St. Lucia cruise port

St. Lucia: sail past the Pitons and soak in a volcanic mud bath.

St. Lucia is the most dramatic island on any Southern Caribbean itinerary, with the twin Piton peaks rising straight out of the sea at Soufrière. Ships dock in the capital, Castries, at either the Pointe Seraphine terminal (a 20 minute walk or water taxi across the harbor to town) or La Place Carenage right on the downtown waterfront. Most cruisers spend the day down south at the Pitons, the Sulphur Springs mud baths and the waterfalls, or head north to Reduit Beach and Pigeon Island. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at St. Lucia from every line, priced with taxes, fees and port expenses included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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DockedPointe Seraphine or La Place Carenage, walk-off
USDaccepted; EC dollar fixed at 2.70, English spoken
Dec to Maydry season, mid 80s, calm seas
All inevery price includes taxes and fees
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Three ways to do St. Lucia

The Pitons by sea, the beach up north, or Castries on your own; the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Big excursion

Catamaran to Soufrière and the Pitons

  • Sail an hour down the west coast with the Pitons filling the horizon, then by bus to the Sulphur Springs mud bath and Toraille waterfall
  • Snorkel or swim at Sugar Beach, the cove between the two peaks, before the sail home with rum punch
  • About 6 to 7 hours, about $130 to $180 a person through the ship; the land-only tour is cheaper but means 3 hours of winding road

Best for: first-timers, photographers, anyone who came for the postcard

Beach day

Reduit Beach and Pigeon Island

  • Reduit is the island’s best swimming beach, a mile of calm sand at Rodney Bay about 20 minutes north; taxi about $20 per car for up to 3 people
  • Pigeon Island National Landmark next door has Fort Rodney, two small beaches and the view back down the coast, about $10 admission
  • Splash Island water park off Reduit keeps kids busy; beach chairs about $10 to $15 at the bars

Best for: families, swimmers, short port days

Town on foot

Castries market and Vigie Beach

  • Castries Market has 300 vendors selling spices, hot sauce and cocoa sticks; the Cathedral and Derek Walcott Square are two blocks away
  • From Pointe Seraphine the water taxi crosses the harbor in minutes; from La Place Carenage you are already downtown
  • Vigie Beach is a 25 minute walk north of Pointe Seraphine, quiet and free

Best for: budget days, shoppers, mobility-limited travelers

Live from the cruise lines

St. Lucia cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at St. Lucia from every line, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, line, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at St. Lucia

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

In port

Things to do in St. Lucia

Soufrière and the Pitons are 90 minutes south by road or an hour by boat, so pick one direction and commit to it.

The Pitons by catamaranThe signature day: a sail down the coast under Gros and Petit Piton, a swim at Sugar Beach and a bus hop to the volcano. About 6 to 7 hours and about $130 to $180 a person through the ship; the water is the only way to see the peaks from below.
Sulphur Springs mud bathThe drive-in volcano outside Soufrière: steaming vents, then a warm mineral pool and a gray mud scrub that leaves your skin like new. Entry about $11, included on most Soufrière tours; bring a dark swimsuit.
Tet Paul Nature TrailA 45 minute guided walk on a hillside farm above Soufrière with the best land view of both Pitons and the sea between them. About $10 admission; on nearly every Soufrière land tour.
Reduit BeachThe island’s best public beach at Rodney Bay, 20 minutes north of the port: calm water, Spinnakers beach bar and water sports. Taxi about $20 per car (1 to 3 people) each way; chairs about $10 to $15.
Pigeon Island National LandmarkA causeway-linked island park at the top of Rodney Bay with the ruins of Fort Rodney, a 20 minute climb to Signal Peak and two small beaches. About $10 admission, taxi about $25 per car from Castries; pair it with Reduit.
Marigot BayA tiny palm-ringed harbor 20 minutes south that James Michener called the most beautiful bay in the Caribbean. Taxi about $25 per car; lunch at the marina and a water taxi to the sliver of beach, about 2 to 3 hours.
Rainforest tram and ziplineThe aerial tram at Rainforest Adventures near Babonneau glides over the canopy with a zipline option, about 30 minutes from Castries. About 3.5 hours and about $90 to $130 a person through the ship.
Castries Market and the CathedralTwo blocks of spice stalls, batik and hot sauce next to the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and Derek Walcott Square, downtown. Free, 1 to 2 hours; closed Sundays.
Timing

