Caribbean ports being "ready" for ships after hurricane

I am going on a 21 day this november. We still have st Thomas and grand turk on the itinerary. We also have st Croix which is a replacement for st martin.

From what I have read they are all working hard to get things back up and running. One of the stories I read said that st Thomas was working on getting the shops and megaens bay back together so they can open.

I really hope their idea of a port being "ready" for ships is not just having the diamond stores and all of the other cruise ship owned stores opened. If that is the case i am not going to be happy.

I am not expecting these places to be fully operational but I don't think having the cruise dock and shopping open and one beach open is good enough....especially if they can plan ahead and find alternatives.

Sorry you wouldn't be happy. It is up to them to determine when their port is open for ships. Unfortunately you will see damage for probably many years. I know we have over the many Caribbean cruises we have done. For example, we saw blue tarps on roofs for many years after a hurricane. It is what it is.

Puerto Rico may take several months if not years to be a full tourist stop again. I'm not sure the rain forrest will ever be the same in our lifetime.

Well,

I just received an email from Royal Caribbean stating that ports were going to be up an running before the end of the year.

The Caribbean is our home — and we're committed to the recovery of the islands

impacted by the recent hurricanes.

Royal Caribbean® leadership just returned from assessment visits to San Juan and

St. Thomas, and have a visit scheduled for St. Maarten on Monday. After meeting

with officials and residents, and surveying key visitor areas for ourselves, we

are pleased to report that these destinations are looking forward to welcoming us

back before the end of the year.

We were very impressed with the progress made and how these communities

have come together to rebuild and reopen so that their daily lives and economy

can get back to normal. Their commitment and resilience is evident everywhere

you look. In the next two weeks, working in conjunction with the local

governments, we will announce the specific dates of our return to each of

the islands. We can't wait for you to see for yourself the incredible progress

these islands have made.

Trying to find land tours of St Croix. Nothing on H.A., and viator. Any suggestion on what to do. Beaches seem to be washed out.

Have you looked on the St Croix board, here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=166

Got an email from HAL today about our cruise in March which included scheduled stops in St. Marten and St. Thomas that read -

"Holland America Line’s Caribbean cruise season begins in mid-October,and we look forward to providing the great cruise experience our guests expectas well as the economic support the region relies on, now more than ever. Nocruises will be cancelled, and while select itineraries have been modified, weare pleased to let you know that the ports of call on the itinerary you bookedremain the same. This is due to the fact that these areas were not impacted bythe hurricanes, or expect to be ready to welcome cruise guests in time for yoursailing, based on information received so far from local authorities."

Have you looked on the St Croix board, here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=166

Did a search of this forum, nothing showed up.

Did a search of this forum, nothing showed up.

Of the St Croix forum, or the Holland America forum? If you are looking for local vendors and info, like beach conditions, that is the place to be.

Trying to find information on shore excursions. Checked several sites, without success. Not like the other ports which have many land based options. Also the link you included indicates the beaches are in very bad shape.

Seeing the damage done on the news some of the islands will take a long time to get back to normal. Some of the smaller islands don't have the infrastructure to rebuild quickly. The tourist spots will get done quicker because they have the money to do it. The ordinary people who have no ties to tourism will take the longest to recover, some of those people didn't have much to begin with. It's a pretty sad situation down there. Will tourist dollars help things get done sooner??

Allan

The ordinary people who have no ties to tourism will take the longest to recover, some of those people didn't have much to begin with. It's a pretty sad situation down there. Will tourist dollars help things get done sooner??

The ships pay the port a port fee for each passenger aboard the docking ship so that's a big shot in the economy's arm.

Huge percentages of the population on these islands are involved somehow in the tourist industry. They want and need to get the island up and running for tourist because they need the money to personally recover. A few years ago we docked at Grand Turk not long after a hurricane can through that was strong enough to take some roofs off including the school. The dock was open but school was still being held outside where the student desks were arranged under the trees.

A guide we had in Cozumel said 85% of that island's people are in the tourist industry - they need the ships!

Hi

I had a facebook message from a water sports company on St Croix and he confirmed they are still not open and wont be for at least another week or two. They are concentrating on cleaning up and trying to restore the beach.

Sue

Hi

 

I had a facebook message from a water sports company on St Croix and he confirmed they are still not open and wont be for at least another week or two. They are concentrating on cleaning up and trying to restore the beach.

 

Sue

Thanks for the specific info.

Here’s what I saw on the HAL website for expected recovery dates.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/eBrochures/destinations/Hurricane_Impact_Map.pdf?camp=CME:20171012_HEP1741I&rmid=20171012_HEP1741I&rrid=1116911362&lid=primarycopy&CID=HEOV172

Our October 28 Nieuw Amsterdam cruise also has a replacement stop in St. Croix scheduled for November 1 (which is what Holland America shows as the recovery date on the link above.)

However, the governor or St. Croix announced Friday evening that the port would not open until November 11th.

Here is a link to the full article: http://viconsortium.com/featured/cruise-ships-returning-to-usvi/

Since our cruise begins in less than 2 weeks and HAL is still not showing any shore excursions for St. Croix, I think that our itinerary may be changing again.

Got an email from my jewelry store in St. Thomas and they still do not have power and are not open, their location is in the middle of downtown. They hope to have power by the end of November.

After such a strong storm there will not be much to see, all vegetation will be mostly gone, such a shame for such a beautiful place.