I'm having the toughest time
 

I'll be on the Sea Princess at the end of October (southern Caribbean) and I'm having a hard time trying to choose tours for the different ports of call. It would be so helpful to me if I knew whether the ship would dock in an area where we'd be within walking distance of shops etc or not. I know for sure that Caracas is 45 minutes away by bus..but what about: Aruba, Dominica, Grenada, St. Thomas?<BR><BR>Any help would definitely be appreciated.<BR><BR>Thanks.

Did this exact itenerary on the Ocean Princess. In Aruba we docked and the shops were right there, but it's an American type mall, if you want to see the island rent a jeep or take a tour. Grenada you tender in, but are dropped in town where you can shop. But again, why shop? Take a tour of the island, we did the 4 hr tour and loved hearing the history. Dominica you dock at the shops, but the town is pretty poor so sightseeing is a much better option. Caracas, never saw it, the town was too far away and you dock is a pretty sketchy part of town, we stayed on board. St. Thomas you will either dock or tender in, depending on volume. You will be at a small shopping part, and the town is only 3 miles away and there are a zillion taxi's who will take you. I think this is where most people shop. Many people on our boat took tours to different beaches, we did a sailboat snorkle tour.<BR><BR>Have a blast, we loved our trip.

We are going on this cruise too over Thanksgiving week. What tour did you do in Dominica? Princess's website is very vague, just a heading really, which shows the cost and the time. I want specifics. I called and asked for the brochure, but that was two weeks ago and I still don't have it! Has anyone done any of the hikes to the waterfalls? Or what about the dolphin and whale watch excursion?

No need to take a ship tour in Dominica. There are plenty of cabs/vans that will take you anywhere, including the falls. They will all be lined up at the dock. Cheaper prices than the cruise line.<BR>I went to one of the falls and it was about a 10 min walk. Very pretty.<BR><BR>

We did the Princess Wacky Roller Jeep tour. Great fun, we weren't adventerous to try a tour on our own, though I'm sure we could have saved money. Dominca gets 350 inches of rain a year so make sure to pack a poncho, it's warm, but nice to have a little shield. The jeep tour took us to 2 waterfalls, the first was VERY crowded with tours, the 2nd was really far inland & we even got to swim into a cave, very neat. It was really fun to get to see a lot of the island and the way everyone lives.

In St Thomas if the ship pulls up to the main dock,you will be within a few steps of Havensight Mall.Though single storied, it is a veritable cornacopia of treasures.Our ship was early, before 8.We saw this rush of people who turned out to be the shopkeepers opening up for us.Our first stop was Dynasty Liquor Store.The special was Johnny Walker Black Label,$9 a fifth limit 3.They wrapped it and delivered it to the ship to be put in our cabin.Then we set out for town--on foot.A walkway got us there in 20 minutes.Dont take a cab back to the ship.It will sail while you are in traffic!

Doing this cruise in November. My plans are:<BR>Aruba - rent an SUV and hit a couple of beaches - probably Palm and Baby.<BR><BR>Caracass - stay on the ship.<BR><BR>Grenada - hire a taxi for four or five hours to see two or three of the major sites.<BR><BR>Dominica - take a whale watching tour on our own ($50 apiece instead of $72)<BR><BR>St. Thomas - take the Red Hook ferry to St. John's and snorkel on Cinnamon Bay.