How is it in the Caribbean?

[map92]

Hello Fellow Cruisers,

We will be cruising in January to Amber Cove, St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and wondered how they are now that the hurricanes have been thru? I know cruise ships are going back to some of them now and if you have been in the last couple of weeks can you give us an idea of what to expect?

Thanks in advance!

[BoDidly]

The islands are always slow to rebuild.They has lost homes and some people are living in tents. So don't be surprised if you still see this when you arrive.

[spyingeyes]

I’m going to St Thomas and San Juan next Sunday for business. We will be viewing San Juan damage from a helicopter and visiting the hospital in St Thomas. I’ll be happy to report back.

 

 

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[Anthomaniac]

The islands are always slow to rebuild.They has lost homes and some people are living in tents. So don't be surprised if you still see this when you arrive.

 

as an example, some of the folks on Grand Turk haven't even gotten their insurance check for insured property yet. when they do, any building supplies (everything from concrete, to nails and wood) has to be ordered and shipped in. LITERALLY shipped in, by boat. that can take weeks or even months depending on the supplies, the supplier, etc.

[evandbob]

While the port areas in St Thomas and San Juan are showing signs of returning back to some semblence of normalality, there is still plenty of damage in areas away from the port. I wouldn't expect many excursions to be available in areas that are still without electricity or running water.

 

Grand Turk may be a good beach day, and Amber Cove wasn't really affected.

[Micahs Grandad]

Coming back slowly but surely, a few years from now will still see evidence of the storm

[coevan]

I have close friends in St.Thomas, it's a mess. While the island mostly has internet and electricity, life is very difficult. My friend sent her 14 year old son to family in the states, so he could attend school. Most hotels are not taking reservations until April 2018. Puerto Rico is worse. Give it time, pretty sure your ship will be rerouted for a January sailing.

[Tapi]

I'm from Puerto Rico, and I visited the island last week for the first time since hurricane Maria hit. I drove across the island to get to the town where most of my relatives live. This is what I saw:

 

Although the news make it sound like the entire island is in complete darkness, and everyone is living in a humanitarian crisis, the reality is somewhat different. Yes, the harsh and sad truth is that a lot of people are still facing very challenging conditions, specially those living in remote, small towns, but at the same time there are a lot of people who have returned to a sense of normalcy.

 

Many restaurants and businesses are open, including large shopping malls and movie theaters. People are out and about, going shopping, eating out, and just getting together. Businesses are packed! A lot of people are in good spirits and eager to get out and have fun. Bars and night clubs are gradually opening back up.

 

Mother Nature has been hard at work and the lush, green vegetation is gradually returning. There are many trees that were ripped right off the ground, but even those are sprouting new leaves.

 

Electrical power as well as running water have returned to larger urban areas, although many friends have reported that they can sometimes be unreliable. Some places may have electricity while places across the street may still be in the dark. Unless a warning is specifically issued for an area, running water is once again safe to drink.

 

A lot of people are operating their businesses using generators and some supplies may be limited. For example, I ate at a Longhorn Steakhouse while I was there and they didn't have several items on the menu, including most vegetables, as well as things like cheese. Going to a supermarket may be hit or miss. Some are well stocked with no lines, while others are half empty with long check out lines.

 

Cleaning crews have been hard at work removing debris and downed trees, and although there's still a lot of work to go, the scope of what they've already done is enormous.

 

If you stay in the Old San Juan area, you will most likely not notice a lot of damage except for some torn billboards and some mangled vegetation. Everybody is eager to get back to normal. It will most likely be business as usual for most shops, restaurants, museums and historic landmarks. Unless you venture out to the countryside and away from major urban areas, you will not witness any of the catastrophic devastation.

 

 

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Edited October 29, 2017 by Tapi

[map92]

I’m going to St Thomas and San Juan next Sunday for business. We will be viewing San Juan damage from a helicopter and visiting the hospital in St Thomas. I’ll be happy to report back.

 

 

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Please do and thank you.

[map92]

Thanks everyone.

[KatPem]

I want to agree with Tapi. We just returned on Wednesday from San Juan. We were there two days before our cruise and 4 days after. We drove to Luquillo one day and past Dorado another. We spent most of our time in Old San Juan and Condado. There was lots of destruction outside of the San Juan area. That being said, even in the areas we say the most destruction, there were businesses open. If you are a 5 star resort type of person, do not go for a while, you will be disappointed. If you are a go with the flo type, you will be fine. Like Tapi said, places offering food, some even without power during daytime hours, but may have a limited menu of food and drinks or be out of things. You will not go hungry or even come close. While places were damaged and some are without power and without a generator, there are plenty of places open for business as usual. We loved our time there and can't wait to go back. Everyone we spoke with was in good spirits and glad to have us there.

[evandbob]

KatPem:

I had a wonderful beach day at Luqilllo Beach right after Hurricane Ivan brushed by on its way to destroying Grand Cayman. We had to change ours plans from staying at the Westin on GC to a Sheraton on the eastern side of San Juan. There was some lingering storm damage in PR, but none at Luqillo.

 

How did it survive this time?

 

Thanks to both Tapi and KatPem for their eyewitness accounts.

[Tapi]

There was some lingering storm damage in PR, but none at Luqillo.

 

How did it survive this time?

 

 

 

I didn't go to Luquillo, but I went to the beaches on the west side of the island to check things out. Unfortunately what I saw wasn't pleasant. I saw catastrophic destruction along the water in the coastal town of Cabo Rojo due to the storm surge. That area is known for its fresh seafood restaurants and many had been completely destroyed. Palm trees as well as power beams were either on the ground or were dangerously leaning over the road with power lines dangling everywhere. The vegetation took a massive beating.

 

My family owns a small wooden beach house in that area, and while it miraculously survived the hurricane and it's intact except for some external damage and holes on the roof, the house on the immediate left and to the immediate right had been reduced to a pile of rubble. The beach was now gone, with the ocean lapping against the house's front wall, even in low tide. Where there once was sand, there are now huge rocks and concrete pieces.

 

Even though the scene along the coast was catastrophic, once you turned away from the beach and headed inland, things looked considerably better, almost as if a major hurricane hadn't just hit a few weeks ago. The storm surge was just ruthless along the coast.

 

Crashboat Beach on the northwest side of the island which is one of the most picturesque beaches in the island was unrecognizable. The storm surge washed away the beach and many palm trees , with tons of debris scattered everywhere.

 

With all of that said, I also witnessed a huge effort to get things back to normal. Owners of businesses that were lucky enough to weather the storm were hard at work fixing things up and getting ready to reopen. But I just can't see the area looking the way it once did for years to come

 

 

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[OCruisers]

Thanks for the reports from those who have been or have friends/family there.