Need Shore Excursion Advise...PLEASE!

[cruiserforlife]

We just booked the 1/28/05 Sun Eastern Caribbean Islander cruise and we have never been to Antigua,St. Kitts,or St. Thomas and would appreciate some feedback from cruisers experienced in those ports.We like beach activities and would like to see these islands.

 

My wife has been to Barbados and St. Maarten before but it's been many years and I think she did the Jolly Roger booze cruise in Barbados,she still has a pirate shirt!

 

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[melissa_bel]

I sailed to St-Thomas, we took a cab and went to Magens Bay, the island's most beautiful beach. It was a bliss, it's picture perfect! White sand framed by coconot trees. Then, we took a cab to Charlotte Amalie, the capital and just walked and explore (the best way to enjoy a town, really). And after that, a taxi back to the pier. We didn't book any exursions. A lot of people will probably recommend you go to St-John but it's unfair to St-Thomas, really. It's the first time you go there so, you should visit the place. My next cruise is stopping in St-Thomas again so this time, we're going to St-John!!!

You can visit my page: http://melkrooz.tripod.com for more details.

Have fun and enjoy your cruise!!!

[meyerhaus]

I can speak to a couple of islands:

1. Antigua= Take the day and go to Long Bay. It is so beautiful, you will not be dissapointed
   
2. St. Maarten= 12 METRE AMERICA'S CUP CHALLENGE!!! Hands down, the best excursion that I have ever been on.
   
3. St. Thomas= Use this as a beach day as well and go to St. John. You can't go wrong with Hawknest, Trunk or Cinnamon Bays.
   

Hope that helps,

JON

[CruiseFever]

Antigua I want to hear about too, just the facts please, we'll be there for the first time in December

 

St Thomas, you'll get recommendations for Megans Bay, the popular choice. I think Sapphire Beach is just as pretty if not moreso and there's no admission charge BUT on our cruise earlier this month I noticed that they raised the prices. Beer, domestic, $4.50 per bottle, higher than on the ship.

 

I felt ripped off

 

On our Golden Princess cruise last March we chose to go to St John and had a wonderful time on a beautiful beach at Trunk Bay which is part of a US National Park. Easy to get there on your own or through a shore excursion via the ship

[wyocruiser]

Chris:

 

Perhaps you have already addressed this issue, but I notice you are booked on 2 Princess cruises and 2 Carnival cruises. We have been hesitant to try Carnival because of all the negative comments we've heard. I'd be interested in your comparison between the two cruiselines.

 

Antigua ---- we did an island tour that took us to Nelson's Dockyard and a beautiful lookout above Eric Clapton's home. We were surprised that there is so much to see and do on Antigua, and we would love to spend at least a week there.

[CruiseFever]

Chris:

 

Perhaps you have already addressed this issue, but I notice you are booked on 2 Princess cruises and 2 Carnival cruises. We have been hesitant to try Carnival because of all the negative comments we've heard. I'd be interested in your comparison between the two cruiselines.

 

Antigua ---- we did an island tour that took us to Nelson's Dockyard and a beautiful lookout above Eric Clapton's home. We were surprised that there is so much to see and do on Antigua, and we would love to spend at least a week there.

 

 

I think similar cruise experiences can be had on both lines. With Carnival I had to try harder. What I had to work at to create on Carnival (and have many times) Princess just does that way.

 

Comparing is not difficult at all.

 

There are a bunch of black and white differences between the two lines that are not open to interpretation.

 

Dining is not one of them. I've had great meals on both lines. All in all though I'd have to give Princess the nod on the total dining experience. But that's just me. To someone else it could easily go the other way

 

But of the differences worth noting

 

 

• Princess has Personal Choice Dining- this reason alone is enough to cruise Princess and one reason why I cancelled an RCCL cruise for later this year after experiencing it
  
• Carnival's reputation of being a drunken frat party is based in fact from their early days but NOT the case today
  
• Princess' reputation for being all about boring old people who have no fun is for sure NOT the case today- read our review of this months Caribbean Princess cruise for proof
  
