Secrets Of The Caribbean
Basse-Terre, St. Kitts
We hired Thenford Grey himself for this "Island Tour". The cost was $40 per person and ran from 8:00am until about 2:00 pm with beach time available at Cockleshell Beach at the end of the tour. Thenford first took us through the historic city of Basseterre which was founded in 1625 by French settlers. After the city highlights we stopped at the ruins of an old sugar cane processing factory and Romney Manor-Caribelle Batik which was once owned by Captain Samuel Jefferson, the great, great, great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson. The Plantation House which sits amidst 25 acres of lush tropical gardens, is now a batik factory and store. The gardens feature a large collection of exotic plants, palms and trees from all over the world. We saw numerous green tailed monkeys in the short drive between the ruin and the Manor. We then spent an hour at Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park which sets atop a volcanic cone that is 800 feet high and offers 360-degree panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and neighboring islands. Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a World Heritage Site. (The $8.00 entrance fee was included). The Fortress is indeed impressive. I could have easily spent 4 hours exploring this impressive site. A lot of monkeys make their home in the vegetation surrounding the fort. Thenford shared a lot of local history with us as we explored the island. We also saw a live cockfight (two roosters going at each other) in the middle of the street. Our last stop was Cockleshell Beach where we had an opportunity to swim, collect shells, and grab a beer. On the way, we saw wandering goats, cows, and more monkeys. Recommended!
Belize City, Belize
This will be one of your favorite ports IF you book an excursion. You'll hate the place if you do not. This fact has been chronicled time and again. Do yourself a favor and book an excursion! The two most popular excursions are the Cave Tubing and the Lamanai Ruins / Jungle River Cruise. Both get rave reviews. Our selection of the Lamanai tour was no exception.
Once at the Belize pier we were greeted with a nice Welcome sign. There are only a handful of shops at the pier. I am guessing there were about 90 folks on this tour. We were herded onto 1 of 3 air conditioned buses. Whatever bus you get becomes your tour group, and included a guide that not only narrated the bus tour and answered our questions but also drove our boat on the jungle cruise and lead our excursion of the ruins. Our experienced guide was Vel, and he was breaking in a very pretty young guide-in-training that joined us for the duration of the tour. Our guides were very friendly, knowledgeable, and proud of their country.
Belize is a poor country with great natural and historical assets. One idiot on the bus asked "Why are there bars on the windows of houses?" during an otherwise interesting Q&A about the country. (Answer: they have a crime problem related to a "crack" problem). The housing and habitat reminded us a lot of Waimanalo on Oahu (sans the bars). We learned a lot about the city and country on our 1.25 hour bus tour over a paved 2-lane road to the boat dock. [Side note: from visible signage along the road it appears Pepsi "controls" the less populated part of the country while Coca-Cola "owns" Belize City itself]. Each bus unloaded their groups into a large thatched roof building sporting restrooms and a couple of artisans. Within a few minutes we were loaded onto covered boats with comfortable seats and two powerful outboard motors.
We snaked South down the river to the Lamanai Ruin site. Our guide plying us with information and pointing out numerous birds (including King Fisher, Blue Herrin, Vultures, and Snow Egrets), baby crocodiles, and a huge green iguana, as well as various flora and fauna. We also found the huge termite nests in the trees to be of interest to all. One of the 3 boats experienced engine trouble which slowed us down a bit, but that boat was never abandoned. Our boat held back each time to make sure they were not stranded.
Once we arrived at Lamanai, we ate a hearty lunch of Mayan chicken, rice, coleslaw, coconut tarts, and bottled Pepsi and water. We started our tour in a small museum with interesting Mayan artifacts and continued on by foot through an impressive jungle featuring vines, "Jurassic Park"-sized palm fronds, medicinal trees, and Howler Monkeys. We spent about 1.5 hours exploring 3 large Mayan temples and the remains of a small Mayan town. Our guides provided an enormous amount of insight and kept us moving at a reasonable clip.
We returned to the boats, sped back up the river, and returned to the buses just before nightfall. We arrived back at the docks about an hour after the final tender was suppose to leave for the ship. Our guides, to their credit, had made the decision to give us the full tour --- not an abridged tour --- even though we had arrived late. After all, we were paying the full price of the tour and they weren't going to let us get anything less. It was clear, back in Lamanai, that we were not going to make the tender cutoff time. This began to cause great distress among some tour passengers. Just remember, that if you are on a cruise-sponsored tour, there are "no worries!" They were not going to strand any of their passengers in Belize if they are on a cruise-sponsored excursion. Sure enough, we were met at the pier with a nice large boat that easily and comfortably sped all of us back to the ship, which was beautifully illuminated out on the sea. Bottom line: take this tour.
Bridgetown, Barbados
We really enjoyed Barbados. We prearranged for Glory Tour's "Best of Barbados Tour" (Option A) $94 per person (after web discount) plus tips which included lunch, entrance fees, and drinks. It was an all-day tour that ran from 9:00am to 4:00pm. All entrance fees were included. There were just six of us on this guided tour that took us all over the island. Our driver, Stephen, took us first to Harrision Cave where were enjoyed a guided tram tour underground. These caves are spectacular. Then on to Bathsheba on the East Coast for impressive views of the ocean and rock formations. We ate a delicious lunch of Flying Fish, rice and beans, cole slaw, macaroni and cheese casserole, and a coke. We then worked our way to the Wild Life Reserve where we saw an abundance of green-tailed monkeys, tortoises, iguanas, a python, peacocks, turkeys, and other critters I couldn't identify. Stephen then treated us to a Barbados Rum Punch at the bar there. On the West Coast, we took a glass bottom boat to two snorkeling destinations: first visiting a ship wreck, then a spot where we swam with sea turtles (West Coast). Recommended!
