Spencer Ambrose tours????

[Danica7]

I was also on the Miracle sailing and had a tour booked with Spencer on Oct. 23. I am shocked to hear the bad reviews as this tour was the highlight of our cruise. I booked a private tour for myself and my mother as we preferred to see more of the island instead of spending time at the beach. We were in the front of the line to get off of the ship and as soon as we met Spencer he sent us off with our driver John, who had a very nice Lexus waiting for us.

 

John was an excellent tour guide. He made numerous stops where we were able to get out and take pictures and chat with the locals. We never felt rushed. He had a cooler full of rum punch, beer, soda and water and was constantly offering us a drink. We were also offered fresh bananas and he stopped and purchased some cassava cakes for us to sample. We arrived at the restaurant for lunch just as the other groups were departing. They filled the whole buffet table with fresh platters of food for just the two of us.

 

I would not hesitate to book this tour again if we return to St. Lucia. We had such a great time I am even considering spending a week there for my next vacation.

[kellyclayt]

I have been in contact with Spencer who was quite upset about the negative review. I do not plan on canceling. We will do our tour with him on December 23 and then report back. I am confident that we will have a wonderful time due to the fact that the overwhelming majority of people have had a fantastic tour with Spencer.

 

I was also on the Miracle sailing and had a tour booked with Spencer on Oct. 23. I am shocked to hear the bad reviews as this tour was the highlight of our cruise. I booked a private tour for myself and my mother as we preferred to see more of the island instead of spending time at the beach. We were in the front of the line to get off of the ship and as soon as we met Spencer he sent us off with our driver John, who had a very nice Lexus waiting for us.

 

John was an excellent tour guide. He made numerous stops where we were able to get out and take pictures and chat with the locals. We never felt rushed. He had a cooler full of rum punch, beer, soda and water and was constantly offering us a drink. We were also offered fresh bananas and he stopped and purchased some cassava cakes for us to sample. We arrived at the restaurant for lunch just as the other groups were departing. They filled the whole buffet table with fresh platters of food for just the two of us.

 

I would not hesitate to book this tour again if we return to St. Lucia. We had such a great time I am even considering spending a week there for my next vacation.

[maygoddess]

I am sorry to read about these recent negative reviews. I think that some of you had high expectations for how much things could realistically be done during this day given the amount of time it takes to just get around the island. I am sure spenser and his guides could have off days but we generally were moved around swiftly and organized well.

 

To start off..there CAN be delays even getting started. I organized my group of 30 from our CC roll call. I kept everyone posted as to when we were to start and meet Spenser and I was the 1st there helping to make sure everyone was there. We had one couple missing and we waited about 5-10 minutes but both Spenser and I concured we are leaving with our without them as this was rude to be late. We did walk away and took the group to the vans and the last couple showed up finally just in time. So he is torn between waiting for everyone or just taking off. So you cannot blame him for a 30 minute delay on the ship nor waiting to make sure everyone was assembled. When we went, we saw Cosol's group and he took just as much time to assemble his group. They filed off as we filed off.

 

Since it does take along time to just circle around the island, there is not much time to stop EVERYWHERE. He does stop at the "kodak moment" stops, bathroom break. He had to stop to pick up more beer because we had one guy in our van who was pounding them down like they were water! He probably felt safe having 2 dozen bottles in teh cooler for just 10 of us and most of us were not drinking them. I cannot blame him for not having more and making a quick stop to make sure everyone had plenty of what we wanted.

 

The lunch we had was great. Sounds similar..chicken, fig salad(which looks like a potato salad but actually is bananas but they call it fig salad! yummy). They had johnny cakes and plantains as well.

 

Since I had told Spenser that we had part of group who wanted more beach time and were fine skipping the falls, hot springs, and the other half who wanted to see all that and were okay with less beach time..we split the group up in the 3 vans according to where they wanted to go and off we went.I wanted more beach time so I went with that group. It took time to get to Jalousie, change to the jalousie van and drive down. It rained lightly just as we got to the beach but we sat under a big tree and eventualy it stopped and we had time to relax. Spenser was there gathering us up right on time..he was like a mother hen making sure we were back at the van on time. He even threatened (nicely) to go in and grab someone out of the water so we could get going!

 

We then had to meander back along the same way. we made a few more stops..we had the warm bread as mentioned before and he dropped us off I think just before 4. I had to rush around and do some quick shopping..so we had an action packed day. there would just not be enough time to do alot of beach AND falls, gardens etc.

 

Now...I have been to many pretty beaches..caribbean, Tahiti, Cooks...and I live in california and grew up by the beach..and I would say Jalousie is pretty..pretty nice between the pitons..but I would not say it is the most beautiful beach ever. The 90+ minutes we spent there was more than enough and I had my fill there. I really think St Lucia is an island you would want to see the island itself as it is pretty and green and there are other islands on the itinerary that were more beautiful beach wise( If you ever get to the Baths in Virgin Gorda you will see what I mean!)

