St. Croix

Yes the Cruise lines have stopped regular stops on St Croix. (at least for now)
there have been many reasons given for this, such as crime, lack of support, etc.
The real reason is a combination of economic and political. The USVI government who is acknowledged as one of the most dishonest and corrupt in the world, has been playing games with cruise industry and is also trying to protect St Thomas cruise business. Bottom line, is that the cruise industry got fed up dealing with the criminals who pose as USVI senators and pulled out of St Croix. The island is hurting and will continue to hurt. But mostly we all need to work to clean up VI government.

Don't give up on St Croix. If you have not visited the island, you really must. Yes, she has her problems. My wife and I think they can be overcome. Most of the island is drop-dead gorgeous. All the people we met there were extremely friendly and helpful, especially when we told them we were considering moving there. If all goes as planned, we will be Crusians by August. Good luck

Gordon is right the pull out of cruise ships, which an added note was not many ships to begin with when compared to the the number that arrive in St. Thomas.... Carnival lines called on St. Croix and another company as well don't recall which though. In any case the pull out reflected.... social issues(some factors of crime...) and politics (being pulled around by government in VI). The island still maintains it's on island visitors, hotel guest ect. and its industrial and agricultural economies - which have always played a large role in the St. Croix economy.

Definately keep St. Croix in your considerations.

--Islander

Vicki,
Your retirement in STX won't be affected by the decision of some of the cruise lines. Throughout the years that I've lived on STX there have been several times when the cruselines decided to pull out of STX. There are social issues but also internal USVI rivalry for the fixed piece of the tourism pie. My point is that throughout this time St. Croix has remained, gained population, and done OK overall; people work there, live there and retire there. There are people who love the place and peole who don't like the place... but not enough to make them move off island! The cruiselines decision is a factor to consider but certainly not a deciding factor. I would suggest talking with other retirees on STX to get their perspective. If you don't know of any retirees on the island as your realtor, hopefully you're working with one, for an introduction.

Since you're in the "considering" stage of finding a location, I would recommend a trip down there to see things afresh for yourselves. Good luck!

Hi--
Thank you all for your honesty. We have spent time on all the US Virgin Islands and most of the BVI. We are definitely seriously considering St. Croix as our retirement "dream" and are working hard to realize this dream very soon.

I know a business owner who left STC because of the crime.
FYI, Islander.

Then rock on! And, I hope you realize your retirement dream sooner than you'd expect! The Dow, Wilshire 5000, S&P500 and NASDAQ have all had huge run-ups from March of 02! We're in a stable and low interest rate environment; war's behind us, productivity, measured by companies' profitability or EPS, rose by approximately 14% this most recent quarter of earnings season,....almost everything's clicking along.

See you on the Big Virgin!