Dave

We travelled to Grenada in '93 and absolutely loved it, and had planned to return in a year or so. We've just talked to a couple who had a recent stop over in Grenada while on a cruise and, according to them, eveyone on the entire ship just hated Grenada because of the panhandling, begging, and dishonesty with cab drivers, etc. Our experience with Grenada was, of course, the exact opposite and we would like to hear from anyone who has had an experience, good or bad, with Grenada. Please help.. Has our island paradise gone to hell?

Thanks

Louis Dameson

Anytime we have been at an island where cruise ships land we always went to watch the fun when the boat docks. First there is the gathering of the locals with anticipation including, vendors, taxis and panhadlers. Then there is the herding of the passengers from the ship into the competitive excitement of the locals. There are islands where some locals live from ship to ship. Cruise passengers are meant to be exploited which is the general case of what happens to them from the time they board ship. If you have ever taken a boat between St. Martin and Anguilla you will have a similar competitive foray with boat drivers. I would not put too much faith in what a couple of cruise ship passengers say about the caribbean or Grenada. They have little opportunity to learn much about the area and their expectations are apt to be unrealistic. Cruise ship passengers are free game in any land and they are exploited everywhere they land. It is quite natural that they are not pleased by the experience but since they are always replaced by a new group it doesn't matter. Life is hard for most people that are local to the caribbean islands. You cannot blame them for taking advantage of every opportunity. In some islands they go about it in a more aggressive manner than others. I am almost positive that you will find Grenada the same as it was in the past. Unless there is severe hurricane destruction, things do not change rapidly. Next time you visit Grenada, watch the cruise ship land it is an entertaining experience.

val

I agree with the previous post. Grenada was one of our cruise ship ports in Jan. this year and we were not impressed with the pressure from the taxi drivers and the vendors. We quickly left the market area & took a water taxi to Grand Anse beach, which we thought was absolutely beautiful. We spent the whole day there and were only bothered about 6 times. Our first inclination was that we would never go back, but when we thought more about it we decided that it must be much better if you go to a resort away from the cruise ships area. Have a wonderful holiday! Val

Bill

Re Louis Dameson's post: Very perceptive and well stated.
At the risk of offending those who enjoy cruise ships (and displaying my anti-cruise prejudice), I firmly believe that anyone who wants to see the "real" Carribean and its people should avoid any proximity to big ships (or big hotels, for that matter). Stay on an island that doesn't get ships; there are plenty, though some involve an extra "hop" or two to get to. If you are on an island that gets cruise ship visits, be somewhere else than the harbor on the day it disgorges - unless, like Louis, you want to be entertained by the sociological demonstration.
If you travel on a large cruise ship, you should realize that you will be treated like part of a large herd, not only to be jostled about but also to become prey to the "wolves" who are attracted by the prospect of quick money. (And if you or I had a family to feed in a country with high unemployment, maybe we'd become wolves too.)
Best bet: fly down to the island of your choice, and stay away from the harbor and popular spots on cruise ship day.

K Noel

-visited Grenada prior to a Windjammer trip in February. (By the way, I agree with the cruise ship comments so far!!) We found Grenada to be beautiful, but the panhandling, begging, etc. were a real pain. A previous post said they were only bothered six times on Grand Anse Beach--I don't want to be bothered at all!! There are so many other beautiful islands (my favorites are the BVI's and Anguilla)--I'd pass on Grenada. K Noel