lovestx

I will also say that Tan Tan Tours is a fun option for seeing some of the island and, especially, the Annaly Bay Tidal Pools. The do have a website: http://www.stxtantantours.com

The consortium reported today that the governor says th ports in the territory will open on November 11 for cruise ships and that he will have more info next week. That doesn't bode well for your November 1 call on st. Croix

I don't have definitive information about Cruzan Rum but did hear a couple of weeks ago that both rum factories came through the storm relatively o.k. But I would doubt Cruzan is open just yet due to power issues.

Lack of power and the presence of a curfew (currently 7 p.m. to 9 a.m.) are two big obstacles right now for getting the island back on track. 265 off island power linemen are expected in the territory (all three islands) today so I would think that will be a big boost to the power restoration process.

By your cruise stop in December, I would expect the curfew to be gone and power to be back at places you would visit, but I don't have a crystal ball.

And I love the idea of a donation collection point....no doubt, some smart person will work on that before cruisers and other visitors return to the island.

Glad to hear you o.k. Drake! I know the West end was hit the hardest so can only imagine what you've been going through.

Knowing that you were probably without power and limited internet, I tried to help out in your absence. Hope it's been helpful.

As an annual visitor to St. Croix for 20 years and a 'snowbird' there for the past three years, I have to disagree with fielddreamer that there is little to do on the island. Somehow we keep busy for 10 weeks every year :)

Glamourgirl, the port is in Frederiksted and the small town is just at the end of the pier. Vendors will be set up on cruise days to sell their wares and there are some shops to poke into and buy souvenirs and other items.

The island sustained quite a bit of damage thanks to Maria with the Southwest/West end sustaining the worst of it. There are many without roofs or badly damaged roofs. There is no doubt that by November or December much will have been cleaned up (downtown Frederiksted has already been cleared of debris) but there will still be a lot of tree, home and power line damage to see.

Power has been restored to the downtown area of Christiansted with most restaurants back up serving meals during curfew hours (which are being extended with each passing day). Frederiksted right now has limited power and water service but restaurants like Pollys on the Pier are open. Rainbow Beach/Rhythms and Sandcastles on the Beach are back up with limited service at this point.

As for things to do, Buck Island is a gorgeous trip to take and Caribbean Sea Adventures and Big Beards are already taking tours out there again. I cannot say how the reefs look after the hurricane, but there is no more gorgeous beach than Turtle Beach on Buck Island. Folks enjoy ATVing with Geckos Island Adventures and Jeep tours with Tan Tan Tours. I think a really fun thing to do would be to rent a car and take an island tour out to Point Udall and then back along the Northern coastline from east to west. But more road clearing will need to be done before you can do that efficiently.

Crucians are a resilient bunch as are the folks who are transplants there and they are pulling together to get up and running for the winter season as they know it is their lifeblood in many cases.

I would give it until late October/early November to make definitive plans for your excursions as much more will be known about the condition of the island.

There are two reasons the Domino Club has been closed. The first was that owner, Norma, has had health issues and has been in Florida being treated. The second is some hurricane damage.

I have read on Facebook that Norma plans to return to the island in October or November and will probably reopen. Surprisingly, I don't think the Domino Club was leveled by Maria but the rainforest had lots of trees down so driving through it has recently been a challenge.

I tried searching for an answer but just can't seem to get one so hoping someone will chime in.

My husband and I are in our 50s and are retired (lucky, yes). We have no pre-existing conditions. We private pay for our medical insurance (and that of our 23 and 21 year old kids). It's crazy expensive. We are not covered out of network.

We travel throughout the year so need to buy some type of travel medical insurance. We would like to buy an annual plan; however, we spend more than 70 days on St. Croix each winter. GeoBlue Trekker policies won't cover us beyond 70 days. And for reasons that aren't clear to me, St. Croix (in the US Virgin Islands) is considered international.

Does anyone on this board have advice for us on an annual medical plan? What do World cruisers do? If we don't buy round trip airline tickets for our St. Croix trip, would that enable to be covered when and if we need it. Don't like to cheat/steal, but just trying to figure out if there are any options.

Thanks in advance for any help you might give.

Travelbound, it's too early now to say how the snorkeling will be or if your cruise will actually stop on STX. When I hear more, I'll try to let you know.

Hard to know the snorkeling conditions post-Maria. When is your cruise?

Most of the hotels on St. Croix are closed until November for a couple of reasons. First, they have a lot of clean up to do. Second, the island has limited power (many of the hotels have their own generators). Third, there is a curfew in place from 6 p.m. until 11 a.m. each day so it would be difficult for guests to get around the island. And, fourth, and most importantly, the island needs to focus on the needs of its citizens right now and adding people who need food, water and power will slow the recovery down.

The Governor announced the other day that they are shooting for 90% restoration of power throughout the territory by Christmas.