• Carnival has water slides, Princess has miniature golf
  
• Princess has fresh water pools, Carnival uses filtered ocean water
  
• Carnival, in general, comes in as the less expensive choice while Princess comes in as the better value
  
• Each Carnival ship has a unique theme and feel with common elements among the fleet such as the extensive use of neon
  
• Princess' ships feature much the same decor and feel with the extensive use of muted tones and pastels
  
• 
  
• Carnival went over the top with the use of urns on the Carnival Legend (I have a gallery of this on our website)
  
• Princess went over the top with the extensive use of carpet design on the Caribbean Princess (I have a gallery of that on the web site too)
  
• Shore excursions, on both lines, are often overpriced, neither one offers any deals there
  
• Princess rules embarkation, absolutely painless
  
• Skywalkers, Princess' first class disco and nightclub blows away anything the Funships of Carnival have ever thought of having
  

 

If I could take just one cruise in my lifetime, which line would I choose?

 

Princess

 

Will I sail Carnival again?

 

You bet!!

[Blackrobe]

cruiserforlife - Since you have not been to St. Thomas previously you probably will want to explore the island. Be advised that the shops have gotten very aggressive. I personally think the shopping is better in St. Maarten if that is what you are interested in doing. St. John's is a lovely 40 -45 minute ferry ride from Charlotte Amalie (http://*****/general_usvi/inter...to%20Cruz%20Bay). Immediately after you get off of the ferry in St. John's there is a taxi stand and they offer island tours on a jitney (a van with the area behind the cab removed and a flat bed installed with benches and a canopy over the top). Rates are all standard and there is no bartering (http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i=&s=Community:Services&p=41071). It is very easy to do and a lovely day.

 

My suggestion for Barbados would be either Glory Tours (http://www.glorytours.org/) or Boyce's Tours (http://www.boycestours.com). We have taken the "Natural Wonders" tour twice with Glory Tours. The second time they modified the tour at my request since I had previously been on it. Both tours were very good! There are two things to be perfectly clear about since there have been problems with Glory Tours by others in the past. The first thing is that the "tour pass" referred to on their opening page is very important. Some people have been left waiting at the pick-up site thinking they had a tour booked and they did not. There is no storefront or office. The tour van picks you up at a designated spot. If you don't receive a "tour pass" you won't get picked up. The second thing is to be very clear about how many are in your tour. There have been several complaints by people thinking that they had arranged a tour for two, four or six, only to find out that others had been added to their group without their knowledge. As I said previously, we were very pleased with our tours and our guides. I have no complaints and would highly recommend Glory Tours. We have not used Boyce's tours but are considering using them on our October trip.

 

We have been to Antigua several times (it is one of my favorite islands). The best tour we have taken was given by Lawrence of Antigua (http://lawrenceofantigua.com/). He gave us a tour of his island this past January and it was one of the high points of our cruise. I highly recommend him. He gave a really great overview tour of the island!

 

We have not been to St. Kitts but we probably will sign up for the train tour (http://stkittsscenicrailway.com/page4.htm & http://www.stkittsscenicrailway.com/page2.htm) through Princess for our October 13 cruise. There has been some mixed reviews (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=57974) but the negative reviews just criticized the low level of activity and similarity of scenary on the train. Okay, I am forewarned but not deterred.

 

We took the Rhino boat excursion in St. Maarten and it was great!

 

I hope this helps. If you need any other information please drop me a note.

[PescadoAmarillo]

We were on that cruise last December. We are active, water sports types, and love beach days and snorkeling and diving.

 

Antigua - booked with Eli at Adventure Antigua, full day excursion, it was great

Barbados - we were there twice in 10 days. First time we booked the catamaran through the ship, to snorkel with sea turtles. It was ok. The second time we booked a tour through Boyce Tours. Had a taxi driver for the day, itinerary was prearranged. It was incredible. Older guy, showed us "his" island, saw where he grew up, etc., very personalized

St. Kitts - took a taxi to Turtle Beach to see the monkeys, but the waves were way too rough to snorkel and the dive operation that used to operate out of there had closed down. Driver took us back to a beach on the southeastern ench of the island (southern side, not northern side) and it was a great beach day. St. Kitts is a beautiful island! You could also check the ferry schedules to Bequia, or try to see it on a private tour.

