Courtesy of Pollensa1946

Cruising and Ashore.

Saturday Dec 10. At sea heading for the first stop, Tortola.
The usual towels-on-sunbeds-at-dawn crowd were active (forget sitting around the pool area unless you're an early riser) but we were able to find a sunbed in a good location onboard. In fact we never throughout the cruise found getting a sunbed or lounger to be a big problem, a walk around usually turned something up, just not near the pool area.

Sunday Dec 11. Tortola.
Arrived in Tortola to find thick cloud, heavy rain and the island mountains shrouded in mist. The rain persisted on and off until early afternoon when the sun came out and the cloud and mist cleared. In the morning we walked around the capital Road Town which does not have anything of particular interest, in fact the only thing to be said for it is that it is the first opportunity to buy soft drinks at sensible prices. Follow the main road to the back of town and you will find a RightWay supermarket where you can buy 2L bottles of Coke.
In the afternoon we teamed up with two others from the ship and together with some Canadians off of the Queen Mary II, also in port, we hired a mini-bus to take us on a 3 hour tour. This included a stop at Cane Garden beach which is supposed to be the best on the island, in fact the beach was fairly ordinary but was a welcome opportunity for a swim. To get the best taxi/bus deal you should walk beyond the dock area into the centre of town to the main taxi/bus stand, we negotiated the tour for 10 USD pp.
Maybe it was the weather that influenced us but we felt that as a first stop Tortola held nothing special and was a poor start. Although, one person on the ship reported meeting the actor Richard E Grant in the supermarket, it must have something going for it.

Monday Dec 12. Antigua.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, Antigua looked lovely. We had booked a morning trip with P&O, the "Tropical Trails" which cost £42 pp (= 70 USD pp). This consisted of 8 people in a Land Rover being taken thru the sugar cane and rain forest over very rough roads (pot holes you could get lost in) and then a run round some of the island sights. There was some fun element in this and we did learn some interesting facts (Pineapples grow in the ground and take 13 months to mature, I always thought they grew on trees), but we did not see some of the better parts of the island as you will find from our next trip.
In the afternoon we teamed up with another couple and hired a mini-bus to take us to Nelson's Dockyard and Shirley Heights. The Georgian era dockyard has been restored and is set in a lovely bay, we had a drink in the rear terrace of the Admirals Inn just inside the entrance. The next stop, Shirley Heights, gives amazing views of the bay and surroundings. Entrance to the dockyard costs 5 USD pp, keep your tickets as you will need them to gain entrance to the Heights. The trip cost us 17.5 USD pp for the mini-bus (we were quoted 80 USD for 4 and negotiated 70) plus 5 USD pp for the entrance fee, contrast that with our morning trip which did not compare well with this. This is an excellent example where DIY pays off.

Tuesday Dec 13. St.Kitts.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, St.Kitts looked lovely. We had booked a morning trip with P&O, the "Railway Tour" which cost £52 pp (= 87 USD pp). There are two times for this trip, the early one you have a 10 min bus journey to the rail terminus followed by a 2&1/2 hours rail journey then a 45 min bus return. The later trip reverses this sequence. On balance we preferred the earlier time as you get to the train and are on the trip within a short time, versus the later where you have a 45 min bus journey then have to wait for the earlier trip to arrive at the terminus.
The train trip was enjoyable, we got free drinks and small cake snacks and were entertained by an onboard choir. It's probably the best way, although expensive, to see the island which is largely undeveloped and has few main roads.
The capital Basseterre is a very pleasant little town, worth having a good look around.

Wednesday Dec 14. At sea heading for St.Lucia.

Thursday Dec 15. St.Lucia.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, St.Lucia looked lovely, the dock area at this location is probably the nicest you will see on any of the stops. The duty-free shopping for booze and jewelry is second only to that in Barbados. We teamed up with two others and hired a mini-bus to take us to Rodney Bay beach which was very nice and excellent for swimming. The round-trip was quoted as 16 USD pp for 2, we negotiated 10 USD pp for 4.
Although one of the most developed from a tourism aspect, St.Lucia is also one of the most attractive islands.

