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I also highly recommend the Thenford Grey tour. I recently did it about a week ago and recapped it here. First post is the beginning and covered finding the tour and the bus and the second post is once the tour started. Very image heavy.

While on St. Kitts, I highly recommend Thenford Grey Tours. Our group of 6 we were traveling with all did their "Grand Tour", and had a fabulous time. You get an excellent tour and overview of the island, along with some beach time. Thenford Grey, himself, did our tour, and he was an absolute walking encyclopedia of information on the island. He was the most polite tour guide I've ever had, and would describe him as the perfect gentleman.

SIL and friend are back from the Thenford Grey Grand Tour of St. Kitts. They did get Thenford himself and loved the tour as much as we had hoped and as probably thousands of others have. Can't recommend him enough. www.thenfordgreytours.com

Day 4...St Kitts (cannot believe it's day 4 already..feels like we just got here). SIL and friend are on the Thenford Grey tour. Since this is our 3rd time here we just walked around the pier shops (yup, DW bought more jewelry) and came back to ship. Very cloudy now, way more than this morning's picture below. Hopefully will improve. We are the only ship in port. Wish a small ship was next to us to really appreciate how big Symphony is. I think there will be 3 with us in St. Thomas tomorrow.

Thank you so much! And yes, the whole island is stunning, but especially the gardens in Romney Manor! It’s really a cant miss in my opinion. Maybe not every time, but at least once. Just stunning. Oh wow, that is the highest compliment! The new iPhone is just very good at taking pictures in full light and I admit to using a bit of after editing software on my phone so it’s less @twangster like skill and more just good lighting and photoshop express. And yes, your recommendation of Thenford made me feel much better about our choice in him and more excited for the trip ? You will LOVE deck 8! Park Cafe is especially handy throughout the day and I love walking past Trellis bar and grabbing a bottle of water almost every time I pass it. It’s also just a delight to walk through to get to your room. So peaceful. And thank you so much! I’m glad this is helpful for people since I found other liveblog super helpful and I just want to give back ? Lol yes, it was destiny! Though really, the best chocolate experience was at Chocobar Cortez in San Juan this morning. Recap of that to come shortly but omfg omfg! And yes, I too want to try our the bagel station one morning. I’ll prob hit it up tomorrow. I didn’t want to eat breakfast this morning since I had plans to eat in San Juan.

St Kitt’s recap continued: We first drove around the city of Basseterre a bit to see some of the important sites. Thenford was great about sharing background information on everything and he seemed to know half the island as he would constantly point people out like “that man walking there is a prominent lawyer on his way to work. His son and daughter are also lawyers and his brother is the Attorney General of the island”’ The jail, also featuring a prisoner (in the dark blue in the shadows) being led out. The home of many prominent law offices. These buildings used to be where the wealthy families on the island lived. Then they moved to Frigate Bay. HQ for the labor unions which were vital to the growth of their economy. War memorial for fallen soldiers who served in the British West Indies troop in the World Wars. We then left the city and made our way over to Romney Manor/Caribelle Batik Lots of little plaques to show what plants were in the garden and their origin. Very interesting and gorgeous. We then saw a batik demonstration which is where they use wax and dye to create patterns on fabric. They had a shop attached with lots of batik made items. Watch tower for old plantation. Next stop was Brimstone Hill Fortress. It had phenomenal views but a killer walk to the top. Out of the question for anyone with mobility issues. On our way down I heard an 8 year old going the other way say to his dad “dad, this is HARD” and I muttered “you said it kid”. It wouldn’t have been as bad as it was if it weren’t for the heat and humidity. But....it was worth it. If you go here with small children, please please PLEASE keep them close as there’s many tall drop offs without railings or ropes and stone at the bottom of the hypothetical fall. I saw this one little boy running around and my second hand anxiety was through the roof for him. After the fortress our next stop was a lookout point where you can see both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea at the same time. There were lots of vendors here including men with monkeys and a donkey. That part was upsetting watching the casual animal abuse like dudes feeding the monkeys beer or a woman GRABBING the donkey roughly by the face and clinging onto it. I’m shocked it didn’t bite her. But the view was amazing. After this stop it was time for the beach drop offs if you so chose. The first option was a place called Shipwreck bar and the attacked beach. It looked really neat, but we were beat and ready to go back to the ship. Since I was curious about this, the way it worked out was Thenford told the people who wanted to stay what time he would be back for them (3:15) and the rest of us went on to the next stop. The other beach option was Carambola. They were told a 3:30 pick up time. The rest of us went back to the port for shopping time or ship time. Overall it was a great excursion option that offered a lot of bang for your buck. Make sure to rest up though as it’s a bit tiring.

