St Vincent - Pirates of the Caribbean Filming Locations

Are you a film lover? Then St Vincent has been waiting for you. Sail straight into the harbour where the Black Pearl once sat at anchor - Wallilabou Bay, the real location behind Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, where the dock built for the production still stands. It is not a recreation. It is not a theme park. It is a real bay on a real island, and it looks as breathtaking as it did on screen. Because it always did.

WALLILABOU BAY - PORT ROYAL

"A sinking boat. A man standing at the mast as it goes under, stepping onto the dock at the last moment with perfect composure. Port Royal - the pirate capital of the Caribbean."

That opening sequence was filmed in Wallilabou Bay on the western coast of St Vincent. The dock built for the production still stands. The anchor chains are there. The bay - sheltered, dramatically framed by volcanic hills, the water a particular shade of green-blue that no production designer could have manufactured better — was chosen because it had what most of the Caribbean no longer offers: a harbour that looked like the seventeenth century from the right angle, with deep water, the right light and no modern development to erase.

Wallilabou Bay is reached by road from Kingstown - approximately 45 minutes along the western coast, past the black-sand beaches of the windward side. Local guides know which part of the dock corresponds to which sequence. If you do not want to know, the bay is worth the journey anyway.

KINGSTOWN - THE PORT ROYAL STREETS

Several of the town and market scenes in The Curse of the Black Pearl were filmed in and around Kingstown, St Vincent's compact capital. The streets, the archways, the covered market areas provided the period character a Caribbean port needed without the anachronism of modern development catching in the frame. Kingstown has not changed dramatically since filming. Walking through it with the scenes in mind, specific corners and doorways come back.

The Friday morning fish market by the waterfront is worth arriving early for — not for the film connection, simply because it is one of the most vivid things you can experience in a Caribbean port town on a weekday morning.

It was the best holiday that I have had…

It was the best holiday that I have had in many years. Trying to define the part that we enjoyed the most is very difficult as we enjoyed so many different experiences. The bars were an excellent as we met other people and had lovely chats. Then there were the craft groups, the choir and theatre all enormous fun and entertaining. I hardly dare mention the food, superb is not enough.
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BEYOND THE FILMS

St Vincent did not need Pirates of the Caribbean to be worth visiting. The Grenadines - Bequia, Mustique, the Tobago Cays - stretch away to the south in a chain of islands that represent the most unspoiled stretch of water in the Eastern Caribbean. The Botanic Gardens in Kingstown hold a breadfruit tree descended from the specimens brought by Captain Bligh of the Bounty in 1793. Fort Charlotte, on the ridge above the harbour, has cannons that point inland rather than out to sea - because the threat its builders feared most came from within.

St Vincent is, as it turns out, the kind of island that generates stories whether a film crew is present or not.

THE ITINERARY GOES FURTHER

The Pirates of the Caribbean story does not end with St Vincent. Dead Man's Chest filmed its jungle sequences in Dominica - the most volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean, two days at sea from Kingstown on the same Ambassador voyage. And Guadeloupe has been the world of Death in Paradise since 2011.

No other Caribbean cruise itinerary visits all three filming islands, giving you the chance to experience some of the Caribbean's most recognisable filming locations.

What a great cruise

Everything about this cruise was amazing. The staff were so friendly and couldn’t do enough for us. Entertainment was brilliant and plenty to do on sea days. This was our 4th cruise on Ambience and will definitely book another in the future. Tilbury is a great location for us to travel to

– Verified Guest Review, Trustpilot

EXPLORE THE REAL ST VINCENT

Here is the thing about St Vincent - it would have been worth visiting long before any film crew ever arrived. Volcanic, lush, layered with stories going back centuries, with the Grenadines shimmering away to the south in every shade of turquoise the Caribbean can produce. Pirates of the Caribbean simply found it before most people did.

Sailing into Kingstown harbour with Ambassador, you arrive the way the films always intended: by sea, at the right angle, with nothing between you and an island that has been Port Royal, that carries a breadfruit tree from Captain Bligh's Bounty voyage, and that looks out southward over some of the most beautiful water in the world. The Black Pearl sailed here. Now you can too.

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WHY CRUISE WITH AMBASSADOR

Discover the real St Vincent with Ambassador. Sailing from UK ports with welcoming service, comfortable smaller ships and a wide range of destination experiences, it’s easy to experience the history, culture and natural beauty that make every Caribbean destination unforgettable.

For more destination guides, travel tips and must-see locations, be sure to read the articles on our blog.