Which port is the worst?

[rkacruiser]

8 hours ago, Nebr.cruiser said:

We actually love Dominica,

 

As do I  Under developed, but with so much potential and with citizens that have been welcoming to me.  Their island's rain forest:  WOW!  Mother Nature seems to keep punishing them as the hurricanes blow through.  

 

20 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Salalah, Oman....truly disappointing

 

Well, maybe not so if one likes the sole color of tan.  My tour took me to the supposed burial place of a biblical figure.  I think I have a better chance of winning Ohio's Vax-a-Million $1,000,000 before I believe that "hype" based on what I saw/learned.   

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, mnocket said:

QUESTION......

 

With so much agreement on a handful of Caribbean ports being undesirable, why are these ports included in so many itineraries? After all, there are alternatives.  Is there some financial incentive for the cruise lines to visit these ports?

 

A lot of infrastructure had been invested in those ports, it would take a lot of time and money to reinvest in another place besides in the Caribbean most cruisers cruise for the ship so the destination isn't really that critical also I'm not sure there is that much choice. First not every island has a suitable harbour for large ships and if they have those islands are probably not interested in hosting lots of large ships otherwise I reckon they would have already cut deals with cruise lines. 

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, mnocket said:

QUESTION......

 

With so much agreement on a handful of Caribbean ports being undesirable, why are these ports included in so many itineraries? After all, there are alternatives.  Is there some financial incentive for the cruise lines to visit these ports?

Another poster has addressed some of the issues.  But lets be very blunt that only a few islands have invested (often with the help of some major cruise lines) in the necessary docking facilities and infrastructure to support multiple ships.  St Thomas and St Maarten certainly have the largest port facilities.  Many of the most desirable islands do not want to be over run with cruisers and resist building large facilities.  There are actually some terrific Caribbean Islands that would prefer not to have any port visits and discourage visits by larger ships (St Barts comes to mind).  Other islands like Angulla have no interest in any cruise ships.  

 

So lets talk about cruisers.  Ports have a love-hate relationship with us.  Cruisers are actually not big spenders (especially in the Caribbean) but they put a big strain on the infrastructure and can be a negative factor for those looking to buy property or spend long vacations on various islands.   As an example, many folks would avoid living on St Thomas just because the island is often over run with cruisers (sometimes 20,000+ in a single day).  The traffic in Charlotte Amalie can be like a parking lot on busy cruise days and it causes lots of inconvenience for islanders.   The recent voter referendums in Key West (Nov. 2021) that effectively limited cruise ships, easily passed with over 60% of the vote.  The Florida Legislature has since overturned the will of the voters...because few members of the Florida legislature live in areas negatively impacted by cruise ships and cruisers.    In Italy, after years of political battles it sounds like larger ships have finally been banned from Venice.  In other parts of Europe (and parts of the USA such as Charleston) there are movements to limit cruise ships.

 

As to the cruise lines, it is not so much about a financial incentive but more a matter of convenience and port facilities.  Large ships do not like to tender so they need large docking facilities which are very expensive to build, maintain, and operate.  I think that St Maarten has built the best port facility in the Caribbean but folks can certainly debate whether it is a good thing for the island.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

…

 I think that St Maarten has built the best port facility in the Caribbean but folks can certainly debate whether it is a good thing for the island.

 

Hank

It is not very good for people who stay on the island and have to seriously plan (curtail) their activities on heavy days  (essentially sheltering in place) when upwards of 20,000 day-trippers swarm ashore through that lovely port facility.

[ldubs]

Tourists are angry because there are too many tourists.  The bane of all tourists!  Haha.   Apparently it is just a lot worse in some areas.   

[sparks1093]

On 5/23/2021 at 6:19 PM, Trueblueky said:

What is the worst port you have visited?  Please explain why.

 

I do not mean "which port have you visited so often that you don't even get off the ship now"?  

 

I searched under "worst port" and saw a few comments, but not a separate discussion topic.  

Just like everywhere every port has pros and cons (and that can even apply to the slang uses of those two words, come to think of it🤪). One's perception of any given port will depend on what is experienced in that port. I haven't read through the thread but did see Freeport listed because it's too industrial. Yes, it is  but there are also things to do away from the industrial part that can make it a fun port.  

[LoungingMcCoy]

Grand Turk.

 

My radar went up when the "security guard" was trying to pitch us an excursion.  I should have trusted my instincts.  I found the people unfriendly.

