St. Croix -- why isn't it on any Carnival routes?

[kcscrapper]

I was on a Carnival cruise - 10 years ago now, August, 1996!! -- similar to the Eastern Triumph run - San Juan, St. Thomas but it included St. Croix. To encourage the cruise lines to make St. Coix a regular port of call, the island put on a WONDERFUL "Harbor Lights Festival" -- very local but incredibly wonderful!

They had MokoJumbe dancers and the best steel bands I've ever heard -- frankly, I think they were all high school age kids, possibly students -- the dancers started at one end of the street and danced all the way to the other end of the area -- the steel bands never stopped, they would highlight one drummer and then just rotate in a new player - it was continuous and FABULOUS! Many local artists were selling hand crafted wares (I still wish I'd purchased a really interesting necklace and bracelet - and I am NOT a jewelry person), local people set up charcoal grills are were selling foods. There was an organized tour event to a closed "corral" type area where some type of historical reenactment show was performed -- that was a fee based excursion -- but the Festival was open and free and totally wonderful.

I really felt very Carribbean --- and wonder why St. Croix isn't a regular stop for the cruise lines.

Anyone know - or have opinions?

[Karen1217]

I was on the Destiny 7 years ago & it did the same ports...San Juan, St. Croix, & St Thomas. I remember that festival at night also. It was great! I remember not long after that, I heard something about Carnival having a problem with St Croix (I don't remember what), and they decided to pull all their ships out of there.

[Huck]

I believe there were problems with cruise ship passengers getting assaulted and robbed. We were there in 2001 and I think they eliminated that as a port of call in 2002.

[MrPete]

Yeah, I remember that was the reason. For the safety of the passengers.

 

Same for Caracus.

[voyagerfl]

And Yet.....they still visit Ocho Rios.......and Colon, Panama :rolleyes:

[Peaceful]

I don't know about Panama, but I would NEVER get off the ship anywhere in Jamaica again.

 

Bonnie

[MrPete]

And Yet.....they still visit Ocho Rios.......and Colon, Panama :rolleyes:

 

Have there been passengers attacked in these places? :confused:

[Cotton]

I was there for a few days several years ago, and enjoyed St. Croix very much, a lovely island with some wonderful people. It's such a shame that those criminal types took away so much from the other islanders who worked so hard to please visitors.:rolleyes:

[serene56]

Have there been passengers attacked in these places? :confused:

 

Not like in St Croix as it has been reported. those places are just pushy for sales.. including Marijuana sales. Its not so scarey if you are prepared for it.. say no thanks and keep walking.

 

I dont think any cruise ships go to St Croix no more. Shame - all those dollars going somewhere else.

[yst347]

We did this itinerary on the Victory in February 2001. Carnival pulled out in May 2002. As I remember it Carnival raised the issue of crime citing a few incidents but it was more like an excuse. Carnival had an agreement with the USVI government to visit St. Croix in exchange for not raising port fees. Carnival wanted out of St. Croix because they made very little money there. Fredriksted has no shops to recommend and far fewer shore excursions to offer. St. Thomas is a big money maker for the cruiselines and it's a favorite stop for many cruisers so higher fees are less of an issue.

 

As Voyagerfl said, if this was about passenger safety why does Carnival still call on Jamaican ports where drugs and crime are rampant?

[RYPERO]

RCCL stops there for fuel and the locals put on an evening event at the pier. I had read previous articles that St.Croix is trying to clean up its image and get ships back.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=164308&highlight=st.croix

[serene56]

I dont think this was only Carnival- We sailed the Voyager that year and were supposed to go to St Croix but changed it. All the cruiselines did it at the same time.

as far as the other ports-- the crimes are not being committed on cruise passengers as it was being reported from St Croix.

[yst347]

I found this article from a St. Croix paper written in June 2002. It gives a complete overview of all the issues involved. Crime was one of the issues stated by the cruiselines but it was far from the only one. And crimes on cruisers in St. Croix has always been much much lower than Jamaica. The real issue is money.

 

http://new.onepaper.com/stcroixvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=52369

[kcslim]

I've never been to St. Croix. Belize, though.. isn't that supposed to be high crime? Ocho Rios, though... maybe not as much crime now as in the past, but heavy drugs..

 

MONEY! Unfortunately, it all comes down to the almighty dollar!

 

But we knew that, didn't we? lol

[klfrodo]

I found this article from a St. Croix paper written in June 2002. It gives a complete overview of all the issues involved. Crime was one of the issues stated by the cruiselines but it was far from the only one. And crimes on cruisers in St. Croix has always been much much lower than Jamaica. The real issue is money.

