Advice for new cruiser ref ports

[BeachBlonde217]

We are going on Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan on 4/30/2016. Our ports are as follows:

 

St Thomas

St Croix

St John

St Lucia

St Georges

 

This is my FIRST cruise and FIRST time visiting any of these destinations. What would you do where? Which stops would you do on your own and which are best to do excursions? Which have the best snorkeling?

 

Any and ALL advice/recommendations are appreciated :)

 

Thanks!

[LHT28]

Lots of information depending on your interests if you check the Ports of call forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

Also check the Roll Call for your cruise you will find other on your sailing that may have private tours to share

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2237694

[cb at sea]

A guidebook is what you need....it will tell you EVERYTHING about each place...and you can figure out your time ashore...once you know what interests you, we can help with HOW to do it!

[BeachBlonde217]

Lots of information depending on your interests if you check the Ports of call forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

 

Also check the Roll Call for your cruise you will find other on your sailing that may have private tours to share

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2237694

 

Thank you.

 

I have been on the roll call. Actually, I started it. As of now there are only three people on our cruise so not much to share as of yet.

 

I will check out the first link.

[BeachBlonde217]

A guidebook is what you need....it will tell you EVERYTHING about each place...and you can figure out your time ashore...once you know what interests you, we can help with HOW to do it!

 

Any suggestions on a specific guidebook? I assume you mean to get a guidebook on the Caribbean via Amazon or somewhere and read up. I appreciate the suggestion.

 

I do know that in St Thomas we will go snorkeling as it's my 40th bday and that's how I want to spend my day.

 

I've been on trip advisor and I research the hell out of every vacation I go on. I've also looked at the cruise line offerings but prefer to book private/smaller group excursions or go on my own. I guess I thought perhaps someone would say "This island has the best shopping of those, on this island I'd recommend you go to xyz, and definitely do your snorkeling on this island". Perhaps I expected too much.

 

I know there are many opinions out there, but short of going to Trip advisor and the cruise boards for each and every location......I was hoping someone who has been on this cruise or to these ports might be able to provide their opinions :)

[Sixtytwo]

Shannon, of the ports you list, I have been to St Thomas and St John (while in St Thomas). A lot depends on what interests you have as to whether someone can provide information that will help you decide what to do on your cruise. Maybe if you could give us some idea of what things you like to do, someone will be able to say "do this in x, this in y, etc".

 

But, St Thomas used to be a fun place to shop and sightsee. You can grab an open air taxi in the port area or in town. Likely there will be others wanting to take a trip around the island and see the sights. St Thomas also has some pretty good beach areas, such as Coki Beach and Magen's Bay. Both have refershments available and are pretty good places to spend an afternoon. My favorite is a little out of the way place called Hidden Beach (or Secret Beach). It is a little bay where you can swim or snorkel or rent an umbrella and chairs and just chill. Been there a couple of times and it was never crowded. Great open air bar and restaurant.

 

On St John, we have only been to Trunk Bay but really enjoyed our time there. It is a beach and snorkel spot. There is an underwater "trail" marked off that has signs showing the kind of coral you see and what fish are usual guests in the area. The water if fairly deep along the trail and you need to either be a strong swimmer or wear some sort of floatation device.

 

That is about as much as I can offer based on your ports. I hope this helps a little. :)

[BeachBlonde217]

Shannon, of the ports you list, I have been to St Thomas and St John (while in St Thomas). A lot depends on what interests you have as to whether someone can provide information that will help you decide what to do on your cruise. Maybe if you could give us some idea of what things you like to do, someone will be able to say "do this in x, this in y, etc".

 

But, St Thomas used to be a fun place to shop and sightsee. You can grab an open air taxi in the port area or in town. Likely there will be others wanting to take a trip around the island and see the sights. St Thomas also has some pretty good beach areas, such as Coki Beach and Magen's Bay. Both have refershments available and are pretty good places to spend an afternoon. My favorite is a little out of the way place called Hidden Beach (or Secret Beach). It is a little bay where you can swim or snorkel or rent an umbrella and chairs and just chill. Been there a couple of times and it was never crowded. Great open air bar and restaurant.