 

I went to St Lucia on the caribbean Princess this past April and by far St lucia was our favorite day and island. I am returning to St Lucia via teh Carnival Victory next march and I already contacted Spenser to hire him for a custom tour so I can see other parts of the island. I don't want to repeat the same tour and don;t even care about seeing the beach this time. We have 5 other islands to see beaches. I will probably zipline here and see more of the internal beauty of the island and enjoy Spensers hospitality again with no hesitation.

 

All tours and tour guides will have their off days or logistical issues with the group or delays, etc..it happens and sucks when it is you..but I think with spenser it is not the norm.

 

I think each tour will vary..we didn't get coconut brittle or cookies I have heard mentioned..but now that I know about them..I will make it a point to ask spenser to stop for them. Make sure you let Spenser know what you want. Don't be a sheep, say nothing and just be unhappy. If you want to stop and see something, let him know.

 

make sure you share all your issues with him. If he needs to change things, the only way he can change is if he hears the good, bad and ugly. Don't just complain here and be done with it.

[kellyclayt]

Thanks for the great information, Patty. I appreciate all the details I can get. By the way, the other time that we were in St. Lucia we did the zip line with the sky tram and the rainforest is, indeed, beautiful. I hope you enjoy it!

Kelly(fellow Californian)

[Shazisfabulous]

Hello Faith413

This will be our 1st cruise; we leave next month, 11/22. I just found out about Cosol and Spencer just may be considering using one of them as our tour company. How do you contact them? Does he offer a detailed written list of what’s included in the tour? And I want to know how close do we get to the Pitons?

Thanks in advance for you help. ;-)

 

Hi CruisingEasy! We are from South Jersey, about 15 minutes away from Cherry Hill :)

 

For rubyrosedreamer and theklingfam, I'm so sorry that you had a bad experience with the tour. We had a great time with Spencer this month. I do know that he is very time-conscious, and since there was a delay in the start time of the tour, it sounds like he was trying to have his assistants cover each point in that short timeframe. Spencer was prepared with a cooler full of drinks ahead of time, so I do agree that Chris should have had that available upon your arrival.

 

We rode personally with Spencer, and had a great time, so I can't comment on the other guides he has. It rained on the morning of our tour day, and while we were disappointed in the weather, that did not keep us from having a great time. Spencer was upset about the rain, and truly tried to ensure we had a great time despite the weather. Everyone in the van came to the consensus that we wanted to skip the volcano, which we did. He also asked us if we wanted to spend 2 hours at the beach and skip the waterfalls, however many of us wanted to see the falls. So we spent just one hour at the beach and the other at the falls.

 

St. Lucia is a mountainous island, and per many of the reviews on CC, the drive is extremely winding. While preparing for our cruise and this tour, I read the comments of many who toured with Spencer, and honestly the reviews were spot-on regarding what to expect. One thing that many people mention is the winding roads. I do not recommend this tour for those who suffer from car-sickness. They don't just wind from side to side- they go up and down, and on angles at times! :o One of the things I do like about riding around an island is you have the opportunity to observe things around you, as well as have great conversation with your fellow passengers, so being in the van that long was not an issue for DH and me. There was a lot of ground to cover, and since there are no direct, straight routes to anything, getting to various points on the island took time. We did get to spend a nice amount of time at each stop, with plenty of time for pictures. There were also a couple stops to use restrooms at various points.

 

As for the food, we were able to sample the foods mentioned, and we were stuffed the entire time. The coconut brittle was delicious. I think we went to the same restaurant you went to, and one thing to remember is- St. Lucia is not the US with a McDonald's or Starbucks on every other corner. I actually enjoyed the restaurant because it really had a local feel to it. You got to have an authentic experience and see how people in a different country dine, which to me is an incredible opportunity. It is not fair to expect the restaurant to have air conditioning if people living in that area don't even have it at home.

 

I am sorry if you did not enjoy your tour. St. Lucia is a beautiful island and it's sad that you were not thrilled with your time there. You should email Spencer and let him know how you felt. At the very least, allow him the opportunity to know about your experience with him, so he can address you directly and learn from that day.

 

Again, I can't vouch for Chris since we toured with Spencer, however I hope those of you who are currently booked with Spencer keep your reservation. If you have questions about the tour, or want to specify what you want to see before you arrive in St. Lucia, feel free to contact Spencer and communicate your desires. I peppered him with questions for months before meeting with him, and he worked to ensure that all my concerns were addressed. He was very patient too, since I am a type-A person who likes to go over all the details so that I am very prepared. People tease me because of it, but when you're headed somewhere you've never been, it never hurts to do some research! :rolleyes::D Everyone on our tour got the impression that he truly wants his guests to be pleased with their experience, and appreciates honesty and communication before and throughout your booking to ensure you leave happy.

