There is a casino in Rodney Bay, the whole place feels like dutch st martin. The Rodney Bay website says this is where people can enjoy the St. Lucia vibe...in a casino?
while i may stand corrected on the cruise ships, though you can see one in this photo: http://www.cruisetimetables.com/cruises-to-rodney-bay-st-lucia.html, its the same vibe as st thomas, with tourist curio shops and average diners. This is not the true caribbean, its the cruise ship mentality.
i just dont think that hotels parked next to each other surrounded by apt buildings and stores is what cruisers want to see. What i meant by ghettos is that, like any bustling overcrowded caribbean port, there are pockets of low income and not well kept areas (read: unsafe)
I was last there in 2008 and wont go back. Bring on Les Canaries (see my article in All at Sea, August 2011) Soufriere and the Pitons!
But back to the point of this thread, there is crime everywhere and to expect other is an oversight. My dad used to put tacks on deck at night so any invaders would scream an alert since most caribbean thiefs are barefoot!
Regarding firearms, if you carry them, you must give them to the local police for safekeeping never to get them back, but if you dont report them and they find them, you can lose your vessel. Seems like the reason you have them is to protect yourself while in port so this is so [censored] backwards you have to decide for yourself the risks involved.
You lock your doors at home when you go to bed, so do the same on the boat and you should be ok.
Seth and Maria and Steve, the first beer is on me if you visit my bar here in Prince Rupert Bay, The Peanut Farm Bar & Grill, see pics on Facebook page and like it!
Peace to all!