Train tour: A bus ride always part of it?

[mlbcruiser]

Thinking of booking the train excursion on St. Kitts through Royal Caribbean and have some questions.

 

Do trips on this train always include a bus ride?   How comfortable/uncomfortable is the seating on the train?  

 

If anyone sees this who has done the tour through Royal Caribbean, can you recall if it was offered morning, afternoon, or both?

 

Seems some people really enjoy it and others think it is very overpriced. I have a feeling that the ships in port that day may have a lock on most of the train seats. Besides, when I looked it up it didn’t look like we would be saving any money to try and book it on our own. 

 

Thanks for any info!

[paul58]

The train excursions all start with a bus ride to the train. The train does not circle the island, you will be brought from the where the excursion end back to the port. They may offer several alternatives on how you return to the port area. The bus return is included in you excursion. They do offer a return via a power boat along the coast at more money. If you are into trains, you may not care about the price. The cruise lines have the train excursions pretty much under their control. You can not book it independently if your ship has an agreement withe the train.

[mlbcruiser]

Thanks a bunch, paul58. I bet you are right about the cruise line having a contract with the train. (Ran into that for the first time years ago trying to book  a dive/snorkel/catamaran excursion in St. Lucia.🙄) We would really be interested in the version that has the power boat trip on the return leg but didn’t see that anything offered along that line.   If anyone sees this who has knowledge of that, please post! 

 

Thanks again for replying.

[paul58]

They offered a trip back on a power boat(I believe it was a catamaran) several years ago but I think the additional cost was rather high. I do not think they had many takers. When it gets busy during the heavy cruise season stay over guests staying on St Kitts have a hard time booking the busy excursions such as the train, zip line and the sailing catamarans to Nevis.This what they offered several years ago:

St. Kitts Scenic Rail and Sail Tour

The narrow gauge St. Kitts Scenic Railway is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world.  Originally built between 1912 and 1926 to deliver sugar cane from the fields to the sugar mill in Basseterre, the "Last Railway in the West Indies" now provides a new way for visitors to circle the island with this unique tour that includes the train ride and a cruise on a Catamaran sailboat.

The Railway portion of the tour hugs the Northeastern coastline where spectacular vistas of the ocean, surf, cliffs and lush vegetation surround you.  The train rolls across tall steel bridges spanning deep "ghuts", or canyons, and winds through small villages and farms.  Dark green rain forests are skirted by rippling fields of sugar cane, with the volcanic cone of Mt. Liamuiga rising above the railway.

Arriving at La Valle Station, you will be transferred the short distance to New Guinea to board your state-of-the-art Catamaran.  Sailing along the western coastline of St Kitts you enjoy excellent vistas of Brimstone Hill Fortress, the British "Gibraltar of the West Indies", and many of the small fishing villages.  Abandoned sugar estates nestle amongst the cane fields on the slopes of the mountains.  Pass Old Road Town, the first British settlement, founded by Sir Thomas Warner in January 1624, and sail around "Bloody Point", where the French and the British came together to destroy the power of the Carib Indians in 1626.

During the cruise back to Basseterre, you can enjoy our open bar and light refreshments.  The Catamaran will return you right to Port Zante's Marina, located beside your ship.

The 18 miles by rail and 12 miles by catamaran make a complete 30-mile circle around the island.

Duration: 4 hours (approx. 10 minutes from cruise ship to rail station, 2 hours on train, 10 minutes on shuttle bus to catamaran dock, 1 hour 30 minutes on catamaran, and 10 minute return to cruise ship pier by shuttle bus).

PLEASE NOTE: the tour may operate in reverse as "SAIL/RAIL". 

Edited November 12, 2018 by paul58
additional information

[Wally Alligator]

We did the train with a catamaran return in December 2016.  Was chilly but still a very good day.

Note the train ride is one way – not the full circle back to the starting point.

Started with a bus ride to the train station.  Thinking less than ½ hour.

Train ride was very nice going through places you will probably not see from a bus ride.  Saw the good and the bad.  Lots of lush vegetation but also a fair number of junk cars and trash.  Saw some nice neighborhoods and some showing that poverty still exists in these island paradises.

Seats on the train were not the wicker chairs shown in some pictures.  Padded benches along the side of the rail car is what we had if I remember correctly.  Nothing special but not bad either.  Of course we were in the upper section to get the best views – might have been wicker seating below.

We were on a Carnival cruise when we took the excursion however we will be back in St. Kitts in January on Symphony of the Seas. I see Rail + Bus being offered by Royal Caribbean.  When offered by Carnival there were two groups.  First group did the rail then catamaran.  Second group went to the catamaran first and switched to the train at the far end.  Would not surprise me if they didn’t do the same thing with a bus instead of the catamaran.

Both parts (rail and catamaran) offered up local rum punch drinks.  One poured heavy on the rum (thinking it was on the train).

I thought it was a good day, perfectly OK excursion.  The wife considered it one of the best excursions she has ever taken.

George

[shipgeeks]

We did this excursion through RC last year.  We enjoyed it.

The mini-bus that took us to the train requires a couple of steps up to board.

The train has two levels.  A narrow spiral staircase leads to the upper level, which is open air but covered. There was good commentary, drinks were served, and a small group of local young ladies sang.  Lots of interesting scenery.

The mini-bus met us at the end of the train ride and took us back to the port, with commentary along the way.

This cannot be booked independently.

[Arubamoose]

On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 7:07 AM, shipgeeks said:

There was good commentary, drinks were served, and a small group of local young ladies sang.  Lots of interesting scenery.

 

What kind of drinks were served??  Just juice and soda or beer and rum?

[shipgeeks]

On ‎1‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 12:04 PM, Arubamoose said:

What kind of drinks were served??  Just juice and soda or beer and rum?

As I recall (accuracy not guaranteed!), there was coke, rum & coke, maybe pina coladas, rum punch.  I don't think there was beer, but there might have been other beverages.