Castries, St. Lucia
We prebooked COSOL Tours "Island Tour" at $50 per person plus tip. They picked us up at 8:30am and brought us back to the ship sometime after 2:30pm. What an exhaustive tour (and I mean this in a positive way). We toured most of the island's top sites and stopped for lots of local bites along the way, sampling bananas, mango, papaya, sugar cane, coconut, and lots more. Cold drinks were included (COSOL rum punch, Cokes made with sugar, water, and Piton beer --- a nice light lager. We visited a banana plantation, the Tourielle Waterfall and botanical garden, volcano (sulphur springs), a couple of fishing villages, spent beach time snorkeling at the Hilton Jalousie Beach Hotel whose beach spans between the Twin Pitons, and later overlooked Marigot Bay (where the original Dr. Doolittle filmed). There was plenty of time for shopping at the end of the tour. All of the entrance fees were included. Recommended! Hint: there is a lot of driving along mountain curves with drops and climbs in elevation. If you are prone to motion sickness, sit up front.
Cozumel, Mexico
We had privately arranged for a jungle horseback ride. We found a taxi to take us to Los Palimitas Ranch. The email I received from CozumelInsider informed me the taxi would cost $6-$8 dollars. I confirmed this with the driver upon entering the cab. However, upon arrival at the ranch, the driver wanted $14. We paid him $6. The ranch owner looked over our paperwork and cleared up the taxi situation. As it turns out, they really do charge $14 for that short ride, each way. We paid $25 each for a 3-hour horseback ride. Other than the underfed condition of our horses, it was a nice experience. Our guide led my wife and I though the jungle to a road which led to a natural cave and back again. We saw numerous geckos, iguana, flora, large aqua blue butterflies, reddish orange butterflies with a white stripe on their wings, and tiny yellow butterflies, as well as goats, bulls, dogs, and other horses. We were startled by the pack of 4 barking dogs that charged us, but our horses paid them no attention, and the dogs gave up their charade. We enjoyed this tour and tipped our guide. A $14 cab ride back to the ship for lunch and a $6 cab ride took us into town. Everything appeared to be WAY overpriced, and we were turned off by the barkers in front of every store harping at folks to come in and buy. Carlos and Charlie's was rocking. Not too surprising since there were 8 ships were in port. Our friends had booked the "Catch a Wave" snorkel and booze cruise which they said was worthwhile. They had a fun time and enjoyed the drinks. (The captain even circled a couple times on the way back to allow folks to get full use of the open bar). My recommendation: book an off-island adventure.
Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
We docked at the pier in La Romana. You have an opportunity to purchase a number of excursions or take a shuttle, provided gratis by Celebrity Cruise Lines, to Altos de Chavon and Casa de Campo Resort. Altos de Chavon is a recreation of a medieval Spanish village with cobblestone streets. It's an interesting stroll, but not of interest to kids. Casa de Campo is a 7,000 acre resort. The shuttle took you to the marina where there are shops and restaurants. During the Port Talk, we were encouraged to visit the marina after dinner. Unfortunately, it closes at 7:00pm.
We chose to take the Bayahibe Beach Break excursion at a cost of $44 per person. An air conditioned tour bus took us to the Sunscape Casa del Mar La Romana Resort. This is a very nice all-inclusive resort on Bayahibe Beach, about 30 minutes drive from the ship. The excursion included transportation, beach lounge chairs, use of the resort beach and pool, and access to the open bars. This is an excellent facility for families. There is a big white sand beach and lots of shade. Food and watercraft are available at a small additional charge. The large pool has a 12-foot tall tethered floating "Iceberg" climbing wall/slide that the kids couldn't get enough of. We got hit by a late afternoon downpour, but it didn't dampen the fun. I do recommend it. We felt secure at all times. When you've got an excursion like this available, I do not recommend staying on the ship.
We would have done the Bayahibe Beach excursion on our own, but we couldn't get any enough information on the Ports of Call thread to feel comfortable about it. Let me remedy that right now. You can do this on your own, and you shouldn't hesitate. At the port, it is easy to arrange for your own transportation to Bayahibe Beach. (A fellow passenger arranged for a van for their group of ten for $10 per person. They got roundtrip transportation to Bayahibe Beach and the driver even waited for them for 3 hours while they enjoyed the beach). If you don't need the resort facilities, you can access and use the beach just East of the resort.
You can do the Sunscape Casa del Mar La Romana Resort on a Day Pass, which would be great if you arrive in the morning. A day pass runs $50 per person (less for children under 11), from 10:30pm until 5:30pm It includes unlimited drinks, food, and access to non-motorized watercraft, snorkel gear, beach chairs --- pretty much the works! The resort personnel are extremely friendly. Shirley Sánchez, the Chief Concierge, is very good at answering any questions you may have via email. A taxi for 4 should run in the $30 to $35 range each way. If the driver doesn't stay, the resort will get call a taxi for your return trip to the pier.
