Valor Southern Caribbean Cruise Question

[MeghanJ]

:rolleyes:Hello Fellow Cruisers,

 

My family and I will be sailing on the Valor for the March 1 sailing. We have excursions set up for all but two ports--St. Kitts and St. Lucia. Is one of these ports better suited for walking around and just shopping? This particular sailing is fabulous--but has 5 ports. Just wondering if we could have a relaxing day in one of these ports--just walking and shopping. Let me know!! Thank you!:)

[jolyn928]

If memory serves me correctly, the port area of St. Kitts was larger. In St Lucia, we walked the area around the port for an hour or so and ended up booking a relatively inexpensive tour to the Pitons :) It's an awesome itinerary!

[deladane]

St. Kitts has a really nice, large port shopping area with lots of bars, restaurants and shops. In addition, you can walk up the street about 5 minutes and get to an even larger downtown area with more options of restaurants and shops. St. Lucia has a small port shopping area, but I think you'd be better off seeing the island of St. Lucia since it is really unique (it's a very lush, tropical, rainforest and it's beautiful!), and save the low key day for St. Kitts.

 

I did the same itinerary on the Victory in 2012 if you want to check out my review from my signature below for ideas of things to do each day. I'm currently planning my Valor cruise for 2 weeks after you in March, so take good care of her! hehe Happy planning and have a great cruise!!

[pghsteelerfan]

We were on Valor in May 2013, same sailing out of San Juan. This has to be the most scenic itinerary and is my favorite so far. As jolyn928 said, St. Kitts has the larger shopping area at the port. Of the two, and if you can swing it, I'd definitely recommend some kind of tour in St. Lucia. There is cruise center shopping there, but to get the most out of it I'd definitely recommend a tour. We booked a private tour, a beach break to the beach between the Pitons, and really enjoyed it. St. Lucia's scenery is just spectacular but most of that is outside the cruise center in Castries. Castries itself is beautiful from the ship, but there is just so much more to see there. In St. Kitts we got a taxi to a beach and spent a few hours there and afterwards spent a couple hours of leisurely shopping and browsing the cruise center shops. We were back on Valor by 3:30PM, but that was mainly due to it being the one rainy day of our cruise. We'd planned at least another hour at the beach there (20 minutes to a half hour away from the ship), but the rain chased us away early. St. Kitts is a small island so even getting a taxi tour there is worth it to see the island and if we ever get back, Brimstone Fort is going to be a definite stop. This is just my opinion but if I had to choose between St. Lucia and St. Kitts for a relaxing, shopping day, it would be St. Kitts. If you do change your mind and want to see some of the scenery, on St. Kitts it can be done for a reasonable price. If I remember correctly, we were in St. Kitts until 6:00PM, and had to be back on Valor by 5:30, and with it being a small island, you can do a shorter tour but still have a relaxing day. We had a wonderful time on our Valor cruise and it is probably our favorite.

Edited September 13, 2014 by pghsteelerfan

[MeghanJ]

I appreciate you all taking the time to post your responses. If anyone else has anything to share please do!!

[Flatland]

I agree with the other comments. St. Lucia is a great island for a tour with a lot to see. We used Cosol Tours and it is one of the best we've ever had.

Kev

[WindsorFred]

I agree with the other comments. St. Lucia is a great island for a tour with a lot to see. We used Cosol Tours and it is one of the best we've ever had.

Kev

Totally agree.

[christyran1228]

I agree with the other comments. St. Lucia is a great island for a tour with a lot to see. We used Cosol Tours and it is one of the best we've ever had.

Kev

 

We booked them for our trip there in November ... it looks to get the most out of out time there, and it wasn't too bad price-wise.

 

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[timhoke]

St Lucia is an amazing island. We chartered a boat, they took us to Whale & Dolphin watch we were in the middle of a huge pod of whales & dolphins. We were the first ones there to watch then the cattle boats arrived. Sitting at the front of the boat we were only like 3' above the water.

Then they took us into shore where we snorkeled at the Pitons, into Soufriere to pick up lunch, ate on the boat then out for snorkling at 2 more places. On the way back to the pier they went along the coast into the harbor all the while the crew was talking to us explaining what everything was. It was worth the price, we got more than our moneys worth on that trip. There was only us & another couple that we meet on CC. While it sounds hectic, it was one of the most relaxing days on the cruise. Plus we were in charge of what we wanted to do & when. On the way out to the whales, we asked the captain to stop so we could jump in the water & cool off.

Sorry to say I really don't recall St. Kitts.

[RuthlessBoss]

I appreciate you all taking the time to post your responses. If anyone else has anything to share please do!!

 

I think you got it. St Kitts for shopping, St Lucia for touring.

[BenjiRodney]

We did a Catamaran Cruise to the Pitons in St Lucia and loved it.

 

 

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[jmcancruise]

We were on the Valor last fall and spent a wonderful relaxing and inexpensive day at Palm Court Gardens. It is a very short taxi ride or leisurely walk from the port. Check out their website. Spent a few hours there and still had lots of time to shop at the port.

[t1adams]

St. Kitts was actually my personal favorite port of all! I know...surprising! Book with Royston Tours. Royston is a great guy! He only charges about $45 a person and he spends about five hours with you doing multiple things. This fee covers any entrance fees into the historic parks (and there's a LOT of history to see here!). It also includes lunch, snorkeling on the beach, and driving through sugar cane fields and feeding the donkeys sugar cane, and visiting with local merchants. He's a Christian and native of the island who loves his home. He's rated in the top three on TripAdvisor. Check him out. I soooo want to go back to St. Kitts.

