🇱🇨 St. Lucia · cruise port guide
What currency does Castries use?
Currency
East Caribbean Dollar
XCD · EC$
Fixed rate per $1 USD
2.7 XCD
EC$54 ≈ $20
📌 Pegged to the US dollar — this rate never changes
US dollars?
USD widely accepted
Time zone
America/St_Lucia (AST)
Always confirm ship time before leaving the pier
St. Lucia uses the East Caribbean dollar, shared by eight island nations and pegged at EC$2.70 per USD since 1976. Cruise-facing businesses in Castries take USD readily; markets and buses run on EC.
Money tips for your Castries port day
- Quick math: EC price ÷ 2.7 ≈ USD, or knock off ⅔.
- The same EC$ works at other stops like Antigua, St. Kitts and Grenada.
- Agree taxi fares (and the currency!) before the ride.
Convert prices without port Wi-Fi
Port stalls quote in east caribbean dollars, your budget thinks in dollars, and there's no data signal to Google it. The ShipTime app caches exchange rates before you sail and converts XCD → USD offline, right at the stall — and logs purchases against your US customs allowance while you shop.
Free download · works 100% offline
Take Castries offline
Ship-time clock on your lock screen, gangway alarms that fire with zero signal, duty-free tracking and offline currency conversion. Built for port days.