San Juan, St. Thomas, St Maarten-Excursion Suggestions

[lls-con]

We are sailing on the Triumph on November 4th and I'd love to hear about your experiences (good and bad) with excursions in these locations. Thanks.

[dina]

Hi there *waves*

St. Thomas - My DH and I took a cab to Coki Beach and Coral World. We absolutely loved it there.

San Juan - We toured the Forts and went across the bay on the public ferry and took the Bicardi tour.

Have a great cruise. There's so many things to do. I'm sure you'll get so many suggestions from everyone.

[lls-con]

Carolin,

Did you book the Bacardi tour through Carnival, or did you do it on your own or through an independent tour operator?

[dina]

We went on our own. It was quick easy and only cost the trip of the ferry which was $1.50 pp and a cab ride from the ferry dock to the Bicardi plant which the driver charged $3 pp. It was the cheapest "tour" we took the entire trip. The public ferry is right next to pier 4 in Old San Juan. The Bicardi tour is free to the public and you get two free drinks with the tour.

[lls-con]

Carolin,

Did you do the St. Thomas things on your own too? What is Coki Beach? I read a little on Coral World . . . how much did that cost?

In San Juan, what are the forts? Also, we are docked in San Juan from 5pm-12am. Do you know how long the Bacardi Factory is open?

Thanks for all of your help!!

[dina]

Yes I did the St. Thomas on our own. I believe we were able to see more of the island that way since we didn't have to wait on the tour people and were on our own schedule.

Coral World
$18 Adults, $9 Children (3-12 years), $52 Family (2 adults and up to 4 children)
Cab ride from the pier was $10 pp about 20 minutes away ... maybe. Coral World is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, November to May. Our summer schedule may vary. The ticket booth closes one hour prior to the park closing time.


There are two historical forts in Old San Juan. They are magnificent and right on the cliffs looking out into the ocean. If your into that sort of thing then they are a must see.

Bicardi tour. I think you might be too late for that one.
Tours
Monday-Saturday
from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM
(Last tour at 4:15 PM)
Sunday from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
(Last tour at 3:45 PM)

[MikeNKim]

In St Thomas we did the Sunny Liston tour. It was so much fun, you get a tour of the Island, he drops you at the shopping area for awhile and then also takes you to a beach for a few hours. This was only $20PP. We had a great time.

Kim

[lls-con]

Kim,

How do you get in touch with Sunny Liston?

[Cassandra]

St. Thomas we did the Coral World. Now if you aren't into ocean creatures, this tour is not for you.

It's not big, there's a few areas where you can pet turtles & such, look at the large sea turtles (can't touch) and go to a underground viewing area underwater to view tropical fish. It's not much different than a aquarium with tropical fish.

Now if I had a choice? I would pick the trip that goes to St. John instead.

St. Maarten we did the bus tour that goes to both the French/Dutch sides. Drove through the downtown area where they filmed the Cruiseship scene from Speed 2 crashing into the town. Basically, lined up the cruiseship you see in the water, raced it across that bay & crashed into the town. The filmmaker picked up all the costs that the destruction caused including cleanup & rebuilding the area. Major $$$

[MikeNKim]

i believe it was sunnylistontours.com

I would definatley recommend him.

Kim

[hockeyluver]

St.Thomas we did the Godfrey tours, it was awesome!! Shopping then a tour of the island and then to Saphire beach. http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/

In St.Martin we went on the Little Divi Bay excursion through Carnival it was a great deal for the price A very nice beach at a resort, lunch 2 drinks each. Dh myself and our two teen daughters had a blast playing in the waves.

[mellowrose]

We rented a car right near the dock..Avis I believe and drove all over the Island of St. Thomas. It was so much fun, esp. driving on the opposite side of the road down hilly turns. We were able to stop at all the resorts to check them out for return trips and sample the many private beaches. Nobody questions tourists in a rental car.

[danacline]

In San Juan, the Bacardi tour is a highlight, but the factory and tours close by the time your ship gets there (5 pm). However, since you're there after dark, take the kayak tour where you go to the bioluminescent lagoon. I haven't done this yet but some good friends raved about it.

In St. Maarten we took the Duck tour...kinda hokey but the kids enjoyed it. I hear the real good excursion here is the Americas Cup sailboat racing.

For St. Thomas, I enjoy the shopping <g>.

Dana

[Russell in MD]

Hmm things must have changed at the Barcardi tour and Coral World since I was last there.

The Bacardi tour has been reduced to a self narrated tour through a building with wax figures and paintings. It used to be an honest to God tour of the factory where you seen stuff being made. The only thing that remains of the old tour is the two free drink coupon.

Coral World, as of last Sept, was a bit of a dump in need of some major fixxin up.

If you've never been to St T take a ferry over to St John in the morning then go shopping back on St T in the afternoon.

In SJ the last time were were there the tour barely made it back in time (Bacardi Tour) because the traffic was UNBELIEVABLE. Im saying that and I drive all over DC, the 2nd worst traffic in the US. Id stick with walking around old town SJ.

On St M the tour that takes you to both sides is pretty good.

R

[Irish Shark]

St. Thomas - AH Riise

[amaretto]

At St. Thomas, you should go to Magen's Beach. It is gorgeous there. The only bad thing though is that they don't have freshwater showers

At St. Maarten, try some snorkelling.