tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291496.post3144428138289435251..comments2024-03-08T08:39:44.153-08:00Comments on Poof'n'Whiffs: SPI a Cruise Destination?Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06904821424581969401noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291496.post-36497406382434400562007-09-18T02:42:00.000-07:002007-09-18T02:42:00.000-07:00We have been getting a lot of the small Coastal cr...We have been getting a lot of the small Coastal cruise ships in here for the last seven or eight years. They pull in late in the day, lay over night at the dock and leave early in the AM. Mostly all older folks in the 50 to 100 range!! Don't know how much money they leave behind though.Everetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05992573194167721951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291496.post-12888235801405705692007-09-14T07:21:00.000-07:002007-09-14T07:21:00.000-07:00Hey Char, good to hear from ya!Don't get me wrong,...Hey Char, good to hear from ya!<BR/><BR/>Don't get me wrong, cruising is a rapid growth industry and shipping lines are building them fast as they can. SPI could be a special stop-over but I doubt a routine one. Sure, it is one of the Top Ten beaches in the US. But tropical it is not.<BR/><BR/>Even Key West has tropical reefs and crystal clear waters. The Bahamas, Cancun/Cozmel/Isla Mujeres, Virgin Isles, Aruba, and places like that are star attractions. our waters here are murky at best. The cruise liners do not even visit the Number One beach in the US, Ocracoke on the outer banks of North Carolina. <BR/><BR/>That said, if Brownsville Navigation and Port of Brownsville wanted to lure a dedicated cruise ship to this area, it could be done. I'm not sure if SPI has the infrastructure to support a true cruise terminal, but that's probably how we could make the cruise concept work down here. The Port of Brownsville is located along a good highway system and next to an airport, so that would make some sense - although Brownsville is possibly the ugliest port in the US, with all the ship breaking and oil platform work. <BR/><BR/>But to me that option seems better than asking a cruise liner to anchor offshore ... it certainly could be possible within the next ten or twenty years.Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06904821424581969401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10291496.post-46948995038892521542007-09-13T20:56:00.000-07:002007-09-13T20:56:00.000-07:00You know, I love to cruise. I haven't been on many...You know, I love to cruise. I haven't been on many, but I'm just a newbie--only three under my belt. <BR/>One of my favorite destinations is Key West. People go to see the history of the town, drink in bars and eat Key Lime pie. Then, there is the famous Sunset festival--a busker fest--it's like the circus everynight, before sunset. Many people like to go to the beach as well, but Key West doesn't have a great beach. <BR/>Excursions can be para-sailing, kayaking, beach-break-with lunch and shopping. Key West has neat funky little galleries. <BR/>I love SPI, but I dont' see it as a cruise destination. We don't have a hook. SPI has some great annual events, but would need something that speaks to entertaining daily. The beach alone won't do it. Adn the shopping, well, there are only so many t-shirts and shot glasses one can buy. <BR/>I don't think it is a good idea. <BR/>Could it bring money to the island? It could, but then I think we'd see a whole different place than we'd like to. <BR/>The closest port that has ships leaving is Galvaston. That port is not being serviced by Royal Caribbean the way it used to. RCI just seems to be pulling out slowly. <BR/>Hotels have benefitted because many peole fly in the day before the cruise so they won't miss the ship. <BR/>As a starting port, I see a big NO WAY. We have a hard enough time getting tourists to come here because flying in is expensive and a big transfer pain in the patute. We don't have a major airport close by that could handle the thousands of passengers that a shp would yeild. How could the locals get a flight--jeez. <BR/>I'm with you on this one, Sam. It may sound like a really neat idea, but it would not fly. <BR/>Why are so many people so insistent on changing this great place?<BR/>Char in LittletonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com