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Eastern Caribbean (St. Thomas and St. Martin) waters unsafe for swimming?


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We are scheduled to sail next month on the Nov. 12th Allure cruise. At this point, we don't know if our itinerary will be changed from Eastern to Western and I'm thinking they are just waiting to see how things go in the next few weeks to make their decision. We have been to the islands many times and honestly, at this point, we are fine with going anywhere and even just staying on the ship, but wanted to ask if anybody has heard whether the beaches/waters are unsafe? I heard today that they have not cleared the beaches in St. Thomas for swimming. Apparently there are high bacteria levels because of the rain and the hurricanes. There is a chance of catching Staph. Is this something Royal will be checking into before they bring ships in? We have two little ones who love the beaches on both islands, and we would love to help support their local economy during this time, but if it's dangerous, we might just stay on the boat. Anybody with any insight on this?

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I can't speak to St Thomas but have been following the progress in SXM as we spend a fair amount of time there. Most of the beaches are still quite unsafe mainly because of debris. There is however a bright light on the horizon in that yesterday the St Maarten Herald published this article on the beaches

 

https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/70176-safe-swimming-possible-on-part-of-simpson-bay-beach

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We love these islands and know how much they rely on tourism dollars, but after reading that article and seeing that Great Bay is still unsafe makes me wonder if bringing a 6000 pax cruise ship in three weeks is really worth it. I have no doubt that as the weeks pass, the waters will improve. The other interesting part to our itinerary is that st Thomas was already replaced with San Juan because of propulsion issues. The ship can only go so many places because of its size so it will be interesting to see if they try to keep an eastern itinerary or just go west...

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I was also wondering the same thing today. I just read online that none of the beaches in St. Thomas are open because of run off contamination. I’m starting to think our stop in St. Thomas might be a quick walk around the shops and then back on the ship for us 😢

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Can you post some links to where you're getting this information? I did some google searching, but I must not be asking the right questions, because nothing is coming up along the lines of what you mentioned

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I found information posted on the Facebook page "What's Going On In St. Thomas". They have had links to different island reports and they mentioned contaminated runoff from roads and also fuel contamination from the boats that were destroyed in the water. My assumption is that there will be water testing and Royal would never send ships in knowing the water is unsafe - but then again, they might just put it as a disclaimer on the front of the daily planner and expect people just to shop. Who knows!

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From Royal's website

 

"Royal Caribbean leadership recently returned from visits to St. Thomas and San Juan and will be visiting St. Maarten on Wednesday. We continue to be impressed with the progress the islands are making to rebuild, and are excited to announce our return to St. Thomas with the Adventure of the Seas on November 10. In the next few weeks, working in conjunction with the local governments, we will announce the specific dates in November for our return to San Juan and St. Maarten.

Upon arrival in St. Thomas guests will be able to enjoy a vast array of activities, dining and shopping. Downtown shops are open and have full power, the majority of restaurants and bars are also open, and the boats and catamarans that are used to enjoy the waters of the Caribbean are ready for guests. We are also partnering with the USVI government to restore Magen’s Bay, one of St. Thomas’ most popular tourist attractions. The beach will have its grand re-opening coinciding with Adventure’s arrival on November 10. Magen’s Bay will be joined by Secret Sands Beach, Secret Harbor Beach Club, Lindquists Beach, Honeymoon Beach on Water Island, and Abi Beach – all open for guests to enjoy.

We anticipate no further changes to our scheduled calls in St. Thomas, San Juan and St. Maarten for sailings December 1, 2017 forward"

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from my email

 

ROY_spacer.gifLast week, we were pleased to share an update after our encouraging meetings

with officials from San Juan and St. Thomas, and in anticipation of a St. Maarten

visit that took place earlier this week. Today, Royal Caribbean® is excited to

announce that these beloved ports are nearly ready to welcome us home.

 

On November 10, 2017, Adventure of the Seas® will set sail for St. Thomas for

the first time since September, when the islands were first impacted by hurricanes.

We're also committing to return to both San Juan, Puerto Rico and Philipsburg,

St. Maarten by the end of November.

 

The progress on these islands has been truly inspiring, and in partnership with

the U.S. Virgin Islands government, Royal Caribbean has committed to completely

restore one of St. Thomas' most popular tourist attractions — Magens Bay — in time

for the Adventure of the Seas sailing.

 

With power and water fully restored to St. Thomas, and most downtown shops,

restaurants, bars and operations fully functional, guests will be able to experience

the diverse and extensive array of dining, shopping and activities they've always

enjoyed on the island. Including boat and catamaran excursions, and some of the

Caribbean's best beaches, like Secret Sands Beach, Secret Harbor Beach Club,

Lindquist Beach, Abi Beach and Honeymoon Beach on Water Island.

 

By December 1, 2017, Royal Caribbean plans to resume calling at all three ports

with all of our Caribbean ships, including Oasis of the Seas®, Allure of the Seas®

and Harmony of the Seas® — and we can't wait to take you there.

 

For more information on our newly updated Caribbean itineraries visit

RoyalCaribbean.com

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