QM2 Caribbean Shore Excursions

[JennAngel9]

I have been reading a number of individual reviews, but I was hoping some people might be willing to compile a list of their favorite shore excursions (as well as ones to stay away from!) on the following islands:

St. Lucia

Tortola

Barbados

St. Kitts

St. Thomas

 

Thanks in advance!

[southwestie]

i thought that was done, by reading the posts, you see what people liked and what they thought of them.

 

tell what one you like and we can tell you about them

 

rob

[Crusing Bob]

If you go to the Ports of Call, you probably can find a lot of detail that will be interesting and helpful.

Bob

[judy&steve]

I have been reading a number of individual reviews, but I was hoping some people might be willing to compile a list of their favorite shore excursions (as well as ones to stay away from!) on the following islands:

St. Lucia

Tortola

Barbados

St. Kitts

St. Thomas

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Hi JennAngel9,

We just returned from QM2 Caribbean last week.

My requirement for this particular trip was that I have no pressure -- meaning, not to have to wake up at an unreasonable hour to get off the ship. I also have some walking issues, so I like to do easy excursions. We don't do beaches, snorkeling, or other water-related activities. My favorite activity is shopping:D .

We didn't do an excursion in Tortola, but should have. There wasn't a whole lot to do in town.

St. Lucia, Views of St. Lucia. It was extradordinary. We have been to St. Lucia twice and never had such a nice time. Our guide was excellent. We enjoyed it tremendously.

Barbados -- We did the Sugar Trail in Barbados. Hate it. It was extremely boring -- the guide/driver said nothing along the way. The van was quite uncomfortable and the stops were nothing special. The windmill stop was a rugged walk and the "theatre" was a tiny little hut with a tv/dvd playing. It was too hot to be in there. We didn't like this tour at all.

St. Kitts -- Sugar Train was very pleasant. It was a lovely tour with nice guides. We also did some major shopping in this port at the conveniently placed shops!

St. Thomas -- We have been there many times. We like to shop there. We did discover the new Yacht Haven resort with restaurants and some really nice shopping.

If we can help you any more, please let me know. The cruise was the best! I'll try to get around to writing a review soon.

--Judy

[JennAngel9]

We are not big shoppers (on vacation), in particular, we are looking for good golf and beaches that are nice but not overcrowded. Also, anything particularly neat/special for a given island.

 

Judy-- thanks so much for your suggestions. It's helpful to know that there's not much to do in Tortola, we were just thinking last night we might try to skip an excursion there.

[travel-to-go]

We are not big shoppers (on vacation), in particular, we are looking for good golf and beaches that are nice but not overcrowded. Also, anything particularly neat/special for a given island.

 

Judy-- thanks so much for your suggestions. It's helpful to know that there's not much to do in Tortola, we were just thinking last night we might try to skip an excursion there.

Tortola is known as a sailer's (yachters, sailboats) paradise. There are bars on some of the nearby islands that are well known. Snorkeling is pretty good. We did the Hydrofoil boat, which has a glass bottom - a big round area under cover with a viewing lens. The reason it is a hydrofoil is that it doesn't have a standard keel. We found that to be quite fun!

 

I can't tell you anything about Golf, as I am not a golfer. You might try googling golf and Tortola to see what you can find, Since a lot of yachters do tend to go into Tortola, it seems like it would stand to reason some of them might go golfing.

Charlie, Do you have any info on Tortola and Golf?

There are some beaches and, I think beach trips on Tortola, but I am not a beach person- I grew up on a beach! (And usually tried to stay as near to air conditioning as I could! I had the best waxed surfboard in town!)

 

Good luck,. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

 

Karie

 

P.S. Two words: Pusser's Rum!

[Brit and proud]

I have been reading a number of individual reviews, but I was hoping some people might be willing to compile a list of their favorite shore excursions (as well as ones to stay away from!) on the following islands:

St. Lucia

Tortola

Barbados

St. Kitts

St. Thomas

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

we are going on a similar cruise on March 10th and posted similar questions and a couple of polls

 

these links may help

 

 

brian

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=671568

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=671544

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=671544

[VirginCruiser II]

We are not big shoppers (on vacation), in particular, we are looking for good golf and beaches that are nice but not overcrowded. Also, anything particularly neat/special for a given island.

 

Judy-- thanks so much for your suggestions. It's helpful to know that there's not much to do in Tortola, we were just thinking last night we might try to skip an excursion there.