Friday Dec 16. St.Vincent.
Lots of cloud around with patches of blue sky. 6 of us took a mini-bus to Villa Beach which is very unimpressive but just across the bay is the little known gem of Young Island. Just stand on the beach and a water-taxi will appear to take you across, as usual negotiate the price and you have to enter by wading into the water and exit onto a wet jetty. This is a private island largely occupied by a single hotel, but visitors are welcome with the restriction that you cannot use the sunbeds and hammocks belonging to the hotel. Just stretch out your beach towel and enjoy a lovely setting with excellent swimming, including a swim-out bar just off the beach. From later discussion we had the best beach-trip of anyone we spoke to on the ship. The round-trip cost 10 USD for the mini-bus and 2 USD round-trip for the water-taxi.

Saturday Dec 17. Mayreau, ship cannot dock so went ashore on tenders.
Early rain then bright blue sky and warm sun, Mayreau looked lovely. This is a private island only about 1&1/2 miles long. The tenders drop you at Saline Bay where there is a nice beach, some shops and a bar. The ship crew also set up a bar next to the beach. The hidden gem of this island is Saltwhistle Bay, to get to it you have three choices...(1) Walk over the hill road to the left of the landing point, it is very steep up and the same again down. We walked it, if you are fit it will take around 25 mins. (2) Take a jeep-taxi, although P&O state there is no motor transport on this island this is not true. (3) Take a water-taxi round the headland, we did this on the return leg, it was fast, exciting and not for those with a fear of small boats. One-way it cost 5 USD pp for 4 of us.
The beach at Saltwhistle is a classic Caribbean beach with white sands, overhanging coconut palms and excellent swimming. Not to be missed. There is a small bar/restaurant.
As stated by another poster the ship sets up a BBQ **on the ship** from 12-3, which is entirely the wrong place to have it.
Other passengers reported they had a great day out on the Catamaran trip.

Sunday Dec 18. At sea heading for Isla Margharita.

Monday Dec 19. Isla Margharita.
Early rain and cloud but this soon cleared and was lovely (we were told by a local that it had rained constantly for the past week). The info that P&O give you on this island is completely misleading. They stated in their visual presentation on the first day cruising that...(1) USD would not be accepted, only the Bolivar was OK. In fact USD was accepted everywhere. (2) There was nothing at the docking point and a trip booking was advisable. In fact there was the best craft market of any of our stops (lovely pearl jewelry, bags and Caribbean shirts) and a very nice beach (although beware of stepping on Sea Urchins, they are like golf balls with pins sticking out).
On the basis of the P&O presentation we booked a bus trip, "Rhumba on the Chiva". This is basically an island tour, a one hour stop at a nice beach and lots of free booze and snacks thrown in. It cost £24 pp (= 40 USD pp) and was lots of good, enjoyable fun, but take out the alcohol induced fun element and it was just another island tour with the limitations of that, as explained above. It included the usual stop at a jewelry mall where the pearls etc were not a patch on that available back at the dock. The assistants even admired the necklace my wife had bought at the dock and asked where she got it.

Tuesday Dec 20. Trinidad.
The worst dock area we saw on the entire cruise, and the capital, Port of Spain, was no better. We walked along the main road to the right of the dock, at the 2nd traffic lights turn left into Brian Lara Blvd and about 1/2 mile along left again into Frederick St. These two are the main shopping areas, but, quite frankly, forget it. The shops can be seen in any run-down main street in the world, the city is choked with traffic, seedy, run-down and has an intimidating, threatening atmosphere about it. Apart from the very friendly tourist officials the whole place was unfriendly and unwelcoming, filled with low-life. We have travelled in many places around the world but this was one place I wanted to get out of fast. There were 4 of us together and everyone agreed, as did everyone else we spoke to on the ship.
P&O took on a large supply of fuel oil at this stop and I can't help but feel that is their only reason for calling in there. We learned from a crew member that P&O advise them to only go ashore in groups, not singly. They did not give that advice to their passengers. Next day in Tobago I asked the taxi driver her opinion and she said that people from Tobago did not like Port of Spain, which she said was filled with pick-pockets.
This is one place where if you are interested in a P&O trip then take it.