Georgetown, Grand Cayman
If you arrive by ship, you will likely anchor offshore and tender in to this port. We walked around the pier shops awaiting our privately arranged Sting Ray City / Coral Gardens tour with Native Way at noon. There were 13 folks on our tour. We boarded a small van which took us to a boat awaiting us at the Yacht Club. Our boat could comfortably hold 50 people. It took about 20 minutes to motor out to the Coral Gardens reef where we donned mask, snorkel, fins and optional snorkel vests (which made my wife very happy). The snorkel vests provide buoyancy and can be inflated to a level that is comfortable for you. There were no lack of pretty fish here. We then motored 5 minutes out to Sting Ray City, a sandbar in the ocean where the water is only 4-feet deep. Even though the place was crowded, we had a great time. Stingrays with 2-to-4 foot wingspans were in abundance and very tame. Boat captains were catching them and passing them around for everyone to view and hold. Plenty of squid was available for feeding. We were happy to have been on a private tour ($35 each, plus tip). Some double-decker boats were absolutely jam-packed with passengers. Squeals pierced the air every time a stingray glided a wing against someone's leg. We spent about 1.5 hours between the two locations. Plenty of time. It was a very memorable and fun experience. Highly recommended! Upon our return we were driven back into town where we spent some more time shopping. We were hungry so we checked out the new Margaritaville Cafe. A raspberry margarita and a basket of fries set us back $18 including tip. Won’t do that again. The menu prices were displayed in Cayman dollars which are worth 20% more than US dollars, and we didn’t realize it until the adjusted bill with itemized tip arrived. We bought gifts at the conveniently located Tortuga Rum Company. They have a very nicely bottled Tortuga Citrus Honey for $8. They will also arrange to get any liquor you purchase delivered to the ship for free. We bought a couple bottles of Margaritaville Island Lime/Tequila Liqueur for $11 each as gifts and then got in line to board the tenders and headed back to the ship. Bottom line: Grand Cayman is gorgeous! Stingray City will be the highlight of your visit.
Isle Catalina, Dominican Republic
Catalina is a small island off the south shore of Dominican Republic. Our large section of the island featured a beautiful white sand beach (about a half-mile expanse), palm trees, free beach chairs, and umbrellas. Snorkeling was available along the left side of the beach next to a 12-foot cliff. A BBQ lunch, featuring hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs, chicken, salads, fruits, deserts, and drinks, was served by Celebrity beginning at 11:30am. Large tents with picnic tables were provided. No host bars, beach volleyball, and nice bathroom facilities were available. A quarter-mile walk past the restrooms to the old pier found you amongst cactus, scrub brush, lizards and nice views of the beach and ship. We were not bothered by locals selling trinkets unless you ventured past security into the shopping hut area. Shops, numbered 1 to 15, were located on the far right side of the beach. They were very aggressive. Snorkeling was uneventful but the water was very clear and comfortable. We returned to the ship at 2:10 and received a cold towel to refresh ourselves upon arrival. This was a free beach day excursion on Celebrity and a very enjoyable day at that.
Key West, Florida, USA
Key West, Trip #1
We berthed at the old Navy pier and were brought into town aboard Conch Trains and Old Town Trolleys. Conch Trains and Old Town Trolley tours of Key West were available for $20 per passenger. Bone Shuttle transportation (without a narrated tour) is $7 per passenger. We hopped on the Old Town Trolley. It has 10 stops and you are allowed to exit and reboard at any station. We got the grand tour of the island in about 1.5 hours, and tipped our driver "AL" who we thoroughly enjoyed. Hint: if you plan on visiting any of the houses or museums, buy your tickets at the Train or Trolley booths and you'll save a dollar per person. We spent some time in Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum which we found educational and fascinating. We headed to Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Cafe for a late "cheeseburger in paradise" lunch. I can't brag about the burger, but the fries and margaritas were great. We also bought pricey t-shirts next door in his gift shop. Jimmy got the bulk of our tourist dollar in Key West, and we're still smiling! I recommend all the experiences we partook here.
Key West, Trip #2
This trip we visited the Hemingway House, walked around town, stopped in for drinks at Hog's Breath (don't make the mistake I did and order a draught beer. It comes in a small plastic cup as opposed to a chilled glass) and bought a t-shirt at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Café on Duval Street. There really are 6-toed cats in residence at the Hemingway House. I also found the tour and landscaping interesting. Hint: there is a sandal shop called Kino Sandal, located on Fitzpatrick Street off Front Street. It's not easy to find, but worthwhile. They make and sell really comfortable sandals. My wife, who was skeptical and has hard to fit feet, tried on a pair and ended up buying two pair (at only $9.00 per pair).
Montego Bay, Jamaica
We prearranged for a Black River Safari and Pelican Beach Bar Tour with A-Z Planners ($60/pp). Two other cruise critic couples joined us. The six of us were the first passengers off the ship and we met our driver Clive who was waiting for us in the pier terminal. The seven of us got into a van and headed for the Black River, a scenic 90 minutes away. About 30 minutes into our tour, we busted a wheel on one of the many potholes that plague the island streets. This necessitated a 40 minute wait for a backup van and we proceeded on our way. (We were very thankful that A-Z Planners had a good contingency plan). Upon arrival at the Black River, we boarded a canopied pontoon boat with 6 other passengers and our captain for a pleasant cruise around the Black River where we saw birds, alligators, and interesting floral and trees. While you can’t see to the bottom of the river due to the black peat moss floor, the water itself is very clear. One of our braver cruise mates took a cool swim in the river. We tipped the boat captain and headed across the river for lunch at Riverside Dock.
While lunch was downright excellent (I had Guava Jerk Chicken with rice and peas) it took about an hour to get it out of the kitchen. We split the lunch ticket six ways. Lunch ran $11 including tip per person and that included picking up lunch for our driver as well. Pelican Bay was a relatively short drive, where we boarded a seemingly unstable, though eminently seaworthy, fishing boat for a quarter-mile trip to the Pelican Beach Bar. The elevated stick and thatch bar is located on a sandbar in the middle of the ocean! It is a sight to be seen. Running short on time, we left the bar after a brief stay. It would have been nice to kick back a little and maybe swim some too. We stopped at a local IGA grocery store for some Blue Mountain Coffee ($J 1065/lb, about $US 14/lb) and other provisions and rushed back to the port in time to make our cruise departure. We recommend A-Z Planners and this tour.
