Aug. 18, 2008 — Government officials are celebrating the announcement that St. Croix has reached an agreement to bring 48 cruise calls to the island in 2009, but Crucians planning to take advantage of the economic opportunity should take note that not all cruise ships, or cruise passengers, are the same.
Some budget cruise passengers take advantage of last-minute deals and pay as little as $400 to visit the Caribbean, while others pay top dollar to cruise on luxury brands. They are all cruise passengers, but they may have different tastes and expectations. Most coming to St. Croix next year are fairly high-end.
The vast majority of the new cruise calls are from Royal Caribbean Cruises' brands: Royal Caribbean International, Azamara Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.
The bulk of the calls come from Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, a mid-priced ship that features an ice-skating rink, in-line skating rink and rock-climbing wall, and is ideal for families or adventurous couples. The 2001-built ship can have as many as 3,800 people aboard, although it will likely have closer to 3,100.
Royal Caribbean's 2003-built Serenade of the Seas and 2004-built Jewel of the Seas also call in 2009 and, although they are smaller than Adventure of the Seas by more than 1,000 passengers, should have about the same clientele.
Azamara's 718-passenger Journey may be a much smaller ship, but it carries passengers willing to pay a much higher ticket price. Azamara and sister-line Celebrity are premium-class ships that cater to cultured world travelers, some with children — many without. The Journey calls in January, three times in February and once in March. Passengers on this ship probably won't want to watch a pig drink beer or buy a stack of fake-dreadlock caps. Then again, maybe they will. Celebrity's Summit and Mercury each bring nearly 2,000 people to St. Croix.
Disney Cruise Line brings the family oriented Disney Magic to St. Croix four times in 2009. Disney officials said earlier in the year that they had shied away from the big island in the past, but were ready to give it try. The 1,750-passenger Magic makes alternate-week calls in Tortola. Crucians will want to make Mom and Dad feel at home and have plenty of activities ready for rowdy youngsters. Disney is building two new ships scheduled to start cruising in 2011 and 2012. their itineraries have not been released yet, so this could be the time for St. Croix to make a good impression.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Holland America Line's 1,300-passenger Maasdam and brand-new 2,000-passenger Eurodam call in St. Croix in January and February. These ships are very popular among passenger 55 years old and up. Holland America's premium-class product is known for excellent customer service and dining. These passengers may want to be "wowed" by the tastes of St. Croix.
Two other infrequent callers will likely expect the same. Luxury-class Seabourn Cruise Line brings its yacht-like, 200-passenger Seabourn Legend to the island twice in March. And Crystal Cruises brings its high-luxury, 940-passenger Crystal Symphony to St. Croix Jan. 28. These are likely to be older passengers willing to pay top dollar for their cruise experience.
Cruises to St. Croix in 2010 may look much the same, with Holland America upping its number of calls.
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