Wednesday Dec 21. Tobago, ship cannot dock so went ashore on tenders.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, Tobago looked lovely. Everyone heads for Pigeon Point beach but right next door to there is a hidden gem, Store Bay beach. Pigeon Point is private and there is a 3 USD pp entrance fee, Store Bay is public and free.
Everyone reported Pigeon Point as being overcrowded, Store Bay was almost deserted when we arrived around 11am and we got 2 sunbeds and brolly easily for 7 USD. The beach is fairly small but very nice and excellent for swimming. There are toilets, changing facilities, shops, bars and restaurants. From discussion with other passengers we had the best day out of any of the beach trips. The taxi round-trip cost 10 USD pp for 4 people.

Thursday Dec 22. Barbados, staying overnight till Friday departure back to the UK.
Bright blue sky and warm sun, Barbados looked lovely. The dock area has an excellent duty-free shopping area, the best for price and selection of any we found on the trip. If you are planning a take-home duty-free bottle or a major jewelry purchase then this is the place to buy it. The ship is located some distance from the city, you need to get a taxi or mini-bus into town. The mini-bus cost 1 USD pp one-way, the one-way taxi back cost 5 USD for 2 of us.
In contrast to Trinidad, BridgeTown is a warm, welcoming place with some attractive buildings but for shops you're as well sticking to the duty-free at the dock. We had a drink at the (apparently world-famous) WaterFront Cafe by the river, very nice. We heard very good reports from those that went on the "Swimming with Turtles" trip.

Courtesy of suekay

Depends how active you like to be, but I would say not to miss the ziplining in St Lucia (it isn't only for the young ones - I'm 53 and had no problem)

Another trip we enjoyed was snorkelling with the turtles in the sea off Barbados, followed by snorkelling over 2 shipwrecks. We don't normally do organised trips, prefering to do our own thing on the islands, but these trips were reasonanably priced and I don't know if they could be done alone.

In Trinidad we took a maxitaxi (shared taxis with set fares, which you can hail along the main roads - if they are going along the route you want, it costs less than one US$ each) We went to see the Oval cricket ground which is being refurbished for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, before coming back to the port, then walking to the local shopping street called Frederick Street. Don't get ripped off by local taxi drivers who were charging US$10 to drive less than half a mile. There are local tourist officials wearing red blazers standing at strategic points around the port entrance and Brian Lara promenade - they are very helpful , explaining how to get to the shops, and directing us to a local supermarket where we stocked up on diet Coke very cheaply. Different people were all warned by different taxi drivers about crime in Trinidad - best not to wear jewellry. We felt safe walking along the main roads during the day, but apparently Port of Spain, the capital, is so dangerous at night, that it is deserted apart from the drug addicts. Children of relatively affluent people such as doctors, are kidnapped and held to ransom by criminals desperate for money. Don't miss the ship at this port!!

I would suggest you get one of the first tenders over to the beach at Mayreau. The beach and sea are very nice, but we were a little disappointed that, unlike other cruiselines private islands, the ship crew did not set up a BBQ lunch. The BBQ was held on board the ship ???????!! We stayed on the beach til 2.30pm then returned to the ship for lunch

Tortola, we took a taxi to Cane Garden Beach over the mountain. It was a fixed price ( US$10 pp I think) and we paid when the taxi picked us up at an agreed time. The beach was lovely white sand and calm sea, but did get crowded

In Tobago, we again caught a taxi for a fixed fee of US$10 pp return to Pigeon Point. Walk along the crowded part of the beach (dragging your sunbed !) until you come to the quieter part. The sea has more seaweed but there are far fewer people

As we have been on many Caribbean cruises, we tended to chill out this time, but I would recommend you take a taxi to Nelsons Dockyard, Shirley Heights and Devils Bridge while in Antigua. We negotiated a price of US$80-100 to do this tour then onto a beach for 90 minutes (we were so pleased with the tour that we paid the full US$100 for 4 of us)

On previous visits to St Kitts we've taken a taxi to Brimstone Hill fortress. I believe that the sugar cane train trip around the island is good and we'll probably do that next time

Most if not all the island have minibuses touting tours at the port - cheaper and just as good as the ship tours. Most tours take only 2-3 hours so there is no worry about getting back to the ship before sailaway because the ship didn't sail til either 5.30pm or 6pm

Courtesy of samgidley

Barbados - you will get a full day here so a trip would probably be a good idea. I personally would like to do the helicopter trip here (have done this already in Antigua) although this may not be something that takes your fancy. You can walk into the town (which is what I have done twice) and do some shopping, good duty free prices. If you prefer to chill out take a taxi from the port to the Boatyard, a beach nearby. Remember to always agree taxi fares beforehand.