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau, Trip #1
Get out and see the island. The ship berths at a pier. We opted to take it easy and just walk around and enjoy some shopping. We started with a very pleasant horse and buggy ride for $10 per person. It was a nice way to start the morning. The Straw Market is full of vendors selling the same merchandise (or junk, depending on your point of view). You can easily get 20% to 30% off the original asking prices if you don't appear too interested in anything you want to buy. On Sundays, many shops are not open. The ones that are will do a fairly brisk business. Postage stamps can be bought in machines in the pharmacies. 68 cents worth of Bahaman stamps for $1 US. You can drop your postcards in the red PO boxes on the street. Several passengers caught taxis and water taxis to the Atlantis Casino. The water taxis will wait until they're way overloaded before sailing, despite the captain's warning that "we are getting full and are leaving right now". We saw one taxi bob precariously to and fro under the weight of the upper deck passengers. We thought it would tip over for sure, but it did not. We bought a cool embroidered t-shirt, made with the new photosensitive thread that changes from white to vibrant colors in the sun, at Del Sol.
Nassau, Trip #2
Try jumping on the #10 Jitney ($1.00 each way, payable when exiting) to Cable Beach. The drivers are really friendly. Greet them with a hearty "Good Morning" as you board. You can catch the #10 near the British Colonial Hilton (a few blocks to your right after you leave the pier). The trip takes about 20 minutes. We got off at Sandals, the all-inclusive "adult couples only" resort. It was a good thing we had brought our email confirmation of the Day Pass option as there was some confusion at the gate and upon check-in. A Day Pass (9am to 6pm) costs $220 per couple, or $50 per person ($100 per couple) if you view a 10-minute presentation and go on a 30-minute site inspection tour. We opted for the tour.
If you are short on time, consider a 45-minute "cheap tour", jumping on the #10 Jitney. The roundtrip will only set you back $2. Also consider checking out the beach at the Wyndham Hotel Casino on Cable Beach.
Sandals
Everyone was quite friendly. They make no effort to differentiate someone on a Day Pass from an overnight guest. You have free reign of the property. We took a speedboat out to Sandals Cay --- their semi-private island --- which includes a pool with swim-up bar, hot tub, hammocks, chairs, and a restaurant. There was less than 12 guests on the island for the first hour --- 24 by the time we left after two hours. The speedboat operators are real pros and a joy to watch in action as they secure the boat to the docks in high wave conditions. We enjoyed a couple of drinks on a hammock as waves crashed nearby. Atlantis could be seen in the distance. Very relaxing. They don't skimp on the liquor here. All quality, branded names, and local beers. Back at the main property we enjoyed a few more drinks, the hot tub, and a conch fritter lunch. Nice laidback day. We would look forward to visiting Sandals again on a Day Pass.
Oranjestad, Aruba
We prearranged two activities here. First we headed to MooMba Beach on Palm Beach for Jolly Pirates' "Sail, Snorkel, Swim, and Swing" from 9:30am to 2:30pm. You can easily get to Palm Beach via taxi for $10 or via local bus for $1.30 per person. There is a free shuttle from the ship to the cruise ship terminal. To catch a bus, simply exit the terminal, turn right, and cross the street to the Bus Terminal --- an orange building with white columns and benches. Take the #10 "Hotels" bus. Palm Beach has several stops. Get off at the Holiday Inn, walk through the lobby to the beach, turn right, walk about 100 yards to MooMba Beach. Jolly Pirate's office is just behind the large thatched roof beach bar. Check-in for Jolly Pirates was at 9am. It's $53 per person (less a 15% online booking discount) plus tip. We set sail in a pirate ship for three snorkel sites: two reefs and a WWII sunken German cargo ship. We also got to enjoy swinging off the ship into the ocean. We were fed a very tasty lunch which included pork ribs, chicken skewers, pasta salad, slaw, fried banana and a roll. The free bar offering up rum, whisky, Pirate Poisson, Pina Colada, sodas and water, was open the entire trip. Snorkels, masks, vests, and fins were provided. This is a very fun excursion for all ages. Recommended! Hint: if you are just looking for a nice beach, consider Eagle Beach which is on the way to Palm Beach.
We enjoyed drinks and an appetizer at the MooMba beach bar from 2:30pm to 3:30pm. At 3:30pm, our taxi driver, Bully, picked us up in front of the Hadicurari Restaurant next door. Our traveling companions ate lunch here and said the fish was outstanding. Bully took us on a nice two-hour tour of the island and returned us to the pier. His rate is $40 per hour (just $10 per person per hour in our case) plus tip. Recommended!
Roseau, Dominica
We prearranged the "Roseau Valley Treasures" tour with Bumpiing Tours (Levi Baron). $49 per person plus tip. We tendered into Roseau. Tendering was very efficient. Levi Baron met us just outside the pier and turned us over to Gary, our awesome driver and guide for the day.