 

On St John, we have only been to Trunk Bay but really enjoyed our time there. It is a beach and snorkel spot. There is an underwater "trail" marked off that has signs showing the kind of coral you see and what fish are usual guests in the area. The water if fairly deep along the trail and you need to either be a strong swimmer or wear some sort of floatation device.

 

That is about as much as I can offer based on your ports. I hope this helps a little. :)

 

It does, thank you!

 

St Thomas we are planning an all day excursion.

 

As for what I'm hoping to do......anything! Literally. lol

1. Snorkel
   
2. shop
   
3. explore restaurants and bars
   
4. spend a day lounging on the beach
   
5. snorkel a second time
   
6. avoid mass tours with tons of people
   

[LHT28]

Thank you.

 

I have been on the roll call. Actually, I started it. As of now there are only three people on our cruise so not much to share as of yet.

 

I will check out the first link.

Still early days you have a few months before you sail so hopefully others will join

 

You can also check your local library for books on travel to those destinations

Google the ports will also bring up a host of ideas

 

I take notes of what is there that we may like then narrow it down or see if there is a local guide that comes recommended by others ..that is where the ports of Call link come in handy

 

Grenada be sure to check out the spices there maybe a tour to the spice factory

[leaveitallbehind]

A guidebook is what you need....it will tell you EVERYTHING about each place...and you can figure out your time ashore...once you know what interests you, we can help with HOW to do it!

 

Everything you could want to learn about any port of call can be found online with multiple resources for free and without the need to leave your home to get the information. Much more information and much easier to find.

[skrufy]

Have been to St. Thomas 4 times and taken 3 excursions, 2 to St. John.

1. Megans Bay is nice, but can get crowded. 2. Champagne Catamaran Snorkle to St. John, had a great time. 3. Ferry to Trunk Bay St. John. Beautiful beach and small snorkling trail, was not crowded. We are going back to St. Thomas next year and doing the catamaran snorkle again. If you have time before or after your excursion, Paridise Point is a great place to relax and have a drink or two. The view is spectacular, especially at sunset.

[searoses]

I may be wrong but I am going on aos in feb on that itinerary and it is st Johns antigua that I believe is the port stop....not st john in the usvi which is reached by ferry from St thomas...if you want to snorkel in stt research secret harbor,coki beach,catamaran out to turtles....

[griffy116]

Go take a look at the excursions offered by the cruise line to get an idea of what is popular for your ports. Then take a look on TripAdvisor and look at the reviews. Their reviews will give you an idea of the reputable vendors if you want to book on your own. Cruise Critic's Ports of Call will give you information about each port. We've found that when we are visiting a port we've never been to before that by visiting all these places, we start to see many of the same pro's and con's with a particular excursion. I'll give you one example. We are planning a cruise that included a new island. I thought cave tubing would be a fun thing we had never done on any of the other islands we visited. It seemed to pop up on all the sites. I was almost ready to book an excursion with a vendor when a review mentioned BATS in the caves and bat droppings falling on one of the folks. Two of our group would have freaked out, just at the thought of bats overhead. Because of the reviews I knew this would not be an excursion for us. Found instead a catamaran sail that sounds perfect and I know everyone will enjoy.

[snyniew]

This year in St Croix I did the Big Beards all day snorkel to Buck Island and it was wonderful. Best snorkel experience I've had so far. They also have 1/2 day sails as well.

 

This year in St. Thomas I have booked Nightwind Charters after reading many good reviews. It's an actual sailboat vs a catamaran and I want to have that experience. It's an all day sail w/ a few stops to snorkel so much smaller than what you'd experience on a ship excursion.

[toberman]

I agree with just going on line and doing a search - that is what I always do. I just did a quick Google of St Thomas and came up with pages of info including Fodors. Try something like St Thomas (or any other island) tourism in your search. You can do the same on trip advisor.

[searoses]

Antigua is not known for snorkeling but has over 300 beaches....sounds like a good beach day....you do not need a tour for this....there will be taxis at all your stops.....if you are interested in the history make a deal to be shown around some and then dropped off at a popular beach so getting a taxi back would be easy....think we are going to darkwood or valley church....they both have restaurants( which usually have bathrooms) and chaises to rent......trip advisor has many pictures of both...

