Back to Castries, St. Lucia

Photos

We got a late start today because we could. We weren't scheduled to dock before 10 am and our tour doesn't meet until 12:55 pm. So we were still down in the atrium on deck 5 watching for land and out of our cabin around 9 am. We went up to Horizons to see the entry to the harbor as the top decks are still closed for safety. (Or someone's forgotten to remove the ropes and signs!) We were surprised to see 2 large cruise ships already docked. P&O's Azura at La Place Carenage and HAL's Koningsdam at Pointe Seraphine. Last week there was a giant NCL ship at Pointe Seraphine and we didn't realize there was room for 2 cruise ships over there. Today we are docked at Pointe Seraphine on the port side. From our starboard balcony, we have a great view of the side of Azura.

Around 10 am after the announcement the ship had cleared we walked through the open air duty free mall that is at this side's port. It was bigger and with more bars than the other side. The other side had more local open air market outside the duty free terminal building. Clay bought a Piton Beer that he missed finding the first stop here. We went back after our tour and bought some of their cocoa.

We are on a different ship's tour today. Description pasted below. We paid $44.25 each for it. It was about as described. I would say the tour title was a bit of absurd hyperbole, but as Clay said splendour is in the eyes of the beholder. Obviously, today's tour was a much better value than last week's 2-stop with 30 minutes at the beach for pretty much the same money. It lasted twice as long and we went out in the hills. The road was frightful or exciting depending on your perspective, I guess. It would compare to the road to Hana on Maui without the bridges, the distance or the views, but it may make up for it in steep elevation changes. Today we learned that in addition to a major export crop of bananas, St. Lucia produces cocoa and exports 95% of it to Pennsylvania to Hershey and Cadbury. The other 5% they keep here to make hot chocolate. The big difference between the description and the tour was the stop at the St. Marks house took place first in the first 15 minutes I'd say and had the only rest rooms of the tour.

Island Splendour (STL-007)
Port: Castries
Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 3 1/2 hours)
Tour Description
Enjoy a panoramic drive through the most scenic areas on St. Lucia’s western shore.
Explore the remains of the 19th-century fort La Toc Battery.
Marvel at the sweeping seaside views that capture the splendor of St. Lucia.
Snack on Caribbean treats at a beautiful colonial house overlooking Castries’ harbor.
Settle in for a rambling drive through the countryside that presents the island’s natural beauty and architectural charms. It won’t take long to reach La Toc Battery, a 19th-century fort built to protect St. Lucia’s vital coal stations. It is an intriguing site with many of its tunnels, shell lifts and ventilation shafts still intact. Driving on, you will enter a bucolic landscape of banana plantations tucked between undulating hills before passing through the rustic village of Anse La Raye. Continuing on, you will soon arrive at Marigot Bay, a tranquil blue lagoon that the surrounding hills shelter, making it an ideal natural yacht harbor. On the return to Castries, you will pause for snacks and a beverage at St. Marks, a grand colonial-era house that overlooks the harbor.
HELPFUL HINTS
Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.
PLEASE NOTE
There are steps at La Toc Battery and St. Marks. Menu items are subject to change. Guests must be able to get on & off the buses and there are 5 steps leading up to St. Mark’s and approximately 10 steps at La Toc Battery.

End of tour description.

All aboard is 7:30 pm and we are scheduled to set sail at 8 pm. According to our guide today, our next stop is only separated from this island by about 25 miles of ocean. No hurry to sail then. We are going to Terrace for dinner again. We should arrive in Bridgetown, Barbados at 8 am. We took a long island tour on a previous visit so tomorrow our only goal is lunch ashore. We never got a St. Lucia port sheet on this cruise (sorry I didn't keep last cruise's!). Today we got one for Bridgetown, Barbados and it had the piece of information that there is a taxi-run port shuttle to town center bus for $2 pp one way just outside the port. The lecturer that held the info desk didn't offer that option when he was showing us photos of the mile or so walk! We'll see tomorrow.

Photos