 

Relax and have fun- if you're headed to St Lucia anytime in the next few months, I envy you! We're fortunate to be able to even afford a vacation, especially in this economy. Go into your tours, wherever you go in the world, with optimism. Every day in life is what you make of it, and this tour is no exception. Feel free to message me if you have questions. :)

[rubyrosedreamer]

I was also on the Miracle sailing and had a tour booked with Spencer on Oct. 23. I am shocked to hear the bad reviews as this tour was the highlight of our cruise. I booked a private tour for myself and my mother as we preferred to see more of the island instead of spending time at the beach. We were in the front of the line to get off of the ship and as soon as we met Spencer he sent us off with our driver John, who had a very nice Lexus waiting for us.

 

John was an excellent tour guide. He made numerous stops where we were able to get out and take pictures and chat with the locals. We never felt rushed. He had a cooler full of rum punch, beer, soda and water and was constantly offering us a drink. We were also offered fresh bananas and he stopped and purchased some cassava cakes for us to sample. We arrived at the restaurant for lunch just as the other groups were departing. They filled the whole buffet table with fresh platters of food for just the two of us.

 

I would not hesitate to book this tour again if we return to St. Lucia. We had such a great time I am even considering spending a week there for my next vacation.

 

I am sorry to read about these recent negative reviews. I think that some of you had high expectations for how much things could realistically be done during this day given the amount of time it takes to just get around the island. I am sure spenser and his guides could have off days but we generally were moved around swiftly and organized well.

 

To start off..there CAN be delays even getting started. I organized my group of 30 from our CC roll call. I kept everyone posted as to when we were to start and meet Spenser and I was the 1st there helping to make sure everyone was there. We had one couple missing and we waited about 5-10 minutes but both Spenser and I concured we are leaving with our without them as this was rude to be late. We did walk away and took the group to the vans and the last couple showed up finally just in time. So he is torn between waiting for everyone or just taking off. So you cannot blame him for a 30 minute delay on the ship nor waiting to make sure everyone was assembled. When we went, we saw Cosol's group and he took just as much time to assemble his group. They filed off as we filed off.

 

Since it does take along time to just circle around the island, there is not much time to stop EVERYWHERE. He does stop at the "kodak moment" stops, bathroom break. He had to stop to pick up more beer because we had one guy in our van who was pounding them down like they were water! He probably felt safe having 2 dozen bottles in teh cooler for just 10 of us and most of us were not drinking them. I cannot blame him for not having more and making a quick stop to make sure everyone had plenty of what we wanted.

 

The lunch we had was great. Sounds similar..chicken, fig salad(which looks like a potato salad but actually is bananas but they call it fig salad! yummy). They had johnny cakes and plantains as well.

 

Since I had told Spenser that we had part of group who wanted more beach time and were fine skipping the falls, hot springs, and the other half who wanted to see all that and were okay with less beach time..we split the group up in the 3 vans according to where they wanted to go and off we went.I wanted more beach time so I went with that group. It took time to get to Jalousie, change to the jalousie van and drive down. It rained lightly just as we got to the beach but we sat under a big tree and eventualy it stopped and we had time to relax. Spenser was there gathering us up right on time..he was like a mother hen making sure we were back at the van on time. He even threatened (nicely) to go in and grab someone out of the water so we could get going!

 

We then had to meander back along the same way. we made a few more stops..we had the warm bread as mentioned before and he dropped us off I think just before 4. I had to rush around and do some quick shopping..so we had an action packed day. there would just not be enough time to do alot of beach AND falls, gardens etc.

 

Now...I have been to many pretty beaches..caribbean, Tahiti, Cooks...and I live in california and grew up by the beach..and I would say Jalousie is pretty..pretty nice between the pitons..but I would not say it is the most beautiful beach ever. The 90+ minutes we spent there was more than enough and I had my fill there. I really think St Lucia is an island you would want to see the island itself as it is pretty and green and there are other islands on the itinerary that were more beautiful beach wise( If you ever get to the Baths in Virgin Gorda you will see what I mean!)

 

I went to St Lucia on the caribbean Princess this past April and by far St lucia was our favorite day and island. I am returning to St Lucia via teh Carnival Victory next march and I already contacted Spenser to hire him for a custom tour so I can see other parts of the island. I don't want to repeat the same tour and don;t even care about seeing the beach this time. We have 5 other islands to see beaches. I will probably zipline here and see more of the internal beauty of the island and enjoy Spensers hospitality again with no hesitation.

 

All tours and tour guides will have their off days or logistical issues with the group or delays, etc..it happens and sucks when it is you..but I think with spenser it is not the norm.

 

I think each tour will vary..we didn't get coconut brittle or cookies I have heard mentioned..but now that I know about them..I will make it a point to ask spenser to stop for them. Make sure you let Spenser know what you want. Don't be a sheep, say nothing and just be unhappy. If you want to stop and see something, let him know.