Gary kept us one step ahead of most of the tours. We started our day at Wotten Waven Sulphur Springs which entailed a short walk to view small boiling pools. Then it was off to Trafalgar Falls which features two large waterfalls in the same area. There was about a 10 minutes walk through a rainforest to a viewing platform where we took pictures and then proceeded past a "Proceed Only At Your Own Risk" sign and descended down to some hot springs where we relaxed and played in several hot pools. We also got some closer views of the falls. From here we drove to Titou Gorge where part of Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 was filmed. It was an easy 10 minutes walk to the Gorge, where we got into cold mountain water and swam a short distance through a cave to a waterfall. (If you go, don't wimp out. It's worth the chill). We instantly warmed in the sun upon exiting and got toasty in a nearby hot spring. We visited the Botanical Gardens where we learned about see different plants, trees and flowers grown on the Island. A short 5-minute drive to Morne Bruce presented us an overview of the entire city of Roseau, and port, from the top of a hill. We ended the tour snorkeling at Champagne Bay, where we hired an snorkel guide for $10 to show us the fish and underwater sites just offshore. There is no way we would have seen as much without our water guide, T.J. The entire tour lasted about 7 hours. Gary kept us well hydrated with Kubuli Beer (the best local island beer we tasted on this trip) and water. Gary was also quick to stop the van for any pictures we wanted to take and often stopped to pluck a leaf, nut, fruit, branch or root for us to smell and identify as one of the many local spices grown on the island. Recommended!
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Upon arrival we immediately headed for San Cristobal Fortress on foot. Then on to El Moro Castle via the city wall walkway by the sea. Both were really cool to visit. Very impressive, massive, structures. Cost is $3.00 per person for each site, or $5.00 per person for both sites. Don't make the mistake of hiring a taxi. It is pretty easy to walk around town as places are closer than they appear on maps. Highly recommend visits to both. (Check out the restrooms in El Moro. You won't find a restroom anywhere with better views). On the way back to the ship, just off The Street of San Francisco, we stopped at a street cafe for papaya and guava frappes, chips, and guacamole. It was a nice break. On another trip we lunched at Parrot Club (my wife’s new favorite eatery in San Juan), and then shopped for liquor at Bacardi Liquors, located in the cruise terminal, before reboarding the ship. Bacardi Liquors offered some of the best prices on liquor that we saw at any port.
Here's a great excursion if you are flying out of San Juan and have some time to kill before your flight. When exiting the terminal building for transportation you will see two orange booths. The one on the left is for "Taxis". The one on the right is for "Sightseeing Tours". For $25 per person, we gave our bags to the sightseeing tour guide. He loaded the bags into the back of his air conditioned van, and we jumped in, took a seat and waited for the large van to fill. Once full (about 16 or 18 passengers), our driver Hector left the port and headed for Old San Juan. He gave us information about the city, stopped for pictures, allowed us 15 minutes to tour the Capital, 40 minutes to explore Fort San Cristobal, a quick stop at Casa Don Q's (2 blocks from the OSJ docks and across the street from Tijuana's Bar and Grill) for a quick pitch on Don Q rum and free rum drinks. (My wife enjoyed a Pina Colada). Hector then dropped us off downtown to shop for 45 minutes. We grabbed a quick trinket and walked a block to the Parrot Club for lunch. Very interesting place. My wife just loves the decor. Our waiter was friendly, very courteous, and efficient. While not inexpensive, the food is outstanding and well worth the visit if you enjoy nice flavors. At 12:40pm we boarded the van and he dropped a few folks (who had evening flights) off at Lupis to enjoy lunch while the rest of us went to the airport. He then went back and picked up the Lupis group to continued their tour. Recommended! This was a great way to spend some free time in San Juan and get to the airport.
St. Georges, Grenada
We arranged for a 4-hour half-day half day "Spice Plantation Route" tour with Mandoo Tours at $45 per person, plus tips. It ran from 8am to noon plus beach time. The spice plantation route is going to give you a great feel of the island. We visited the Douglaston Spice Depot where we saw a presentation on many of Grenada's spices, and where fresh quality spices were available for purchase. We drove through the lush volcanic mountains to where multiple spice plants, cocoa and bananas plantations were pointed out to us. Great photo shots. We visited Grand Etang Crater Lake where we saw our first Mona monkey. We drove through the rain forest and made a stop at
Annandale Waterfall. At the end of the tour we were given time at the beach and then returned to the ship. We had lunch on the ship and then walked to Fort George, very close to the ship. We exited the pier terminal and turned right. There is a stairwell to the right of a tunnel. Just keep climbing until you get to the top. It's about a 15 minute walk up stone stairs and ramps. This might have been an awesome fort at one time. It has fallen into disrepair and is being used for multiple other purposes. Really too bad. However Fort George will give you lots of photo opportunities from its elevated point. Recommended!
St. John, US Virgin Islands
We berthed at Havensight Pier in St. Thomas. Our destination was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Despite what everyone at the pier will tell you (and they will lie to you), you can get local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John. Simply walk out of the Havensight pier main gate, cross the street, turn left and walk until you get to the Bus Stop (there is a pullover area) across from K-Mart and cross the street so that you are standing on the K-Mart side of the street. It is a leisurely 15-minute level walk. When you see an open-air taxi drive up, flag him down, tell him where you wish to go and enjoy the trip. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way depending upon traffic. The taxi will drop you off at the Red Hook ferry terminal. Pay upon exiting the taxi, go through the gates and hop on the ferry to St. John. We caught the 8:00am ferry and paid our $5.00/pp fare. Normally, you would pay at the booth prior to boarding. The very pretty ride across the bay runs about 15 minutes.
[Note: there is also a downtown ferry that runs directly from Charlotte Amalie for $10/pp. The ferry dock is a short taxi ride from the Charlotte Amalie pier. This is a very pretty 40-minute ride. As I recall, it runs less often than the Red Hook ferry.]
