New port of call in St. Lucia

[boscobeans]

Carnival and Royal Caribbean have signed on for a new port on the Southern end of St. Lucia.

 

This should give an off shore view of the Pitons during most cruises to St. Lucia and not just to those on excursions, or those passing by from cruises to the South.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/21769-carnival-and-royal-ink-port-deal-with-st-lucia.html

Edited October 22, 2019 by boscobeans

[cruiseguy1016]

Interesting. No date was given for when construction of the new port would begin or when it would open.

[boscobeans]

4 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

Interesting. No date was given for when construction of the new port would begin or when it would open.

Yes indeed.

 

We are booked in January 2021 in a Port side veranda on the Anthem that will be visiting St Lucia.

Could be seeing them as we pass by. 

 

 

[FLACRUISER99]

36 minutes ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

Interesting. No date was given for when construction of the new port would begin or when it would open.

It's the Caribbean mon.

[boscobeans]

The present dock at that location will for sure need a lot of upgrading as well as the area around the dock. 

The town looks interesting..

Looks like a well stocked liquor shop.. 

[Sunshine3601]

I visited that end of the island while on an excursion.   It is a very small village/town and it will definitely need lots of improvement to handle the ship as well as the passengers.  I am sure the islanders on that end of the island will be very happy to have the income as it is presently the poorer side of island but very beautiful.    I cannot wait to be able to stop at this port!

[boscobeans]

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

I visited that end of the island while on an excursion.   It is a very small village/town and it will definitely need lots of improvement to handle the ship as well as the passengers.  I am sure the islanders on that end of the island will be very happy to have the income as it is presently the poorer side of island but very beautiful.    I cannot wait to be able to stop at this port!

I hope Carnival and Royal Caribbean stagger the visits so there will only be one ship docked at a time,  

 

It looks like the town will need a while to get used to handling two ships at once...

 

Back over 10 years ago we visited the Island of Dominica when it wasn't that popular a cruise port and have seen many changes take place over the years each time we returned..

 

Edited October 22, 2019 by boscobeans

[Merion_Mom]

There have been signs up at the port in St Kitts for at least four years that trumpet the coming of a new port.  There is no sign of a new port yet.

[boscobeans]

3 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

There have been signs up at the port in St Kitts for at least four years that trumpet the coming of a new port.  There is no sign of a new port yet.

 

Who is trumpeting a new port and where is it to be...?  I didn't notice any signs there in February, but then again I did a lot of taste testing..  LOL

 

If I was a planner I would look into a NEW port to capture cruisers interest in an area (the Caribbean) that is seeing a great increase and could use some new places. 

[F27TW]

1 hour ago, Merion_Mom said:

There have been signs up at the port in St Kitts for at least four years that trumpet the coming of a new port.  There is no sign of a new port yet.

That St Kitts port is a bit junky.   I just wish they could control those creepy dudes who come up with their little monkeys tp extort money from people .. thats obnixious and it seems like its more of a problem in St Kitts than other islands.

[karena1]

We are hoping for lots of improvements.  We are beach people, and it does not look like there are a lot of good beaches in the area, Atlantic side is so rough, so hopefully, we will be able to find a beach on the Caribbean side if we do dock there.  Not really worried about it right now as it will be some time before this all comes to pass.

[Tatka]

Nice!
Sugar beach will be much closer! 

[Captain Billy Bob]

2 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

There have been signs up at the port in St Kitts for at least four years that trumpet the coming of a new port.  There is no sign of a new port yet.

Don't know about a new port but there was a new pier under construction when we were there last February.

[Russ Lomas]

Interesting.  Never heard of that area before until I just looked it up.  It still seems almost as far to the Pitons as the other port.  Not sure what is great on the southern portion of St. Lucia.  It should be interesting to see what happens over the next few years.

[boscobeans]

2 hours ago, F27TW said:

That St Kitts port is a bit junky.   I just wish they could control those creepy dudes who come up with their little monkeys tp extort money from people .. thats obnixious and it seems like its more of a problem in St Kitts than other islands.

We were there this past February and there was only one monkey guy in the area where they used to hang out.

 

The annoying taxi, cab and scenic tour guys were everywhere and not just in that big area but all over the port and they were aggressive.

Edited October 23, 2019 by boscobeans

[fredflint]

I was there several years ago and the roads on the island were so bad that water taxi was the only way to get around I hope the island's roads have improved over the years.