 

make sure you share all your issues with him. If he needs to change things, the only way he can change is if he hears the good, bad and ugly. Don't just complain here and be done with it.

 

Hello Danica7 and Maygoddess. Danica7 I remember seeing you and your mother go off on the private tour. I too was in the front of the line to get off. You seem to have had the kind of treatment many of us were expecting based on many previous reviewers. I'm very glad you enjoyed your tour. I too wouldn't hesitate to go back to St. Lucia.

Perhaps he was having a bad day, perhaps Chris needs more training, I can only say I wasn't the only person disappointed in the group although most didn't say so until after. I had no way of knowing how others thought at the time and chose not to say something out loud should it impact anothers enjoyment. The description of the tour was detailed and if there were going to be variances due to the customs delay and Spencers organizational skills that day, we should have been told up front. Chris was on the phone multiple times but didn't relay any info to us. The first time we had a clue that there would be an issue was during lunch when we were told we had to choose. If a specific tour with specific activities is quoted at a certain price and then you don't get that tour and part of the problem lies with the tour company yet they still expect the full price, there is a problem. Spencer would know better than anyone based on the time the group was leaving what could and could not be accomplished.

[kellyclayt]

www.spencerambrosetours.com

 

www.cosol-tours.com

 

Southern Caribbean is a fabulous location for your first cruise, but beware: You may become addicted like I did. I only started cruising less than 6 years ago and now I can't stop!

 

This will be our 1st cruise; we leave next month, 11/22. I just found out about Cosol and Spencer just may be considering using one of them as our tour company. How do you contact them? Does he offer a detailed written list of what’s included in the tour? And I want to know how close do we get to the Pitons?

 

Thanks in advance for you help. ;-)

[Shazisfabulous]

Thanks for the links Kelly!

[kellyclayt]

No problem. Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for the links Kelly!

[theklingfam]

How many people were on your tour?

I am not really sure... our van had 11 but there were probably 35 people in the whole caravan.

[burm]

I am not really sure... our van had 11 but there were probably 35 people in the whole caravan.

 

 

Thank you. I was just wondering how much you were slowed down by numbers. There will only be 4 of us in our group so hopefully we will see everything we want to see.

[maygoddess]

 

The description of the tour was detailed and if there were going to be variances due to the customs delay and Spencers organizational skills that day, we should have been told up front. Chris was on the phone multiple times but didn't relay any info to us. The first time we had a clue that there would be an issue was during lunch when we were told we had to choose. If a specific tour with specific activities is quoted at a certain price and then you don't get that tour and part of the problem lies with the tour company yet they still expect the full price, there is a problem. Spencer would know better than anyone based on the time the group was leaving what could and could not be accomplished.

 

It definitely sounds like there is just miscommunication that you can do EVERYTHING mentioned on the tour. Perhaps that is a point to bring up to Spenser to make sure it is more clear you indeed do need to choose. I was already very clear beforehand to everyone and had asked alot of questions. They will customize and try to accomodate everyone on the tour. When you have people who want more beach time but others who want to see all the sites..he has to logistically work it out where everyone is happy, he allows enough time to get you back to the ship on time and you see as much as possible in a limited time. They do their very best to move everyone along when you have to send people in two different directions. Again..sounds like in your case, it was not spelled out ahead of time that you are not going to do everything. They all worked hard for the money. Keep in mind...maybe $65 is alot to you( if that is what you paid..I am guessing) but to me it really was a bargain for the day we had..all we can drink in the van, lunch, fresh bread, bananas. They have to pay for all that out of the costs as well as fuel, car wear and tear and I don't know if hey have to pay the country any fees to have a permit to do tours..then pay themselves a salary out of what is left. Asking for a discount because it was not logistically perfect..well..I think you need to stick with ship tours where things are more gauranteed for you..but even those can suck too and they are more expensive.

 

Again..I end with be your own advocate..email whoever you go with and find out exactly what will happen..what will be covered in the day, etc. AND definitely email Spenser with your suggestions for changes in how they can better serve their customers.

I don't know about Chris..sounds like he may be new as we had his two brothers Neptune and Small along with Spenser..so may be he does need more training. Again..make sure you let him know!

[TakeMeAway1001]

Well I might as well join in since I too was on that tour and feel pretty much the same was as others who have posted about that day. While I am not saying his tour was horrible it just wasn't the way he described it in his emails. The waiting was long and it was hot, I realize that Spencer wants to make money but in waiting for late comers with no deadline he is taking away from those who showed up on time and are paying for the described tour.

 

This also happened to us on our next tour in St Kitts, we waited for about an hour for four people who never showed up and while I sympathize with the tour guides we are losing out on the deal. I think there needs to be one of two things, either they set a time when they will depart or they charge a deposit which would hopefully deter people from no showing.

