Antigua/St. Kitts help needed

[Diver2014]

We really liked the 3 hours St Kitts Scenic railway tour.  A great way to see a lot of the island, plus free cocktails and singing by a local group.  

 

We also liked Nelson's Dockyard on Antigua.  Beautiful island.  We were on Crown Princess last November.  Every island we visited was awesome (including Barbados in the rain).

[Hoopster95]

21 minutes ago, singinalot said:

 

Claudio...silly question but did the catamaran have a restroom on it? I know some do and some don't so just wondering..we'll be in St Kitts for the first time in january and still exploring excursions.

 

Hey Singingalot. 99.9% sure it did (email them to ensure). Large shaded main "cabin" area where they served lunch and the small head below

 

 

Edited March 6, 2019 by Hoopster95

[lola2013]

We loved Captain Sunshine in St. Kitts.  He has multiple excursion options on his website.  We chose the rainforest tour, followed by beach massages (WOW) and then time spent at Carambola Beach.  We have since visited Carambola on every visit to St. Kitts.

 

Last year in Antigua we worked with Sean Beezer at Scenic Tours Antigua.  He did a great tour of his island with a stop at Turner Beach at the end.  

 

Enjoy!

[dacsmom]

I loved Thenford Grey Tours. He really loves his island and goes out of his way to make sure everyone has a good time. I would tour with him anytime.

[CruisinCrow]

We just did the Grand Tour of St Kitts with Thenford Grey.  I thought it was a fantastic tour.  Here is my review with lots of pictures: http://susancrow.blogspot.com/2019/02/celebrity-summit-southern-caribbean_24.html

 

My husband and I are 50.  We're not super-active and adventurous people but we probably would have enjoyed it in our 20's too.  You know your kids. 

 

It's not a short tour.   We met at 9 and didn't get back to the ship until almost 2:30.  It would have been later if we'd opted to stay at South Friars Beach.  Thenford gave us the option to stay at the beach for 90 minutes or go back to the port.  Only one couple stayed at the beach.  It was an interesting beach to see but we'd just been to Trunk Bay in St John the day before so we didn't feel the need to spend more beach time.

[zdad59]

38 minutes ago, CruisinCrow said:

We just did the Grand Tour of St Kitts with Thenford Grey.  I thought it was a fantastic tour.  Here is my review with lots of pictures: http://susancrow.blogspot.com/2019/02/celebrity-summit-southern-caribbean_24.html

 

My husband and I are 50.  We're not super-active and adventurous people but we probably would have enjoyed it in our 20's too.  You know your kids. 

 

It's not a short tour.   We met at 9 and didn't get back to the ship until almost 2:30.  It would have been later if we'd opted to stay at South Friars Beach.  Thenford gave us the option to stay at the beach for 90 minutes or go back to the port.  Only one couple stayed at the beach.  It was an interesting beach to see but we'd just been to Trunk Bay in St John the day before so we didn't feel the need to spend more beach time.

 

Great review.     We did Mr. Grey's Grand Tour when we were there too.    You're review is spot on, and we have many of the same pictures.

[Zendeck]

We (Husband and Wife and ACTIVE TEENAGE BOYS) will be in St. Kitts for the first time in April.  I had booked all the other island excursions right away but St. Kitts was my last because I was struggling with the same thoughts,,,,,beaches, snorkeling and excursions are not geared towards active teens like I have found on other islands (Western Carib more so).  That picture of people laying out on the catamaran looks heavenly to me,,,,but my boys would hate it!  LOL.

 

Last week I finally booked Carambola Beach and Parasailing which is right there on the pier.  The boys will also love snorkeling (with water shoes due to the sea urchins) right off the beach.  I did my homework on Tripadvisor to come up with this plan.  

 

Our boys ages are 18/15/11.  In the past on other islands we've done jetski/snorkeling a few times and for something different I was looking at the speed boats/snorkeling excursion on St. Kitts.  But the youngest was too young for Parasailing when we did it years ago, so that is what ultimately helped me with my decision.

 

Good luck!!! 

[EeyoreRN]

5 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

 

I totally agree about Thenford Grey's tour. There was a beach option at the tour's end, but we opted to return to ship.

 

In Antigua we had a private tour with Elmo's Luxury Safari Antigua, went to Nelson Dockyard, Devil's Bridge, Shirley Heights, etc., but lately he didn't reply to friends who wanted to book him, so I'm afraid he's out of business. The tour with him was also amazing.

I had the same issue with Elmo, but thanks for the suggestion! With Thenford, are you allowed to choose the beach, or does he have one he goes to?  I would love a drop-off at Carambola!

[CruisinCrow]

9 minutes ago, EeyoreRN said:

I had the same issue with Elmo, but thanks for the suggestion! With Thenford, are you allowed to choose the beach, or does he have one he goes to?  I would love a drop-off at Carambola!

 

He has one he goes to - South Friars Beach.  Carambola is actually at the other end of the beach so you would walk down there if you wanted.  We saw the couple that opted to stay at the beach later on and they said they walked down to Carambola but they weren't able to use the chairs.

