Exploring St. Kitts Cruise Port: A Hidden Gem in the Caribbean

Activities In the Basseterre, St. Kitts Cruise Port

If St. Kitts and Nevis are on your cruise itinerary, you’re probably searching for activities in Basseterre, so here’s what you need to know. St. Kitts and Nevis is the name of the country, and it’s a twin-island federation (fun fact: Nevis—pronounced “nay-viss”—is the home country of Alexander Hamilton), although most cruisers and cruise lines just refer to this stop as “St. Kitts.”

Port Zante Cruise Port

Nearly all the major cruise lines port in Basseterre, and almost all of them will dock at the Port Zante Cruise Port. It’s important for cruisers to know that St. Kitts is one of several Caribbean islands where it is illegal for civilians to wear camouflage. The currency of St. Kitts is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$), but most tour operators and vendors, especially at the port, will accept US currency. However, they may not accept it if the bills are overly worn, wrinkled, torn, or have writing on them. Credit cards are also widely accepted. This port has a short pier, and once you exit into the terminal, you’ll find many of the standard cruise port shops, bars, and restaurants.

Port Zante Cruise Terminal

The terminal is colorful and vibrant, with duty-free shops, local vendors, and a variety of bars and restaurants for those who prefer to stay at port (the legal drinking age in St. Kitts is 18). There’s a colorful “St. Kitts” sign immediately outside the terminal exit, a perfect photo opp for cruisers. This port generally checks ID upon return, along with your ship card, so plan for that. If traveling with kids, you just need their birth certificate, and I recommend a copy. There is a tram available for cruisers with mobility issues, and once you exit the terminal, there are vendors selling photo ops with monkeys ($10 per person), and there is free Wi-Fi at Port Zante.

Exploring Basseterre on Foot

Cruisers who want to save money on a formal excursion may choose to explore Basseterre on foot, although in my opinion, the best that this particular port has to offer isn’t available on foot. There are some things, however, to see but note that drivers in St. Kitts navigate on the left-hand side of the road. The Old and Historic Town of Basseterre features interesting landmarks, including churches, the National Museum, and Independence Square.

St. Kitts Cruise Port Beach

There are numerous beaches in St. Kitts, but none of them are immediately at port or accessible by foot. South Frigate Bay Beach is the closest, about 10 minutes from the port, although Sand Bank Beach and Pinneys Beach are also great options that aren’t too far. The Cruisebound blog has a great summary of these beaches here.

Taxis in St. Kitts

Most cruise-sponsored excursions have a meet-up spot at the end of the pier, right at the entrance of the terminal, but if you choose to take a taxi and explore on your own, there is a taxi stand available to the right once you exit the Port Zante terminal.

Best Excursions in Basseterre, St. Kitts

There are some independent, third-party excursion operators at Port Zante selling tours, but it’s advisable to book your excursions in advance to ensure that 1) the excursion you choose is well-reviewed by a reputable vendor, 2) you ensure that it’s an excursion you will like, and 3) the activity you want to do isn’t sold out. Here are some of the top excursions in St. Kitts:

• Grand Tour of St. Kitts
  I enjoyed this tour, but it was a slower-paced activity. It does provide stops at almost all of the top St. Kitts destinations, including Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor and Brimstone Hill Fortress.
• ATV Tour of St. Kitts
  I loved this tour, but you will get dirty, so plan accordingly! Read my blog post about this excursion here.
• Catamaran Snorkeling Tour of St. Kitts
• Horseback Riding to Sofa Stone
• Palms Court Day Pass
  This is an affordable option if you’re looking for a relaxing day with a pool.

Best Excursions in Basseterre, St. Kitts

As with many cruise ports, I recommend using Cruisemapper to access the ship schedule for Port Zante. The ship schedule for Basseterre, St. Kitts can be found here.

St. Kitts Time Zone

Keeping track of time zones can get complicated when cruising, especially for itineraries with multiple time zone changes on one sailing. Your captain will make announcements during the cruise to update you on these changes, but it’s good to be aware of these differences ahead of time when planning for your stop at the port, especially for excursions.

Most cruise lines operate on “ship time” set to the time of the departure port, so for sailings off the eastern coast of the US, this is Eastern Standard Time (EST). St. Kitts’ time zone is Atlantic Standard Time (AST), and they do not observe Daylight Saving Time, so the AST time zone may differ from EST — or it may be the same — depending on the time of year.