Upon arrival at Cruz Bay, St. John, we caught a 10-minute taxi ride ($6.00/pp) to Trunk Bay, stopping once along the way to take pictures of Trunk Bay from a picturesque spot along the road. We arrived at 8:30am which allowed us to get in free. Once the admission booth opens, it costs $4.00/pp to enter this beautiful white sand beach with clear waters, awesome views of islands and cays, nice facilities, and an underwater snorkeling trail. The snorkeling trail can be found on the right hand side of the beach. It begins on the far side of the little island and works its way around the island and ends on the closer side. The snorkeling is very good, with lots of fish and colorful coral. Including the four of us, there was a total of 7 people enjoying this beach from 8:30am to 10:15am when larger groups began arriving —– at which time we left and caught a $4/pp taxi for Cinnamon Bay. (Trunk Bay is now one of our top three Caribbean beaches).
Cinnamon Bay is part of a campground with good facilities, snorkeling equipment rentals, and kayak rentals. The beach is not as pretty as Trunk Bay but offers good snorkeling as well. Sea Turtles can be spotted here in the middle of the bay feeding on the sea grass, but we did not spot any this trip. We caught a taxi back to Cruz Bay ($7/pp) at 11:40am. We just missed the noon ferry so we ate lunch at High Tide Bar and Grill adjacent to the pier. We enjoyed the Virgin Island Pale Ale (a fruity beer made for distribution in St. John by a brewery in Maine), and especially liked the sweet mango salsa which accompanies the chips and salsa appetizer. We shopped until 1:45pm and bought tickets for the 2:00pm ferry, which was 30 minutes late arriving. A very large crowd anxiously waited in a long line in the hot sun on the pier. There was no problem getting everyone on the ferry. We arrived back in Red Hook at 2:40pm. Ignore the $7/pp taxis and wait for a $2.00 taxi again EXACTLY where it dropped you off. (Do not cross the street). We got dropped off a couple blocks closer to Havensight than the K-Mart where we picked up the taxi. St. Thomas is a major shopping destination. Havensight has a large number of shops convenient to the ship, however, the real shoppers head into Charlotte Amalie to do their shopping. It is very easy to get to St. John from the ship. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.
St. Johns, Antigua
(Do not confuse St. Johns, Antigua for St. John, USVI). We prearranged an island tour with Lawrence of Antigua ($35/pp + $5/pp entrance fee to the national park). Since our tour was not expected to start until 10:30am, we walked around the pierside shops. The taxi drivers and vendors are very aggressive. You’ll be offered a taxi ride at least a dozen times. Souvenirs and food are very expensive here. No bargains to be found. Most local shops carry the same trinkets and shirts. The shops carrying original merchandise are even more expensive.
We met Lawrence and the rest of our small (10 people) tour group at the pier and headed for Lawrence’s beautiful air conditioned bus with comfortable seats and large windows. Lawrence gave us a wonderful guided tour of the island including English Harbor, the Nelson dockyard, Shirley Heights, and a rain forest. Free range goats and sheep roam the countryside, streets, yards, and high school athletic fields. We also saw donkeys, cattle, and mongoose. We had an option ($10/pp) to stay at Turner’s Beach, a pretty shell-sand beach on the Caribbean side of the island with a bar and grill, and changing facilities. Due to the heat, we opted to return to the ship. After dropping of 6 of us back at the ship, Lawrence returned to the beach to pickup the 4 that stayed. We recommend Lawrence’s tour.
St. Maarten / St. Martin
This island half owned by the French and half owned by the Dutch. We dock on the southern Dutch side. The northern French side (actually a little more than half) is named St. Martin. We shared a taxi ($6.00 per person when you have at least 6 people) from the pier to Orient Beach. Hint: if you only have 2 people, wait a few minutes for someone else to join you. We got dropped off at Pedro's Bar which was empty upon our arrival at 9:30 am but standing room only when we left the beach at 2:30 pm. Hint: tell your driver when you wish to leave and he’ll be waiting for you at the prearranged time. After walking the beach we settled in at The Pirate Beach Bar and Grill. We got two lounge chairs on the waterfront with a 3-inch-thick white chair pad, an umbrella, and two drinks for $14.00. Service was great. They would check on us and reposition our umbrella to allow for more shade or sun as desired. Orient Beach is a beautiful white sand beach with blue and green waters which appeared clearer than Coki Beach on St. Thomas. This is a clothing-optional beach, and yes, folks exercising this option do walk the length of the beach or sunbathe along the beach. This beach had everything available for a price: jet ski, parasail, windsurfing, and more. To our surprise, we discovered that Orient Beach also has some good snorkeling. Head for the dark reef area to the right of Pedro's (as you face the ocean) in front of the nude beach area. Schools of fish and a ray could be spotted.
The cab ride from the Dutch side to the French side, past the official border marker monument to Orient Beach, is rather interesting. We saw a large herd of feral goats, a couple of fighting rooster coops, a cockfighting ring, and two bordellos. (We weren't looking for the later. They were pointed out by our driver). Cockfighting is apparently legal on the French side, while the Dutch side has casinos.
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
St. Thomas, Trip #1
St. Thomas is a major shopping destination. A large number of passengers bought digital cameras at this stop. We privately arranged for an island tour with Godfrey's Tour, now $25 per person (plus tip). He picked us up at the ship at 10:00 am and dropped us off downtown. At noon he picked us up for a 2-hour island tour and dropped us off at Coki beach (no beach charge) from 2pm to 4pm. We would have preferred Meagan's Bay ($3 per person), but the majority of our tour mates brought their snorkel gear and were set on Coki Beach with the clearer water and more abundant fish. The downside of Coki is that it is a small, crowded, relatively unattractive stretch of sand maybe 25% as long as the considerably less crowded, more picturesque, Meagan's Bay. $20 will get you 2 beach lounge chairs (unpadded) and a very large umbrella at Coki Beach.