Today we were in St Kitt’s from 8:30a-4:30p and we had booked the Grand Tour of St Kitt’s with Thenford Grey’s touring company. Before getting off the ship, we went to Park Cafe to grab some breakfast. They had a make your own bagel station where the lunch salad station is and some breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos. I got an English muffin sandwich which had a fried egg, a slice of Canadian bacon & some cheese on it. It was pretty good. The banana muffin was nowhere and I make a far superior one so it lay abandoned after one bite. After debarking, we saw that we were docked next to the Carnival Magic. (the tiniest little roller on the end of the longest pole to allow them to paint the side of the Magic. She definitely needed more paint than they were able to apply that day) We were supposed to meet the tour at the Welcome center at 9am. We go off around 8:40 to allow time to find the tour group. We didn’t have to worry since it was beyond easy to find them. The yellow building is the Welcome Center we were supposed to find and the woman in the last picture had a sign for Grey’s excursions and checked us off a list of booked people. We then waited as instructed in front of a big mural until it was the start of the tour. We ended up having Thenford himself as our tour guide and he led us behind some buildings to a parking lot that had all the tour busses parked there. The bus we had was small and fit about 20 people in it. Most importantly, it had excellent, adjustable air conditioning. To be continued in another post which will be very picture heavy.

The internet has been a bit spotty today and so I couldn’t do some of the smaller updates I wanted to. I was only JUST able to access the blog (though for some reason CC would load. Unfair!) This morning we went for breakfast in the Solarium Bistro around 8 since we knew that we wanted to camp out in the Solarium for the morning. They had a buffet set up that had fruit, pastries, various types of eggs (scrambled, fried, hard boiled, etc), different breakfast meats, breakfast potatoes and circular hash browns. The food was just OK and the hash browns were definitely the best part. They honestly reminded me of fresh McDonald’s hashbrowns. But not as greasy. That is a high compliment. After eating, I went scouting for a padded chair in the shade since I am a translucent Irish woman who sunscreen only does so much for. Since it was so early, I had quite a lot of options, though I was surprised at how many chairs were already reserved. This was taken at 8:30 am The seat I ended up claiming was PERFECT. It was right next to a side table and located under a fake palm tree in front of the hot tub. While I had no intention of using the hot tub, I did get a delightful spray of water to cool me down a little when the wind blew the right way. I was able to hang out here reading and enjoying the weather until noon when the sun found me and I started to cook. I then retreated to our shaded balcony like some sort of vampire. But before I did that, I stopped by Sorrentos to try for myself the new and improved pizza. I have to say, it’s not the best pizza I’ve ever tasted, but it is quite tasty for what it is and it was fresh and hot. I got the BBQ chicken because that was what was ready then and I didn’t feel like waiting for a fresh pie. I ate the pizza there and went up a deck to grab a fresh squeezed juice from Vitality Cafe on my way to the room. This time I got the carrot lemonade. It tasted better than it sounds, but I still liked the apple mint more. It was more complex and interesting flavor wise. PS keep an eye out for one of these machines to see if a place has fresh squeezed OJ. I know Windjammer has it and the MDR, but so do Park and Vitality Cafes. The afternoon was quite boring to cover in a blog but very needed as I alternated between “resting my eyes” and reading. I had not really gotten good rest leading up to this trip and I’ve been operating on a sleep deficit. Protip: make sure to be as well rested as possible before starting vacation because doing nothing in the sun is exhausting. Eventually it was time for dinner in CK! We had yet another server today. This one was very good about recommending things and was very attentive, but she wasn’t very chatty and it felt rushed at times. I’m sure we could have asked for the pace to be slowed down so that is likely on us. For this meal I got the braised beef gnocchi and the Moroccan spiced chicken breast. The braised beef was good and hearty. I had never had gnocchi before though I knew what they are in theory. They were quite nice and I could see myself ordering that in the future. The chicken was extremely moist for a breast and was perfectly cooked. I loved the spice level in the sauce but it was a bit much for my dad and my mom refused to even try it (she always gets mild wings). I also tried a bit of my dad’s strip steak as I was curious how it was. I was glad I didn’t end up getting it as my main course since it was good, but it paled in comparison to last night’s ribeye. For desert, I got the chocolate napoleon. While it was good, I was a bit surprised that it was only chocolate. I think I was expecting different layers besides a moussey fudge on top of a very thin sponge. Which brings us to now. With 2 port days coming up in a row I really wanted to crash early and try to get some proper sleep so I can fully enjoy those ports. Tomorrow we have booked the Thenford Grey Grand Tour of St Kitt’s which is a 3rd party excursion that comes highly recommended. I hope because of this tomorrow’s blog post will be more interesting to read! I leave you with a shot of the made up sofa bed with the curtain across the room drawn. I love the separation it provides and I have taken to announcing that I’m “closing my door” when I go to draw the curtain at night. It’s the little things in life.