 

I wanted to see the Salt House and some of the salinas.  We found a taxi driver that said he would take us to the Salt House.  He ended up stopping at a tiny little shopping area in a residential area that didn't look the best.  He had no idea where the Salt House was.  He wasn't going back to the port.  I asked him how we were supposed to get back to the port and he said "Just catch another cab".  There was no traffic on the little side street that we were on.  We could see the ship, so we just started walking back.  We didn't see another taxi, or human for that matter, until we got back to the main road that leads to the port.  There we managed to flag down a taxi that was heading back.  There were no incidents, but it was unnerving being stranded in a foreign country and worrying if we were going to make it back to the ship in time.

 

In all fairness, I should have researched better and been better prepared.  Still, I will never set foot in Grand Turk again.

 

 

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, ldubs said:

Tourists are angry because there are too many tourists.  The bane of all tourists!  Haha.   Apparently it is just a lot worse in some areas.   

There are different sorts of tourists - those who visit a place for a long term - some like snowbirds who spend more than half a year in a place, some who stay several weeks, several days, or several hours —- each sort is looking for a different experience and each sort makes a different impact — the several hundred who might stay months are far fewer (and have far more in common with the locals) than the many thousands who pop in for a few hours off a cruise ship.   No sort is inherently “better” than any other — but the impact they have varies widely.

[zekekelso]

17 hours ago, mnocket said:

QUESTION......

 

With so much agreement on a handful of Caribbean ports being undesirable, why are these ports included in so many itineraries? After all, there are alternatives.  Is there some financial incentive for the cruise lines to visit these ports?

If you do a ship-based excursion, just about anywhere can be a good port. And the cruise lines want - badly - for you to do their excursions. Now if you are really cynical, you might suspect they pick ports that encourage people to do ship based excursions rather than head out in their own. Nah, even for me that’s too cynical. 
 

Oh, somebody asked if there’s a consensus “good” port in the Caribbean? I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone complain about St Martin. 

Edited May 26, 2021 by zekekelso

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, zekekelso said:

If you do a ship-based excursion, just about anywhere can be a good port. And the cruise lines want - badly - for you to do their excursions. Now if you are really cynical, you might suspect they pick ports that encourage people to do ship based excursions rather than head out in their own. Nah, even for me that’s too cynical. 
 

Oh, somebody asked if there’s a consensus “good” port in the Caribbean? I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone complain about St Martin. 

St. Martin offers a lot more than most other islands - distinctly different cultures, lots of good beaches and activities - much shopping for people who want that - but perhaps most obvious is the friendliness and non-aggressiveness of the  locals.  It is probably the easiest port to enjoy (safely) on your own - lots of taxis and inexpensive busses make doing it on your own easy.

[SCBarker]

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

St Thomas and St Maarten certainly have the largest port facilities. 

 

2 hours ago, zekekelso said:

Oh, somebody asked if there’s a consensus “good” port in the Caribbean? I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone complain about St Martin. 

 

12 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

St. Martin offers a lot more than most other islands - distinctly different cultures, lots of good beaches and activities - much shopping for people who want that - but perhaps most obvious is the friendliness and non-aggressiveness of the  locals.

Wow. I'm beginning to believe I got the shaft on my port in St Marteen.  I didn't even see a port to speak of.  We anchored and tendered to a wooden pier.  There was no facilities.

 

I was going to list them here as the "worst port", but they were still recovering from a hurricane in 2018 when I was there. People had been out of work for some time and were hurting for cash.

 

Out of the non-US Caribbean ports, Grand Cayman probably has the safest feel to me.

[Hlitner]

34 minutes ago, SCBarker said:

 

 

Wow. I'm beginning to believe I got the shaft on my port in St Marteen.  I didn't even see a port to speak of.  We anchored and tendered to a wooden pier.  There was no facilities.

 

I was going to list them here as the "worst port", but they were still recovering from a hurricane in 2018 when I was there. People had been out of work for some time and were hurting for cash.

 

Out of the non-US Caribbean ports, Grand Cayman probably has the safest feel to me.

It sounds like you did not even tender to the port but perhaps to one of the two water taxi piers located right in Phillipsburg.  Their cruise port is about 3/4 of a mile distant and can handle at least 5 or 6 ships (it would vary depending on the size of the vessels) with an adjacent modern shopping area.  I assume the facility was still closed because of hurricane damage when you visited.

 

Hank

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

There are different sorts of tourists - those who visit a place for a long term - some like snowbirds who spend more than half a year in a place, some who stay several weeks, several days, or several hours —- each sort is looking for a different experience and each sort makes a different impact — the several hundred who might stay months are far fewer (and have far more in common with the locals) than the many thousands who pop in for a few hours off a cruise ship.   No sort is inherently “better” than any other — but the impact they have varies widely.

 

Sorry, I meant it to be tongue-in-cheek.  

