ORGANISE YOUR CRUISE
First of all, you must have a valid passport with a minimum validity of 6 months.
To date, if you are vaccinated for COVID 19 you can enter all the islands. However, you will have to register beforehand on the governmental websites to ask for the entry authorization.
You will be visiting independent micro-states that are very proud to be so. Consequently, they are also very formal and rigorous. Respect the navigation rules and make sure you clear your entry/exit for each territory. Your safety is at stake. We will know that you have been there. The French Operational Rescue Centre (CROSSAG here - VHF 16) covers the whole of the Antilles-Guyana zone.
It is essential to do your shopping in Martinique (you will find few things in foreign islands, and at prices!). This sometimes requires patience, especially when you have just landed...
You will often arrive on a Saturday, which is also a shopping day for people who work here. The products are not always the same, we often have to look in several supermarkets to cook the small dish as we like it ... we are used to it!
And for those who love to cook, it is often confusing to not find an essential product for a recipe. I'll pass on the necessary patience, you are no doubt used to other rhythms.
The cashiers know almost everyone. It's cool ... they often have a kind word for everyone. But you dream of making the most of your holiday ... of taking a dip in the 28° sea ... of settling into the cockpit of the proud ship that awaits you ... and, finally! of savouring that inimitable ti-punch!
However, you have to get your shopping for everyone to the port and then to the boat. This you have to do for the whole holiday ... on the pontoons, then on board, and put them away ... which is not necessarily part of a holiday programme!
Be informed: your shopping will cost more than in mainland France. And for good reason: loading the containers carefully without wasting space, transporting them to the ports of departure, then loading them onto a boat, and once there unloading them, dispatching them... this has a cost! Increases in the order of 60 to 90% are possible.
Availability of certain products. Because of these imports from the mainland, you can't necessarily find everything you want. From one week to the next, some products may have disappeared from the shelves. For e left hungry. This is especially true for fresh or short-lived products such as cheese and sausages. Or what arrives by cargo plane.
Prices vary from one week to the next. It is not surprising if a product is increased by 10% from one week to the next. This is also the law of supply and demand. The price of fuel oil my Captain....
Out of stock. This is also a frequent occurrence. Especially during the holiday season or when there are large numbers of tourists. It is even possible that half of a shelf is empty. The port can be blocked for a few days by strikers, the climate in the metropolis is also a hazard to be taken into account... Not to mention the bad sea conditions on the Atlantic. When the mainland catches a cold, Martinique coughs...
Beware of expiry dates. You'll soon realise that here the dates don't go very far, especially when it's fresh food. And even worse, in the shelves you often find expired products! I regularly come across cheese whose use-by date has passed by one day. No matter how vigilant we are, we still manage to get caught out....
Finally, we know the system, and we manage! That's why we spend most of our time looking for what suits you best. As we love to cook, we love to please you!
And, as provisioning is our vocation, we devote all our care to an adequate supply on board, saving you the delivery and unpacking of numerous bags ... The freshness is in the fridge, the cold beer is just waiting for you ... and the ordeal of the supermarkets or the drive is forgotten!
And our online order list does not exclude your special orders: if it's in Martinique, we'll find it!
A well organised cruise and your holiday is a successfull!