[Sunshine3601]

1 hour ago, karena1 said:

We are hoping for lots of improvements.  We are beach people, and it does not look like there are a lot of good beaches in the area, Atlantic side is so rough, so hopefully, we will be able to find a beach on the Caribbean side if we do dock there.  Not really worried about it right now as it will be some time before this all comes to pass.

We were in st kitts twice this year and our first trip I asked our bus driver his opinion on best beach.  He told me to walk thru cruise port and cross street to center near a popular museum and large clock.  grab a taxi there because they are cheaper and go to Carambola Beach resort for day.

We did exactly what he said and negotiated for a round trip fee of $20.  Let me tell you it was one of the best beaches.    You can do it for free or you can rent a lounge chair and umbrella. there are servers to bring you beverages on the beach or you can go to their indoor/outdoor restaurant.   

Beautiful area to snorkel too

Gorgeous sand and beautiful caribbean sea.  Highly recommend!!

We gave our taxi lady a time to come back for us and she was out front the resort waiting for us.

I will definitely go back there next time I'm in st kitts.

[Bobal]

Very confusing the way this thread is turning into a discussion about St Kitts 

 

Back on topic though, the article link says the new location will be at Vieux Fort. This is some distance from the Pitons with not much around there and not close to many nice beaches. I would think the only way for anyone to experience any of the island from here will be via excursions. It is, however, adjacent to the airport which could mean a plan to start and end cruises in St Lucia at some time in the future.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

18 minutes ago, Bobal said:

Very confusing the way this thread is turning into a discussion about St Kitts 

Indeed.

 

The current port/dock area in St. Lucia is convenient to the city and surround sights access. That said, it's primarily an area of small shops intended for visits by cruise passengers when getting off the ship and/or reboarding. Nothing especially unique or special. A refurbish and another dock would likely be a smart move (and actually overdue).

[Ocean Boy]

We didn't have to worry about getting to the Pitons when we cruised to St. Lucia. On departure Capt. Stig sailed Serenade down the coast, stopped right between the Pitons, did a 360 degree turn, and parked us right there to watch an amazing sunset, and then we continued on our way.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Indeed.

 

The current port/dock area in St. Lucia is convenient to the city and surround sights access. That said, it's primarily an area of small shops intended for visits by cruise passengers when getting off the ship and/or reboarding. Nothing especially unique or special. A refurbish and another dock would likely be a smart move (and actually overdue).

So they should build a new port where there is also nothing special and you have a significant cost to get anywhere? Reminds me of Falmouth, Jamaica. 

[Clarea]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

So they should build a new port where there is also nothing special and you have a significant cost to get anywhere? Reminds me of Falmouth, Jamaica. 

 

Exactly.

[boscobeans]

Looking for something special in the Caribbean ??  

After 20 plus years of visiting the Caribbean I don't think there is anything that unique about any of the Islands.

Is one beach that much better than the other?

Is that restaurant that much better than another on another Island?

Is the shopping on one Island that much different?

 

I remember St. Maarten when there was nothing at the dock but a thatched roof shack selling guava berry liquor, and the first thing you saw when you got off the ferry was a Burger King and ten PIAs hawking free rides to a timeshare.]

Labadee was a breath of fresh air when we tendered there and heard Haitian drums as we approached the then new island.

 

Now there are six ships docked in St. Maarten and Labadee is a crowded beach with an amusement park.

 

So if I want to wander around an Island, do a little sightseeing, spend some time on a beach or eat at some place selling local dishes I would rather do it where there aren't four ships in port and where every venue on the Island isn't packed with 8 or 10 thousand people just like me. LOL

 

I would love a visit to any place NEW even if almost everything about it is the same if not very similar to the other Islands represented by the mass of refrigerator magnets my wife and I have accumulated. Just would like to see one without feeling like I'm in the middle of a one hour $10 watch sale.

 

 

 

[HBE4]

12 hours ago, fredflint said:

I was there several years ago and the roads on the island were so bad that water taxi was the only way to get around I hope the island's roads have improved over the years.

 

I honeymooned in St. Lucia back in 1993.

 

Sounds like nothing has changed since then.

[HBE4]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

So they should build a new port where there is also nothing special and you have a significant cost to get anywhere? Reminds me of Falmouth, Jamaica. 

 

Exactly.

 

Seem like they need a new port to handle the Oasis/Quantum class ships (and whatever megs-ship Carnival has) , assuming the current port can't handle that size ship.