St. Thomas, Trip #2: Sapphire Beach
This trip, we opted to enjoy Sapphire Beach on our own and shop Havensight at the pier. Despite what everyone at the pier will tell you (and they will lie to you), you can get local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Sapphire Beach. Simply walk out of the Havensight pier main gate, cross the street, turn left and walk until you get to the Bus Stop (there is a pullover area) across from K-Mart and cross the street so that you are standing on the K-Mart side of the street. It is a leisurely 10 to 15-minute level walk. When you see an open-air taxi drive up, flag him down, tell him where you wish to go and enjoy the trip. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way to Sapphire Beach depending upon traffic. Pay upon exiting the taxi. If you are going to Sapphire Beach, you will be dropped off at the entrance to the Sapphire Beach hotels which is at the top of a hill. A short 5-minute walk will get you on the beach. Sapphire Beach is a gorgeous white sand beach with lots of shade trees and awesome views of several nearby islands including St. John. The snorkeling is good. We saw several schools of fish (previously unknown to us), an eel, and a small stingray. Unpadded beach lounge chairs are $5 each if you want to rent one, or free if you just occupy one of the many chairs abandoned by their previous inhabitants. A dive shop, bar and grill, and restrooms are available. Some water sports are also available. Pick up the taxi again where it dropped you off.
St. Thomas, Trip #3: St. John
7:00am - 5:00pm. Our destination this trip was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Just like our second trip, we caught local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way depending upon traffic. The taxi will drop you off at the Red Hook ferry terminal. Pay upon exiting the taxi, go through the gates and hop on the ferry to St. John. We caught the 8:00am ferry and paid our $5.00/pp fare. Normally, you would pay at the booth prior to boarding. The very pretty ride across the bay runs about 15 minutes. Upon arrival at Cruz Bay, St. John, we caught a 10-minute taxi ride ($6.00/pp) to Trunk Bay, stopping once along the way to take pictures of Trunk Bay from a picturesque spot along the road. We arrived at 8:30am which allowed us to get in free. Once the admission booth opens, it costs $4.00/pp to enter this beautiful white sand beach with clear waters, awesome views of islands and cays, nice facilities, and an underwater snorkeling trail. The snorkeling trail can be found on the right hand side of the beach. It begins on the far side of the little island and works its way around the island and ends on the closer side. The snorkeling is very good, with lots of fish and colorful coral. Including the four of us, there was a total of 7 people enjoying this beach from 8:30am to 10:15am when larger groups began arriving —– at which time we left and caught a $4/pp taxi for Cinnamon Bay. (Trunk Bay is now one of our top three Caribbean beaches).
Cinnamon Bay is part of a campground with good facilities, snorkeling equipment rentals, and kayak rentals. The beach is not as pretty as Trunk Bay but offers good snorkeling as well. Sea Turtles can be spotted here in the middle of the bay feeding on the sea grass, but we did not spot any this trip. We caught a taxi back to Cruz Bay ($7/pp) at 11:40am. We just missed the noon ferry so we ate lunch at High Tide Bar and Grill adjacent to the pier. We enjoyed the Virgin Island Pale Ale (a fruity beer made for distribution in St. John by a brewery in Maine), and especially liked the sweet mango salsa which accompanies the chips and salsa appetizer. We shopped until 1:45pm and bought tickets for the 2:00pm ferry, which was 30 minutes late arriving. A very large crowd anxiously waited in a long line in the hot sun on the pier. There was no problem getting everyone on the ferry. We arrived back in Red Hook at 2:40pm. Ignore the $7/pp taxis and wait for a $2.00 taxi again EXACTLY where it dropped you off. (Do not cross the street). We got dropped off a couple blocks closer to Havensight than the K-Mart where we picked up the taxi. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
 |
There is no need to prearrange any excursions here. Taxis line up at the pier to take you anywhere you want to go. Several passengers hopped into taxis and got the exact same tour that other passengers paid double for through the ship. Our sights were set on visiting Virgin Gorda. We got off the ship just after 8:00 am and walked 15 minutes to the red-roofed ferry terminal off to the left of the pier. Click on map for larger image of walking route from cruise pier to ferry dock. |
Speedy's and Smith's both offer service to Virgin Gorda. However, only Speedy's could get us back before our 3:00pm departure. So we caught the 9:00 am Speedy's Ferry over and the 12:30 pm ferry back. Cost was $25 per person roundtrip, including roundtrip Speedy's Taxi service from the Virgin Gorda docks to The Baths. (You will not want to attempt to walk to The Baths from the dock). We brought our mask and snorkel with us. Rentals are available at The Baths for $10 plus a $30 deposit. We sat upstairs in the open air seating atop the ferry. Cool winds and great views. 30-35 minute ride each way followed by a 10-minute taxi to The Baths.
There is a $3.00 (adults) and $2.00 (children) entrance fee to The Baths which are part of the BVI National Parks Trust. A restaurant appropriately named “Top of the Baths” is nearby and offers incredible views of the surrounding islands. A 5-minute walk (350 yards in length) down to The Baths was rocky and uneven. At the bottom, single-use-only lockers can be rented for $2.50 each, via a token that can be purchased at the shop nearby. They are large enough to hold a beach bag or backpack. Tokens are also required if you wish to take a shower. The Baths are an incredibly fun experience. Here is a detailed map of The Baths at Virgin Gorda. The Baths were really fun to explore. Highly recommend water shoes, a water camera, and a swimsuit. A beautiful beach with crystal clear waters awaits visitors on the other side of the rock maze. While not the greatest snorkeling site for fish, the coral formations were interesting. A beautiful beach with crystal clear waters awaits visitors on the other side of the rock maze. The water was nice and clear. Visibility was easily more than 50 feet! We would have liked to stay another couple of hours, and look forward to another visit. Highly recommended!
