Today's Avis Headline - We're Ticked

Just went into F'sted to see the boat and the visitors and it looked very well organized. There were a lot of booths with vendors - but not TOO many to distract from the beauty of the waterfront. The fort was open, there were lots of chairs and umbrellas up at the beach, there were steel pans playing... It was right up my alley - but I live here! STX is not for everyone, and people who are looking for loads of duty-free shopping will prefer STT. But for natural beauty and historic sites, on such a historic day, I think STX did a great job.

People were dancing in the park at 12:30. The bell rang at the fort. It was such a cool scene.

That's Great to Hear, wish I was there!

We loved it.................with pride...........................! (tu)

Praise be.......THANKS Newarrival!

I know someone that was on the first Disney Cruise and he did get a 100% refund for the beach excursion to Cane Bay. But, it had nothing to do with his disappointment with the island - he thought it was lovely, and the people friendly and helpful. His beef and those on the same excursion was all about transportation back to the ship. He blamed Disney for failing to properly arrange transportation. He was told by the taxi driver to be ready at 2pm and was. But that driver took other passengers and left my friend and his family and other passengers (French speaking) waiting for extra taxis. Time was running short and they feared missing the boat so they hired taxis on their own. It was the stress that bothered him mostly. He said the staff at the restaurant could not have been more helpful and he found the island beaches and the cruise pier area of Frederiksted very clean and welcoming.

OK, So why are all of you so concerned about the Disney Cruise Lines? Families with children will not find the amenities or shops they want on St Croix. We spent a week on STX recently and really enjoyed our experience there. We live in on of the most expensive areas of the Northeast and are fussy people who demand high quality service, friendly ,courteous people, good food, great weather {most of the year} and people who are comfortable with themselves, easy-going and relaxed. Are we the only ones who respect the fact that Sundays are special for some families? Or that $ are not as important as family time and recreation? Open your doors if you want to,but if you don't, that's good too.

Work harder to keep us coming back, and appreciating you Cruzans and your beautiful island. The cruise lines will come and go, and you will eventually lose your identity as you try to accommodate them. More shops will be boarded up, and fast food joints will pop up and close, and t-shirt carts will clog the streets in front of real businesses and you will have to put public bathrooms up everywhere, and minimum wage jobs will increase and then nobody makes any money when the weather is bad, and the islanders can't afford to and don't want to live there anymore. Be careful what you wish for, you may get it.

Don't lament the loss of tourists who want Texas, New Jersey, or Indiana in the Caribbean.

one of the smaller points about getting the ships here is to expose them to STX so hopefully they will come back and spend a week or more here at a later date,thats why it's so important that everyone here "get it right"

groomingirl,
Just for starters, "cruzan is the rum produced on the island" the people are "Crucians". As a continental (from the mainland as you are called here by the islanders) you need to spend a little more than a "week" to get the full flavor of the island an it's people. One thing is for sure and two things are for certain,fussy people who demand high quality service will not be happy here (STX).

It was front page news in the Daily News that Disney loved the last stop in STX so whatever the Crucians did the last time, they got it right.

Just a little anecdote from my southern Baptist upbringing....

"If your ass falls in the ditch on Sunday, you pull it out!"

Trade they put actual tour guides on the taxi tour buses

Groomingril, spoken like a true northeasterner.