Thenford Grey may be different though. They may customize your tour based on numbers in your party. Contact them and ask.

While on St. Kitts, I highly recommend Thenford Grey Tours. Our group of 6 we were traveling with all did their "Grand Tour", and had a fabulous time. Thenford Grey, himself, did our tour, and he was an absolute walking encyclopedia of information on the island. He was the most polite tour guide I've ever had, and would describe him as the perfect gentleman.

If you happen to do the Thenford Grey Grand Tour of St Kitts, he will most likely take you to Cockleshell Beach. We prefer South Friars Beach to that so we asked him and he went there instead. In St. Thomas, we went to Megan's Bay Beach and loved it. Way better than St. Kitts, and calmer water (bay vs. ocean). Check here to see how many ships will be in port with you at each stop. Beaches can get very crowded if multiple ships are docked at the same time.

+1 for Thenford Grey Tours! Did a Grand Tour with him last time we were on St. Kitts, and had a wonderful time. He is a walking encyclopedia of information on the island.

Although I cannot answer that specific question, I think it will be worth your time to check out Thenford Grey Tours for St. Kitts. He owns the family business and he is the best tour guide we have ever had (although anyone you get will be great). He has soooo many great reviews and has several different excursions to choose from. We did the Grand Tour and loved it, as did several other people we know. Details and costs are on his website. Hope you enjoy whatever you end up doing.

A third party tour company called Thenford Grey is awesome!

Good morning everyone! After following a ton of great live blogs, reviews on this site, I have decided to document my time aboard Adventure of the Seas commencing tomorrow ? I had intended to write a pre-cruise post yesterday, but, as it turns out, my day was completely crazy (thankfully booked a day off of work to complete my tasks and finish packing!). Currently writing this from Toronto Pearson airport with much needed coffee, flight to Fort Lauderdale has been delayed, so I have some time to start this after all ? A little bit about me: I’m in my early 40s, single, and cruising solo (actually love to travel on my own). My last cruise with Royal Caribbean was back in February 2008 aboard Sovereign of the Seas, but my family has actually taken quite a few cruises since then with other lines (most recently DCL aboard the Magic in March 2017). As I recalled having a blast on my first cruise, there was no doubt in my mind which cruise line I would take my next vacation with! Pre-cruise thoughts: I booked this cruise, an eight night Eastern Caribbean itinerary on Adventure, last August, a little over 16 months ago, and am booked in a studio interior stateroom in the basement on Deck Two. Why so far ahead in advance do you ask? Well, I actually scored a great price and the few remaining rooms sold out quickly. (Let’s hear it for listening to @Matt!) Anything else? I prepurchased the sofa plus Voom (physically cannot drink as much booze as you guys can lmao) as well as gratuities. My objectives for this cruise are a) not losing money to the casino (???this will NOT happen, trust me, but a girl can only dream) and b) to leave the ship with as minimal balance as possible. Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the itinerary, all new ports for me, which leads me to my next topic... Itinerary: Friday, December 7th: arrive at Fort Lauderdale, stay overnight at AirBnB off Las Olas (scored great deal on both). Meeting up with a mod of one of the subreddits we moderate together for dinner at Rocco’s on Las Olas. Will pick up wine (let me know if you have any wine or store recs) and any last minute incidentals tonight before retiring to bed. Saturday, December 8th: embarkation day! Sunday, December 9th: sea day Monday, December 10th: Labadee - nothing planned Tuesday, December 11th: San Juan - self-guided walking tour Wednesday, December 12th: St. Maarten - SXM Island Tour I through Bernards Tours Thursday, December 13th: St. Kitts - Grand Tour of St. Kitts through Thenford Grey Friday, December 14th: sea day Saturday, December 15th: sea day (dining at Giovanni’s for lunch on one of these two sea days) Sunday, December 16th: in which Christine is kicked off the ship disembarkation day. Late flight home (9 pm), planning to store luggage at FLL airport until 5:30 pm cut-off. Guess whatever I didn’t get a chance to see today, I’ll be able to do that on my last day. As I wrap this up for now, just wanted to add that there are quite a few firsts for me on this trip: First cruise on Royal since 2008 (feel like a newbie again LOL) First cruise SOLO First visit to all of the port of calls mentioned Let me know if you have any questions! Christine

This post from @Skid mentions Thenford Grey tours as a great option on St. Kitts.

