Best Way to Get To Buck Island from Cruise Port?

[BroncosFan2010]

Can someone suggest the best way to get from the cruise port to Buck Island? DH and I will probably want to do this on our own, instead of booking a ship excursion. We will spend a good portion of the day snorkeling, maybe laying on the beach. Is there public transportation to the other side of the island (St. Croix), and then from there we can take a boat over, or will we have to book a tour?

[PhotogrFrGal]

Buck Island is only accessible by boat - you might want to consider ships tour since you will need to taxi to C'stead to catch a tour and ships tour would include your transport to the tour. Hopefully, the ships tour has time built in to browse the shops in C'stead. The only tour I am familiar with is Big Beard's. But we went on that 6 years ago, so I do not have current experience. Buck Island is nice and the ride over has great views of the coast.

[BroncosFan2010]

Buck Island is only accessible by boat - you might want to consider ships tour since you will need to taxi to C'stead to catch a tour and ships tour would include your transport to the tour. Hopefully, the ships tour has time built in to browse the shops in C'stead. The only tour I am familiar with is Big Beard's. But we went on that 6 years ago, so I do not have current experience. Buck Island is nice and the ride over has great views of the coast.

 

 

Thank you for the information. As the sailing date approaches, I will check the ship tours and see what is available.

[The Islander]

There isn't a ferry or public boat that goes back and forth to Buck Island so you have to do a boat charter trip.

 

--Islander

[cruisingforsix]

Hi, we are going to st. croix in jan and are looking at snorkel trips too. We just got some info from capt.heinz. , you have to take a cab to C'sted likethey said .It is about $30 a person round trip and around a 40 min ride. the snorkel lasts from 9to2 and is $65 a person. I haven't sent my deposit yet 50%down, until I explore all my options. Iwill keep you posted and since we are going before you i hope i can give you some good info after.

[BroncosFan2010]

Hi, we are going to st. croix in jan and are looking at snorkel trips too. We just got some info from capt.heinz. , you have to take a cab to C'sted likethey said .It is about $30 a person round trip and around a 40 min ride. the snorkel lasts from 9to2 and is $65 a person. I haven't sent my deposit yet 50%down, until I explore all my options. Iwill keep you posted and since we are going before you i hope i can give you some good info after.

 

 

Thank you so much for this information! I would love to hear how it goes!

[lcmslady]

Hi, we are going to st. croix in jan and are looking at snorkel trips too. We just got some info from capt.heinz. , you have to take a cab to C'sted likethey said .It is about $30 a person round trip and around a 40 min ride. the snorkel lasts from 9to2 and is $65 a person. I haven't sent my deposit yet 50%down, until I explore all my options. Iwill keep you posted and since we are going before you i hope i can give you some good info after.

 

Hi cruisingforsix - I think we're on the same sailing in January. I've done some research into Buck Island. Evidently, it's a National Park and access is restricted. There are no public ferries. I checked into Captain Heinz too but I figured that between the cost of the cab to his facility and the $65, it was just as easy to do it through the ship. If you end up putting a group together, let me know - we may be interested in joining you.

[BroncosFan2010]

Hi cruisingforsix - I think we're on the same sailing in January. I've done some research into Buck Island. Evidently, it's a National Park and access is restricted. There are no public ferries. I checked into Captain Heinz too but I figured that between the cost of the cab to his facility and the $65, it was just as easy to do it through the ship. If you end up putting a group together, let me know - we may be interested in joining you.

 

Can you give me a little more information on Captain Heinz? Is he reputable? What other things come with his tour? Etc?

[cruisingforsix]

Hi cruisingforsix - I think we're on the same sailing in January. I've done some research into Buck Island. Evidently, it's a National Park and access is restricted. There are no public ferries. I checked into Captain Heinz too but I figured that between the cost of the cab to his facility and the $65, it was just as easy to do it through the ship. If you end up putting a group together, let me know - we may be interested in joining you.