 

DON'T!! Tortola was our first port of call last month and we had an unbelievable Cunard excursion to The Baths At Virgin Gorda. You are tendered ashore and a large fast catamaran type boat takes you to the island of Virgin Gorda - you pass the QM2 twice for some spectacular photo shots and when you land large pick-up truck type open taxis take you to The Top of the Baths. A winding trail takes you down to the beach where you then follow the trail to Devil's Beach - do not miss this part, it's the best! You need to be fairly agile and you walk through gaps in between massive boulders (like caves) with the warm water lapping up round your knees, up gentle slopes with ropes, up and down wooden steps, it's quite an adventure. Eventually you will reach the end at the most idyllic beach imaginable. White sand, palm trees, warm water. We thought we had died and gone to heaven! Take a bag for your cameras and shoes and your towels from your cabin. Swim and sunbathe for an hour or so then take the gentle path back up the easy way. You will love this trip.

On St Kitts we did the Sugar Train as well, it was truly wonderful especially when you pass the three schools and all the tiny children come running out to greet you.

On St Lucia we did a $50 per person six hour privare tour with Cosol. Look up his web site. This was highly recommended and worth every cent.

Enjoy!:) :) :)

[southwestie]

Dont miss virgin gorda.

 

check out these photos

 

http://www.peterlanger.com/Countries/Latinamerica/BritishVirginIslands/index.htm

 

rob

[judy&steve]

We are not big shoppers (on vacation), in particular, we are looking for good golf and beaches that are nice but not overcrowded. Also, anything particularly neat/special for a given island.

 

Judy-- thanks so much for your suggestions. It's helpful to know that there's not much to do in Tortola, we were just thinking last night we might try to skip an excursion there.

 

Like others have said, the baths are interesting if you like that sort of adventure. We just don't.

I don't remember which port it was, but there were plenty of golfers leaving on excursions. I'm pretty sure there is at least one golf excursion on that cruise, perhaps more. Again, we don't pay much attention to excursions which are geared towards sports or water activities.

Several weeks before you leave, the excursion book will arrive and you can peruse the descriptions and find something that appeals to you.

--Judy

[calikak]

Let me echo the comments about the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Definitely the highlight of our Caribbean cruise back in February. This can be organized through the ship, or on your own.

[champagne lover]

Can anyone tell me what time the trip to The Baths at Virgin Gorda leaves? And also, the trip on the sugar train in St Kitts?

Our booklet has arrived but it doesn't have departure times in it. We always like to be back at the port for a bit of shopping before going back on the ship. And in Tortola, we need to be back for a visit to Pusser's for a Painkiller!

[travel-to-go]

Can't speak for the Baths (could if I was at home and had my stuff from my cruise, but sorry, I'm not) St Kitts there were several different trips. And yes, we got back in plenty of time to shop, had we so desired. Be cautioned, however, that if some trips do not fill, you may get transferred to a different time, as we did. I believe if that new time was unacceptable, you could opt to cancel and get full money back on it, while if you just cancelled you might not.

 

Karie

[judy&steve]

Can anyone tell me what time the trip to The Baths at Virgin Gorda leaves? And also, the trip on the sugar train in St Kitts?

Our booklet has arrived but it doesn't have departure times in it. We always like to be back at the port for a bit of shopping before going back on the ship. And in Tortola, we need to be back for a visit to Pusser's for a Painkiller!

 

I think there were two departure times for the train. One was early morning and there was one a little later in the (maybe about 9:45 or 10) morning. Trust me. There will be time to shop in St. Kitts. You can't get to the ship without going through the shopping area. We were able to have breakfast, do the train, go shopping, and have lunch on the ship.

--Judy

[southwestie]

why bother to leave the wonderful ship, if your looking for golf and no adventure LOL, play the simulator on the ship.

 

 

rob

[Vic The Parrot]

P.S. Two words: Pusser's Rum!

 

 

 

And I agree with Karie, Robin, and others .... Pussers, and the Baths are "musts" :)

[miss_franny]

I have been reading a number of individual reviews, but I was hoping some people might be willing to compile a list of their favorite shore excursions (as well as ones to stay away from!) on the following islands:

St. Lucia

Tortola

Barbados

St. Kitts

St. Thomas

 

Thanks in advance!

I was on the first QM2 "Connoisseur's Caribbean" cruise of this season. I don't know how much the temperature has changed since early November, but when I was there it was very very hot and humid. I have now learned the importance of picking a tour on either an open-air safari bus or an air-conditioned bus; you'll at least get a nice breeze along the way.

 

We booked shore excursions through Cunard for each of the 5 ports of call.

 

Tortola Highlights & Cane Garden Bay Beach - 3 hours: With several photo stops from one side of the island to the other, it was a nice tour that allowed us to get a pretty good feel of the island. I regret not visiting The Baths, but spending some time at Cane Garden Bay made up for it. There was not a whole lot to do in town besides browsing in the souvenir stores closeby. **Keep your eyes opened for the ONE AND ONLY traffic light on the island.