St. Thomas - if you want to just beach, do Megans Bay or Sapphire Beach. If you want to snorkel, either take the ferry to St. John and Trunk Bay, or (we thought even better) go to Coki Beach. The fish were plentiful and colorful, and it was our favorite snorkel experience.

[wyocruiser]

Thanks, Chris! You've given us something to think about.

[wyocruiser]

Oh, another question about Carnival vs. Princess. How do the staterooms compare?

[cruiserforlife]

Thank you Blackrobe and JMB410 and everyone else for the great info,we really appreciate it!!! Can't wait for our cruise!

 

Chris,

Although we have cruised Princess many,many times (my wife is an Elite member),we have never tried Personal Dining.My agent has us booked for PD on this cruise.Personally,we have always done traditional late seating because we like to enjoy the pool area later in the afternoon/early evening and don't want to feel rushed to get to the first seating nor do we want to feel like we are being rushed out to make way for the second seating.Frankly,as I get older,finishing dinner at 10:30+ and trying to make it to shows is getting rather old.Personal Dining seems like a great solution but we have never tried it.

I see it was a deciding reason for you to cruise with Princess again.

 

Please give me some tips on PD if you will and if I'm convinced,we'll stay with it.Thanks alot,I respect your opinion.

[curiousx]

....St. Kitts is a beautiful island! You could also check the ferry schedules to Bequia, or try to see it on a private tour....

 

I am probably posting this too late to be of use, but just in case...Bequia is not off the coast of St. Kitts. It is off the coast of St. Vincent. And a great place to visit if your schedule permits. http://www.bequiatourism.com will give you the ferry schedules. Click on 'Getting Around'.

[heyjude27]

cruiserforlife,

 

i'm glad jmb remembered the name of eli's tour. our entire family loved it and it still ranks high against all other excursions we've taken on all cruises. that's my vote for antigua.

 

we snorkeled at coki in st thomas -- very nice. i wanted to stay on this island rather than go to st john -- next time we'll go to st john.

 

st martin -- great beach day at orient (no snorkeling) when we were there; next time will do the sail race.

 

j

[tigre]

I've been to both Megan's Bay and Sapphire, and both are definitely gorgeous and worth while. Sapphire had a band playing, with is a plus in addition to the no fee. We took a great tour with Godfrey's tours http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/ which includes time at the beach, and he will drop you off and pick you up at either one. I highly recommend his tour - it was well worth it!

 

In Antigua, we rented a car (I believe from Hertz), and drove around the island to Half Moon Bay (if I remember that correctly). It was wonderful and relaxing.

 

Have a great time!!!

tigre

[Kellyann]

We have always had traditional dining and were anxious to try personal choice. There are definitely pros and cons and if you've never done it, it's only for one week so do give it a try. The biggest drawback is not having the same waiter every night. In our experience over 9 cruises in some cases this would definitely be a plus but overall we've had great waiters that we enjoyed interacting with each night. On the pro side of personal choice, it was so much more relaxing not having to rush to dinner if we were in port or just enjoying the ship's daytime activities. I've read on this board how long people had to wait at certain times but we did not experience any wait for more than 10 minutes. There were 6 in our party and we ate at different times every night. They give you a disk that blinks like they give you in restaurants so you can enjoy a drink while you wait. I would never go back to Traditional dining given the choice. As someone stated earlier, as long as I don't have to cook it's just fine.

[mringenoldus]

St. Thomas - we went to St John and hiked the National Forest to Honeymoon Beach and Caneel Bay Resort. Awesome! This year we are going to Coral World and Coki Beach

 

Antigua - Absolutely - Eli's Eco Tour!! One of the best excursions we ever took.

 

Barbados - Tour the Mt. Gay Rum Factory and Harrison's Caves. But beware of traffic - my husband almost missed the ship!

 

St Kitts - Greg's Safaris Tours gets great reviews from Conde Nast. We are trying to schedule with him for Oct. 12. He has been very responsive to my emails.

[oneknee]

Antigua- we did a dolphin swim and had a great time (Dolphinfantaseas)--however I have read some info. about them being bought out by a less than reputable company.