Can you clarify which boat trip you are going on? Don't know of any full day trips out of F'sted. If it's a full day Buck Island trip, that would be out of C'sted and you'd have a tough time making it back by 5 p.m.

Just to clarify...

The Buccaneer now charges $10 per chair on their beach (similar to Rainbow Beach).

Interesting update about your cruise tbmrt. I guess "not too much damage" is relative. Hurricane Maria hit St. Croix very hard, especially the West End, but I can see that they are working hard to clean up the port of Frederiksted so perhaps STX will be the go to port among the Virgins this year.

The West End of STX was hammered by Maria (hit the rest of the island as well but got closest to the West End). I think that's where Drake lives. Internet service is nonexistent on the island right now and only AT&T customers have service. That added to the lack of power island-wide and it's unlikely Drake will post in the next few days.

I, too, hope he is o.k. The island is in bad shape but the Crucians are a resilient bunch!

It does not look good for my beloved island. Cat 4 or 5 storm headed towards them and should arrive late tonight. They are under mandatory curfew starting at 10 a.m. today and all power will be turned off at 2 p.m.

Please keep the Cruzans in your hearts and prayers. They are terrified.

I know that Sandcastles does a $25 day pass which includes a chair, umbrella and a drink or two.

The Buccaneer offers something but it's more like $100.

But with Maria set on St. Croix in a couple of days, this may be a moot point. We are beyond terrified for our friends on island.

I am hoping that Drake will answer your query but I fear he may still lack power in his area on St. Croix thanks to Irma.

Hotels that welcome cruisers include:

Sandcastles on the Beach (about a 2 mile cab ride from the port)

Renaissance Carambola (20 minute cab ride)

Hotel on the Cay (on a small island in the Christiansted Harbor, 30 minutes from port)

The Palms at Pelican Cove (they are under new ownership so not sure if they are continuing this)

The Buccaneer (30 minutes from port and pricey)

Another beach to consider, on the West End, is Rainbow Beach. There is decent snorkeling to the right as you enter (according to my family). And we love Rhythms, the restaurant and bar on site. Rainbow is about 2 miles north of the pier and I would think it's easy to get taxis there on cruise ship days.

Another couple of options:

Cane Bay (has Eat @ Cane Bay for restaurant and bathrooms)

Tamarind Reef (has Deep End Bar & Grill for restaurant and they also rent chairs, kayaks, etc.)

I am loving your review and photos! We have been to many of these places but not all so it is helpful and full of memories for me. And I love your wife's style....she wears an easy, beautiful smile so well!

We are sailing in 2019 on Solstice and I just got an email telling me I can use my OBC before sailing.

Thanks so much for the great tip on the AARP discount, Keith! I bought a membership for $16 and it dropped the price of a five year MedJet Assist policy about $150.

Now if I could only find a Medical insurance annual policy that included St. Croix where we spend the winter....

Got it! Totally understand. STX is a great place to just relax and enjoy the views :)

Just to get another opinion...

You could probably make this work if you rent a car, drive to Carambola Beach resort and hike over to the Tidal Pools from there. It's about an hour hike each way and you will want an hour to get yourselves actually into the tidal pools, enjoy it and get out. It is quite a treacherous climb to get into the pools from the beach....not for the faint of heart or those without some balance and athletic ability.

It will take you 30 minutes to and from Carambola from the pier. And a stop at Norma's/the Domino Club is on the way and can be accomplished in 30 minutes.

So does that all add up?

8:00 a.m. Off the boat

9:00 a.m. Rental car paperwork complete and drive to Carambola

9:30 a.m. Start the hike

10:30 a.m. Enjoy the tidal pools

11:30 a.m. Hike back

12:30 p.m. Arrive at Carambola

1:00 p.m. Arrive at Domino Club

2:00 p.m. Back at the pier.

I wouldn't say 8-9 meters is typical; but as mentioned it certainly can occur.

I would say 4-5 meters is often encountered.

 

Is your cruise NZ first, then Milford to Hobart ?

If so, your route is the most southerly course, and therefore can experience larger seas.

 

If the forecast is particularly bad the decision is sometimes made to go no further south than Akaroa. They then proceed back north and head to Aussie via Cook Strait.

 

This means Dunedin and Fiordland are missed.

Fortunately this doesn't happen very often.

 

When it comes to cruising around NZ on a ship, flexibility is the key.

Enjoy your time in Un Zud.

Yes, our cruise starts in Auckland and ends in Sydney with a stop in Hobart. We are planning to do at least a week of touring in NZ before hand (and after in Australia) so will definitely plan to do the Milford Sound area by land.

Good to know that if seas are rough our itinerary could change dramatically. We have been on other cruises with cancelled ports so know this can happen. But it's always good for me to be reminded that if there are places we REALLY want to see, we need to do a land based tour.

We just booked the Solstice for a similar cruise in March 2019 (I know...crazy planners!). Is this typical? I have heard it can be rough but just wondering what we might expect.