What's the best thing to do in St. Kitts?

[Bently57]

Of the Celebrity excursions, that is. I am leaning towards the rainforest hike, but we have zip lined before on St Lucia, and that was a blast. There is a different excursion for zip lining in St. Kitts.

 

We will probably not do any other excursions, as we have been to the other ports several times before and know our way around those.

[Ebvette]

Go to the Fort, Excellent views, and very interesting.

[bigmohes]

We did an island tour with Big Mike. A private tour operator that we found at the port. It was supposed to be a couple of hours but I think we ended up being about 3 or so. He took us all around the island stopping at some of the most beautiful points. As well as the batik place, the gardens there are incredible. If I remember right it was like 20 bucks a person maybe a little more. Well worth it, he was entertaining on his own.

[Cajun Caster]

My wife and I did the zip lines in St. Kitts and had a wonderful time. My inlaws did the zip lines in St. Lucia and they reported they had a good time, but in both our opinions St. Kitts sounded better. The only problem we saw in St. Kitts was that some of the smaller kids didn't have the mass to reach the end of a couple of runs (I think there was 5 total). The guides had to go get them and push them down.

 

 

Sorry about the end of the video. I forgot to turn it off when I was tucking it away. You only needed your hands to hold onto the bar at the end.

 

 

[VegasMark]

It sounds like you are the adventurous type. Look into the volcano hike. Very difficult hike, but very rewarding, especially if it is clear that day. The volcano is pretty much the center of the island.

[lcmslady]

The first time we went to St. Kitts, we did narrow gauge railroad just for the experience. A little overpriced and cheesy (IMHO) but fun.

 

The 2nd time and I'm going to warn you that this is only for the ones who like to live dangerously.....

 

We found a company that arranged a tour for us on Nexis. We rode the public ferry, had a driver waiting for us who drove us around and then dropped us off at a hotel on a mountain for lunch. He ended up sending someone else to get us who then took us to a different ferry for the ride back to St. Kitts.

The ferry operator here pulled in, got in his truck and left. We (and others) sat there for almost an hour before he wandered back. By this time, I was frantic that we were going to miss the ship and that our tour operator would have given up on us.

Luckily, they understood 'island time' but we were busting it to get back to the ship in time.

It's a fun story now and we could cross another island off the list but I don't know if I would recommend this.

[OCruisers]

No longer very adventurous ... but did enjoy the catamaran sail to the Pitons with a swim stop. :)

 

LuLu

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[gw2fll]

Another vote for the zip line. It's amazing. The neat thing about this zip line is it uses a "spring" to stop you, so you are not holding onto the line with a glove to stop. The views are breathtaking.

[20pluscruises]

We did the kayak, snorkel, beach. I'm not the athletic type...kayaking was easy. I stayed in the kayak as hubs did the snokeling, then off to a beautiful white sand and crystal clear water beach. Drinks served. Starts with a van/bus ride up a mountain (you will see lots of monkeys) and down to the beach. If I remember right, a short trip back to the boat. Was booked through the ship.

[Bobal]

No longer very adventurous ... but did enjoy the catamaran sail to the Pitons with a swim stop. :)

 

LuLu

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That must have been some trip, since the Pitons are in St Lucia ;)

 

We did the rail and sail with Royal Caribbean, but would think Celebrity have the same option: The railway half-way there - yes, a bit cheesey but still lots of fun - and then sailed back via catamaran to see some of the coastline. We thoroughly enjoyed it and I would do this excursion again.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Bobal

[OCruisers]

That must have been some trip, since the Pitons are in St Lucia ;)

 

We did the rail and sail with Royal Caribbean, but would think Celebrity have the same option: The railway half-way there - yes, a bit cheesey but still lots of fun - and then sailed back via catamaran to see some of the coastline. We thoroughly enjoyed it and I would do this excursion again.

 

:o Sorry, senior moment. Thanks so much for catching this.

 

In St. Kitts we've always most enjoyed taking the catamaran excursion offered by the ship to Nevis. The beach there is so pretty I always feel as if I'm walking around on a post card. :)

 

Last time (1/13) we did the same railway with the cat back. It was something different for us. The train part was more fun than I'd expected. :D

 

LuLu

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[chas]

Are the "Drunk Monkeys" still invading the beach bars? I would love to see them. The You Tube clips are hilarious.

 

However, if one were to try to take my drink I would have to spank the monkey ;)

[blueboro]

We also did the Train and unless you are looking for a more extreme activity this is a good way to see the island...plus unlimited Pina Coladas and Rum Punch!

[Bently57]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am leaning way, way towards the zip line. That video that was posted looked phenomenal. I did not know about an excursion to Nevis, though...or the train ride either. Thanks for all the expert input!

[CaribbeanBound]

I vote for the fort.

 

We hired Thenford Grey himself for this "Island Tour". The cost was $40 per person and ran from 8:00am until about 2:00 pm with beach time available at Cockleshell Beach at the end of the tour. Thenford first took us through the historic city of Basseterre which was founded in 1625 by French settlers. After the city highlights we stopped at the ruins of an old sugar cane processing factory and Romney Manor-Caribelle Batik which was once owned by Captain Samuel Jefferson, the great, great, great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson. The Plantation House which sits amidst 25 acres of lush tropical gardens, is now a batik factory and store. The gardens feature a large collection of exotic plants, palms and trees from all over the world. We saw numerous green tailed monkeys in the short drive between the ruin and the Manor. We then spent an hour at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park which sets atop a volcanic cone that is 800 feet high and offers 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and neighboring islands. Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a World Heritage Site. (The $8.00 entrance fee was included). The Fortress is indeed impressive. I could have easily spent 4 hours exploring this impressive site. A lot of monkeys make their home in the vegetation surrounding the fort. Thenford shared a lot of local history with us as we explored the island. We also saw a live cockfight (two roosters going at each other) in the middle of the street. Our last stop was Cockleshell Beach where we had an opportunity to swim, collect shells, and grab a beer. On the way, we saw wandering goats, cows, and more monkeys. Recommended!