Hi, yes we are on the same cruise .Ithink i have seen you on the summit roll call.I will definitely keep you posted. Iam looking at acouple of other locations like Cane Bay. We have booked a couple of other snorkel trips as well. Antigua is asnorkel trip with a lobster lunch. it's a little on the expensive side but it is an all day one and got rave reviews. Don't know if you are interested in a san juan tour on saturday but we got a gentleman named Albert Aguirre for a 4 hour tour of the rain forest and old san juan,since the ship doesn't leave until 8:30 He can take 6 and we are 2 so he has room for 4 more. Ithink it is 50 but i will check my e-mail for sure.

[cruisingforsix]

I read several reviews , some on here some on trip advisor. You can look it up on Buck Island Charters. E-Mail is teroro@vipowernet.net. We are also looking into Cane Bay too. I'll let you know. Back to back. Fabulous!

[lcmslady]

Hi, yes we are on the same cruise .Ithink i have seen you on the summit roll call.I will definitely keep you posted. Iam looking at acouple of other locations like Cane Bay. We have booked a couple of other snorkel trips as well. Antigua is asnorkel trip with a lobster lunch. it's a little on the expensive side but it is an all day one and got rave reviews. Don't know if you are interested in a san juan tour on saturday but we got a gentleman named Albert Aguirre for a 4 hour tour of the rain forest and old san juan,since the ship doesn't leave until 8:30 He can take 6 and we are 2 so he has room for 4 more. Ithink it is 50 but i will check my e-mail for sure.

Thanks for the offer on San Juan - there are 5 of us - possibly 6 (I'm still looking for a roommate) so I don't think that will work.

I'm definitely interested in Buck Island though.

At St. Thomas, I'm going to do the ship's excursion to Coral World and Megan's Bay and a trip with Papa Bear (?) that takes you to the lookout point.

At St. Kitts, I'm going to do the narrow gauge railway - looks like fun.

On St. Lucia, I'm looking at Serenity Tours or Cosol tours - not quite sure yet.

[cruisingforsix]

Hi Cindy, My name is Jane .I'll definitely let you know about Buck Island. Are you going to the dinner in San Juan?I don't know if we can make it since our flight isn't due in until 4:30, but were going to try. There is also a get together in the aft bar(i think) on saturday at 5:00 or 5:30. A nice way to meet everybody. This is our first time on Celebrity so we are really looking forward, not that we don't look forward to all cruises. We are snorkeling in most ports, some just half days so we can do some shopping. St. Croix ,St. Lucia &St.Kitts are new islands for us too. We aren't sure about St. Lucia yet ,there are some interesting things to do . Making up my mind is hard to do. Talk to you soon.

[lcmslady]

Hi Cindy, My name is Jane .I'll definitely let you know about Buck Island. Are you going to the dinner in San Juan?I don't know if we can make it since our flight isn't due in until 4:30, but were going to try. There is also a get together in the aft bar(i think) on saturday at 5:00 or 5:30. A nice way to meet everybody. This is our first time on Celebrity so we are really looking forward, not that we don't look forward to all cruises. We are snorkeling in most ports, some just half days so we can do some shopping. St. Croix ,St. Lucia &St.Kitts are new islands for us too. We aren't sure about St. Lucia yet ,there are some interesting things to do . Making up my mind is hard to do. Talk to you soon.

 

I won't be able to make dinner in San Juan - my flight gets in around 4:30 also, so there just won't be time. I'm sure we'll meet on the ship though - can't wait!

[cruisingforsix]

Hi Cindy, I don't think we are going to make the dinner in san juan either. we will definitely see you on the ship .Ihave not booked for St. Croix yet but will let you know which place we decide on. We just booked with cosol tours, i want to ask Mokaheena why she didn't like it . She had the only negative things about it that i saw. So Mokaheena ,if you read this ,let me know. We are doing a lobster lunch and snorkel /swim tour in antigua, we are going to secret harbour in st.thomas and snorkeling in st. kitts. Your railway tour sounds exciting , to bad you can only fit one tour usually in a port.Talk to you soon.