 

And Cosol Tours in St. Lucia was nice. Again, multiple stops and activities, similar to St. Kitts. Both tours get you from the ship and will be sure and get you back in plenty of time to even do a little shopping at the pier.

 

Don't miss out on seeing these two islands!!! St. Lucia has more interesting natural beauty (drive up volcano and mud baths, etc.) and St. Kitts has a ton of interesting History!!!! NOT to be missed!! I promise you won't regret these two tours. Don't just "go to the beach." You could do that here in the States for crying out loud.

Edited September 14, 2014 by t1adams

[MeghanJ]

Thank you all again for your responses!! [emoji4]

 

 

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[gtaylor]

We visited St. Kitts recently (for the third time) and booked a "Lunch Time Special" tour with Beulah Mills.

 

The website said it was $12, but during the tour she kept saying $10. We just gave her $30 at the end and thought it well worth it.

 

One of the reasons that I booked it was to see the Palm Court Gardens, which are mentioned here often, and it truly is a wonderful place. Admission is included (as a donation, if I recall) and we found lots of fellow cruisers enjoying the pool and the WiFi while we were there. The gift shop has some very unique items, as well.

 

The tour is listed as 1 1/2 hours, but ours stretched past 2 hours.

 

We loaded into the air-conditioned van and took off. After about 75 yards, we came to a stop and Beulah hopped out and asked our group how many wanted beers or sodas for $1 each. I ordered one diet coke and two beers. The Australian guy behind me asked for 5 beers. He couldn't believe the price.

 

Palm Court Gardens was minutes away. Got our entrance tags and explored. Looks like a VERY nice spot to just relax and chill out. After a nice visit we got back into the van and toured a bit of the island, with a historical and political narrative as we went. We went through commercial and residential areas and up into the mountains for some very special views.

 

I highly recommend, and you'd have plenty of time for some shopping at the Port complex before having to get back on the boat.

 

gary

[SNJCruisers]

When we were in St Kitts earlier this year, we did the lunch time special tour with Beulah from Welcome tours. It was only 10.00 per person and you met about 1130 or so outside of the Rum Barrel bar, which is located in the middle of the shopping area right near the pier. The tour lasted about 2+ hours and it gave you a flavor of the island for a cheap price. The link is below.

 

http://tourstkittsandnevis.com/?p=580

 

[buddylover]

We have used Spenser Ambrose in St. Lucia (Land and Sea Tour) which was just fabulous. In fact, so good, that we are going back in January and are repeating that tour.

 

St. Lucia is very hilly and the roads zig zag around, but beautiful. So part of th tour is on land, then you board a boat and are taken to Jalousie Beach between the Pitons (very memorable experience), given an "authentic" home cooked lunch on the beach, some beach time, then back on the boat for a very fun scenic tour from the water (see where Dr. Doolittle was filmed, the rock formation "shoe" cave in Pirates of the Caribbean was shot etc). Very very nice tour.

 

In St. Kitts we will be using Thenford Grey this time to "see" St. Kitts. But we will have time to also look around the port area on our own too. Looking very forward to both ports!!

[Rock_ON!!]

I went zip lining in St. Lucia, and I felt that the shopping in the port area was the same as all the other places we have been too, nothing spectacular. I would have loved to see the Pitons, but I suggest you take the water route. The roads are full of returns and hills, and actually made me a little nauseous. St. Kitts had a lot too see in a shorter amount of time. The batik store at Romney manor and the brimstone fortress were pretty cool places. Needless to say, pit of all the islands on that cruise , those were my least 2 favorites. If I made it to the Pitons, it might have been another story.

 

 

 

It's just a moment, this time will pass

[Rock_ON!!]

 

 

It's just a moment, this time will pass

[BBfan316]

I agree with the other comments. St. Lucia is a great island for a tour with a lot to see. We used Cosol Tours and it is one of the best we've ever had.

Kev

 

Another vote for COSOL in St. Lucia. We thought it was one of the best tours we have taken in the Caribbean

[Lafayette99]

We just booked this cruise last night for the March 1st sailing. We did the same one in 2012. I am sooo excited!!

 

St Lucia I agree is too amazing to just shop, the nature is breathtaking! St Kitt's we did a beach break, but for the life of me I am not remembering the name of the beach. It was dark sand, with a great bar!

[lunagirl]

My two cents... or maybe four cents... I am long-winded :)

 

We did this itinerary in May 2014 and I am doing it again in May 2015, so I hope that hints at how much I enjoyed it. You are going to have a great time. However, it is port intensive and we were dragging a bit by the time we got home.

 

St. Lucia - We did Spencer Ambrose's Jalousie Beach Break via boat - I had a great time and loved seeing the island by boat. I don't do fast driving on windy roads, so a land vehicle wasn't happening for me. It apparently wasn't for some other people either because as they arrived at Jalousie Beach via van, there were literally people getting out of the van and throwing up and I gave nausea meds (OTC) to several people. I plan to do this excursion again this year. This island is beautiful! The lunch was great and only one of two lunches on an excursion that I would love to have again (Right Now!). The other was on Calabaza in Barbados. Both were local food and not something where I sat down and ordered from a menu. There wasn't much going on in the port area at St. Lucia that would stand out from any other port and it was relatively small.

 

St. Kitts - We opted for a trip to the beach in St. Kitts. We stopped at a couple of sights on the way to the beach. Drinks were cheap here. My husband enjoyed the beer and the price. I still don't really feel like I need to schedule an excursion here and would like the opportunity to "rest up" and relax. If shopping is your thing (not mine, I want water)... I heard mixed reviews about the prices here and it is a relatively small island.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I am sure you will have fun with your choice, as only you can decide what is best for you.