Crown Bay ... Love It Or Not?

[christinelee]

Port Authority still preparing to dock mega-cruise ships at Crown Bay

By LYNN FREEHILL

Friday, April 13th 2007

 

 

ST. THOMAS - Although the Crown Bay pier will not be able to accommodate both the Queen Mary 2 and the Crown Princess simultaneously today, V.I. Port Authority vows to be ready to play host to two larger-sized cruise ships there by July 19, the next time two such vessels are scheduled to call on the same day.

To accomplish that, however, the authority will have to spend thousands more on dredging the access channel than the $1.35 million it has devoted to the project since August.

Cunard Line's luxury ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, will be able to safely dock in the Virgin Islands for the first time today, the cruise line decided Tuesday. On all previous V.I. calls, the ship had to drop anchor in St. Thomas Harbor and bring passengers to the waterfront by tender.

West Gregerie access channel and the area around Crown Bay's south berth have been dredged to 38 feet, enabling the Queen Mary 2 to pull up along the pier's south side, Port Authority executive director Darlan Brin said.

But the Crown Princess, which also will call on St. Thomas today, would require 32-foot depths around the north berth and the East Gregerie access channel, Brin said. That access channel currently has a depth of 30 feet. The Crown Princess will dock at Havensight.

 

"We've been working on it, but we haven't finished yet," Brin said. "We didn't expect the rock to be so hard."

Contractor V.I. Cement and Building Products already has reached the maximum volume of material it agreed to take up in its $1.35 million agreement, Brin said.

Port Authority engineers must estimate how much more material must be removed, and V.I. Cement will be asked to submit a cost proposal for that work, he said.

Meanwhile, by shifting the 3,100-passenger Crown Princess to the West Indian Co.'s Havensight dock Friday, the authority will miss out on around $15,000, or $4.85 per passenger, in docking fees that it would have received if the Crown Princess called at Crown Bay.

The amount is not a loss for the Virgin Islands government, however: the V.I. Public Finance Authority-owned West Indian Co. will receive docking fees. The Port Authority still will receive port dues of $4.50 per passenger for providing harbor pilots to guide the ship into and out of the harbor, Brin said.

[GOBOLTS]

Is that just for this friday?????

[chrysalis]

Is that just for this friday?????

 

read the story again...July 19 is the date....don't pay attention to the publication date of the article

[GloriaF]

If we had a choice, I would much prefer to be docked at Havensight than Crown Bay ~ Crown Bay is isolated compared to Havensight. We were there on the Sun Princess in early December; we walked around the Marina and came back to the ship, partly because we've been to St Thomas many times and partly because we were out of walking distance to town. There are plenty of taxis to take pax into town, and there were shops being finished at the Bay, but the sound of dredging was in full progress also. The Queen Mary 2 was anchored. But it looks like Crown Bay is to be the new dock for Princess in the future, so we may as well make the best of it. I'm sure when the shops are open (now, I would assume) and pax have an adjustment period, things will seem like normal.

 

It looks like for now if you are on a mega ship, you will be docked at Havensight until mid-July at least.

[traveling1969]

Crown Bay ... Love It Or Not?.....NOT!!!!

[Clarkk W Griswald]

not!!!!!

[AliceJ]

There is very little open at Crown Bay and it isn't that close to town. Havensight, touristy as it is, at least gives you the option to do some shopping, getting a bite to eat, and is close to town.

[bphawk64]

Didn't care for it much but better than tendering in

[Quadsd]

Did not like it at all!

[lysolqn]

Not much there except for a small marina and some shops that will open eventually. It's a short ride through an unattractive area of the isalnd to downtown. Not a great spot but surely better than tendering.

[regnig]

:eek: but better than a tender anyday :eek:

[Spender Nui]

My number one position is Havensight.

 

My number two position is to tender. At least you're in town and not isolated.

 

Last ... and least by far is Crown bay.

[MaryPoppinz]

I prefer Havensight -- I like the nice walk to town.

[crissyp]

So I'm alittle confused....we're sailing the crown in July and will be in St. thomas on July 10th... do you think we'll be docking in Havensight???

This is our first princess cruise and my first time to St. Thomas...After reading many many posts about these two piers, it seems that everyone prefers Havensight.

Does anyone know where we might be docking???:confused:

Thanks,

Crissy

[wanderingjew]

Didn't care for it much but better than tendering in

id prefer tendering

[phillipahain]

How can St Thomas authorities claim they will loose out on $4.85 per passenger by any ship not docking at Crown Bay

 

Princess have FREE DOCKING at Crown Bay for 10 years thats precisly why they dock there and to hell with what their passengers want or like

 

I and others refuse to cruise the caribean with Princess now for the very reason that we want to dock at Havensight and have the opportunity to decide what we do and where we shop

 

we do not want a $5 per person cab ride each way (total $20 plus drinks and lunch probably ) never mind the time and inconvienience of getting from Crown Bay to Havensight

 

If you dock at Havensight you can get off and wander the shops both in and outside the port and get back onboard for lunch etc ........much more civilised

[1bigsexy]

I prefer Havensight... bunch of overcharging taxis at Crown Bay.

