Summit Southern Caribbean Must Do List

[Smurfette76]

Hello Fellow Cruise Critic Members!

 

After enjoying our first Celebrity cruise on the Reflection in March, we have booked a 2015 Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan on the Summit. We chose this vacation for the port intensive itinerary. We will get to see 3 islands we haven't visited. The itinerary goes to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Maarten and St Thomas. (Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua will be new to us.)

 

We plan on doing an excursion with Calabaza in Barbados and doing the ship's Self Explore St John from St Thomas as we loved that excursion on the Reflection. We'll likely use St Maarten as either a shopping or ship day.

 

So to finally cut to the chase, how many (and which) excursions would you do on this itinerary to maximize opportunity without needing a vacation from your vacation! LOL! We're energetic and young at heart and don't mind adventure but need some R&R too. :) What are the must sees, particularly in St Lucia and Antigua? I've scoured Trip Advisor and these boards and am stymied. I've never booked a vacation this far in advance so Cruise Critic is helping me bide the time!

 

Thanks as always everyone. I promise I'll get my Reflection review posted soon! It's long overdue!

 

Cheers,

Smurfette

[olemissreb]

What day are you sailing? We are on the same itinerary on March 7th. Come join our roll call and maybe you can get some ideas from some others that will be there with you.

 

FWIW - I think DH and I will do Calabaza also. In Antigua, I think we are going to do "Nicole's Table" and learn how to cook up a Caribbean meal and then eat what we cook. In St. Lucia, I think we are going to do the Tree Top Adventure Park. In St. Maarten, I think we're just going to head over to Sunset Bar at Maho Beach and have some lunch and a few drinks and watch the planes take off and land. In St. Thomas, we'll probably either head over to St. John's or just stay on the ship.

 

Hope you are on our sailing and then we can get to know you better on our Calabaza sailing!

[Smurfette76]

Hello olemissreb!

 

Thanks for your input! We're on the March 21st cruise so we'll sadly miss you. Drat!

 

LOVE the sounds of Nicole's Table in Antigua. I haven't read about that but it's totally up my alley! I'm a bit of a foodie. :) I'll look it up. Thanks for the tip!

 

We did Maho/Airport Beach in March and adored it! We'd go again but since we may want to take it easy that day on this itinerary, we might take a pass this time. Here's a tip for anyone reading who hasn't been before: If the Sunset Bar is jam-packed when you get there, just walk to the other end of the beach and go to the Driftwood Beach Bar. I can't recall if they serve food, but it was way less crowded, at least when we visited. It's tiny but service was quick and there were even beach loungers available for us to park our bags and camera gear. The Driftwood bartender made the most delicious strawberry mojito!

 

Thanks again for the pointers! Much appreciated! Happy travels!

[Barwick Cruiser]

Not sure if you've already found something for St. Lucia but you might want to check out Cosol Tours. We did their tour and had such a good time that we went again with my DS and her DH on a subsequent cruise....they enjoyed it very much also. Full day but lots of relaxing time, includes lunch and plenty of beverages and snorkeling between the Pitons was amazing! Cosol gets excellent reviews on TA.

[monicajay]

Not sure if you've already found something for St. Lucia but you might want to check out Cosol Tours. We did their tour and had such a good time that we went again with my DS and her DH on a subsequent cruise....they enjoyed it very much also. Full day but lots of relaxing time, includes lunch and plenty of beverages and snorkeling between the Pitons was amazing! Cosol gets excellent reviews on TA.

 

 

Ditto.

 

I was going to post this too but you already did. Cosol Tours was wonderful. Long but interesting day.

 

The roads are hilly and windy though so if you get car sick, take a pill first.

 

If you haven't seen the BIG PLANES land in St. Marteen, this is a must see thing to do.

 

Enjoy your trip on the Summit, you are traveling just after us and I would have preferred to try this itinerary but we are tied to my school break.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I've done a Segway tour in Antigua which was fun.

 

In St. Lucia, we took a ship's excursion which was a 1/2 day tour on a catamaran down to Les Pitons. We stopped in a bay and went swimming. Everything else I had looked at was all day or included deep sea fishing, so this was just right.

 

[LuvinSunNSand]

We did the same itinerary in January. Did Cosol tours on St. Lucia and loved it, although as other posters have said it is a long day. On Antigua, we did the ship's excursion to swim with stingrays and enjoyed that also.