[Lois R]

12 hours ago, ldubs said:

Tourists are angry because there are too many tourists.  The bane of all tourists!  Haha.   Apparently it is just a lot worse in some areas.   

It is what Yogi Berra is known for (besides baseball) his quotes...........yours says it all.

He said this too:

"No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded."

[George C]

41 minutes ago, Lois R said:

It is what Yogi Berra is known for (besides baseball) his quotes...........yours says it all.

He said this too:

"No one goes there nowadays, it’s too crowded."

Cruising as definitely changed on my first cruise to St Thomas in 1979 nothing was crowded, average ship was about 20,000 tons now there ten times that size.

[sfaaa]

St Marteen has great deals on booze. This alone makes it a good port. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, George C said:

Cruising as definitely changed on my first cruise to St Thomas in 1979 nothing was crowded, average ship was about 20,000 tons now there ten times that size.

My first visit to St. Thomas was with USN - we moored at the old submarine base pier about halfway between downtown Charlotte Amalie and the airport - we were the ONLY ship in for the five or six days we were in port.

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, SCBarker said:

I got the shaft on my port in St Marteen.  I didn't even see a port to speak of.  We anchored and tendered to a wooden pier.  There was no facilities.

 

The shaft?  No, you just experienced a "blast from the past"!  That pier to where you tendered was the sole site in Philipsburg where cruise ship guests arrived at one time.  That was where I landed during my first visit to St. Maarten in 1970 and again in 1971.  You experienced a bit of history.  

[rkacruiser]

16 hours ago, Hlitner said:

There are actually some terrific Caribbean Islands that would prefer not to have any port visits and discourage visits by larger ships (St Barts comes to mind)

 

St. Barts is a hidden gem.  My first visit was in 1970.  My next visit was Christmas Eve, 2017.  Obviously, changes had been made over the years.  The town had grown; more traffic.  But, it remained French and the island remained beautiful.  

 

There are other Caribbean islands that are most difficult to visit by any Florida based cruise ship.  Just never on their itineraries.  

 

16 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Ports have a love-hate relationship with us. 

 

And, not just in the Caribbean!  Watching the Juneau web cam 2-3 years ago as the first cruise ship arrived in Juneau for the season, someone was standing near the microphone watching the ship dock.  "There goes the neighborhood", I heard.  (Some Alaskans may not feel quite the same in 2021, however.)  

 

16 hours ago, Hlitner said:

The recent voter referendums in Key West (Nov. 2021) that effectively limited cruise ships, easily passed with over 60% of the vote.  The Florida Legislature has since overturned the will of the voters..

 

I did not know that.  Thank you for the information.  

[pc_load_letter]

On a cruise from Boston to Quebec, one of the ports in CA was either the inpiration for Anne of Green Gables or some such thing. I decided to stay on the ship while there but my family got off, they said they walked a couple blocks and came back to the ship. Wasn't a bad port per se, just very small.

 

In the Adriatic Sea, I was kind of taken aback by Kotor. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful old midevel city but with three ships docked, people were packed like sardines.

 

We did fine a local who took us to an amazing Roman villa with beautiful mosaics, but back in town, we were worried we wouldnt get back to our ship in time. 

[zekekelso]

12 minutes ago, pc_load_letter said:

On a cruise from Boston to Quebec, one of the ports in CA was either the inpiration for Anne of Green Gables or some such thing. I decided to stay on the ship while there but my family got off, they said they walked a couple blocks and came back to the ship. Wasn't a bad port per se, just very small.

 

PEI. It’s claim to fame is being small. I can picture my wife and I:

 

Ms Zeke: It’s a house

Me: With green gables 

MZ: OK, back to the ship. 

[shipgeeks]

That would be Charlottetown, PEI.  We walked around the town (no tour); we thought it was quite nice. Beautiful cathedral!

Our least favorite now would be the Cruise Port/"Mall" at Belize City.  Ship passengers were previously landed at the town itself, which we enjoyed walking around.  Now there is only access to the stalls and bars built for cruisers; very generic.  If one is able to sneak out the back door of one of those businesses, it is into an unpleasant part of town.  

[Suzanne123]

I had one of the best shore excursions ever on PEI at a falconry. Educational and lots of fun.  Beautiful birds.  
https://www.retireearlyandtravel.com/prince-edward-island-attraction/amp/

[ATXBecky]

On 5/23/2021 at 8:01 PM, navybankerteacher said:

In ascending order - from the very worst to the merely horrible:

Freeport, Montego Bay, Nassau, Belize.

I so agree with the order of the ports! 

[snaebyllej]

Some years ago a guy on our roll call said that he wouldn't go ashore at Santo Domingo or at Willemstad, Curaçao because they were dirty.