 

St. Kitts City Drive & Beach - 4.5 hours: To be honest, I didn't particularly like this island. The people on the other 4 islands were all very friendly. I didn't feel that way here. There were at least 5 people wandering the beach offering massages with aloe. That didn't bother me until one of them actually grabbed my arm and gave me a sample massage even when I politely refused the offer. They just kept haggling and coming back. One pregnant woman gave a man a massage and then insisted on a bigger tip. With one hand on her hip she kept repeating herself, "It's for the baby. Give it to the baby!" That was the general attitude of the island.

 

Barbados 4x4 Safari Adventure - 3 hours: It was interesting driving through the rainforest and seeing exotic plants. From the east coast, we cut through the centre of the island to the west coast and that gave us the opportunity to pass by many of the luxury condos. But as much as I loved the 4x4 adventure, I feel I didn't spend enough time exploring Barbados on foot. Sandy Lane Resort was highly recommended to me. I believe Cunard offers a shore excursion for golfing at Sandy Lane. A stop at Bathsheba is a must!

 

Best of St. Lucia By Land & Sea with Lunch - 8 hours: This is one tour I would warn everyone to stay away from. For one, it was LONG. The tour started at 7:30am. We made about 4 short stops in the first 3 hours and although there was air-conditioning, the bus ride was long and daunting. It was a slow drive because the roads were narrow and windy. I originally thought a visit to the world's only drive-in volcano would be fun. I guess I failed to remember that the smell of sulphur is like rotten eggs. The combination of the stench with the humid weather made for a very bad experience. It was probably worth it to be there once, but I would never want to go there again. We spent almost 2 hours at Morne Coubaril Estate, which is an active plantation that also acts as a museum, restaurant, and botanical garden. We went on a guided tour of the estate and learned how cocoa is fermented. Although it was beautiful there, the heat made the walk around the estate very exhausting. After lunch, we went on a catamaran cruise back north to Castries. It was probably the most relaxing part of the day. We were supposed to be back on the ship by 3:30pm, but our catamaran didn't get us back to the pier until 3:45pm; we were the last tour group to be tendered back to the ship. My friend and I were so drained from the tour that we slept from 5pm until 6am the next morning.

 

St.Thomas Atlantis Submarine Expedition - 3 hours: I had never been in a submarine before, so I thought it would be fun to try it on this voyage. It was an interesting experience that I would probably just do once. If you enjoy shopping, you probably won't need to book a shore excursion here. Just get a taxi and go to Havensight Mall. There are also many shops in town to browse through. St. Thomas is definitely the shopping island. Here, you never have to find a taxi...they find you. You'll be stopped every 20 steps or so by a taxi driver asking if you're going back to the ship or what ship you're from. He'll basically gather a group of 6 or more people in his open-air bus before taking all of you back to the ship. It should cost you US$4/person.

[VirginCruiser II]

....oh well, some you win, some you lose!:D

That's why we thoroughly researched our excursions on these boards and on the net before booking anything. All five trips we did were superb!:)

[southwestie]

Miss franny, I can quite see your valid points, we did the sceanic railway and found everyone friendly, waves from everyone, but we were told not much to see otherwise, we did the baths at virgin gorda for the same reasons, st lucia, we thought was beautiful, but did an AC bus trip for 6 hours with friendly cuides, ( the best) and wonderful passengers from the qm2.

 

on most of the islands anything fore than about 3 hours and (mornings only) were toooooo long, the morning short trips were great, then back to the ship for lunch or tea.

 

tortola is still baths and that beach, in all my life I have seen anywhere more beautiful, so natural and great fun, and you take your own time and pace.

I still say.

miss the baths and you miss tortola

[JennAngel9]

Best of St. Lucia By Land & Sea with Lunch - 8 hours: This is one tour I would warn everyone to stay away from. For one, it was LONG. The tour started at 7:30am. We made about 4 short stops in the first 3 hours and although there was air-conditioning, the bus ride was long and daunting. It was a slow drive because the roads were narrow and windy. I originally thought a visit to the world's only drive-in volcano would be fun. I guess I failed to remember that the smell of sulphur is like rotten eggs. The combination of the stench with the humid weather made for a very bad experience. It was probably worth it to be there once, but I would never want to go there again. We spent almost 2 hours at Morne Coubaril Estate, which is an active plantation that also acts as a museum, restaurant, and botanical garden. We went on a guided tour of the estate and learned how cocoa is fermented. Although it was beautiful there, the heat made the walk around the estate very exhausting. After lunch, we went on a catamaran cruise back north to Castries. It was probably the most relaxing part of the day. We were supposed to be back on the ship by 3:30pm, but our catamaran didn't get us back to the pier until 3:45pm; we were the last tour group to be tendered back to the ship. My friend and I were so drained from the tour that we slept from 5pm until 6am the next morning.

 

 

My husband was interested in the St. Lucia tour you described and I've been thinking "an 8 hour shore excursion sounds like a recipe for potential disaster"-- sounds like we should definitely skip that one. And I'll never forget what sulphur smells like after misguidedly agreeing to go on a weekend trip to a sulphur spings resort.