 

St Thomas- If you do any excursion, it has to be the BOB-- the absoultely best excursion we have ever done!

 

 

Good luck!

[OCruisers]

Two of our favorite shore excursions offered by Princess are in St.Kitts and Barbados! :)

 

St.Kitts: St.Kitts - Nevis Sailaway (click for review) In Nevis you will feel as if you are walking around on a postcard!!

 

Barbados: 5-Star Catamaran (click for review)

 

Antigua:Taxi to LONG BAY BEACH where the sand is as white as sugar and as fine as flour. Taxi drivers in Antigua are expecially nice and helpful. Do set a price UpFront with them because taxis are NOT metered.

 

St.Marrten: The beach right in town is quick and easy via Water Taxi. Problem right now is the there's a quite a bit of construction in town right now. We'd would take a cab to Orient Beach. Yes, it's the Nude Beach ... BUT it's quite lovely ... and everyone is not in the buff!

 

St.Thomas: We love taking the Red Hood ferry to St.John and spending the day at Trunk Bay!

 

Have FUN planning. Hope this helps a bit. Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[AbbyGirl]

Antigua - We did the Sail, Snorkel, and Beach excursion and had a BLAST. The crew of the catamaran was awesome. They take you out and drop you off "in the middle of the ocean." What I mean by this is that it was a little work to swim against the waves and current, but the sights were cool. After the snorkeling they took us to Deep Bay and we were able to hang out on the beach for about an hour. On the trip back to the boats they were all dancing, doing the limbo, and of course all the rum punch and other drinks you could hope for. It is a PARTY if you are looking for one.

 

While we were at the beach, we passed a Jolly Pirate boat that was also having a huge party on board. They were swinging from ropes and dropping into the water...I don't remember seeing this one, but it is something I will look into the next time...

 

St. Thomas - We did the Kon Tiki Raft Party....It was o.k, but I think after the catamaran at Antigua, we had our hopes set too high...Would I suggest this one? If you are looking for a relaxing ride out to a beach, hang out for about an hour and then they partied on the way back. This boat also has glass boat viewing areas that they open for about 10 minutes, but it is really hard to see anything throught the glass....

 

I have pictures of both boats, but they are too large to add here...I can email them to you if you would like to see them.

[AmyinGA]

In St Thomas we loved the BOB (Breathing Observation Bubble). http://www.bobusvi.com

 

This was our besst excursion yet for 3 cruises. There are only 6 places in the world where you can BOB. So I would grab the chance when you get it. It was a wonderful experience.

[Justmetalkin]

Antigua- we did a dolphin swim and had a great time (Dolphinfantaseas)--however I have read some info. about them being bought out by a less than reputable company.

 

St Thomas- If you do any excursion, it has to be the BOB-- the absoultely best excursion we have ever done!

 

 

Good luck!

What is the BOB?????

[oneknee]

Is an underwater scooter... see bobusvi.com

really fun..

[OCruisers]

In St Thomas we loved the BOB (Breathing Observation Bubble). http://www.bobusvi.com.

 

On our last cruise with a stop in St.Thomas ... everyone who took this excursion RAVED about B.O.B. !!!! :) It seems they can open the top and pass down your regular perscription glasses ...don't know exactly how it was done .... :confused: .... but, this was a very positive factor for many.

 

Gosh, we want to try B.O.B. next time!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Sailing! :)

[Northender]

You have me pretty well convinced to do this one. Just a couple of questions

 

 

Did anyone experience being closed in?

What if you get to the bottom and want to stop?

 

Will put this in My Favorites for future use.

 

Did you book the trip directly with the BOB folks or do a Princess excursion?

 

Thanks one and all :)

[hamptod]

I've been to both Megan's Bay and Sapphire, and both are definitely gorgeous and worth while. Sapphire had a band playing, with is a plus in addition to the no fee. We took a great tour with Godfrey's tours http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/ which includes time at the beach, and he will drop you off and pick you up at either one. I highly recommend his tour - it was well worth it!

 

Ditto on Godfrey's tours. For $20, he was well worth it.

 

Deborah