[cruzngrl]

Doing this Feb 21st as well. Defintely a shout out for Cosols tours. Did this a few years ago and doing it again as it was an awesome time. Going to play Antigua by ear..maybe use that for a relaxing day as every other port we will be go go go... With a cruise this port intensive it is important not to burn yourself out. Look at the ports of call board and choose the things that really interest you and if you can't find something (like myself and Antigua) I am going to just wait till I get there and maybe hire a driver for the day for a tour or just simply relax. Have Fun!!:D

[courtsavvy]

My husband and I just did a RCI cruise that included Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, and St Maarten.

 

Barbados we did Silvermoon catamaran (we couldn't get in to Calabaza) and LOVED it...highlight of the trip! Definitely recommend a catamaran day.

 

St Lucia we did Cosol tours which was awesome but I did get carsick. Also, note that I've never gotten carsick EVER before, so you might want to take preventative measures or have some with you even if you aren't prone to motion sickness. The tour was so worth it though, we had a great time.

 

St. Maarten my husband wanted to see the planes so we went to Maho beach which was a fun day.

 

Antigua we went to Coconut Beach club for the day. Not crowded, beautiful water, had access to pool and beach plus lunch included in day fee and unlimited drinks. It was a great day!

[olemissreb]

Hello olemissreb!

 

Thanks for your input! We're on the March 21st cruise so we'll sadly miss you. Drat!

 

LOVE the sounds of Nicole's Table in Antigua. I haven't read about that but it's totally up my alley! I'm a bit of a foodie. :) I'll look it up. Thanks for the tip!

 

We did Maho/Airport Beach in March and adored it! We'd go again but since we may want to take it easy that day on this itinerary, we might take a pass this time. Here's a tip for anyone reading who hasn't been before: If the Sunset Bar is jam-packed when you get there, just walk to the other end of the beach and go to the Driftwood Beach Bar. I can't recall if they serve food, but it was way less crowded, at least when we visited. It's tiny but service was quick and there were even beach loungers available for us to park our bags and camera gear. The Driftwood bartender made the most delicious strawberry mojito!

 

Thanks again for the pointers! Much appreciated! Happy travels!

 

I found Nicole's Table on Trip Advisor. You have to take a cab to her place, but she said it should only be about $10.

[luv2camp04]

On Antigua, I would HIGHLY recommend Antigua Paddles. I think that is probably the best excursion we have ever done. The owners make you feel like a part of their family. The kayaking was wonderful and the boat trip out to the island for a little hiking, beaching and snorkeling was great. I can't wait to do this excursion again someday!!

[Scarlet and grey]

We haven't booked yet, but looking into this cruise in April! Reading your ideas might make me book a little faster.

[Smurfette76]

Thanks so much for your ideas, everyone! It's been a little while since I checked this thread on TripAdvisor so my apologies for the delayed note of gratitude. With our cruise getting closer, I really appreciate everyone's input!

 

The kayak excursion in Antigua sounds great! We have been considering being lazy and doing the Prickly Pear Island Escape but getting a wee bit of kayaking exercise might be beneficial while cruising. :)

 

We are getting extremely excited about this port intensive cruise and can't wait to experience Celebrity's hospitality again.

 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

[huskerc]

A nice relaxing thing to do on Barbados is a catamaran cruise. Calm waters there make this a very popular activity and it's a very competitive industry. We booked with Elegance and were beyond satisfied. Three people serving twelve with an open bar and a great lunch. Try the bajan hot sauce if spicy is your thing!

 

On the opposite end of the scale, there is zip lining at Loterie Farm in St. Martin (the french side) that is very physical but well worth it for the thrills and views.

Edited January 5, 2015 by huskerc

[luv2trvlnow]

Hello olemissreb!

 

Thanks for your input! We're on the March 21st cruise so we'll sadly miss you. Drat!

 

LOVE the sounds of Nicole's Table in Antigua. I haven't read about that but it's totally up my alley! I'm a bit of a foodie. :) I'll look it up. Thanks for the tip!

 

We did Maho/Airport Beach in March and adored it! We'd go again but since we may want to take it easy that day on this itinerary, we might take a pass this time. Here's a tip for anyone reading who hasn't been before: If the Sunset Bar is jam-packed when you get there, just walk to the other end of the beach and go to the Driftwood Beach Bar. I can't recall if they serve food, but it was way less crowded, at least when we visited. It's tiny but service was quick and there were even beach loungers available for us to park our bags and camera gear. The Driftwood bartender made the most delicious strawberry mojito!

