Enchanted Princess docked next to AidaDiva in Saint Kitts
St. Kitts is the larger of the 2 islands within the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. These two islands form the smallest sovereign state in the Western Hemisphere. Basseterre on Saint Kitt’s southwestern coast is the capital. Cruise ships dock at Port Zante in Basseterre at a large wharf that can berth 4 ships at a time. The island is known for its beaches and rainforested mountains. Temperatures are generally 75 ° – 80 °F year-round. The people who live on the island are not allowed to cut the rainforest down so they have to import building materials.
sign at the port
Saint Kitts and Nevis are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. They sit south of St. Maarten, west of Antigua, and significantly farther southwest of St. Thomas. Currency is the eastern Caribbean dollar, which is tied to the US dollar at the rate of 2.7 ECD is always equal to 1 USD.
welcome sign by the dock
Like Basseterre (which means low land), there are other places on the island with French names. Some parts of the island once belonged to France while the rest belonged to England until the British took over the entire island before it became its own country.
aerial photo of ships docked in Saint Kitts
The end of the original pier brings passengers into a fairly extensive shopping area. It has some of the usual cruise port shops as well as some more local ones. Most of them have clothes and souvenirs. There’s a casino, a fairly centrally located bar, and a food court. Also a chocolate factory, or at least a chocolate shop that called itself a chocolate factory. The best deal we found at any port was in one of the shops at St. Kitts where they had men’s button front tropical print shirts for just $7.00.
arrival building
The arrival building at the end of the pier has space for ship’s shore excursions to gather in the shade as well as restrooms and a tourist information desk. Beyond the building is a large open square. Off to the sides outside of the square pre-booked local tours are allowed to meet.
barrier around the entry building
There is a barrier that last-minute tour vendors are not allowed to cross so they are found beyond the barrier.
dock in Saint Kitts
The cruise terminal in Basseterre has two docks to hold the 4 ships it has the capacity for. While the original pier exits directly into the port’s expansive shopping area, there is also access from the second pier. The name of the port is Port Zante.
shops at the port
Basseterre’s historical old town is within walking distance of the port. The offerings at the port for last minute things to do for people who didn’t have anything booked include lots of taxis available to take people to a beach as well as people with signs offering island tours. The tours are available either in vans or open-sided trucks. People can also take a ferry to the nearby island of Nevis.
more shops at the port
Passengers are always advised to bring photo ID with them into every port. Not all of them ask to see it when you return, but at Saint Kitts they did.
information booth in the entry building
Excursions offered from our ship in Saint Kitts: Best of Saint Kitts (Brimstone Hill, Romney Manor & Caribelle Batik); Local Connections (Romney Manor, Caribelle Batik & Timothy Hill Lookout with Artist); East St Kitts Scenic Drive & Romeny Manor; Scenic Railway Ride & Circle Island Drive; Fairview Great House and Gardens & Panoramic Drive; Local Connections Caribbean Culinary Demonstrations & Tasting with chef; Cockleshell Beach, Timothy Hill & Scenic Drive; 4×4 Island Safari & Beach; Souffa Stone Hike & Beach Getaway; Rainforest Walk, Romney Manor & Caribelle Batik; 4WD Expedition & Beach; Scenic Railway Ride & Coastal Cruise; Nevis Island Tour, Beach & Lunch; Dolphin Encounter; Dolphin Swim; Cruise to Nevis, Pinney’s Beach, Snorkel & Lunch; Scenic Coastal Cruise & Snorkel, Coastal Kayaking, Snorkel & Scenic Drive.
food court at the port
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