Our Grenada Blog

This is a blog of our life in Grenada, our thoughts on life and the way we view things around us, the way we see life through our sometimes rose colored glasses.

Nov 21

2007

Cruise ship season starts.....

Tourism in Grenada is a major industry, and the tourist dollars are very important to our island. Like the government slogan says "tourism is everyone's business".

Every couple of days we have at least one cruise ship in port and sometimes up to three. We have noticed a few quirks, over the years..you tend to, if you go people watching.....

For instance, Moni worked for a couple years as a rainforest hiking guide for the german cuise ships, and was always amazed how some tourists came dressed to go hiking.

I mean really!! High heels, fully made up, wrong type of clothing. You would think that they don't expect to get muddy and sweaty, much less soaked by a passing shower of rain, especially as the tours started in the rainy season. After doing this for so many years, her biggest wish was to get a t-shirt which said 'I am not a tourist'!...

Grand Anse Beach with Cruise ship tourist

Another quirk which we have noticed is that, when tourists go to the beach, they literally do not venture more than a couple of paces from where they get off the water taxi. You would think that, with 2 miles of white sandy beach to relax on, they would be glad to put a little distance between themselves and their fellow travelers. Nope!

Sadly, they hardly even check out the vendors market just a few paces down the beach from where they drop off.

Actually, this is one thing that which should be changed. The floating jetty on Grand Anse beach , where the water taxis berth up, should be moved closer to the Vendors Market. That may encourage people to wonder over and check it out. I can understand the vendors frustration because even the island tours do not stop off and they are reliant on the cruise ship passengers to make a living.
It sometimes strikes us as a little odd, the way visitors act.

Hand Painted Rum Bottles

For instance, whenever a ship is in port, the Pizza place is usually packed. People tend to flock to the things they are familiar with....fast food, coffee etc, rather than try something new. Another good example are the fruit smoothies offered by one of the franchises in the cruise ship mall. Everything about them is artificial.......the flavour, color etc. Directly opposite is a local store offering smoothies made from fresh fruit...guess which one is patronized the most by visitors!...I'll give you a hint...its not the one which offers fresh fruit and which is cheaper....Aah, the power of marketing ;-)

Tips.......

First of all, if you are on a cruise and you would like to explore the island by yourself or with your friends, we recommend you book a private tour well in advance. Most of the cruise ship tours are going out with more than 20-40 buses and sometimes you can get rushed. To escape that, why not book online and try to arrange a perfect tour with your guide and discuss what you would like to see and how much time you have. I'm sure your guide will arrange your tour so that you are not caught up in the rush.

We highly recommend the following tour guides.
Mandoo Tours - http://grenadatours.com
Grenada Sunsation Tours - http://grenadasunsation.com
K & J Tours - http://grenadaguide.com/kjtours/
A & E Tours - http://grenadaguide.com/aetours/.

If you would prefer to 'do your own thing', there are taxis available in the mall who can give you an hourly rate and you can simply go wherever you wish.

If you would like to relax on the beach, while in Grenada, jump in one of the water taxis right by the pier (3 US per person one way Grand Anse Beach) and let them bring you to the famous 3 mile Grand Anse Beach (4 minutes drive), where most of the hotels are located, water sports, and of course the vendors market.
But if you are looking for a smaller beach with just one little hotel, visit Morne Rouge Bay (Water taxi will charge a little bit more). Don't worry about coming back to the harbor, since the water taxis go up and down nearly every 5 minutes when a cruise ship is anchored.
Grand Anse Beach Vendors market...always worth a visit.

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MsJilly said:

I love that photo. I watched the arrival of the larger ship when it made port, from my "lounge chair" on Grand Anse beach, below the Flamboyant. Along with a few other guests, we marvelled at the size of it and how the smaller one, (which looked pretty huge when I was in town earlier that day!) just disappeared from our sightline, when the big one just "parked" beside it, totally blocking our view of the smaller vessel!

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December 05, 2007
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brewa said:

I'd never do one of these floating hotels. Just not my style.

I agree with moving the floating jetty or at least make a nice sign to attract shoppers. But I suspect most tourists buy stuff in the ship's gift shop versus spending their money locally.

For the European Biker...i would not recommend biking in Grenada. Carriacou perhaps but you would have to have a death wish to bike the main roads in Grenada! That is something else that could be improved: wider roads with bike lanes. Maybe in 50 years.

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November 28, 2007
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Guantanamera said:

	You describe the American way of travelling - not the European. We don´t need a car - only a bike. Rent a bike and meet the people near the road. It´s to fast with a car. I like to tell people I´m an old European biker.
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November 27, 2007
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Doris said:

May I add my two cents to this please? From my own experience traveling to many Caribbean islands in the past 17 years, the reason cruise ship travelers book a cruise to begin with is the fact that they like to have everything arranged for them and in most cases are actually afraid to venture out on their own. It's the same with people who stay in all-inclusive resorts.(I call them fancy jails) We( my husband and I) have been asked numerous times after talking about our adventures: aren't you afraid to do that? Do what? Rent a car and explore a new destination, see the whole island if possible, eat at local little restaurants and meet the lovely residents? One of my favorite things is to shop at the local markets and talk with people, find out what their lives are like, etc. It's always bothered me when I hear people say, oh yes, I was on a cruise and went to Grenada. No, you did not, you merely stopped for a few hours, maybe soaked up some sun, bought a t-shirt, but you did NOT see Grenada. Or any other island...
I like to tell people I'm a traveler, not a tourist