The best way to explore a port’s local culture and to stay active during your cruise is to go on an excursion. On one recent cruise, our ship made a stop in St. Lucia, a beautiful island in the Eastern Caribbean. For our day on the island, we went on the Joe Knows Saint Lucia excursion and had an amazing day!

St. Lucia entices visitors with its natural beauty and vibrant culture. Visitors will remember it best for the iconic Pitons, as well as lush rainforests and pristine beaches. The Joe Knows Saint Lucia excursion enabled us to experience it all.

We disembarked the ship at the Port of Castries, where the tour operator led us to a boat. Since we were part of a fairly large group who booked the excursion together, there were two boats waiting for us. Our guide quickly began to entertain us with a description of our plans for the day.

What was included in our Joe Knows Saint Lucia excursion?

We took the Land & Sea Tour package, for $115 USD per person (as of April 2023, the price had increased to $125 USD per person). Our guide told us we would head to Soufrière by boat, stop off in Marigot Bay, then visit a volcano for a therapeutic mud bath. After that, we’d go for a waterfall swim, have lunch and return to the ship.

Marigot Bay

The first part of the Joe Knows Saint Lucia excursion was a boat ride to Marigot Bay, a beautiful area featuring resorts and upscale homes on the water. The landscape surrounding the bay was dotted with charming waterfront restaurants, boutique shops, and luxury resorts. Marigot Bay also serves as a popular docking spot for luxurious yachts and sailboats, and it’s always a lot of fun to take a look at those and imagine the lifestyles of those who own them.

As our guide put it, Marigot Bay is the place where the “rich bastards” live! It was absolutely gorgeous.

Volcanic Mud Bath

After visiting Marigot Bay, we headed to the volcanic mud baths at Sulphur Springs in Soufrière. We covered ourselves in the warm mud and rinsed off in a hot spring. As a quick tip, you might want to skip this experience if you’re sunburned.

A Refreshing Swim

Time to rinse off! We got in a van and drove to Diamond Falls for a brisk swim and rinsing off. The water was refreshing!

Buffet Lunch

Next it was time for lunch. We visited a local restaurant at the foot of the Pitons, the iconic volcanic peaks St. Lucia is known for. The lunch was beautiful, with plenty of healthy options for all kinds of diets, including vegetarian. The setting for lunch was beautiful, with a view of the beach and the Pitons nearby.

Return to Port

After lunch, we boarded the boats again for the trip back to our cruise ship. We stopped at another beach on the way back for swimming and snorkeling and to enjoy some more rum punch! Some locals appeared, selling fresh mango and coconut from their boats.

Overall Impressions of the Joe Knows Saint Lucia Excursion

This was a very memorable excursion, with something for everyone…food, drink, a unique experience and fun in the sun. The tour operators are very entertaining, know the area well, and will have you laughing from start to finish. I can’t recommend this excursion highly enough!

My Personal Tips for the Joe Knows Saint Lucia Excursion

• Wear an old bathing suit that you don’t care about. Your suit WILL smell like sulfur after this excursion after visiting the volcanic mud bath, even after washing it. I laundered mine at home and still decided to throw it away.
• Wear a lot of sunscreen, and don’t forget to re-apply it, no matter how much of the rum punch you enjoy on board.
• Speaking of rum punch, use the bathroom every opportunity you get! I found myself in the embarrassing situation of having to run to the public bathrooms back at the port because the boat ride from the snorkeling beach back to the ship was longer than I thought.

The next time your family is planning a cruise vacation, I highly recommend looking into the Joe Knows Saint Lucia excursion. You’ll have an absolutely wonderful day!