St. Kitts Railway Poll - What did you think?

[2112]

With several positive and negative posts regarding the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, I thought a poll might be interesting. If you have been on this tour, what did you think?

[ILUVSUN]

Best tour I have ever been on I highly recommend it to anyone truly great experience!!!!!:) :) :) :) :)

 

I was on the tour last year and my entire family enjoyed the free drinks, quire and history of the island of St. kitts. The lower level of the train was perfect for my elderly parents as it was air conditioned and they were able to escape to warm temperatures. If I have the opportunity I will ride it again.

 

Far better product than The White Pass and Yukon Route in Skagway Alaska (took that trip two years ago on SE Alaska cruise) I found that trip to be tedious and the weather was not good so it obscured most of the views I also found the furniture to be uncomfortable and the tour guide to be lacking IMHO.

[2112]

I'm very surprised only 2 people have voted.

[NancyIL]

Best tour I have ever been on I highly recommend it to anyone truly great experience!!!!!:) :) :) :) :)

 

I was on the tour last year and my entire family enjoyed the free drinks, quire and history of the island of St. kitts. The lower level of the train was perfect for my elderly parents as it was air conditioned and they were able to escape to warm temperatures. If I have the opportunity I will ride it again.

 

Far better product than The White Pass and Yukon Route in Skagway Alaska (took that trip two years ago on SE Alaska cruise) I found that trip to be tedious and the weather was not good so it obscured most of the views I also found the furniture to be uncomfortable and the tour guide to be lacking IMHO.

 

We'll be on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad in June, and I am very much looking forward to the spectacular scenery. Was it fog that obscured your views? We're going one-way by bus and returning to Skagway by train, so perhaps it won't be too tedious.

 

I just booked a cruise for March 2008 that goes to St. Kitts, so I'm also interested in people's opinions about this train.

[sharbin1]

We were in St. Kitts last October and took the train tour... there were four of us and I went up and sat in the open air while the others stayed below in the air conditioned car where you couldn't see much except lots of greenery. We had all really looked forward to this tour but it didn't meet our expectations at all and wasn't worth the cost in our opinion.

[millieandbill]

We have been to St. Kitts and loved the train. It takes you around the entire island so you can see how the prople living on the island actually live.

Children run towards the train as it passes waving with big similes. It is a very poor island but the people are great.

The next time we go on the train we will bring quarters and candy to throw to the children as we pass. They were great.

We sat upstairs in the open air and enjoyed the free drinks along with the singing.

We would deffiinately recommed taking the train,

Millie

[Coolmama_1]

We enjoyed the railroad. It was very relaxing and great scenery.

[LuvMyVette]

Hi

For those of you that took this train ride I have a few questions.

1 - What kind of drinks do they serve?

2 - Are seats assigned?

3 - Best side to sit upstairs for taking pictures.

4 - Baby friendly?

5 - Are there restrooms on the train?

6 - Any food available?

7 - How long did it take you to arrive at the train from where the ship was docked?

This will be our first time to St. Kitt's and we are interested in taking the train ride. We might be traveling with an infant as well (we're trying to adopt a baby) so not sure if we'll have our addition to the family with us or not.

 

Any information you could provide, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Sea ya!

[Liz Pereira]

Hi

For those of you that took this train ride I have a few questions.

1 - What kind of drinks do they serve?

2 - Are seats assigned?

3 - Best side to sit upstairs for taking pictures.

4 - Baby friendly?

5 - Are there restrooms on the train?

6 - Any food available?

7 - How long did it take you to arrive at the train from where the ship was docked?

This will be our first time to St. Kitt's and we are interested in taking the train ride. We might be traveling with an infant as well (we're trying to adopt a baby) so not sure if we'll have our addition to the family with us or not.

 

Any information you could provide, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Sea ya!

 

The following article might answer some of your questions.

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCP/is_3_27/ai_n15791733

 

You might want to post your questions on the forum at http://myeyez.net/cgi-bin/stkitts/YaBB.pl

 

Become a member and post your questions under "Circus".

 

You'll probably get more responses there.

[LuvMyVette]

Liz:

 

Thanks very much for the link and advice... greatly appreciate it!

 

Sea ya!

[MBZ Girl]

For those of you that took this train ride I have a few questions.

 

1 - What kind of drinks do they serve?

Rum Punch, Margaritas and there might have been another, along with water were the ones I saw

 

 

2 - Are seats assigned?

No just the individual cars are--you sit anywhere, top or bottom

 

 

3 - Best side to sit upstairs for taking pictures.

Absolutely

 

 

4 - Baby friendly?

Absolutely

 

 

5 - Are there restrooms on the train?

Yes, in each car I believe (there was in our car)

 

 

6 - Any food available?

No, none that I saw

We just did this tour in March. It was interesting but I was a bit disappointed that ALL we really saw were sugar cane fields, neighborhoods and goats running wild everywhere. I was expecting to see more towns, villages and a bit more I guess. Worth doing once, definitely not twice!

[LuvMyVette]

MBZ:

Thanks so much for the response. DH/I are still tinkering with this excursion since nothing else really appeals to us in St. Kitt's. Not knowing if our adoption will be successful by then I have to be very careful planning any tour to make sure it's baby friendly. If we decide to go on this tour, is it better to sit on the right or left side of this train? I love taking pictures, especially scenery, so I'm curious to know if one side is better than the other.