 

Thanks again for the pointers! Much appreciated! Happy travels!

We are on the March 21 Summit cruise also. Have you already booked with Calabaza? If not she may already be full since it is very popular. We had it booked for a different cruise and it filled up almost a year in advance.

 

We are going over to St John on our own since the Celebrity excursion doesn't leave until 10am. By 10am we plan to be sitting on the beach over on St John.

 

We have Cosol booked for St Lucia and I am really looking forward to it. I have heard a lot of people praise this tour. Last time there we did a private catamaran and never really got to see the island from anywhere but the water.

 

When we were in Antigua we did a tour with Lawrence of Antigua. It rained almost the whole time and we had a family that monopolized the tour and we didn't get to see everything we were supposed to. Since it was raining so hard no one wanted to stay at the beach. But it looked very nice. So this time we are going to go to that beach (Valley Church Beach).

[Smurfette76]

We are on the March 21 Summit cruise also. Have you already booked with Calabaza? If not she may already be full since it is very popular. We had it booked for a different cruise and it filled up almost a year in advance.

 

Thanks luv2travlnow! We booked Calabaza back in April so we will see you on board! :) I've never booked anything so far in advance in my life. We usually book vacations two to three months prior. It has been advantageous having so much time to plan considering how many islands we will be visiting. It's like planning five mini vacations in one! LOL!

 

Again, thank you to all for the ideas!

[Sheeba67]

Ditto.

 

I was going to post this too but you already did. Cosol Tours was wonderful. Long but interesting day.

 

The roads are hilly and windy though so if you get car sick, take a pill first.

 

If you haven't seen the BIG PLANES land in St. Marteen, this is a must see thing to do.

 

Enjoy your trip on the Summit, you are traveling just after us and I would have preferred to try this itinerary but we are tied to my school break.

 

The Cosol tour is great, except for the ride back to the ship. It would be much better to take the land tour to the Pitons and then after Jalousie Beach, take a boat back to the ship. Don't forget to get your Banana Ketchup.

 

Antigua is best for a half day beach day. Just walk up the main draguntil you find a driver that is noit too aggressive. be sure to make sure you are not the first on their bus, or you may be waiting util they fill the mini bus.

 

On Barbados get a private tour when you get off the ship to msee a little of the island, check out some beaches, and do the Rum Factory tour.

[Elyseyy]

On Antigua, I would HIGHLY recommend Antigua Paddles. I think that is probably the best excursion we have ever done. The owners make you feel like a part of their family. The kayaking was wonderful and the boat trip out to the island for a little hiking, beaching and snorkeling was great. I can't wait to do this excursion again someday!!

 

I'm looking at that excursion. Was the kayaking difficult?

[LzyCruiser_NWA]

Looks like Calabaza will have a lot of cruise critics people on the 23rd of march :)

 

We also signed up for prickly pear island in antigua.

[Lsimon]

On recent cruises we've:

 

St. Marten: Head to Orient Beach to relax and swim a little and have lunch at one of the many beach bar/restaurants that line the beach. There is a big variety in quality and price of food there. Then head to town for a little shopping before going back to the ship. Pretty relaxing day.

 

Antigua - a great place for a nice beach day. Look through the port of call forum to find one of the less crowded beaches as some can be very busy.

 

St Lucia - we've been there a few times and on recent trips with busy itineraries we've just used this as an extra day on the ship. With that said, if it is your first trip there I'd recommend an excursion like Cosol's tour, or something similar, which includes beach time and snorkeling at one of the beaches to the south of the port. Those beaches are also nice to spend the day at but the long distance makes them a bit pricey and long trip for just the beach. I don't care for the beaches closer to the port.

 

Good choice for Calabaza in Barbados. We haven't sailed with them yet (had them booked last year but had to cancel cruise) but have done similar trips on Silver Moon and the nicer catamaran trips in Barbados are one of our favorite excursions in the Caribbean.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Lsimon

[Texed]

particularly in St Lucia and Antigua??Cheers, Smurfette

 

I usually do not recommend excursions, but if you are energetic, check out "adventureantigua".