St Barts

[allisonb22]

Does anyone know why RCCL doesn't cruise to St Barts? I searched the boards but didn't see anything about it. After little research it seems like it is a tendered port. Just curious if there is a reason why RCCL doesn't go there (or if they do and I'm just missing it!)...

[Merion_Mom]

44 minutes ago, allisonb22 said:

Does anyone know why RCCL doesn't cruise to St Barts? I searched the boards but didn't see anything about it. After little research it seems like it is a tendered port. Just curious if there is a reason why RCCL doesn't go there (or if they do and I'm just missing it!)...

 

You can go to St Barts when your ship calls at St Maarten.

 

It's very small, without the tourist infrastructure to support a large influx of cruise passengers.

 

And it is quite exclusive - they have no interest in catering to cruise ships.

 

There are many places that RC doesn't go.

[Norwich Cruiser]

Takes about 30 minutes from Oyster Pond also you can go from Margot.

[Surfguyxxx]

Back in 2004, we had sailed on "Empress OTS" out of Hoboken NJ and one of our stops was St. Barts.  Couldn't tell you if we tendered in or not but I do remember it was a beautiful island and it rained all day.  

[hannibal54]

7 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

You can go to St Barts when your ship calls at St Maarten.

 

It's very small, without the tourist infrastructure to support a large influx of cruise passengers.

 

And it is quite exclusive - they have no interest in catering to cruise ships.

 

There are many places that RC doesn't go.

 

When we were on the Grandeur in Dec. I took the ferry over to Anguilla. I was told there was one ferry over to St. Barts in the morning and one return around 5 PM, so I don't think it is possible on a normal cruise stop. This is from Marigot.

[mafig]

They are not very friendly to cruise ship passengers.

 

We were there several years ago on Celebrity Century.  They shut off the water and most of the shops closed until we left.

 

 

[lola2013]

Having been to St. Maarten numerous times, we chose a Celebrity excursion from St. Maarten to St. Bart's a few months ago.  hannibal54 (GO CUBS!) is correct about the ferry schedule...doesn't leave a lot of time to get to & return from the island in the time that's allotted.  Anyway, when we received our excursion tickets the day we boarded the ship, there was a disclaimer stating that all of the shops on St. Bart's are closed from approximately 11am to 3pm!  That would have left us with very little time to actually visit the shops, which was the main purpose of going there.  Celebrity gladly refunded our $$$ and we spent the day once again (and happily) in St. Maarten.  I'd still like to visit someday but not on a cruise.

Edited February 5, 2020 by lola2013

[voyager70]

42 minutes ago, mafig said:

They are not very friendly to cruise ship passengers.

 

We were there several years ago on Celebrity Century.  They shut off the water and most of the shops closed until we left.

 

 

 

I've heard of this as well.  I have no desire to go someplace where I'm looked down upon and treated poorly because I don't measure up to there standards.  What a bunch of snobs.

 

[Saab4444]

It is a small, nice and exclusive place. That they don‘t want the mega ships to destroy this is understandable. Small cruise ships go there.

[TRUEBLUE66]

We went there a couple of years ago with another cruise line on a small ship for the day. Not geared up in any way for mass tourism. Small town, high end shopping and narrow roads all around the Island. We drove to some beautiful beaches and enjoyed the change of pace but they have no need for cruise tourism and will not encourage it. 

[5280mom]

New have done a land vacation there and it is stunning.  I would say it is the most European island we have stayed on, and while not the friendliest, we managed just fine.  Our villa had its own pool so we actually stayed there a lot and just ventured out twice a day for dinner or a snack.  Funny enough, restaurants/businesses did close in the middle of the day for several hours.  We truly enjoyed the uncommercialized nature on this visit.  We never saw a cruise ship in our five days there but did notice a few yachts in the marina at night.  I can’t  imagine a mega ship visiting here, just not enough to do and no way to move that many people around at one time.  

[grouchomarx]

Nobody in St. Bart's would appreciate a cruise ship calling. It would ruin the appeal of the island.

[d66d66]

My husband and I and our best travel companion couple stayed there for a week a few years ago in a villa with pool at a lovely resort.  The island is very French and also low key.  We drove a bit on the narrow roads and walked to restaurants down the beach from us. One of the most relaxing vacations we have ever had and we all still talk about it to this day.  The shops are tiny and the restaurants are tiny, but so beautiful and the whole place is enchanting.  My daughters still talk about the time "mom, came back from a beach vacation with no tan lines!"  

[robtulipe]

We went to St. Barts on X Century in Feb.2014 and found it to be OK residents wise but then French was my first language as I am originally from Quebec City so I could communicate with them in French.

The harbor is small and crowded with small pleasure boats so it tendering especially from a larger ship could be a challenge. There are some very nice beaches there.

It has a interesting airport location where planes pass just above the main road on a ridge between two hill tops when doing their approach.

It likely would be suitable for a small ship like Empress.

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by robtulipe

[bearette]

We also went on a Celebrity ship. It is a richer island so things are more expensive. They don't need the tourist money so are not as welcoming. If you want to go, do a land trip from St. Marteen, taking the ferry over would be the most economical way unless you can afford the infrequent flights.  It reminded me of France, they don't need you as a tourist and their culture isn't as open as others,  so we found it standoffish.  Though on the reverse end I was probably not formal enough and rude in their eyes.