived, just my thoughts) If you have never been to a Caribbean beach before you will love it. I've been to about 8 islands and a lot of different beaches and was not impressed. It was small and crowded. Dont get me wrong it was very nice, but I have seen better. I have snorkeled before but just did not feel like it this time, but I could tell it was pretty good. I was standing near the rocks on the side and dropped a piece of dog bisquit in the water and within seconds, dozens of colorful fish were going after it. It was actually pretty wild to watch, I kept picking it up and dropping it. They have food and beverage stands on the beach, didnt eat but had plenty of beer. If you can, avoid the bathrooms. After our two hours Godfrey was waiting for us to take us back.

 

Summary - Absolutely worth every penny of the $20 charge. Do your homework before you buy jewelry. As far as beach choice, I did not see the other two up close (you can see maegans bay from the mountain top, looked nice) so I cant really help there. I do recommend Godrey if you want a little of everything and a great tour

[echo]

Thanks for the review. The Hounds have him booked in Sept. I think we are going to Coki. I hope I like it.

 

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away.

[journey0504]

I have a tour booked with Godfrey the first week of May. In my reservation with him I requested to go to Megans Bay for the beach, he acted like that would be no problem. From what you said, it sounds like it is kind of the vote of the bus, is that correct? I really have my heart set on visiting Megan's Bay, and am questioning if I should still go with Godfrey or just go to Megan's on my own? What do you think......I was really looking forward to the shopping and tour with Godfrey also. Please let me know what you think.

[latte]

journey0504

 

You have your choice of whatever beach you want of the three, by all means go to megans bay. It really didnt matter to us which on we went to. He asked individually where you wanted to go, by the time he got to us, we just said Coki like everyone else since again we did not predetermine which we wanted. They are fairly close to each other so its no big for to go to both. What I meant by "pushing coki" he kind of put it like this "do you want to go megans with the $3 pp entry or would you rather go to "Coki beach, the free, crystal clear, 3 times clearer water than megans bay, with great snorkeling". Not is exact words but you get my drift.

 

I would definately do it and would recommend him to anyone who asked, well worth the $20 for getting the big 3 (Shopping, Island Tour, and Beach)Again he asks each individual where they want to go, so dont be afraid to say megans.

[tatania_starstrider]

Thanks for those tips. You don't happen to remember the name of the store with the cheap T-shirts or how to get there? Having read your review I'll definitely give Coki beach a miss. I spent 2 weeks in St.' John's in the early 90s and have visited some of te top beaches in the world from Southeast Asia to the South Pacific so am very fussy about what makes a great beach.

[latte]

It actually wasnt a store that had the T-Shirts. It was of a street side market, like a mini flea market, with locals at tables with tents. It was as soon as you entered downtown shopping area.(across from a store called Little Switzerland next to a small park)

 

As far as the beach, we are the same way, we've been all over the caribbean and have seen much nicer beaches. If its your first time you will love it. I was just sharing my thought on the beach, I hope everyone takes it for what it is, just my opinion.

 

Go with Godfrey you wont be disappointed.

[Dr. Octagon]

You don't go to Coki for the beach, you go for the snorkeling.

 

Godfrey doesn't push for any beach. He was happy to take half our group to Coki and the other half to Megan's Bay.

 

He's a great guy. I only wish there were guides like him at all of our stops.

 

Carnival Glory 5/22 - Western

 

[latte]

Being our first time in St Thomas, I didnt know one beach was better than the other. He would have gladly taken us to whichever we wanted to go to. Again, this is just MY opinion/review of what I experienced and I never said he wasnt a great guy. As I said, I would recommend him to anyone interested in a tour.

[richtersl]

That was a pretty accurate review of Godfrey's Tour. For us he did offer Megan's, Sapphire, or Coki as beach stops. We personally opted for Coki because the weather seemed a bit iffy and figured that if it got too cloudy at the beach and turned cool we could always head to Coral World.

 

Coki Beach is narrow and I could see where it could fill up fast.

 

Godfrey also mentioned that if the conditions at Sapphire, Megan's, or Coki were not great, then he opts for Secret Harbor.

 

On our return trip, someone wanted to stop at the K-Mart to pick up some bottled water. Godfrey dropped them off, returned the cruise ship passengers to their ship and us to our hotel, and then went back to K-Mart to pick up the others.

 

I have to say he takes good care of you.

 

Linda

NCL Sky - 1/03

NCL Sun - 1/02

 

[journey0504]

Thank you for all of your replies! After reading what you all have to say, I am definately going to stick with Godfrey and just keep my request for Megans Bay.

[Zeno]

Having been to both both beaches I prefer Coki- because of the snorkeling and I actually found it less crowded than Magens's BUT Magen's is prettier. Either beach is fine for a cruise ship stop.

Neither however compares to some of the other beaches I have seen in the Caribbean (Grace Bay in the T&C,Grand Anse in Grenada, Plage Ste. Anne in Guadeloupe are a lot nicer).

 

 Until NCL SKY

 

[Bee Bop]

Our family booked with Godfrey last year. He stopped at Megan's Beach and dropped of some passengers, then he was going to drop us off at Coki. He called ahead to Coki and found out it was really busy (there were a tonne of ships in port that day) so he asked us if we would like to try Sapphire beach instead. I was glad he did. Sapphire had good snorkling (probably not as good as Coki, but sufficient for us). We were practically the only ones on the beach. Awesome.