 

We were also in Chris' van and when we finally did get off and he made his stop for ice and then didn't have enough money for it and had to come back out and go back in it was getting frustrating! I know that the tour is long and that not everything can be done however there were times when it felt like we were herded off and given a few moments to look and then it was time to go again. Chris rarely spoke at all and when he did, usually after a question was posed we had to turn the a/c off just to hear him. He never smiled or even looked remotely interested in what he was doing. Most tour guides take great pride in their island and love to talk about it, this has always been my experience.

 

We had originally planned to do more touring and skip the beach but we had enough van time and just needed to get out and breathe so we opted for the beach. While the tour was divided we spent about a half hour sitting in the van when Spencer and Chris went back and forth over who was doing what and watching Spencer make call after call. Once we finally got on our way to the beach and on to the boat taking us there we found out we only had 25 minutes to swim/snorkle which was a total waste since by the time you changed, rented the equipment and put on your sunscreen it was time to go.

 

There was someone on our tour who tried to arrange for the boat driver to take us back to the port area but they were trying to figure out a cost, this would allow us more time at the beach. I chose to sit down and DH dove in for a quick swim and Spencer asked me what we were planning on doing and I said I was waiting on a price for the boat ride back and he said it's going to be $20 per person extra...sorry but no thanks! DH dried off and we took the boat back to the dock and got back in the van, Spencer was very apologetic and I appreciate that but it doesn't take away from the fact that we missed and or were rushed through most of this tour.

 

I don't think anyone blames him personally but like anything in life everyone has different experiences and choosing between Spencer and Cosol was tough since their reviews were equally good. Since Spencer was very apologetic for all the hiccups and acknowledging that things were a bit crazy I think he should have given us a small break in the tour cost, and before you ask I did mention this in my letter to him.

 

I also attempted to talk to him at the end of the tour but he had gotten special permission to drop us off out front due to a gentleman with limited mobility so he to basically drop us off and go. He repeatedly told us that he was the first one at the port in the morning, getting there by 6:30am so why was everything not prepared for our tour?

 

I am very happy that he has such great reviews and I feel like our experiences were rare however it doesn't make them any less valid. I have been a member of this board for almost nine years and realize that negative reviews are often tough to swallow for some but unless one experiences it one really shouldn't assume someones thoughts aren't justified or that we were expecting too much out of our tour :)

 

Happy cruising to all and I would be happy to let you know if/when Spencer responds to my letter since I quite sure he values his guests opinions and I know he relys heavily on CC.

[TakeMeAway1001]

MayGoddess~ I read one of your replies where you mentioned "it definitely sounds like there is just miscommunication that you can do EVERYTHING mentioned on the tour" and I felt the need to post his response to me when I inquired about his tour and here is his response and some things that stick out to me...

 

From Spencer:

 

Thanks for the email and for showing an interest in my tours/service/ I promise you that satisfaction is guaranteed. I do have availability and can accommodate you. Payment can be made in US dollars at the end of the tour. I have a 15 seater van and there is ample space so all you have to do is by confirm by saying so.

 

I guess I should have asked him what type of guarantee he offered but I didn't due to the rave reviews

 

I will be waiting for you at the exit gate of the car pack holding up a sign which reads SPENCER so you cannot miss me. As you leave the ship you will enter a duty free shop. Just take the first right turn and walk for less than a minute in an easterly direction. You will meet up with me at the Diamond International Shop upfront.

 

Please it is of paramount importance that you get off the ship as soon as possible as time is essence and we need to get an early start to stay ahead of the large tour groups. We want to start hopefully between 8 -8:30 am.

 

He states that time is of the essence yet we waited and waited for people who were very late!

 

Below is the itinerary of the West Coast delight which will cover your request.

 

No where in this response does he state that our requested itinerary may not be fulfilled for whatever reason

 

We leave the ship and drive through the city of Castries which is the Capital. We drive in an north Westerly Direction. This takes us to the town of Soufriere. We will be passing trough several banana plantations where i will show you how we cultivate this major crop from planting to harvesting. your camera will come in handy so please do not leave it behind.

 

Not sure about the others but I was under the impression we were touring with Spencer himself since he refers to himself as being the one to show us the sights and to share vital history with us. In previous emails back and forth we even made arrangements for me to bring him some bags of almonds from home since he cannot get them where he is so I just wrongly assumed we would be with him

 

 

We will be passing through the two fishing villages of Anse la Raye and Canaries. I will share the vital history with you. At Anse La Raye you get a Kodak moment. We continue our drive Westerly making several stops along the way at the various sites and view points. All this takes about one hour and we now arrive at Soufriere which is home to major sites on the island.

 

 

At Soufriere we visit the Botanical garden and Waterfall. You can bathe at the falls if you wish. From there it's on to Jalousie Beach which is one of the best beaches on island for snorkeling and swimming. You will go crazy over the view there. It is located between two pitons 2400 and 3000 ft tall . They are majestic. Unfortunately the owners of jalousie Plantations resort have withdrawn their authorization of allowing people to drive through their property via the only road which runs through the property to access the beach and so presently the only access to the beach is via water taxi. This takes about five minutes and the view is breathtaking.