[BroncosFan2010]

Hi Cindy, I don't think we are going to make the dinner in san juan either. we will definitely see you on the ship .Ihave not booked for St. Croix yet but will let you know which place we decide on. We just booked with cosol tours, i want to ask Mokaheena why she didn't like it . She had the only negative things about it that i saw. So Mokaheena ,if you read this ,let me know. We are doing a lobster lunch and snorkel /swim tour in antigua, we are going to secret harbour in st.thomas and snorkeling in st. kitts. Your railway tour sounds exciting , to bad you can only fit one tour usually in a port.Talk to you soon.

 

 

There were many people from my sailing that did not enjoy the Cosol tour when we did it in March. If you go back to the St. Lucia and look back around that time you will see many reviews, most are not good.

 

The main reason was that there were 6 ships in port and there were over 250 people on this tour. The vans were packed, and additional drivers had been hired. Our driver barely said a word to us. Most of the day we felt like cattle being herded around. The lunch was not very good, mostly because we could only have a few bites because there were so many people and they seemed underprepared. The tour got started about 2 hours late, so we had to skip out on the beach. The volcano site was so packed with peopel and vans that it was difficult to get out and enjoy anything. We were rushed the entire day. The main thing that annoyed me was that Cosol kept yelling at everyone to go back and write good reviews for his tour. I would have done that, had I had a good time! It got annoying after a while. This tour kind of soured me on land based tours, mostly because it was so crowded.

 

If I had to do it again, I never would have booked this tour knowing that there were six ships in port. My suggestion would be to check one of the sites that tell you how many, and if there are more than 2-3 or if they are the really large ships, avoid the really popular tours, as they will probably be packed and when there are more people the service seems to drop, and so does the enjoyment level.

[cruisingforsix]

There were many people from my sailing that did not enjoy the Cosol tour when we did it in March. If you go back to the St. Lucia and look back around that time you will see many reviews, most are not good.

 

The main reason was that there were 6 ships in port and there were over 250 people on this tour. The vans were packed, and additional drivers had been hired. Our driver barely said a word to us. Most of the day we felt like cattle being herded around. The lunch was not very good, mostly because we could only have a few bites because there were so many people and they seemed underprepared. The tour got started about 2 hours late, so we had to skip out on the beach. The volcano site was so packed with peopel and vans that it was difficult to get out and enjoy anything. We were rushed the entire day. The main thing that annoyed me was that Cosol kept yelling at everyone to go back and write good reviews for his tour. I would have done that, had I had a good time! It got annoying after a while. This tour kind of soured me on land based tours, mostly because it was so crowded.

 

If I had to do it again, I never would have booked this tour knowing that there were six ships in port. My suggestion would be to check one of the sites that tell you how many, and if there are more than 2-3 or if they are the really large ships, avoid the really popular tours, as they will probably be packed and when there are more people the service seems to drop, and so does the enjoyment level.

Hi ,thanks for the info. good to know. Ialso read about serenity that got got good reviews but when i looked up there website they were operating on several islands and didn't seem like the small mom and pop place that it was described. ihave had good and bad experiences on the same tour so i know what you mean. when they have to many people it does lose alot of the local flavor. All the other trips are snorkeling trips with hopefully some shopping time left. Thanks for the information.

[kadey]

We are on the Summit leaving Jan 2. Is this the trip that you are on. My DH and I are traveling with our 18 and 22 year old kids! Could you give me some information on the lobster lunch and swim /snorkel tour in antigua. Did you book it through Celebrity or on your own. It sounds like something we'd all enjoy!! Thanks-Kade

[cruisingforsix]

We are on the Summit leaving Jan 2. Is this the trip that you are on. My DH and I are traveling with our 18 and 22 year old kids! Could you give me some information on the lobster lunch and swim /snorkel tour in antigua. Did you book it through Celebrity or on your own. It sounds like something we'd all enjoy!! Thanks-Kade

Hi, here is the website creolecruisesantigua.com. It sounds like a fun day and the reviews were all favorable.It was one of the most expensive ones we booked ,but there is a discount if you pay in cash when you get there. 20%i think. We were in Antigua about 6 years ago, wow can't believe it was that long ago . We loved it .we took a cab tour with four other people and walked around in the area of the ship and also went to dickenson beach . there is a beautiful church up the street witin walking distance that i thought was just beautiful. If my mind serves me the area around the dock gets very quiet in the latter part of the day and the shops close early.there are some restaurants and a great pizza shop you can walk to.

