By Cruise Liner To TobagoTobago has a Cruise Ship Complex, as it is called, at the port of Scarborough. Most of these voyages originate in Miami, and most dock at Scarborough, with a few going to Charlotteville..
The season runs from November to April. Some ships do call at other times. They find Tobago favourable because it lies south of the normal hurricane activity. The last really big hurricane event was hurricane Flora in 1962, although there has been minor activity since.
As a rule, cruise ships travel at night and dock in the day. So their passengers the opportunity to explore Tobago for one day. When visitors come down the jetty, they are met by tour operators wanting to take them to various places.
Whatever they do see, it could hardly give them more than a glimpse of Tobago and its people. Many opt to do an on-foot tour on their own. I suspect that many of these self-guided tourists are disappointed. Scarborough itself is a small "seaport community", not even a town - a "seaport community", as one old teacher called it .
There are a good many shops and stores, but few catering to the tourist. There is the market, which I suppose is exotic in its own right. Sufficient to encourage some picture taking. But on the Esplanade, the road that runs west from the port, Government has build some 23 booths. These are so Tobago will have an outlet for some shops and for craftsmen who cater to the tourist trade. Plans are for the market to be eventually moved.
But all the development in Tobago now tends to go elsewhere - but mostly to the western end of the island.
For all that it may yet be possible to do a round-the-island tour in the one day, given an early start and the right tour guide.
We recently saw a whole fleet of cyclists, including some children, going back to their ship before it sailed. So there's an idea that's workable. Bring your bicycle on your cruise. If you are in good shape you can see much more than when on foot. Don't forget your helmet. If you are in really, really top condition, you can go around the island.
Ocean liners put in at Charlotteville too, and there is an Immigration and Customs station there.
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Some of the cruise ships that call here are truly huge. They dwarf the "Complex". The Ocean Majesty carries just 613, but the Ocean Village has a capacity of 1800. Ocean Dream calls with about 1150.
Keys for them were only recently handed to the booth occupants. They have been put on notice that the booths must be properly maintained. They were also told that there cannot be two standards - one for locals and another for tourists.
Not so long ago large boats had to anchor out in the stream and bring their passengers ashore by tender. The harbour has now been dredged and the jetty extended. Ocean liners can now come alongside. Visitors step off onto the jetty. The improvements are all for the good.