 

 

The tour is about 6 hours duration and costs $65 Us per person inclusive of all entry fees to the sites as well as the water taxi fare. I promise you a fun filled day if you book and will cater to your needs. I allow 2 hrs snorkel ling time providing you meet me on time

We met him as soon as the ship was cleared yet he chose to wait on other people and his driver wasn't prepared for us and had to make stops.

 

I am not sure if he sends this same letter out to everyone but I feel like we didn't get the day we thought we were getting but like I said I respect his verbal apology but I suggest that those booked with him ask questions like who the tour guide will be, how long will you be expected to wait for late comers/no shows, what types of things will affect your two hour beach/snorkel time? Due to the great reviews I didn't ask these questions but I did read his response thoroughly and there wasn't anything that led me to believe that we wouldn't be doing the itinerary he sent me other than the ship skipping that port or inclement weather.

 

Again happy cruising to all :)

[maygoddess]

MayGoddess~ I read one of your replies where you mentioned "it definitely sounds like there is just miscommunication that you can do EVERYTHING mentioned on the tour" and I felt the need to post his response to me when I inquired about his tour and here is his response and some things that stick out to me...

 

From Spencer:

 

Thanks for the email and for showing an interest in my tours/service/ I promise you that satisfaction is guaranteed. I do have availability and can accommodate you. Payment can be made in US dollars at the end of the tour. I have a 15 seater van and there is ample space so all you have to do is by confirm by saying so.

 

I guess I should have asked him what type of guarantee he offered but I didn't due to the rave reviews

 

I will be waiting for you at the exit gate of the car pack holding up a sign which reads SPENCER so you cannot miss me. As you leave the ship you will enter a duty free shop. Just take the first right turn and walk for less than a minute in an easterly direction. You will meet up with me at the Diamond International Shop upfront.

 

Please it is of paramount importance that you get off the ship as soon as possible as time is essence and we need to get an early start to stay ahead of the large tour groups. We want to start hopefully between 8 -8:30 am.

 

He states that time is of the essence yet we waited and waited for people who were very late!

 

Below is the itinerary of the West Coast delight which will cover your request.

 

No where in this response does he state that our requested itinerary may not be fulfilled for whatever reason

 

We leave the ship and drive through the city of Castries which is the Capital. We drive in an north Westerly Direction. This takes us to the town of Soufriere. We will be passing trough several banana plantations where i will show you how we cultivate this major crop from planting to harvesting. your camera will come in handy so please do not leave it behind.

 

Not sure about the others but I was under the impression we were touring with Spencer himself since he refers to himself as being the one to show us the sights and to share vital history with us. In previous emails back and forth we even made arrangements for me to bring him some bags of almonds from home since he cannot get them where he is so I just wrongly assumed we would be with him

 

 

We will be passing through the two fishing villages of Anse la Raye and Canaries. I will share the vital history with you. At Anse La Raye you get a Kodak moment. We continue our drive Westerly making several stops along the way at the various sites and view points. All this takes about one hour and we now arrive at Soufriere which is home to major sites on the island.

 

 

At Soufriere we visit the Botanical garden and Waterfall. You can bathe at the falls if you wish. From there it's on to Jalousie Beach which is one of the best beaches on island for snorkeling and swimming. You will go crazy over the view there. It is located between two pitons 2400 and 3000 ft tall . They are majestic. Unfortunately the owners of jalousie Plantations resort have withdrawn their authorization of allowing people to drive through their property via the only road which runs through the property to access the beach and so presently the only access to the beach is via water taxi. This takes about five minutes and the view is breathtaking.

 

 

The tour is about 6 hours duration and costs $65 Us per person inclusive of all entry fees to the sites as well as the water taxi fare. I promise you a fun filled day if you book and will cater to your needs. I allow 2 hrs snorkel ling time providing you meet me on time

 

We met him as soon as the ship was cleared yet he chose to wait on other people and his driver wasn't prepared for us and had to make stops.

 

I am not sure if he sends this same letter out to everyone but I feel like we didn't get the day we thought we were getting but like I said I respect his verbal apology but I suggest that those booked with him ask questions like who the tour guide will be, how long will you be expected to wait for late comers/no shows, what types of things will affect your two hour beach/snorkel time? Due to the great reviews I didn't ask these questions but I did read his response thoroughly and there wasn't anything that led me to believe that we wouldn't be doing the itinerary he sent me other than the ship skipping that port or inclement weather.

 

Again happy cruising to all :)

 

 

It sounds like you all had a totally different experience and yes..based on the above, it would appear you got to do it ALL. I agree that spenser needs to be more clear. I think between the two of us we had aout 40+ emails because I was personally arranging the CC group and made sure that I emailed him with the list of people so we didn't overbook his tour.