On our second trip to The Baths, we opted to pay an additional $10 ($35 total) for Speedy's “Sun and Fun” package which also included lunch and rum punch at The Bath & Turtle. After visiting The Baths for four hours, our taxi driver returned for us at 1:30pm, as agreed, to take us into town to eat. The Bath and Turtle Bar and Grill, located in a small strip mall with a dive shop, bank, and a few other shops, has little atmosphere but they make it up with good food and friendly service. Our coupon indicated that we could spend up to $10/pp, but our waitress allowed $12/pp which covers most items on the menu. We enjoyed our rum punch with a lunch platter consisting of a Caribbean Jerk Chicken sandwich, coleslaw and potato salad. We shopped a little after our leisurely lunch, then headed for the pier. The pier is a short 5-minute walk across a parking lot, past a small grocery store, and beyond an old partially-fenced park. Our ferry was already at the dock when we arrived at 3:00pm. We promptly boarded and departed on time at 3:30pm, arriving back in Road Town at 4:05pm. We had no problem getting back to the ship before the 4:45pm cutoff. Highly recommended!
On our third trip to Tortola, we stayed on the island and set our sights on Brewer's Bay. TTaxi service here is on a "per person" basis. Brewers Bay costs $6.00 per person each way for parties of 4 or more. (For the curious, it's also $6.00 per person to beautiful Cane Garden Bay, heavily populated with cruise passengers). What a way to end our cruise! There were less than a dozen folks at Brewers Bay when we arrived at 9am and about 50 when we left at 1pm. This is a spectacularly beautiful bay with awesome snorkeling to the left of the bay. We saw a number our variety of fish including Tarpon (about 4 feet in length), box fish, trigger fish, loads of colorful parrot fish, thousands of interesting little reef dwellers and various coral formations. It was impressive to see large schools of fish descend across the reef devouring whatever morsels they enjoy and moving on to the next like locusts in a field. If you aren't into snorkeling, lay back and watch the dozen or so pelicans plunge into the ocean for fish all day long. They would dive within a couple feet of a snorkeler --- neither bothering the other. Beach chairs can be rented for $5 (loungers) or $3 (chairs) but we didn't see any umbrellas. There is plenty of shade on the left side of the beach (snorkeling side) in front of Nicole's Bar. Nicole's Bar offers mixed drinks and a collection of $3 bottled beer as well as a grill ($6 for a cheeseburger or $8 for shrimp and fries).
Willemstad, Curacao
The local currency is Guilders. The quick math is $1.00 US = 1.50 Guilders. It was really closer to $1.59 when we were there. Galaxy was at the Mega Pier, a short 10-minute walk to the Queen Emma floating bridge. We walked around the town in the morning then headed out by local bus ($1 US / 1.50 Guilders) to Hato Caves. There are a couple of bus terminals. We caught a bus from the bus depot located NNE of town, just across a small bridge beyond the round "New Market" building. Note: A taxi to Hato Caves from the Mega pier was quoted at $25 each way. Considerably quicker, but very expensive. Board the "Punda-Hato-Souax" bus. The bus ride to Hato Caves is 45 minutes. (The return was 55 minutes). The bus stops ("BusHalte") directly in front of the caves. Walk to the bar, pay $8.00 US for a guided tour, plus tip, and wait for the next tour to begin. Hato Caves is worth the trip. We were given a very interesting guided tour and history of the cave. This cave has about 300 small fruit bats which will not bother you. We saw maybe a dozen active bats during the tour.
We originally set out to see the caves in the morning and wanted to enjoy Kon Tiki beach in the afternoon, but never made it. If we were to do it over again, we would go to Kon Tiki beach first thing in the morning, return to the ship for lunch and do the Hato Caves in the afternoon. We understand that Kon Tiki is a beautiful protected beach with excellent snorkeling beyond the reef. Only $3 each for a chair and $5 for a thatch roof hut you can lay under.
Information is from sources believed to be reliable but cannot be guaranteed. The information presented is an opinion intended to assist travelers in preparing for their Western Caribbean cruise.
Since we do not have complete control over the "Ads by Google" appearing on this page, we do not directly endorse their sites or products. Please notify us if you find any of the advertisers to be misleading.
Tips for Bermuda Visitors and Cruisers
Detailed information to assist you in preparing for your Bermuda visit.
|
Tips for Eastern Caribbean Cruisers
Detailed information to assist you in preparing for your Eastern Caribbean cruise.
|
Tips for First-time Western Caribbean Cruisers
Detailed information to assist you in getting ready for your first Western Caribbean cruise.
|
Celebrity Millennium and Four Eastern Caribbean Ports
Detailed information on the Celebrity Millennium and the ports of Dominican Republic, San Juan, St. Thomas, and Nassau
|
Cruising Alaska on a Budget
Detailed information to assist you in preparing for an Alaska cruise on a budget.
|
Cruise Ship Dictionary
A quick reference to cruise ship terminology.
|
How to Select Cruise Insurance / Travel Insurance
Great consumer tips to assist you in choosing the right insurance for your trip.
|
Celebrity Zenith and Nine Caribbean Ports
Detailed information on Celebrity Zenith and ports in Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Isle Catalina, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Maarten, Tortola, and Key West.
|
Tips for Southern Caribbean Cruisers
Detailed information on Aruba, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Kitts, Dominica, St. Lucia, and Tortola.
|
Feel free to contact me to correct any information in this article or to alert me to additional information one should consider.
© 2008 Topher
Thank you for visiting. Aloha!
|