 

 

Brimstone Hill Fortress

 

On our second tip we wanted to spend a lot more time at the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park so we arranged with Thenford Grey to be dropped off early and then join his regular tour when they arrived at the fortress prior to continuing on to South Friar's Beach. We spent 3 hours exploring the fort and outlying structures. Hint: bring a flashlight to explore dark passages. Next to the fort is a tall grassy mound called Monkey Hill (aka Fort Charlotte). A worker had recently cut a 6-foot wide access path to the top of the hill which offers nice views. About 75% to the top is a side path that will take you to a recently rediscovered 15x20 foot (my estimate) stone out-building, with openings for 3 cannon, that was hidden under vegetation. It also offered views of the fort and the steep gorge behind it. After we left the fortress, we visited an overlook where you could see the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean on either side of a thin stretch of the island. The bodies of water could not have been separated by more than a quarter-mile. We the got dropped off at South Friar's Beach which offers an active bar and grill with lots of shade and picnic-style seating, restrooms, an outdoor shower, changing rooms, a nice beach with black and beige sands, a protected swim area and some snorkeling opportunities. We saw over a dozen different types of fish along the manmade reef and lots of sea urchins (some close to a foot in diameter).

 

More "Secrets of the Caribbean": http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

First-hand information on excursions in over 20 Caribbean ports.

[kelmac]

Play golf at Royal St Kitts? Actually, a very nice golf course.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[OCruisers]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I am leaning way, way towards the zip line. That video that was posted looked phenomenal. I did not know about an excursion to Nevis, though...or the train ride either. Thanks for all the expert input!

 

Hi Bently , the OP, enjoy your zip line! :D

 

Good decision ... Do it while you can! The cat to Nevis and the train ride can wait ....

 

LuLu

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[Denny01]

We took a very different excursion - the Caribbean Cook.

 

It started with a quick tour of the island then to the resort for the class. They had swordfish that was caught the day before along with great spicy sides. Lots of island spice.

 

Then a tour of the resort which was a 1800's building. Loved it.

 

The class had an overhead mirror and a lot of good examples of how-tos.

 

We keep an eye out for cooking classes in all the ports. The cooking gives you a feel of the community.

 

Den

[chesterton7]

Spectrum ATV tours is awesome 75$.

[StLucia]

Has anyone taken the public ferry to Nevus, is it's worth doing what is there to do when you get there if you don't arrange something in advance.

Thanks for your help

[akowilm]

We did the zipline early in the day, and the staff were fun, knowledgeable, told interesting stories and were just a real treat. The zipline itself was pretty neat with fantastic views. After heading back to the ship to change, we caught a cab to Palm Court Gardens and had lunch and drinks while floating around the most INCREDIBLE infinity pool overlooking the port (for a very affordable price). Highly recommend both!

 

http://palmscourtgardens.com/shell_works_stkitts

 

if you want to see pics!!

[Vol fan]

Of the Celebrity excursions, that is. I am leaning towards the rainforest hike, but we have zip lined before on St Lucia, and that was a blast. There is a different excursion for zip lining in St. Kitts.

 

We will probably not do any other excursions, as we have been to the other ports several times before and know our way around those.

 

We have done the zip line twice and love it. The last time we were there, we did the island tour to the fort, etc. I would go with the zip line. You still get a little tour of the island as you drive to and from the zip line and you stop at the Batik Factory and the gardens, so you see more than just the zip line.

[Emerson's girl]

It's been 3 years since we were there, so I don't know if Celebrity still offers the Mountain Bike tour. We did this thru the ship and even though only 4 of us (DH, the couple we were traveling with and myself) showed up they did not cancel the tour. The guide was very informative regarding the landmarks and history of the island. There was a sag vehicle (to offer a ride or mechanical assistance with the bikes as well as drinks, snacks etc...) with us the entire time. We saw a lot of the island as the tour is really primarily on roads as I recall. Our guide offered the choice of routes to go either to the top of the mountain or to go around it and did seem surprised that we all road our bikes all the way to the top (we are all avid cyclists to be clear) but they would have placed anyone and their bike in the vehicle if we had desired. The view up there was BEAUTIFUL.

 

The ride ended at Rainbow beach where there are plenty of little bars/eateries with lot of beach chairs and yes, we saw monkeys. This is not a sugar white sand kind of beach but it was fun and nice to swim after a hot ride. A van ride back to the ship was included.

 

So for the slightly adventurous types, I would definitely recommend this tour. Have a grand time whatever you do!:D

[Lois R]

We took a very different excursion - the Caribbean Cook.

 

It started with a quick tour of the island then to the resort for the class. They had swordfish that was caught the day before along with great spicy sides. Lots of island spice.

 

Then a tour of the resort which was a 1800's building. Loved it.

 

The class had an overhead mirror and a lot of good examples of how-tos.

 

We keep an eye out for cooking classes in all the ports. The cooking gives you a feel of the community.

 

Den

 

Hi Denny, I took a culinary excursion as well but it was totally different

from yours. They must have changed companies. Mine was 2 sisters

who had moved to St Kitts from the states and part of their home

was turned into a "commercial kitchen" where the views were beautiful

and the food was great too:)

[kurgan]

We had a tour with Royston. Great sightseeing tour ends in South friar beach.

Highly recommend to book this tour