Southern Caribbean Cruise - Excursions??

[scandalous_cynce]

A girl friend and I are taking a 7-day cruise next month to the Southern Caribbean on Carnival. We will be visiting the following islands:

- St. Kitts
- St. Lucia
- St. Thomas, USVI
- Barbados
- St. Maarten

Has anyone visited any of these islands and have recommendations for independent excursion companies? We'd love to do an all day catamaran voyage, snorkeling, horseback riding, zip lining, etc. Obviously it's "safest" to book excursions through Carnival - but I know a lot of people book independently and have had great times.

Or just recommendations for awesome beaches/restaurants/bars on any of the islands would be great too!

Thanks!

[brickfrenzy]

Fort George in St. Kitts is a pretty neat place to visit. I didn't book an excursion to go there, as I didn't want to be swarming over the fort with a bunch of other people at the same time from the ship, and didn't want to be on a deadline. So I just left the cruise port and went to a tourism/taxi stand right next door, asked for a cab and had a private driver take me to the fort. I forget how much it cost, something like $30-40 round trip for my wife and me, and he just hung out at the fort waiting for us until we were done.

As for the other stops, I've only been to St. Thomas, and that was basically a jewelry shopping excursion for my wife.

[hugoaswho]

ST. MAARTEN:
On the Dutch side of the island prostitution is legal and there are a half dozen well known "houses" and more known only to the locals and resort security guards. A room for a half hour will cost around $5 and the companion around $50. If you wait until closing at some of the places you can take a companion back to your hotel. So far we haven't found anything like what we're looking for.
{Frommers says: "St. Maarten's Red-Lights -- The Dutch are notoriously liberal and have cultivated a permissive attitude regarding prostitution on St. Maarten. ... Brothels operate around the island and must purchase a permit and supply affidavits on their employees (mostly Dominican, Venezuelan, Colombian, Guyanese, and Jamaican immigrants who must submit to monthly medical checkups). Several brothels are situated just outside Philipsburg."}

Casa/Bar/Brothels: (no entrance fee)

Carolinas
Restaurant and bar. Good selection during the day, packed at night.
Discrete entrance from street. Attached to the Blue Sky Hotel.

Casa Blanca
They have a classic stripclub, stage area, a bar and a separate 24 hr dinning room. They have private VIP rooms, some with beds and some with bars. They have one bedroom suites that rent for $250/night and a companion for 24hrs will cost you $1,050

Crystal Club

Defiance
Bar 1pm - 4pm Nightclub 8pm -
Private rooms upstairs (Staying all night possible) Small hotel attached
Owned with El Capitan & Le Petit Chateau

El Capitan
4pm - 3am
Owned with Le Petit Chateau & Defiance
Next to the old Seamen's which is now an empty lot.

Le Petit Chateau,
Dark inside, Locals Club, Owned with El Capitan & Defiance
Unsecured parking across the street

Sunset Retreat
Crime can happen in the parking lot


Stripclubs: (entrance fee)

Bada Bing
10pm - 5 am 599-552-7601

Golden Eyes Club
10pm - 5 am
Above Rick's Restaurant. Touristy A strip club with "back rooms."

The Platinum Room
10pm - 5 am
A very fancy and yet relaxed strip club. (They have an indoor pool and are in the middle of the resort district.)


The other side of the island, St. Martin (Martinique), is controlled by France. It has nude beaches but apparently no "houses." (In France being a prostitutes is legal, but just about everything else is not.)

Crazy Paradise
590 87 2298 (Mon - Sat) 10pm - ?
"Only adult entertainment location on the French side."

Sunset Bar and Grill
On Maho Beach, the Dutch side of the island, Philipsburg, at the end of the runway where its legal to watch planes land and take off. Some people even test themselves against jet engine backwash (Pushing Tin).
We understand, topless women get free drinks. (We were told that we'd be charged double if we took anything off.)


Female providers on both sides of the island are typically examined once a week and their blood tested every 2-3 weeks. There seems to be a circuit between Saint Maarten, Campo Allegre - Curacao and Colombia that many of the girls follow.

We've read that the roads on the island are rough, taxis are expensive and that safety can be an issue on the Dutch side. "Tourists drive on the right, just like the US. Locals, especially buses and taxis, drive in the center and generally move to the right. The Tourist Board and rental car agents say that any valid driver's license and a credit card will get you a rental car."

The most common claim is that Saint Maarten/St. Martinique has the best food in the Caribbean. They base this on the fact that they have more restaurants per acre and per person than any other Caribbean island.