Tortola - British Virgin Islands - As per my review most people visit Sky World and Cane Garden Bay Beach. I enjoyed the day I had here however next time I visit I would really like to do the Baths of Virgin Gorda trip. Other people who had done this trip spoke really highly of it and often it also includes a trip to Sky World afterwards. You can make your own way to the beach from the dockside, usually sharing with others. The taxi driver dropped us all off and picked us up later an agreed time and we paid on the return journey.

Antigua - As already said I did the helicopter trip here. Some good shopping to be done (diamonds and cosmetics etc) by where you dock. Had I not done the helicopter trip I would have opted for swimming with turtles. There are plenty of taxi drivers if you prefer to get a taxi to one of the many lovely beaches.

Grenada - On the day we visited I was nursing the hangover from hell and consequently just took a water taxi over to Grand Anse beach and chilled in one of the bars (with a coke!). A lovely stretch of beach although crowded. There are lots of trips to be done and many people I spoke with said Grenada was their favourite island although it is not mine.

Aruba - One of the favourite islands of mine, a member of the Dutch Antilles so has lovely brightly painted houses. A very nice clean town where you dock and it's nice to have a pleasant walk round the harbour. There is some good duty free shopping to be done in the shops. In the afternoon we took a taxi to the Sheraton Hotel (formerly, has now changed its name) and used the facilities there and sunbathed on the lovely Palm Beach.

Curaco - Again part of the Dutch Antilles although in my opinion not as nice as Aruba. We booked a trip to the nearby Sea Aquarium in the morning where my boyfriend did the diving (first time) and I snorkelled. Nice enough and I would recommend suitable for first or not experienced divers. In the afternoon we walked across the rickety swinging bridge into town.

Isla Margarita - Not much to do where you dock. There is a beach nearby (which had the warmest sea ever) as well as the usual craft stalls. We spent the morning and early afternoon on the beach and then went back on board for lunch and then sunbathed. Not an island I personally would rush back to visit to be honest.

Tobago - Very little to do where you dock, poor Country and it shows. We took a taxi to Pigeon Point Beach which is probably one of the most famous beaches in the Caribbean. This was the only beach we visited which we had to pay to enter. Steel band playing, food huts etc there. Nice enough beach although I preferred Palm Beach in Aruba.

Courtesy of samgidley

So for beaches.

Barbados - try the Boatyard a short taxi ride away, look it up on the internet.

Aruba - Palm Beach, we took a taxi to the Sheraton (now changed its name but the taxi drivers know it as this) and used their facilities such as loungers etc. I thought Palm Beach was beautiful.

Margarita - as I said there is a beach where you dock although it can be quite busy as it's not so big.

Tobago - Pigeon Point - this is the only beach I have been to where I have paid an entrance fee although it is not that much. Its a taxi ride away and is quite nice. Some people said their favourite but not mine. There will be a steel band which is quite nice and a restaurant and bar. Again will be very busy.

Tortola - go to Cane Garden Bay, we went in the afternoon and it was very nice, not too crowded either.

Antigua - take your pick!! All beautiful.

Grenada - If you do go there you can get a water taxi cheaply across a short stretch of water and onto Grand Anse beach. A lovely wide and long stretch of beach with hut type restaurants and bars. Again quite crowded near the top end, just walk further down.

Sam's full review HERE

luci

There is a review of the ports by Stuart and Maria HERE

luci

Courtesy of qm2lover

We have recently returned from a P&O Arcadia Caribbean cruise J601. We loved it and really liked the ship, though she is different to the other P&O ships.

We did most of the 'usual' ports but Isla de Margarita was new to us and we had great difficulty finding out anything about this island. Most people do not seem to venture far from the port area and this would be such a shame as we were really amazed by this Island.

