If you are planning a cruise, choosing shore excursions is not always easy. Descriptions are limited, and the excursions tend to be expensive and many times disappointing. I just returned from a Celebrity Southern Caribbean cruise and there are three excursions that I would highly recommend.
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas - Magens Bay Beach Getaway
Magens Bay, named one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, is a great place to spend a day while in St. Thomas.
Magens Bay offers crystal clear water, a white sand beach for sunbathers and plenty of palm trees to provide shade for those who want to limit sun exposure.
There are chairs for rent, an impressive snack bar, and a bath house with showers.
Instead of purchasing the $29 excursion (which only allows for two hours at the beach) I recommend taking a taxi for $12, paying the $4 entry fee, and having the freedom to stay for a much longer time period.
Philipsburg, St. Maarten - St. Martin Beach Rendezvous
One of my favorite Caribbean destinations is St. Maarten and/or St. Martin. This was my second time taking this excursion to Orient Beach.
Included in this $58 excursion: 3 1/2 hours at Orient beach, a welcome rum or fruit juice drink, reserved lounge chair with cushion and choice of three entrees for lunch.
Double umbrellas are available for a $3 fee. There is a bar and bathrooms are available.
Warning: There is nudity on this beach.
The beach is beautiful and the waves are quite impressive. Lunch was excellent. Our tour guide, Vilma, was very friendly and helpful.
If you are interested in having your hair braided, make sure to agree on a price before, and understand that the price is usually per braid.
Bridgetown, Barbados - 4 x 4 Safari and Green Monkey Encounter
This excursion was awesome! Cost is $72
You are driven by open air tour vehicle through the Barbados countryside to a wildlife reserve, where monkeys and other animals are free roaming.
The tour is timed to visit the reserve during the feeding of the animals.
We began with a drive through an elite resort area, where the rich and famous spend thousands of dollars per night to stay.
Then we stopped to visit with some monkeys in the wild.
We were given food to hand feed them.
Next we visited the wildlife reserve. Unlike a zoo, the animals here are not in cages. Every day at 2:00 food is put out in one location and all the animals eat together. It's like a scene from a Disney movie.
We met an animal we had never heard of before....a mara. It has a rabbit like head and deer like body.
Our 3 1/2 hour tour concluded with a drive along the rugged East coast and a stop at Bathsheba.
For more information and other people's reviews on cruises and cruise excursions visit
Cruise Critic or Trip Advisor.
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