 

He did reiterate getting there on time..and I reitereated that to my group. Of course the one couple that decided to meander and take their time was not fair and spenser and I both agreed to leave. I think I was more brutal than he was..tardy for the party? Too bad! You lose! But being humane nature..there will always be the people who hold everyone else up and don't give a crap! Spenser should just make it his policy that you are there exactly at 8:30..maybe allow a 5 minute grace period and then you are leaving!

 

I think he should also make it very clear that you have to decide what you want to do and how much time. Now when I went, Jalousie resort was still allowing spenser to bring his group to their bus and bring us down by bus..so I don;t know how the water taxi works and how it saves time or wastes time. Having only 25 minutes at the beach definitely would not be enough..but my portion of the group decided to forego driving to the falls and other stuff after lunch that would have cut our beach time down. Ifyou want it ALL, you get it ALL but for limited amount of time per stop.

 

I am glad you all complained to spenser via email and hopefully he will address everything. Sounds like he needs some training for Chris. I was in the van with spenser and he did talk alot but I also wanted him to focus on the road as well!

 

I think ANY tour you go on there is potential for bumps in the road and things promised and they don't happen. Hopefully it wasn't such a horrible experience overall and now you know to ask alot more questions up front. I don;t want to sound like I was negating your negative review as they are important to extract change..if you complain to the right people. Namely Spenser.

 

I look forward to seeing him again in March. Given I am asking for a custom experience which 6 months out we are already arranging and discussing so my expectations are met for the custom tour.

 

Anyway...hope you get some resolution to your complaints with spenser.

[TakeMeAway1001]

I am only hoping that Spencer takes some of my concerns and works to make sure his drivers are providing the services he describes, it is also important that they are ready for the tours and not making pits stops to get things that clearly could have been taken care of ahead of time. I do not think Spencers tours are bad, however I do think there is room for improvement. I think he needs to make it clear that you may not tour with him and possibly figure out the guides/groups ahead of time, that is the way it has been on all my other private tours. I know by his reviews that he values his name and I am sure he will strive to avoid situations like we experienced and I wish him well. I do however hope that he emails me back with my concerns.

 

Have a great day~

[noche_caliente]

I recently booked with him for our Serenade cruise in January, but I must say the posts about the tour with Chris do have me a little concerned.

For what it is worth, this is the reply that I got from Spencer when I contacted him about the tour:

Thanks for the email and for showing an interest in my tours/service. I promise you that satisfaction is guaranteed. I do have availability and can accommodate you. Payment can be made in US dollars at the end of the tour. I have a 15 seater van plus 3 other 14 seater vans at my disposal with professional tour guide /drivers. Two of them are my brothers Small, Neptune, my cousin John & Joseph and there is ample space so all you have to do is by confirm by saying so.

 

If you book I will be waiting for you at the exit doors holding up a sign which reads SPENCER so you cannot miss me. As you leave the ship you will enter a duty free shop. I will be waiting at the main exit doors.

 

Please it is of paramount importance that you get off the ship as soon as possible as time is essence and we need to get an early start to stay ahead of the large tour groups. We want to start hopefully -8:30 am

.

Below is the itinerary of the West Coast delight;

 

We leave the ship and drive through the city of Castries which is the Capital. We drive in an south Westerly Direction. This takes us to the town of Soufriere. We will be passing trough several banana plantations where I will show you how we cultivate this major crop from planting to harvesting. your camera will come in handy so please do not leave it behind.

 

 

We will be passing through the two fishing villages of Anse la Raye and Canaries. I will share the vital history with you. At Anse La Raye you get a Kodak moment. We continue our drive Westerly making several stops along the way at the various sites and view points. All this takes about one hour and we now arrive at Soufriere which is home to major sites on the island. There you get to see the twin peaks and Jalousie beach (french for jealously) is based at the base of the small one, just fantastic you will love it.

 

 

At Soufriere we visit the botanical garden and water fall then to the drive in volcano if you wish and then we have sumptious lunch. After lunch I take you straight to Jalousie Beach which is one of the best beaches on island for snorkeling and swimming. You will go crazy over the view there. It is located between two pitons 2400 and 3000 ft tall . They are majestic.Accessing the beach is via water taxi. This takes about 7 minutes and the view is breathtaking.

 

 

The tour is about 6 hours duration and costs $65 Us per person ,inclusive of all entry fees to the sites as well as the water taxi fare.. but if you want a shorter tour I can cut out the sites and do a road side tour and then to Jalousie beach for swimming and snorkeling.

 

I provide refreshments such as our very own piton beer, water, diet and regular coke, rum punch ( to Name a few) and a s lunch in which you will get to taste some of our local eats such a fried plantains, breadfruit, fig salad, jerk chicken. Your drinks for the day is unlimited.

Let me know if you are vegetarian, have any allergies to any food or have any medical problem that I should be aware of.

 

Please confirm and ask anything you want to know I look forward to hearing from you. .