We had a fantastic full day tour with an American couple with an air conditioned Ford 4X4. They are a great couple and really love this island and will show you everything there is to see. They do not rush you, you are free to spend as long as you like wherever, take photos whenever, stop when you want. They will take you wherever you want to go. All at an extremely reasonable rate. Their contact is Marcella Tinsman at crusin_n_style98@yahoo.com

It really is a lovely island with lots to see, lots to do, lots to explore and discover. Fishing villages, mangrove swamps, beaches, cactus covered low lands, mountains, old traditional villages, big modern cities, old churches, forts, castles, pearls, monkeys, seahorses, starfish, eagles, pelicans and much much more.

There is so much to see and discover on this island. It really is an island of contrasts - absolutely fascinating.

The whole cruise was wonderful, but our 'discovery' of this Island made the cruise extra special.

Hi Luci

Thanks for moving my post.

Just wanted to say that the e-mail address is mailto:crusin_n_style98@yahoo.com

There is an underscorce between crusin_n_style in this address which is not apparent in my above post as the address has been commpletely underlined.

Hope that is clear. I would hate to think that people could not contact Steve and Marcella because of the way the text has appeared in the post.

Many Thanks.

With thanks to Janer for the following taken from her review of the Ruby Princess HERE

Ports of call. We have visited all of the ports many times, but still found something to enjoy.
Ochos Rios, what can I say !!! nothing changes here, roads very poor, lots of rubbish lying around, colourful laid back characters everywhere!! It rained really heavy all day. We took a tour up to Fern Gully, the gardens and Dunns River Falls. We always do this with a local tour firm, they never fail to entertain us and much cheaper than the ships tours. Many people did not get off the ship here, it is personal choice but why go right across the world and stay on the ship ?? We found everything quite expensive here this year.

Grand Cayman, this is a tender port and we had to anchor on the opposite side of the island due to swell around the capital. We found a gorgeous beach very near and just enjoyed the peace and quiet. Saw lots of turtles which we didn't disturb. We have done many activities here before, there is lots of horseriding, Stingray City etc , plenty of choice.
Seven mile beach is popular here.

Princess Cays, this is owned by the cruiseline. There is a lovely beach ( although there are no locals here ) Plenty of watersports are available. Cruise staff provide bar service and they also do a buffet lunch. Everything can be charged to your onboard account so there is no need for cash. Crew do a great job in getting us all on an off the ships tender. They work very hard.

Cozumel, Mexico this was my favourite port this time. Last time I visited, it was just after Hurricane Katrina so the port has been completely rebuilt. It had been completely destroyed. We went to the water park and Mayan gardens , very near, cost 10$ per four person in a taxi. There is plenty to do here, beach, swimming with dophins and some of the best snorkelling I have ever done in the world.
There is a gorgeous lagoon where the fish come in from the sea, the water is very clear here - beautiful. Staff are very kind , service is good. The beach area is very clean and there is a childrens swimming pool and play areas.

Around the port there is the usual caribbean shopping, jewellery, watches, pottery, and a few nice places to have lunch or a drink. The locals are friendly without being too 'keen ' to sell you something - a great day.

Just returned from a cruise onboard the Freedom Of The Seas and on our stop over in Jamaica [Falmouth] we decided to give the ships tours a miss [at a cost of $120 each]. We spoke to one of the barman onboard who came from Ochos Rios on Jamaica and he advised us to take a local taxi. We left the safety of the port and were quickly acosted by over eager locals wanting to sell anything from t-shirts to their Grannies...a bit daunting at first but we found a great taxi driver, fully licensed, insured etc etc [i can supply his e-mail if anyone wants it] and he offered us all the tours the ship do at a fraction of the cost. We settled for a trip to Montego Bay. On the way he stopped at anything we wanted to see [Rose Hall plantation & Golf course]. We had a couple of hours in Montego Bay then the wife wanted some shops on the way back. He was an excellant guide, full of info about the Island, polite and we really felt safe. He never left us & wasnt far away if we needed him. We had a superb day and it only cost us $80 and we gave him $20 tip.....so it was still half of what we would have paid the ship. He dropped us off right at the port gates on the way back. OK his people carrier wasnt brand new but it was adequate, safe & more importantly had air con. All in all an great day out. Spoke to other guests on board and they got taxis from inside the port gates and were charged $200 to go to Montego Bay. :tup[/center][/center]

Further information here

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/caribbean-excursions-and-days-t158637.html#p1608381