9-day NCL Spirit Itin

[slyther]

OK I have a rather brash question about the 9-day Spirit itinerary:

 

Are the islands that it calls upon (Tortola, Antigua, St Lucia, Genada, Barbados) still all torn up from the hurricanes?

I have a friend that has family in Grenada and she told me that it was a war zone after the hurricanes went thru.. has anyone sailed that way recently?

 

I know this is a horribly rude question given what the people living there have been thru, but if I'm going to spend a bunch of $$ on a vacation I need to make sure I will get full enjoyment.

 

Thanks!

[Geobugs]

Only Grenada was noticably effected by hurricane Ivan. Blue tarps for roofs. We were there two weeks ago. But the shopping was great! They would sell at any reasonable price. Everything is cheap in Grenada. There is an ATM on the way to the market place. EC$ can be gotten their with a great exchange rate, 2.67 to 1 US dollar. So 200 EC only cost me $75. EC$ is the way to buy in those islands. Much better rate.

The beaches were also pristine and nice. It was our favorite port of the five. The hottest and the warmest water temperture.

[travelgirl101]

If you check out the Caribbean-Other thread in the Ports of Call forum you'll find loads of information, and recent pics, about Grenada's beaches, current state, etc.

 

My understanding is that as of this week, they've also opened the port again, so the ships no longer have to tender in.

[LakerVA]

We were just in Grenada this week. We were able to dock at the pier rather than be tendered in. We took an independent taxi tour for $20 for about 5 hours of touring. The island is devastated but still so beautiful. The people have every reason to be unhappy but we encountered only happiness and were warmly welcomed. Even through the devastation you can tell it was a beautiful country before the hurricane...and it will be beautiful again. We met a lovely group of people and we'll be sending back some aid materials when we get home. The government is not distributing aid properly so many people are getting nothing. So go to Grenada with an open mind, and an open heart..and spend some $$$. The shopping was fun! Grenada was one of/if not the best stop of our cruise. Would love to go back again soon.

[Jumbie]

That is wonderful news. Makes me feel good to hear that you enjoyed your visit.

 

And yes...we will be beautiful once again. Thanks for the positive outlook :)

[Twaincruisers]

We were in Grenada in November on the Spirit, but only walked around the harbor. We had been there a few years ago and could tell from the ship that it was nothing like that now. Yes, there were lots of blue tarps, but there were even more that had no rafters on which to put tarps, including the fire station and some other buildings right around the harbor. If you do nothing else, walk around the harbor to the Nutmeg for a rum punch...or two! I haven't heard anything lately about their progres, but hope it has been extensive in these last weeks.

[ravij9]

We just returned home from a ten day cruise on the Spirit. We left on 12/17/04 and came back today. All of the islands except Grenada were fine. Grenada had a lot of damage but we still had fun. The ship was also a blast to be on. There were a lot of activities going on at all times.