 

GOD Bless You

[floridalady]

Hi Patty,

Since you wrote you are planning a custom tour I was very curious.What do you have planned?THanks.

Nancy

 

 

It sounds like you all had a totally different experience and yes..based on the above, it would appear you got to do it ALL. I agree that spenser needs to be more clear. I think between the two of us we had aout 40+ emails because I was personally arranging the CC group and made sure that I emailed him with the list of people so we didn't overbook his tour.

 

He did reiterate getting there on time..and I reitereated that to my group. Of course the one couple that decided to meander and take their time was not fair and spenser and I both agreed to leave. I think I was more brutal than he was..tardy for the party? Too bad! You lose! But being humane nature..there will always be the people who hold everyone else up and don't give a crap! Spenser should just make it his policy that you are there exactly at 8:30..maybe allow a 5 minute grace period and then you are leaving!

 

I think he should also make it very clear that you have to decide what you want to do and how much time. Now when I went, Jalousie resort was still allowing spenser to bring his group to their bus and bring us down by bus..so I don;t know how the water taxi works and how it saves time or wastes time. Having only 25 minutes at the beach definitely would not be enough..but my portion of the group decided to forego driving to the falls and other stuff after lunch that would have cut our beach time down. Ifyou want it ALL, you get it ALL but for limited amount of time per stop.

 

I am glad you all complained to spenser via email and hopefully he will address everything. Sounds like he needs some training for Chris. I was in the van with spenser and he did talk alot but I also wanted him to focus on the road as well!

 

I think ANY tour you go on there is potential for bumps in the road and things promised and they don't happen. Hopefully it wasn't such a horrible experience overall and now you know to ask alot more questions up front. I don;t want to sound like I was negating your negative review as they are important to extract change..if you complain to the right people. Namely Spenser.

 

I look forward to seeing him again in March. Given I am asking for a custom experience which 6 months out we are already arranging and discussing so my expectations are met for the custom tour.

 

Anyway...hope you get some resolution to your complaints with spenser.

[CruisingEasy]

I have a great private tour planned for my honeymoon on December 10, 2009. Lots of things to do for Spencer and myself.

[Host Faith]

Hello Faith413

 

This will be our 1st cruise; we leave next month, 11/22. I just found out about Cosol and Spencer just may be considering using one of them as our tour company. How do you contact them? Does he offer a detailed written list of what’s included in the tour? And I want to know how close do we get to the Pitons?

 

Thanks in advance for you help. ;-)

 

Hi Shazisfabulous,

 

You can contact Spencer via email at Spencer7114@gmail.com. When you email Spencer, he will send you a detailed description of the tour, which I felt was accurate.

 

I never spoke with Cosol. Jalousie beach is situated right between the Pitons, and you can snorkel at the base of one of them. It's an incredible experience. Enjoy!

[planotex]

 

Musical review by Allimarie of Spencer's Brother, Neptune, who guided us through St. Lucia.

[CruisingEasy]

Hi Shazisfabulous,

 

You can contact Spencer via email at Spencer7114@gmail.com. When you email Spencer, he will send you a detailed description of the tour, which I felt was accurate.

 

I never spoke with Cosol. Jalousie beach is situated right between the Pitons, and you can snorkel at the base of one of them. It's an incredible experience. Enjoy!

 

Unfortunately, The Pitons can not be climbed like Liamugia on St Kitts. I guess the base is as close as you can get.

[dz63]

 

And I want to know how close do we get to the Pitons?

 

 

Jalouise Beach is nestled right between the Petit and Gros Piton--and it is beautiful. Here is a picture of the boys in the water. You can see the Gros Piton towering behind.

 

 

Spencer now takes a water taxi to get to Jalousie Beach and I believe the water taxi drives right around the base of the Petit Piton, so you definitely do get close.

 

Unfortunately, The Pitons can not be climbed like Liamugia on St Kitts. I guess the base is as close as you can get.

 

Although the Petit Piton cannot be climbed, the Gros Piton can--but that would be another excursion!

[dz63]

I am only hoping that Spencer takes some of my concerns and works to make sure his drivers are providing the services he describes, it is also important that they are ready for the tours and not making pits stops to get things that clearly could have been taken care of ahead of time. I do not think Spencers tours are bad, however I do think there is room for improvement. I think he needs to make it clear that you may not tour with him and possibly figure out the guides/groups ahead of time, that is the way it has been on all my other private tours. I know by his reviews that he values his name and I am sure he will strive to avoid situations like we experienced and I wish him well. I do however hope that he emails me back with my concerns.

 

Have a great day~

 

I think alot of us are anticipating how Spencer addressed your concerns. Have you heard back from him?

[erin1998]

I think alot of us are anticipating how Spencer addressed your concerns. Have you heard back from him?

 

Good day...

I am also interested if you heard back from Spencer. We have a tour booked with him and are hoping for a wonderful experience!

Erin