When to go

St. Lucia is 80 to 88 degrees all year with trade winds on the coast; December to May is the dry season and the busy one, June to November brings afternoon showers and the hurricane season, with September and October the wettest months.

December to AprilHighs 82 to 85, lows in the low 70s, the driest months and the calmest water for the Soufrière sail; peak season with three or four ships some days.
May to JuneMid 80s with a brief shower most afternoons, the St. Lucia Jazz Festival in May and noticeably fewer ships; the best-value window.
July to AugustUpper 80s and humid with short tropical downpours that clear fast; the rainforest is at its greenest and the start of hurricane season is usually quiet.
September to NovemberThe wettest stretch and the peak of hurricane season, so itineraries can change at short notice; November dries out and the winter fleet returns.
Good to know

St. Lucia questions we answer every day

Where do cruise ships dock in St. Lucia and how far is town?

Ships dock in Castries at one of two terminals. Pointe Seraphine, on the north side of the harbor, has two berths and takes the biggest ships; it has a duty-free shopping village and is about a 20 minute walk or a short water-taxi ride from downtown. La Place Carenage has one berth right on the city waterfront, with the market two blocks away. Nobody tenders at Castries, though a few small luxury ships anchor off Soufrière instead and tender there.

How do I get around and what do taxis cost?

Government-licensed taxis wait outside both terminals and the fares are set by law per car for up to 3 people, with a little more for 4 to 6: about $8 between Pointe Seraphine and downtown, about $20 to Rodney Bay and Reduit Beach, about $25 to Pigeon Island or Marigot Bay and about $90 each way to Soufrière. Confirm the price and the currency before you leave, and agree a pickup time for beach runs. Shared minibuses from downtown cost a few EC dollars but are slow; Uber has a small presence.

What currency, language and time zone?

The Eastern Caribbean dollar is fixed at EC$2.70 to US$1 and US dollars are taken nearly everywhere, though change often comes in EC. English is the official language and you will hear French Creole on the street. St. Lucia stays on Atlantic Standard Time all year, which matches US Eastern Daylight Time in summer and is an hour ahead of the East Coast in winter; most US phones roam here but check your plan.

Is St. Lucia safe for cruise passengers?

The U.S. State Department rates St. Lucia at its lowest advisory level, and the cruise terminals, Rodney Bay and Soufrière are well used to visitors. Use the licensed taxis at the terminal, keep valuables on the ship, and be aware that not every public beach has a lifeguard. The Soufrière road is steep and winding, so anyone prone to car sickness should take the catamaran instead.

What is the best excursion, and should I book it through the ship?

The catamaran to Soufrière and the Pitons is the day people book St. Lucia for, and because it involves a 90 minute drive or an hour’s sail each way we recommend booking it through the ship so the departure is covered if traffic or weather runs late. Reduit Beach, Pigeon Island and Marigot Bay you can do on your own by taxi.

Do I need a passport for a cruise that stops in St. Lucia?

On a round-trip cruise from a US port, including San Juan, US citizens can sail under the closed-loop rule with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate. We recommend a passport anyway: St. Lucia requires one to fly in or out, so it is your only way home if you miss the ship or have to leave early.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on SmartCruiser includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions, drinks and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a St. Lucia cruise specialist

We know which Southern Caribbean sailings give you a long enough day in Castries for the Pitons and which carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit, so call to check availability and book. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560