[caribbean2000]

Well, I'd say the people on that particular cruise on the Crown lucked out by being able to dock just that one (last?) time in Havensight - and I can tell you after docking at Crown Bay on the CB last December with the Celebrity Millenium there too it was a nightmare trying to get a cab, total chaos. I cannot imagine what it will be like with both the Crown and the QM II in there at the same time and even MORE passengers. Beyond that, the main reason we didn't like Crown Bay is that it's a huge hassle - long ride, just about precluding the possibilty of getting the 9 a.m. ferry - to get a cab over to Red Hook to go to St. John, which is our favorite island and something we look forward to all year between cruises. Yes, you can get the ferry from downtown CA, but it does not run as often as the one from Red Hook, it's a longer trip over to St. John, and the result is a much shorter time in St. John. But of course - and excuse me for being cynical - I'll bet that Princess (i.e., Carnival) couldn't care less about that, and it may be that one of the "selling points" at the behind doors board meetings where they made the decision about dropping Havendight and going to Crown Bay was that more people will be inclined for cruise line-sponsored excursions rather than going out on their own. We are not big shoppers, but you can take this to the bank: even with ALL the shops open at Crown Bay (a long term proposition, at best) it will NEVER have the variety and choices of Havensight. It's just too small. For everyone complaining about the view, yes, we really miss that wonderful view of the harbor from Havensight, but it is not bad at Crown Bay, quite nice really, just none of the "wow" factor of being at Havensight, watching all the lights go on up the hills at sailaway time, the ships... It's nice at Crown Bay from a visual perspective, but it could be just about any island. But get used to it, folks, it ain't gonna change.

Gene and Kathy from Cape Cod

[Livin4Real]

How can St Thomas authorities claim they will loose out on $4.85 per passenger by any ship not docking at Crown Bay

 

Princess have FREE DOCKING at Crown Bay for 10 years thats precisly why they dock there and to hell with what their passengers want or like

 

I and others refuse to cruise the caribean with Princess now for the very reason that we want to dock at Havensight and have the opportunity to decide what we do and where we shop

 

we do not want a $5 per person cab ride each way (total $20 plus drinks and lunch probably ) never mind the time and inconvienience of getting from Crown Bay to Havensight

 

If you dock at Havensight you can get off and wander the shops both in and outside the port and get back onboard for lunch etc ........much more civilised

 

It seems your forgetting about a market analysis by Princess confirming the MAJORITY of their patrons would prefer docking in Crown Bay. Princess didn't get to where they are by shooting from the hip and going on a hunch. Also Princess does not dock for free. They signed a 10yr. deal yes but St. Thomas would lose out on millions of dollars a year by allowing them to dock for free and they can't afford that over 10 years, reduced rate maybe, free, no way.

[willysgrandma]

There needs to be a lot of work done at Crown Bay (such as opening some shops and letting outside cabs into the gates) before I'd prefer it.

 

I'd rather tender from Havensight. Crown Bay is a pain in the neck.

[caribbean2000]

Livin4 Real - I'd love to read that marketing analysis. Do you have a link to it, or any way to access it? I wonder how Princess can come up with such a thing, considering the Crown Bay situation is so recent? In any marketing analysis, there are always questions based on experience... just asking.

[A Sixth?]

I don't like Crown Bay.

 

But then again I like the walk into town from Havensight, if you don't like the walk, the cab ride can actually take longer from Havensight, than from Crown Bay.

[Colo Cruiser]

I don't like Crown Bay.

 

But then again I like the walk into town from Havensight, if you don't like the walk, the cab ride can actually take longer from Havensight, than from Crown Bay.

 

 

We enjoyed that walk too many times. :)

[Clarkk W Griswald]

It seems your forgetting about a market analysis by Princess confirming the MAJORITY of their patrons would prefer docking in Crown Bay.

 

Please enlighten us as to how you had access to this so called "market analysis" that you are talking about. I'd love to read about the "majority of patrons that would prefer to dock at Crown Bay" considering that Princess isn't even telling their patrons about the new pier at Crown Bay. Furthermore, considering that you've only been on one cruise (that docked at Crown bay) how can you make any objective comparisons between the 2 piers since you've only ever docked at one? On the other thread discussing this, you have been flaming those of us who now say we choose to sail another crusieline that docks at Havensite. You have no idea what you are talking about.

 

Please post a link to this "market analysis".

[djandnic]

It seems your forgetting about a market analysis by Princess confirming the MAJORITY of their patrons would prefer docking in Crown Bay. Princess didn't get to where they are by shooting from the hip and going on a hunch. Also Princess does not dock for free. They signed a 10yr. deal yes but St. Thomas would lose out on millions of dollars a year by allowing them to dock for free and they can't afford that over 10 years, reduced rate maybe, free, no way.

 

This is simply amazing that a person with one cruise, and never docked at Havensight, would have access to a marketing study done on a port that has only been used since October of 2006. This is good information to know, thanks.