 

http://new.onepaper.com/stcroixvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=52369

 

Thanks for the link. Great "behind the scenes" info

[woodofpine]

St. Croix has had a tricky reputation ever since Fountain Valley... St. Croix is a beautiful island. I visted as a teen shortly after the shootings. I'm sure port economic issues were a major factor in cruise line decisions regarding St. Croix, but there is a long institutional memory of the massacre that probably makes violence directed against tourists not tolerated whatsoever.

 

For those that don't know what I'm referring to...

 

http://www.onepaper.com/stcroixvi/?v=d&s=News:Local&p=54656

[kcscrapper]

Thank you for the "source" information -- both news articles were interesting reading!

[Guest YesitDonna]

It's always amazes me when people say... it's all about the almighty dollar. Ok have people not realized that companies are in the business of making money? If it were your company, would you not do what was in the best interest of the company especially if it also keeps people safer?

[Wennfred]

I believe there were problems with cruise ship passengers getting assaulted and robbed. We were there in 2001 and I think they eliminated that as a port of call in 2002.

 

Thats pretty much it, I was on the Triumph that year I beleive and the Glory left the port or had skipped it due to an assault on a passenger, they opt to go to Belize instead.

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

Have there been passengers attacked in these places? :confused:

 

Mr.Pete when we sailed the Spirit when she swam across the Caribbean, the morning we stopped at Panama, they slipped us a Safety Notice under the door that stated do not go out and venture to far from the ship or even take any side streets, Panama is very dangerous.

 

Fred

[yst347]

It's always amazes me when people say... it's all about the almighty dollar. Ok have people not realized that companies are in the business of making money? If it were your company, would you not do what was in the best interest of the company especially if it also keeps people safer?

 

Why are you amazed? It was about money. I have no issue with that. Carnival is a business, they should be making sound business decisions. I'm a Carnival stockholder, if they operated out of sentiment I'd dump the stock. Where did you get the impression that saying it was about money when it was about money is a negative judgement?

 

I don't understand why you consider the safety angle at all though, if safety was the prime motivator and not money Ocho Rios and Montego Bay would have been cancelled. They weren't, they are profitable stops. St. Croix was stopped because St. Martin was much more profitable.

[caribsun]

And with rising crime rates in the city of Miami do you think CCL will leave this port. I don't think so, St. Croix was not a money maker.

I have a friend who has been going to St. Croix on vacation for over 10 years and he loves the island.

[zydecocruiser]

St. Croix has had a tricky reputation ever since Fountain Valley... St. Croix is a beautiful island. I visted as a teen shortly after the shootings. I'm sure port economic issues were a major factor in cruise line decisions regarding St. Croix, but there is a long institutional memory of the massacre that probably makes violence directed against tourists not tolerated whatsoever.

 

For those that don't know what I'm referring to...

 

http://www.onepaper.com/stcroixvi/?v=d&s=News:Local&p=54656

 

 

http://www.st-croix.net/stepchild/fountainvalley.html

 

There is some outstanding snorkeling around St Croix, but not a lot of tourist traps for the cruise line to make money off of - especially when compared to St Thomas.

 

But cheap and readily available fuel is one selling point and the fact that many of the other Caribbean ports are saturated with cruise ships should make St Croix appear again as a cruise destination.

[yst347]

The problem with St. Croix is its geography. If cruiseships could call on Christianstad it would be a regular stop. The harbour cannot accomadate large cruiseships. Fredericksted is a hamlet on the opposite side of the island. It has facilities for cruiseships but not the shore options passengers will spend money on. It's a shame as St. Croix is a beautiful place.

[Zyzygy]

I traveled to St. Croix for several extended business trips in the late '70's and '80's. It is a beautiful island.

 

I always stayed at the Buccaneer, which was heavily populated by honeymoon couples. Because of the Fountain Valley incident, the resort was surrounded by barbed wire and had armed guards.

 

I was there when Air Florida declared bankruptcy and canceled operations, stranding lots of budget travelers.

 

A devastating hurricane swept through in the late '80's, but even more devastating was the looting, which completely cleaned out the formerly nice shopping district in Fredrickstad.

 

Following that time I knew a Cruzan expatriate who vowed never to return, because of the looting and crime.

 

It is a beautiful place, much less hectic than St. Thomas (which has more than its own share of property crime and nighttime violence).

 

It is too bad that lazy criminals have shot the island's economy in the foot.

 

It is also true, however, that governmental and judicial officials have been lax in criminal enforcement and in upholding the law in general, to maintain local popularity, as one of the news articles posted above suggests.

 

Until the 1990's the presiding U.S. District Court judge there, Almeric C. Christian, thought it was his duty to give away to every islander any possible judgment or award he could make against the U.S. government or any private business in the islands.

 

He was later replaced by a more conservative judge, upon his retirement, but lasting damage had already been done in terms of building undeserved expectations of giveaways from tourists, businesses, the government, etc.