Edited March 6, 2019 by CruisinCrow

[EeyoreRN]

5 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

We really liked the 3 hours St Kitts Scenic railway tour.  A great way to see a lot of the island, plus free cocktails and singing by a local group.  

 

We also liked Nelson's Dockyard on Antigua.  Beautiful island.  We were on Crown Princess last November.  Every island we visited was awesome (including Barbados in the rain).

I was thinking about booking the railroad through my cruise planner, but not sure we'd get to see the most scenic parts of the island?  I can't wait for this itinerary!  Never been to most of them!

 

4 hours ago, lola2013 said:

We loved Captain Sunshine in St. Kitts.  He has multiple excursion options on his website.  We chose the rainforest tour, followed by beach massages (WOW) and then time spent at Carambola Beach.  We have since visited Carambola on every visit to St. Kitts.

 

Last year in Antigua we worked with Sean Beezer at Scenic Tours Antigua.  He did a great tour of his island with a stop at Turner Beach at the end.  

 

Enjoy!

 

Pretty sure this is the first I have heard of Captain Sunshine. Will check it out!  I have heard of Sean Beezer and he is on the list. Thanks for your suggestions!

[EeyoreRN]

3 hours ago, dacsmom said:

I loved Thenford Grey Tours. He really loves his island and goes out of his way to make sure everyone has a good time. I would tour with him anytime.

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

2 hours ago, CruisinCrow said:

We just did the Grand Tour of St Kitts with Thenford Grey.  I thought it was a fantastic tour.  Here is my review with lots of pictures: http://susancrow.blogspot.com/2019/02/celebrity-summit-southern-caribbean_24.html

 

My husband and I are 50.  We're not super-active and adventurous people but we probably would have enjoyed it in our 20's too.  You know your kids. 

 

It's not a short tour.   We met at 9 and didn't get back to the ship until almost 2:30.  It would have been later if we'd opted to stay at South Friars Beach.  Thenford gave us the option to stay at the beach for 90 minutes or go back to the port.  Only one couple stayed at the beach.  It was an interesting beach to see but we'd just been to Trunk Bay in St John the day before so we didn't feel the need to spend more beach time.

 

Thanks for the pictures, it looks gorgeous! Did you ever see a monkey? Could you have gone to a different beach if you wanted? I'd love to check out Carambola. Yeah, I know my kids, I think they'd like the tour from what I've read. They might like ATVs more though, LOL.

 

2 hours ago, zdad59 said:

 

Great review.     We did Mr. Grey's Grand Tour when we were there too.    You're review is spot on, and we have many of the same pictures.

 

Did you stop at a beach?  Thanks for your input!

[EeyoreRN]

1 hour ago, Zendeck said:

We (Husband and Wife and ACTIVE TEENAGE BOYS) will be in St. Kitts for the first time in April.  I had booked all the other island excursions right away but St. Kitts was my last because I was struggling with the same thoughts,,,,,beaches, snorkeling and excursions are not geared towards active teens like I have found on other islands (Western Carib more so).  That picture of people laying out on the catamaran looks heavenly to me,,,,but my boys would hate it!  LOL.

 

Last week I finally booked Carambola Beach and Parasailing which is right there on the pier.  The boys will also love snorkeling (with water shoes due to the sea urchins) right off the beach.  I did my homework on Tripadvisor to come up with this plan.  

 

Our boys ages are 18/15/11.  In the past on other islands we've done jetski/snorkeling a few times and for something different I was looking at the speed boats/snorkeling excursion on St. Kitts.  But the youngest was too young for Parasailing when we did it years ago, so that is what ultimately helped me with my decision.

 

Good luck!!! 

I'm torn about Carambola. If I could combine it with a tour, I would. Trying to get in touch with Thenford to see if he will drop us off there at the end.  Parasailing is so much fun!  We did it once in Disney World and it was a highlight of the trip! Water shoes are on the shopping list.  Have a great cruise and please report back. Thanks for your thoughts.

[CruisinCrow]

14 minutes ago, EeyoreRN said:

Thanks for the pictures, it looks gorgeous! Did you ever see a monkey? Could you have gone to a different beach if you wanted? I'd love to check out Carambola. Yeah, I know my kids, I think they'd like the tour from what I've read. They might like ATVs more though, LOL.

 

 

We did not see any monkeys in the wild.  However, at the stop at Timothy Hill, there were a couple of people with monkeys.  You could pay to hold the monkeys and take pictures with them.  I think someone in our group paid $5.  Be careful because the monkey vendors will try to put the monkeys on you, whether you want them to or not. My husband almost got suckered into it.    I think I read there are monkeys at Port Zante too but I didn't personally see one.

 

Because you're in a group, I don't know if Thenford would drop you off at a different beach.  But like I mentioned in another post, the beach he takes you to is the same beach as Carambola.  Just walk down to the other end. 

