Eastern Caribbean Shore Excursions

[ilovetinks]

We are going on a cruise on Emerald Princess in the Eastern Caribbean and are having a hard time deciding what ports are the best to book shore excursions for and which are best to just "wing it" and do our own thing...our stops are Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas. Any help would be truly appreciated.

[fann1sh]

While this advice doesn't apply to St. Thomas or Princess Cays, it can be a good idea to book a ship's own tour for Caribbean islands visited on a Sunday (which I've done visiting Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts on Sundays). "Winging it" doesn't work if some/many things aren't open.

 

St. Thomas is the easiest island to do yourself: small, lots of taxis. Nautilus submarine and helicopter flights require reservations, but can be booked online independent of the cruise line. Even a trip to St. John is easy, as ferries leave/return every half hour.

 

At the other end of the spectrum, I'd be most likely to book a tour (private or ship's own) for Dominica. This is a beautiful island, and the port city of Roseau is not (in my opinion) a pleasant place to explore, so get out into the countryside! You can book a spur of the moment tour with a taxi at the dock, but I prefer to make advance reservations. Try getting advice on guides on the ports of call boards.

 

There's so much to do on Barbados, I'd do a lot of advance reading to decide on what to see, before deciding to arrange a tour or "winging it". On St Kitts, I've only done the scenic railway, which I found a bit disappointing (more like a tram than a train). Sorry, haven't visited Antigua.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I have visited some of the same islands and here's what our group did.

 

St. Thomas - grabbed an open air bus tour on the pier for $20-25 pp. It was about 2 1/2 hours and went around the island and up to Mountain Top (glorious views). We also made special arrangements to go to Sapphire Beach but then it began to rain.

 

Barbados - we booked a Swim with the Turtles on our own through Thriller. It also included one or two other snorkle stops and an hour at the beach. They do 2 trips each day. I was do the morning tour as the turtle area is a little less crowded. That cost was $50 pp in 11/07. Rum punch included and they limited capacity to about 16 people.

 

Antigua - we were going to wing it, do some shopping and go to the beach but were so bothered as we existed the pier (there's lots of shopping at the end of the pier--people were pulling our arms) that after an hour we went back on the ship and enjoyed a great day by the pool.

 

I agree about booking through the ship for Dominica, and I've not been to St. Kitts.

 

You can post questions on the Ports of Call board to see what others are recommending.

 

If you book anything privately, (and I always do) just make sure you ask all the appropriate questions and allow yourself plenty of time to return to the ship. I usually plan at least an hour before to be back on the ship. You can do the same activities as the ship tours and they cost less.

 

Have a great cruise!:)

[trish1c]

There are fantastic ideas on the ports of call boards.

In St. Thomas there is only one thing I ever want to do, pay homage to St. Jewelry. Shop, shop & shop. Last trip DH bought my engagement ring there. Other then drop into a bar for a drink, I've honestly never done anything else. One time I keep swearing I'm going to make it to St. John's. :p

Last trip to Antigua we took a rainforest hike. If you like hikes it's probably fun. I am not a fan & was miserable. DH loved it but he's a Marine. To him it was easy b/c he didn't have a 50 lb pack or a machine gun to worry about & it wasn't dangerous. The view from the top was fantastic but it was 1600 feet straight up. Yuck.

The 1st time in Barbados we went on our own. It was OK a taxi driver took us to his favorite beach. I don't remember the name. It was small but OK & quiet. Last time we went to the Boatyard. It reminded me of Spring Break on MTV. It rained so it wasn't crowded but had it been a beautiful day I'm sure it would have been waaaay too loud for my tastes. I have heard fun things about swimming w/ the Turtles.

First time in Dominica we just walked around. There's more to see now & a little "downtown" by the pier. We also went whale watching -- we saw lots of dolphins but no whales. Last time we did the Canopy Torture -- I hated it b/c it wasn't just zip lining, it was an obstacle course in the air. I understand there are a few waterfalls that you can hike & a beach called Champagne beach. If we go back, that is what we will probably do.

In St. Kitts friends booked us on an amazing private tour w/ Mrs. Wallace. I do not know how to reach her but try to find her. If nothing else go to the fort. It was amazing & even more so when you realize how old it is. Bring sturdy shoes or sneakers for this. I had on sandels & switched to my water shoes to avoid breaking my ankles.

[cruiseapril]

Hi- We visited Barbados, Dominica, and St. Thomas from a Princess ship.

 

In Barbados some of us went on a tour from Bridgetown to Bathsheba, to Andromeda Gardens, then to St. John's Church, and finally to Francia Plantation. If you look on the map, you'll see that this covers quite an area if you want to see Barbados. Another of our group went on the Wildlife Tour which she liked.

 

In Dominica one of our group went on the Rain Forest Aerial Tram and enjoyed it- took great photos, but it is expensive for what it is. Later, we all went on the Layou Valley Tour which included a traditional folk dance stop and a tour around the Rain Forest. The roads are narrow and winding, but our van driver did well. We also spent some time in Rouseau-which is a very different Caribbean port.

 

In St. Thomas we went to Magen's Bay Beach for a half day of excellent swimming. We also shopped in town awhile, which was an adventure!

[ilovetinks]

Thanks for all of your help!! We were able to finally make our decisions and book our excursions!!