[cruisingforsix]

Sorry i forgot to mention that we rarely book through the ship anymore. Most of the tours will work with cruise chip passengers times so you don't have to worry about missing the ship. This websit is a wealth of information for just about anything you want to know. I also read reviews ontrip advisor and some other sites .Have a wonderful time. Italked my husband into going on a cruise 6 years ago and we love them this is our 6th one and would go more if we had more time and money. We took our kids western caribbean 2 years ago ,theywere 17 to 24 at the time . it was a wonderful time.

[kadey]

Thank you!!

[cruisingforsix]

There were many people from my sailing that did not enjoy the Cosol tour when we did it in March. If you go back to the St. Lucia and look back around that time you will see many reviews, most are not good.

 

The main reason was that there were 6 ships in port and there were over 250 people on this tour. The vans were packed, and additional drivers had been hired. Our driver barely said a word to us. Most of the day we felt like cattle being herded around. The lunch was not very good, mostly because we could only have a few bites because there were so many people and they seemed underprepared. The tour got started about 2 hours late, so we had to skip out on the beach. The volcano site was so packed with peopel and vans that it was difficult to get out and enjoy anything. We were rushed the entire day. The main thing that annoyed me was that Cosol kept yelling at everyone to go back and write good reviews for his tour. I would have done that, had I had a good time! It got annoying after a while. This tour kind of soured me on land based tours, mostly because it was so crowded.

 

If I had to do it again, I never would have booked this tour knowing that there were six ships in port. My suggestion would be to check one of the sites that tell you how many, and if there are more than 2-3 or if they are the really large ships, avoid the really popular tours, as they will probably be packed and when there are more people the service seems to drop, and so does the enjoyment level.

After checking the site that shows you how manyships are in a port on a given day (looks like only one other ship will be there), i decided to book atour with cosol. Also someone else said buck island was the best place to go and recommended capt. heinz,it was someone who lives on the island so i booked with them too. I'll let you know how they are.

[cheffip]

Does anyone know who RCCl/Celebrity uses for their Buck Island trip? As someone else mentioned, by the time you add in the taxi fare, there is not much difference in price compared to the other local operators I have found. But there could be an advantage in using a non-cruise line operator if the service or experience is better.

[BroncosFan2010]

Does anyone know who RCCl/Celebrity uses for their Buck Island trip? As someone else mentioned, by the time you add in the taxi fare, there is not much difference in price compared to the other local operators I have found. But there could be an advantage in using a non-cruise line operator if the service or experience is better.

 

What I am worried about is the cruise tour being PACKED with people, and having to wear one of those stupid life-jackets. I prefer to snorkel on my own, and that is why I would consider just getting there myself and enjoying the experience w/o having to do much with the cruise ship. But... I still have not made up my mind.

[The Islander]

Mokaheena, if you want to avoid a possiable packed charter you can book one on your own, look and see if there are any 6 pack boats (6 passengers max) so it will be a small group. The life jackets you may still have to wear... you can ask about that. ;) Also look for a charter that includes snorkeling and some beach time on Buck Island. The beach on Buck Island is beautiful.

 

--Islander

[cheffip]

Mokaheena, if you want to avoid a possiable packed charter you can book one on your own, look and see if there are any 6 pack boats (6 passengers max) so it will be a small group. The life jackets you may still have to wear... you can ask about that. ;) Also look for a charter that includes snorkeling and some beach time on Buck Island. The beach on Buck Island is beautiful.

 

--Islander

 

Hi Islander

that's another thing I worry about with the cruise ship tour...I don't see any reference to actual time on Buck Island. I wonder if they only do the marked underwater trail and head back? Now I'm wondering about Cane Bay instead. Can I get a snorkel tour from Cane Bay Dive Shop and how does what I'll see while snorkeling compare to Buck Island?

-Phil