St Lucia cruises are a popular way to explore this beautiful island surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Whether you’re arriving on a large commercial vessel or spending an afternoon on a St Lucia pirate cruise, you’ll have the chance to admire the island’s beautiful scenery and shoreline.

The cruise ports in St Lucia are busiest during the months of October to April. During this time, it’s not uncommon for several ships a day to arrive in port. These two well-equipped facilities can handle today’s modern cruise ships as well as a large number of passengers at once. The two main cruise ports in St Lucia are located across the bay from each other in Castries, the island’s capital city.

After stepping off your St Lucia cruises, you’ll arrive at either La Place Carenage or Pointe Seraphine. Both offer access to excellent shopping opportunities, transportation, tours, and visitor services. La Place Carenage was the first of the cruise ports in St Lucia. Opened in 1996 with the hopes to spur economic growth, La Place has accomplished its mission with flair. Pointe Seraphine opened a few years later, expanding the number of ships that can be accommodated.

St Lucia Map

At both ports, passengers have the chance to do some serious shopping before they begin to explore or its time to return to their St Lucia cruises. Duty free shops include jewelers, apparel retailers, and watch designers. You’ll also have the chance to shop for locally made arts and crafts, including baskets, jewelry, and local food products. Local crafters also produce an island specialty—beautiful hand-printed fabrics made into scarves, purses, table clothes, and many other items.

A water taxi connects both of the terminals, making it easy to enjoy the shops and restaurants in and around the terminals. Many hotels and interesting things to do are located within a short walk or an easy taxi ride, including the Castries Crafts Market and several waterfront restaurants.

Even with short cruise excursions to St Lucia, you’ll have time to experience a taste of the charming Caribbean island. The entire island is only 14 miles wide and 27 miles long. With a network of roads, car rentals, shuttles, and drivers for hire, it’s quite easy to get beyond Castries. A wide variety of companies offer tours suited to all kind of interests; you could go diving, take a guided architecture tour, or explore one of the nature preserves.

When you’re enjoying a St Lucia cruise vacation, you could take opportunity to explore even more of the Caribbean. Several islands are a short hop and a jump away from the airport or ferry terminal. Or you could book one of the cruises that travels to several different islands in one vacation. St Lucia is sandwiched between Martinique and Barbados, but all of the Caribbean island can be reached within a relatively short sailing time.

Even if you arrive by air, you can spend some time enjoying the water. Deep-sea fishing charters are readily available, as are sightseeing cruises and sunset cruises. A St Lucia pirate cruise is a fun way to connect with the island’s history and imagine you’re one of the buccaneers who used the Caribbean as their stomping grounds. A St Lucia pirate cruise sets sail from Castries aboard one of the actual ships used in the blockbuster movie, Pirates of the Caribbean. The ship is also a popular choice for wedding and honeymoon packages, making it quite a memorable place to tie the knot.