Best tour guide ever is Thenford Grey. He has probably hundreds of great reviews. If you don't happen to get him personally, no worries--he runs the family business and everyone is great. http://www.thenfordgreytours.com/ He has several different excursions to choose from. We did the Grand Tour of St. Kitts. My review, as well as @accio7's (who just took that tour last week) can be seen on this site here https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/search/&q=thenford You'll notice that my avatar is also on his site. It was one of the stops on the tour. It is where the Atlantic Ocean (on the left) meets the Caribbean Sea.

Rushed a bit to finish aforementioned breakfast, but I managed to meet up with Mr. Grey of Thenford Grey Tours for my Grand Island Tour of St. Kitts. Mr. Grey was our guide of our group of 20 and he was very funny, very knowledgeable, with a passion for his home country and meeting visitors. He pointed several historical landmarks en route to our first destination, Romney Manor. Quiet day in port with just Adventure and another ship from a luxury line tendered in the distance.

@accio7 Hi Christine, Hope you enjoyed St Kitts. Did you get to meet Thenford Grey? How was your tour? I actually took my avatar from one of the stops on the tour--it's where the Atlantic Ocean (on the left) meets the Caribbean sea. Did you happen to notice the rest room sign in the building--it's one of best ever!

@accio7, just catching up and thank you so much for your fantastic @twangsterquality blog! For you and @spiralqueen, I am confident you will have a great time in St. Kitts. We did Thenford Grey's grand tour last May and it was great. We have recommended him several times in person and here on this board and everyone has loved it. If you get lucky Thenford himself may be your guide. But no fear...he runs the family business and all his people are great. Enjoy the rest of your cruise and have a safe return home!

@accio7 I’m looking forward to your blog! I’m especially interested in your thoughts on the St Kitts Thenford Grey tour since I have that exact one booked in May. I’m curious how easy it is to find the group and how big the tour groups normally are. HAVE FUN!

@ellcee--Have a great and safe cruise! Looking forward to your blog. If there is still space available, you may want to check out this fabulous excursion we took in 2016. It will change your mind about St Kitts and is well worth the reasonable price of $55. It relaxing, fun, educational and cultural. ENJOY!! If you google them, you will see MANY great reviews. Thenford Grey Grand Tour of St. Kitts is great! By Skid, May 30, 2017 in Shore Excursions Posted May 30, 2017 Took the Thenford Grey 6 hour Grand Tour of St. Kitts during our recent Adventure OTS cruise. We cannot say enough about how good it is. We were fortunate enough to have Thenford himself as our tour guide. He grew up on the island and while he was extremely knowledgeable and informative, he was also entertaining and funny. The tour included several stops and great photo opps, as well as beach time. He will, of course, make sure you are back to the ship in plenty of time. This was well worth the $55 per person cost, which includes admission fees to two attractions. He runs other tours as well which you may check out at www.thenfordgreytours.com

@ilovecruising, one of the best tours we ever had was in St. Kitts. I don't know how to attach a post so I copied and pasted mine from May 2017 below. @mom2mybugs, the first time in St Kitts, we felt as you do. The next time we took the Thenford Grey tour and it became one our favorite places. My avatar picture is actually from there...it's where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. Thenford Grey Grand Tour of St. Kitts is great! By Skid, May 30, 2017 in Shore Excursions Skid 210 Posted May 30, 2017 Took the Thenford Grey 6 hour Grand Tour of St. Kitts during our recent Adventure OTS cruise. We cannot say enough about how good it is. We were fortunate enough to have Thenford himself as our tour guide. He grew up on the island and while he was extremely knowledgeable and informative, he was also entertaining and funny. The tour included several stops and great photo opps, as well as beach time. He will, of course, make sure you are back to the ship in plenty of time. This was well worth the $55 per person cost, which includes admission fees to two attractions. He runs other tours as well which you may check out at www.thenfordgreytours.com

For Antigua, I recommend Turners Beach - quite possible the best beach we've ever been to. Just stunning!! And for St Kitts I HIGHLY recommend Thenford Grey Island Tour. Again, def. one of the best tours we've ever done, quite possibly THE best!! Enjoy this itinerary - we just got back from a much less thrilling one that took us to FLorida and the Bahamas.