[CruisinCrow]

27 minutes ago, EeyoreRN said:

I was thinking about booking the railroad through my cruise planner, but not sure we'd get to see the most scenic parts of the island?  I can't wait for this itinerary!  Never been to most of them!

 

 

My parents did the railroad tour when they were in St Kitts.  They really loved it, but I don't think they got to get out and see things as much as we did on the Thenford Grey tour.  It was more of a scenic ride.

[dani negreanu]

1 hour ago, EeyoreRN said:

I had the same issue with Elmo, but thanks for the suggestion! With Thenford, are you allowed to choose the beach, or does he have one he goes to?  I would love a drop-off at Carambola!

 

You're most welcome.

Don't know about the beaches -- we live a mere 10 minutes drive from a beautiful Mediterranean beach, so we travel to see other views and cultures. Beaches are not on our list...😀 We opted to go back to ship.

[erby2283]

18 hours ago, SAHMof3 said:

Is Royston still doing personal tours in St Kitts? If so, hands down he is the absolute BEST! Small group. Just him and his cousin. He was born and raised there in St Kitts. He charges so little for sooooo much only because his heart is to show people his home island. Oh gosh I hope he’s still doing tours. He will become your forever friend. We still periodically email each other. We are both Christians and he was so good to me and my family. Our tour was only like $50 and it included entrances to two parks, snorkeling, lunch, and plenty of waters, soda and beer in his stocked cooler. Look him up! You won’t be sorry. And just for the record, St. Kitts has amazing off beach snorkeling! It’s my favorite port and I’ve been to almost all of them in the Caribbean.

I agree! Check out if Royston is still doing tours. One of the best tours we ever did and because there were only about 8 of us, we could pretty much do whatever we wanted.

[mixplix]

St. Kitts Carambola is awesome, get their early for good seats.

 

Antigua -  Beach Limerz.  Ten minutes from cruise ship, 12 for the for of us in cab.

 

Nice little beach, umbrellas, chairs, bathroom, restaurant, kayaks, paddle boards, etc - there was no one else on the beach with us all day - like our own private resort.

 

Total for four chairs, two umbrellas, three drinks, three lunches and use of kayak and SUP for as long as we wanted ....$110.

 

Mel was working at the bar, absolute sweetheart. Highly recommend.

[tinkr2]

1 hour ago, EeyoreRN said:

I'm torn about Carambola. If I could combine it with a tour, I would. Trying to get in touch with Thenford to see if he will drop us off there at the end.  Parasailing is so much fun!  We did it once in Disney World and it was a highlight of the trip! Water shoes are on the shopping list.  Have a great cruise and please report back. Thanks for your thoughts.

Thats where he took me recently....

[AL3XCruise]

Assuming you want a tour, it is hard to go wrong with Thenford.  You do get off the bus and walk around the fort, Romney Manor, and have some time at the beach, so it is not just sitting.  Still, if you are looking for an active adventure it may not be what you want.

 

I don't recall the name of the beach, but it was nice enough and had facilities, drinks, and chairs.  And it was neat being at a black sand beach.

 

A few pics from the tour:

 

[CruisinCrow]

9 minutes ago, AL3XCruise said:

I don't recall the name of the beach, but it was nice enough and had facilities, drinks, and chairs.  And it was neat being at a black sand beach.

 

A few pics from the tour:

 

 

 

That's South Friars Beach and the name of the bar there is the Shipwreck Beach Bar.  Carambola is at the other end of the same beach.  See the white buildings in the distance?

[zdad59]

1 hour ago, EeyoreRN said:

 

Did you stop at a beach?  Thanks for your input!

 

Thenford did stop at a beach club where we could stay for about 90 minutes.   We chose to go back to the ship though.    I found some great watch prices at the port shops.  

[lola2013]

How recent is the picture of Shipwreck Beach Bar?  When I was there last March, it was closed because one of the large chain hotels (Ritz perhaps?) purchased all the land and shut down all the businesses on the beach.  There was hope they could possibly re-open, but the place was deserted when I walked down there.  The food was delicious the year before when I visited so it was a big disappointment to find them closed.

[CruisinCrow]

6 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

How recent is the picture of Shipwreck Beach Bar?  When I was there last March, it was closed because one of the large chain hotels (Ritz perhaps?) purchased all the land and shut down all the businesses on the beach.  There was hope they could possibly re-open, but the place was deserted when I walked down there.  The food was delicious the year before when I visited so it was a big disappointment to find them closed.

 

That's not my picture but we were there a couple of weeks ago.  It's open.  Apparently, the deal with the hotel fell through.

[lola2013]

That’s great news for Shipwreck Beach Bar and the rest of the locals.  Now I need to plan another trip to St. Kitts and Carambola.  Go ahead; twist my arm!

 Thanks for the update. 😎

[bluebeard39]

On St. Kitts we did Mad Max Dune Buggies. We drove around the whole island in a tour of 5 Dune Buggies and did a beach break. We had a fantastic time and the Dune Buggies were so much fun to drive. You can check them out on Trip Advisor. Have a great time we did this April 2018.