 

St lucia deserves some research on your part...

There are land,sea,and combo tours.....the pitons are the big deal.....swimming near them is awesome.....only you know if your family would enjoy the several hours of bus or van travel on twisty,narrow roads to get there or a speed boat or sailing trip....again....some time on trip advisor is necessary....

 

..that was a really good idea to see what the ship offers to get an idea of what you like....our first couple of cruises we did use ship tours but like most here on cc find the private tours cheaper and less crowded......when you look on the cc port board and see the same names over and over it should make you more comfortable....the old nugget of the ship waiting for you regardless is almost completely true but these well known private tours know they will be out of business if you miss your ship....

[BeachBlonde217]

Go take a look at the excursions offered by the cruise line to get an idea of what is popular for your ports. Then take a look on TripAdvisor and look at the reviews. Their reviews will give you an idea of the reputable vendors if you want to book on your own. Cruise Critic's Ports of Call will give you information about each port. We've found that when we are visiting a port we've never been to before that by visiting all these places, we start to see many of the same pro's and con's with a particular excursion. I'll give you one example. We are planning a cruise that included a new island. I thought cave tubing would be a fun thing we had never done on any of the other islands we visited. It seemed to pop up on all the sites. I was almost ready to book an excursion with a vendor when a review mentioned BATS in the caves and bat droppings falling on one of the folks. Two of our group would have freaked out, just at the thought of bats overhead. Because of the reviews I knew this would not be an excursion for us. Found instead a catamaran sail that sounds perfect and I know everyone will enjoy.

 

It looks like you responded before reading my f/u posts that state I've looked at the cruise excursions and have been on trip advisor.

 

I guess I'm not being clear since it seems no one is really answering my questions. Let me try to be more specific.............

 

1. We are snorkeling at St Thomas

2. If you were going to shop at any of the other ports, which would you choose to shop at and why?

3. If you were going to spend a day relaxing on the beach, which port would you choose to do that at an why?

4. If you were going to go bar hopping at one port, which would you do this at and why.

 

It's cool if there is one port you choose for all these things. I am looking for personal experiences and what you like and why. Trip advisor is great but there isn't an "all Caribbean" board where you can get an overview like I'm asking for.

 

This reply isn't just directed at the poster I quoted :)

[BeachBlonde217]

Antigua is not known for snorkeling but has over 300 beaches....sounds like a good beach day....you do not need a tour for this....there will be taxis at all your stops.....if you are interested in the history make a deal to be shown around some and then dropped off at a popular beach so getting a taxi back would be easy....think we are going to darkwood or valley church....they both have restaurants( which usually have bathrooms) and chaises to rent......trip advisor has many pictures of both...

 

St lucia deserves some research on your part...

There are land,sea,and combo tours.....the pitons are the big deal.....swimming near them is awesome.....only you know if your family would enjoy the several hours of bus or van travel on twisty,narrow roads to get there or a speed boat or sailing trip....again....some time on trip advisor is necessary....

 

..that was a really good idea to see what the ship offers to get an idea of what you like....our first couple of cruises we did use ship tours but like most here on cc find the private tours cheaper and less crowded......when you look on the cc port board and see the same names over and over it should make you more comfortable....the old nugget of the ship waiting for you regardless is almost completely true but these well known private tours know they will be out of business if you miss your ship....

 

Thank you! I have since looked into the land & sea deal on St Lucia (before seeing your post even) and that is a definite possibility. I'm thinking we do our snorkel (swim with turtles) in ST Thomas and the land/sea delio on St Lucia. The other ports I'm still kind of up in the air on. Would like to do some shopping one day, some bar hopping perhaps, and spend at least one of our days just lounging on a beach somewhere :) We like to mix up days of adventure with days of relaxation.

[cherylandtk]

Shannon, did you read the CC Port Guides yet? It tells you what sort of beaches, shopping and excursions are available in each port and you can make your own choices:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=10

[BeachBlonde217]

Shannon, did you read the CC Port Guides yet? It tells you what sort of beaches, shopping and excursions are available in each port and you can make your own choices:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=10

 

THANK YOU! I had not seen these. I've not found this site to be super new user friendly. Looks like a TON of useful info on these pages.:D