Ports in the Caribbean where you can only get government approved taxis

[hopeless holiday booker]

Had anybody used one of these taxi's to go to the beach or do you have to have a tour?

[cruisestitch]

Which port? When are you going? This situation changes by the week, even by the day.

[Cebse]

Interested in this to. What's the procedure are you allowed off to go get one or have you to pre-book. We don't go until April so hopefully things change for the better.

[leaveitallbehind]

The cruise lines base their policies on the port of call protocols.

 

From the Celebrity website, these are the current ports of call that require a ship sponsored tour to go ashore.  These obviously would have to be prebooked:

• Bridgetown, Barbados
• Castries, St. Lucia
• Falmouth, Jamaica
• Kingstown, St. Vincent
• Roatan, Honduras
• Roseau, Dominica
• St. George's, Grenada
• St. John’s, Antigua     

These ports of call currently permit self tours, for which local transportation would be available day of the visit :

• Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis
• Belize City, Belize
• Bimini, Bahamas
• Cartagena, Colombia
• Colon, Panama
• Costa Maya, Mexico
• Cozumel, Mexico
• Key West, USA
• Kralendijk, Bonaire
• Nassau, Bahamas
• Oranjestad, Aruba
• Philipsburg, St. Maarten*
• Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
• St. Croix, USVI
• St. Thomas, USVI
• Tortola, BVI
• Willemstad, Curacao

As the current situation is fluid and things can change even while on board, I would suggest checking the Celebrity website 30 days prior to your departure to confirm the requirements in place for your cruise, as that is the time frame that will typically be accurate for your itinerary.  Here is the link to the page on the website detailing the ports of call protocols:

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/us-travel-requirements

 

As to whether or not the taxis are government based, the various ports of call typically will have both independent and locally registered taxis available, either of which is your choice to use.  We prefer to use those that are registered as their rates and operating policies are more controlled.

[leaveitallbehind]

To add, on our recent Holiday cruise we did self tours via locally registered taxis to Cockleshell Bay beach in St. Kitts, and Yellow Beach, Pinel Island in St. Maritn.  Both were in taxis with documented vaccinated drivers and plastic partitions between the driver and the passengers, and we observed both taxis being cleaned prior to and after our use.  (This was on RCCL, but the port requirements were the same).

 

Note that St. Martin has an asterisk next to it which, per the website, indicates that testing is required two days before disembarking in the port, and that the ship will provide the testing.  That was not a port requirement during our visit.

Edited February 6, 2022 by leaveitallbehind
additional info

[hopeless holiday booker]

Thank you for your replies.  I know it's changing all the time.  At the moment 3 of our stops are government taxis - Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados.  I just want to be prepared as I hate paying to go to the beach with celebrity - they charge a lot and you can't come back when you want.

[leaveitallbehind]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "government taxis".  The three ports you reference are currently requiring ship sponsored tours.  These tours typically operate through the cruise line with registered private tour contractors who have been vetted by both the local government and the cruise lines as being able to comply with whatever Covid protocols are in place for safe tour operating.  But they are independent companies and are not, to my understanding, operated by "government taxis". 

 

Obviously, without the Covid protocols there, you could book tours independently and directly, or hire a taxi once ashore for self touring.  Booking through the ship would then be an option, not a requirement.  But if through a tour, the operators would be the same.

 

The rest of what you say is certainly accurate - they are more expensive as Celebrity (or any cruise line) gets a cut of the fare for arranging them, and they come and go at a predetermined schedule.

Edited February 6, 2022 by leaveitallbehind
additional info

[hopeless holiday booker]

The latest information I had was that they were either celebrity tours or approved government tours.  As in you couldn't book independent tour operators. 

This was the information from somebody on a recent equinox cruise

[leaveitallbehind]

I think the key phrase is "government approved."  Where it indicates the option to book government approved tours (ex: St. Lucia) I think it means those tour operators will have been vetted by the Government as being able to meet their protocols for safe tour operations within the Covid situation, and therefore approved tours in their port of call.  I don't think it means the Government owns the tour operator, vehicles, or operates them.  You would only be able to book outside of Celerity through one of those tour operators under the current protocols.  That, at least, is my interpretation.  

 

I have been to all of those listed ports of call (except Granada and Dominica) numerous times and am not familiar with government operated tours. Of course that was all pre-Covid - with the exception as previously noted of St. Kitts and St. Martin - and I am certainly not an authority on this, nor am I attempting to act as one.  Just my experience and interpretation.  Maybe others can provide more.

Edited February 6, 2022 by leaveitallbehind
correction

[hopeless holiday booker]

I think you're right.  I've been on a lot of cruises and never seen this phrase before so I think they probably have to provide some proof that they meet government guidelines as you say.

Hopefully I'll be able to answer on my return!

[Arizona Wildcat]

Today tour operators in many countries are regulated AND required by the cruiselines to meet standards to reduce Covid transmission.  Am guessing the people offering deals in private vehicles are pretty much gone for now.

In Civitivecchia Italy for example, only government approved tour operators are allowed into the port area.  Take the shuttle into town and lots of cardboard signs offering trips - of course this after cruising resumes there.

[sanger727]

I don’t think this means government ‘taxis’. Government approved tours are going to be tours. Not take you to the beach and let you explore on your own. Take you to a certain location, escort you, and take you back to the ship. Still better than a ship tour.

[hopeless holiday booker]

I think you're probably right.  Nobody that has responded seems to have taken a one of these taxis on a tour or otherwise.