Many thanks for your response!

Sea ya!

[MBZ Girl]

Trish, the little spiral staircase going to the upper deck is tight so you would have to be careful with a baby in your arms, but it is definitely doable. The cars are bench seating along both sides & you can really see 360 from anywhere just by turning your body.

The lower car has tables with wicker chairs facing each other & I felt very confined down there--we moved down due to a rain storm--after all, you are in the rain forrest!!!

I have some pix if you are interested--might give you a better idea. You can email me and jnl no space rose at aol.

[LuvMyVette]

Hi Lynn

I would love to see some pictures! Thank you very much for sharing them. I'll send you an email.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Sea ya!

[mistereks]

For $99, a complete rip-off.

 

Guide was bored (and boring), and though the island has some natural beauty, it is offset by the many views you get of garbage-filled yards, pig stys, shanty towns with zero charm -- even the island's large open-air garbage dump.

 

15 minutes of the two-hour two had beautiful scenery. Other than that, give it a pass.

[judyzoo]

For $99, a complete rip-off.

 

Guide was bored (and boring), and though the island has some natural beauty, it is offset by the many views you get of garbage-filled yards, pig stys, shanty towns with zero charm -- even the island's large open-air garbage dump.

 

15 minutes of the two-hour two had beautiful scenery. Other than that, give it a pass.

 

Mistereks must have been on a different railway than I. I thought it was one of the best tours/shore excursions that I've ever taken. The guides were informative and friendly. The scenery and views were absolutely spectacular. Yes, some of the villages we went through were poor (poor, but not dirty), but the people were smiling, happy, glad to see us, friendly. We were serenaded by a three-person a capella choir (perhaps that was just because it was around Christmas time, but perhaps not). Nice refreshments (drinks, local sugar cakes).

[telli01]

Mistereks must have been on a different railway than I. I thought it was one of the best tours/shore excursions that I've ever taken. The guides were informative and friendly. The scenery and views were absolutely spectacular. Yes, some of the villages we went through were poor (poor, but not dirty), but the people were smiling, happy, glad to see us, friendly. We were serenaded by a three-person a capella choir (perhaps that was just because it was around Christmas time, but perhaps not). Nice refreshments (drinks, local sugar cakes).

 

I agree, we really enjoyed it. We had singers too and we were there just 2 weeks ago!

[cat26]

Has anyone done this lately? We are thinking of doing this in Jan?

[bzbob]

DW & I rode the St Kitts RR while aboard the Carnival Miracle in early April of this year. We both found it to be a wonderful, well worth while experience. IMHO, one's enjoyment of anything is largely based on what perception the have "going into it". Is what you see from the St Kitts RR 100% "tropical paradise"? No. What you see is reality, some not so scenic, but most of it incredibly beautiful. Remember, the railroad was built for work (transporting sugar cane), not pleasure.

The folks that work aboard the train are friendly, informative and intensely proud of their country. The people, especially the children, that you see on your trip will always have a smile and a wave for the train's passengers.

In summation, is the St Kitts RR excursion worth taking? The answer is a resounding YES!!!!!!!!!!!

[cruisingnana]

We are on Miracle sailing of 11/21/08 and had hoped to take this excursion. So far, it is not listed on our choices for pre-booking. Does anyone know if it might appear as we get closer to sail date? Also, is there any way to take this tour on our own if Carnival does not offer it? TIA

[Megnolia]

I emailed the tour company and got a nice reply from them, as I did not see it available on our Victory sailing either. The rep. assured me that it would be offered through our sailing, and that we could book it once on board the ship. Hopefully this will happen with your sailing, too. I think they would definitely operate it every day, but if you want to check, I emailed scenicreservations@sisterisles.kn with the exact date and ship I would be arriving on. It seems that you must book with a cruiseline or hotel if you're staying on the island, so you couldn't just show up.

 

I'm looking forward to this tour!

 

Meg

[judyzoo]

It seems that you must book with a cruiseline or hotel if you're staying on the island, so you couldn't just show up.

 

I'm looking forward to this tour!

 

Meg

 

I hope that you will be able to take the tour, and I think you'll enjoy it. I loved everything about it!

[janandjon]

Last December 08 ,We did the train tour and found it interesting and informitive. the sights of the pigs and villages,volcanos,beaches etc. gave us a great overview of the island and its history.

The locals who did the singing were entertaining and put a smile on everyones face. The refreshments were numbing.

We are on the QM2 this Jan,stopping at St Kitts and will have a better understanding of where and what we want to do.

They gave us a CD of the train tour which we have shared with friends who thought that they would want to share the same experience.

I would recommend this tour to anyone who has not been on the Island before.

I would put this tour in the same cat. as trolley car rides,Duckboat tours,

etc that are availble in most major US cities. They accomplish what they say and intend to accomplish.This is one of the best I've been on.:)

[bellagirl]

I've been waiting to hear from the tour company for about a wk. now. Carnival is no longer advertising their tour for Dec. Do they usually respond in a timely manner? Shelly

[judyzoo]

I've been waiting to hear from the tour company for about a wk. now. Carnival is no longer advertising their tour for Dec. Do they usually respond in a timely manner? Shelly

 

I don't know whether the railway deals directly with the public. As for Carnival, it may be that they're close to the end of their contract and are just renegotiating for December and after.