We are going on a cruise to the following islands: St. Thomas, Dominica, Antigua, Barbados and St. Lucia.

We already have plans for St. Thomas (taking the ferry to St. Johns and renting a Jeep) and Barbados (island excursion) but not the rest. Dominica - has any been here on a cruise? Should we book an excursion in advance or just wait until we arrive at the port and hire a taxi?
St. Lucia - any particular sites we should not miss?
Antiqua - Do they have better snorkeling here or in Barbuda? Best beach for relaxation and few drinks?

Thanks in advance for your help!

I've been to most of these islands many times, but Dominica only once. Your plans for St. Thomas are perfect. Barbados is fun because of the people. Each time we were there, we rented our own car (more like a crackerbox) and had a blast driving the roads (most of which look a lot like someone just took a lawn mower to a sugar cane field). It's not the prettiest island of in the Caribbean, but I've always enjoyed it. The friendliest people in the Caribbean are from Barbados. It's been several years since I've been to Dominica and it was a very new port back then. Our ship was there for only 1/2 day. We took a little tour of the town (the Churches are pretty, and I enjoy watching the children) and then to a hot springs. Dominica is very volcanic and rugged. It's probably become more commercialized since I've been there. All of the smaller islands (St. Lucia and Antigua included) will have taxi drivers for hire waiting at the pier. We used one for our visit to St. Lucia a few years ago and he ended up taking us every place that the ship excursions went - only in reverse order so as to miss the crowds. It was fun and the price was around the same. If you can find another couple to share a taxi with, it'll probably be more fun. I did not find snorkeling the best in Antigua. The best snorkeling for where you are going is St. John. Antigua has a place called Hawksbill Bay which is not a snorkeling beach, but is very quiet and pretty. Other than a little history - Lord Nelson's Dockyards - Antigua is a place to just relax on the beach. Again, we rented our own car and drove where we wanted and stayed as long as we wanted. Again, if you have another couple to share the car, the better. Have fun!

Thanks for the feedback. Is it difficult to get to Barbuda from Antigua or would we not have enough time (docked 9-6)? I heard there is much better snorkeling there. Any other places with great snorkeling at any of these islands?

http://www.jungletoursstlucia.com/rainforest.htm

We used this company for a tour in St. Lucia. They were awesome and the highlight of our trip. I would recommend them for St. Lucia. We did Dickensons Bay in Antigua. There is or there was a the time a nice little restaurant, with food and drinks on the beach. We also rented wave runners. Had a blast. I think your best snorkeling will be had on St. Johns. Enjoy!!

Snorkeling in St Lucia isn't great. I highly recommend doing a cruise along the shore to the Titons- beautiful. I'd rather do a water excursion than a road trip there. I'm not sure why you are renting a jeep in St. John (no "s&quot
Frankly, they drive pretty crazy over there. I would take a taxi to the beach and do my snorkeling there, then taxi to town or wherever you want to go. It would save you time, plus you have to factor in the longer cab ride/shorter feryy trip to either Red Hook or the opposite from the dock near the ship.

can anyone recommend a tour company for St. Lucia which includes a water/catamaran tour off the coast of the island?

kwren there is a fellow there that runs a company called Joys that offers a boat tour down the coast from the Castries area to Sourfrie, a visit to the volcano and botanic gardens, and then snorkeling at the base of the Pitons. Lunch and beer included. We booked him through our resort and I do not know if he is bookable outside of a resort. At the time the resort was called St James Club and it is now called Almond at Morgan Bay and I think Joy is still bookable there. It was quite nice, not too expensive, and we enjoyed it very much. The lunch is on the beach and prepared by his mother and other family members.

To each his own but after being on a cruise ship for one week getting off in st. lucia was a great relief. I would not care to get on another boat. I would much prefer and open road trip for several hours. The 4X4 can go where a regular car cannot travel. We went in a spa where volcano waters flow. It was a blast.

Here's the one I booked.

http://www.shoretrips.com/common/sea...p;tcode=001723

It came highly recommended from a friend of mine who has been to St. Lucia several times and said this is the only way to get up close and personal with the Pitons.

good choice...I'd pay anything to avoid the roads of St Lucia. That is a relaxing and beautiful trip- you won't regret it.

That one is similar to the one Joy offers but he is cheaper but you are on a regular smaller boat not a large cat. I think we paid about $55-60 as I recall maybe less.

Thanks so much for the suggestions - I will check them out.

My mother will be with us - I assume that some people stay on the boat instead of swimming? How long does the swimming stop last? Also, how much walking is involved (mom again!)?

Less than 2 months to my cruise! Now that I'm starting to look into excursions, it is definitely starting to seem real!

The beach Break excursions with cruise tours is generally 4 hours long. Walking will be at a minimum. On the beach breaks it is cheaper to just take a taxi which will be PLENTIFUL after you get off the ship. They will take you to the closest beach, and there are always many of them, waiting to take you back to the ship. It is cheaper and you can stay as long as you like. (Well until the ship sails!)

Hey Kwren,

We will be doing Southern Carib in mid december with NCL and on our stop at St Lucia we plan to book a Land/sea Catamaran excursion with www.serenitytvl.com. Is an all -day tour w/lunch starting at 0830 -4:15. It is about $90 pp. They received very good reviews on Cruise Critic .com.

Jay

Hi Jay - thanks for the tip! We're going to check the trips out. I'm thinking that these private tours are the same ones used by the cruise lines, just booked in advance to be sure the cruise guests get first dibs for the specific time slots - the descriptions of all the excursions are exactly the same. Which would be better? Going with the cruise group with a guarantee of being back on time and getting off the ship first? The excursions with our cruise are a bit cheaper too. Do you have any insight into this?