Cruise lines warn passengers about Coki Point shooting
Published: July 15, 2010
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ST. THOMAS — All of the cruise lines that call on St. Thomas during the summer months have suspended their shore excursions to Coki Point, and passengers on the two ships that called on St. Thomas on Wednesday were warned about the shooting at the popular tourist destination.
Monday’s killing of 14-year-old Liz Marie Pérez Chaparro, who was visiting the island aboard Carnival Victory, is front-page news on cruise blogs. When Norwegian Cruise Line’s 4,100-passenger megaship Epic made its inaugural call on St. Thomas Wednesday, passengers were warned of the incident.
“We advised our guests planning to go ashore on their own to exercise caution,” Norwegian public relations manager Courtney Recht said.
Passengers on Celebrity Cruises’ Solstice also were warned to steer clear of the area Wednesday.
“We do not have any shore excursions to Coki Point beach,” Cynthia Martinez, spokeswoman for Celebrity’s parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., said in a statement. “However, in an abundance of caution, we have cancelled the ‘Coral Land and Coral Sea’ shore excursion, which passes through the area where the incident took place. We also suggest that guests who planned activities in St. Thomas independently avoid Coki Point Beach and the Coral World area.”
Martinez said that Royal Caribbean is offering full refunds to guests who booked other St. Thomas shore excursions through Celebrity Cruises, in light of Monday’s shooting.
Princess Cruises’ Emerald Princess and Caribbean Princess, set to call on St. Thomas on Thursday and Friday, will not host shore excursions to Coki Point. Princess did not return inquiries by presstime as to whether visitors would also be advised to avoid the area.
Local resorts have had a more measured response to the incident.
“What we’re telling our guests is that the V.I. Police Department and the Department of Tourism has advised us that the perpetrators of the incident have been caught, and Coki Point is open to business for visitors and beachgoers to enjoy,” Wyndham Sugar Bay Guest Service Manager Rick Carrington said.
Ritz-Carlton General Manager Marc Langevin and Bolongo Bay owner Richard Doumeng both said they encourage guests to visit Coral World, but do not suggest Coki Point.
“I hope that we can make an effort to separate Coral World from the mix,” Doumeng said. “Coral World is not really in the same sentence as Coki Point, just in the same geographic location.”
Langevin said that, even before Monday’s shooting, the Ritz-Carlton did not suggest Coki Point to its guests, because of the beach’s reputation.
“It’s just not a place of choice for us to send our customers,” he said, but added that “we always send our customers to Coral World, and we have never had any issue over there.”