 

He will stop at all 3 beaches to accomodate all those on his tour.

 

I also highly, highly recommend Godfrey.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

would Godfrey take you back to the ship after the island tour if you didnt want to go to the beach?

 

Bill

 

 

 

Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean cruise page

[Dr. Octagon]

Yes, he will take you back to the ship if you want. My parents decided it was too hot, so, after dropping us off at Coki, he took them back to the ship - no problem.

 

Carnival Glory 5/22 - Western

 

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Thanks Doc. We now have our spaces reserved with Godfrey.

 

Bill

 

 

 

Caribbean Princess Eastern Caribbean cruise page

[EBunny4U]

We just got back last week and we had also booked with Godfrey. Like the previous posts have stated, he is worth every penny!! We had him drop us off at Sapphire Beach. The other half was dropped off at Coki, which looked a lot more crowded. We didn't have to pay for lounge chairs (there were 8 of us), there were chairs lined along the beach and someone sitting on the beach told us that the chairs sitting in front of them were vacant and could be used.

[Melinda77]

Godfrey is a "god-send"!

He met us promptly and was diligent about finding each guest he had booked from the three ships in port that day.

We had a most enjoyable and informative tour of the island, and because it was his birthday, Godfrey provided soft drinks, water, beer, and rum from a cooler in the front throughout the trip at no extra charge!

He offered a choice of the beaches; one couple chose Megan's Bay, the rest of the group went to Coki Beach. He graciously accommodated everyone's requests and patiently answered all of our questions. We had a great time at Coki, and the snorkling was awesome.

i would highly recommend Godfrey's tour; well-worth the $20 charge!!

 

 Destiny Easter cruise!

 

[Kajunswty]

Help Suggestions requested!!

I have booked Godfery for our upcoming cruise but I don't think I want to go to Coki. I would rather pay a few bucks than be crowded. We don't want to snorkle just relax by the water with some music playing and have a bartender close by Not looking for a party scene either ~ just a relaxing time. Any suggestions??

 

Bon Voyage,

Jon Renee'

 

9/91 Emerald Seas (Honeymoon)

9/95 & 3/98 Celebration

9/00 Inspiration

9/01 Sovereign of the Seas

4/02 & 10/02 Holiday ($99 cruise)

11/02 Conquest (Inaugural)

1/03 Disney Magic

7/03 Glory (Inaugural)

9/03 Carnival Pride

9/03 Paradise ~ Past Guest

5/04 Explorer of The Seas

 

**Proud Member of O.A.T.C.**

(Openly Addicted To Cruising)

 

Easter @AKL with Mickey & The Gang!

 

Explorer of the Seas ~ 8 day Eastern

 

 

 

[richtersl]

Megan's or Sapphire might be your better choices if you'e looking for a nice beach bar. You can also ask Godfrey which one(s) he'd recommend.

 

Linda

NCL Sky - 1/03

NCL Sun - 1/02

 

[Dr. Octagon]

Kajunswty> I went to Coki, so I can't comment on Megan's vs. Sapphire. BUT, there is a point on the trip when you are high in the hills of St. Thomas and you look down on Megan's Bay, and I must say, it looked amazingly beautiful. Hopefully some other people who will been will comment. Otherwise I would recommend asking Godfrey as well. He won't steer you wrong.

 

Carnival Glory 5/22 - Western

 

[mwsrccl]

Isn't Coral World on Coki Beach?

[Kajunswty]

thanks, guess I will have to do more research....have a great day!

 

Bon Voyage,

Jon Renee'

 

9/91 Emerald Seas (Honeymoon)

9/95 & 3/98 Celebration

9/00 Inspiration

9/01 Sovereign of the Seas

4/02 & 10/02 Holiday ($99 cruise)

11/02 Conquest (Inaugural)

1/03 Disney Magic

7/03 Glory (Inaugural)

9/03 Carnival Pride

9/03 Paradise ~ Past Guest

5/04 Explorer of The Seas

 

**Proud Member of O.A.T.C.**

(Openly Addicted To Cruising)

 

Easter @AKL with Mickey & The Gang!

 

Explorer of the Seas ~ 8 day Eastern

 

 

 

[VickiVSN]

Megans Bay

 

 

He did seem a little frustrated with one couple that kept changing their mind on which beach. This is the same couple that kept us waiting at the end of the shopping because she was getting braids . But my impression if you pre-determined a beach, he'll be more than happy to take you there unless there is a legitimate reason such as poor beach conditions, then he may make other recommendations. I'd listen to him on those tho, I believe his recommendations are for YOUR benefit. Not his.

 

Vicki

Check out my guide for first time cruisers http://www.vsn.org/cruise

 

Radiance 6/2002

Radiance 10/2002

Brilliance 11/2003

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LEGEND OF THE SEAS - September 26, 2004

Visit our Roll Call HERE

 

 

Cruise Europe 2005 (CC Group Cruise)- June 5, 2005 on the Brilliance

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[delgadofam2002]

Hi I will be cruising 7/3/04 & am planning on booking w/ Godfrey. We are a group of 14 so I think we take up the whole tour. What beach do you suggest? My husband would like a bit of snorkeling. We are thinking of booking with sxm taxi.com in St Maarten. So I figure he could snorkel there if it better. Any suggestions?

[mnsawyer]

Trying to decide on Sapphire Beach or Megan's Bay. Which has the best facilities that you can use on Godfrey's tour. Are the restaurants expensive for food and drinks, etc.,?