cessnabmw

We are sailing in a few weeks from SJU.

We don't leave until 10pm.

What is the earliest time we can board?

Would the water slides, etc be open for us to use on the first day there?

Would Guys Burgers, etc be open for lunch?

Thanks!

Finalizing our self drive on the island.

What beaches are the best to see?

If you are skipping Cruzan that gives you more time to cruise around so yeah I can help with that. Up by Rainbow Beach you will see a road sign for Mahogany Road, I suggest you take a little drive up into the rainforest on Mahogany and check out all the indigenous flora and fauna. Watch the trees and you will see iguanas and tropical birds hanging out.

 

If you want to see one of the hidden beach gems of the Caribbean you can continue past Rainbow Beach on Hams Bluff Road (the main west-end road) headed north until you hit Butler Bay. Home to some of the coolest shipwrecks in the world for divers and great snorkeling and beach for everyone else. I think you will enjoy it.

Hi Drake!

We are finalizing our plans and need help.

Please can you map out a route for us to drive?

Also - where would it be best to buy local rum from? At a good price...

Thank you. I'll check it out. We need 4 seats. 2 adults and 2 kids aged 9 and 10.

 

Has anyone done the bio bay with kids? Worth it?

Anyone?

Will you be in Fajardo? If so, you could try Bio Island.

 

http://bioislandpr.com/service_excursion.html

 

If you want a pontoon boat instead of kayak, these people were excellent last year. I checked for you, and there are just two seats left at 8:30 on Dec. 8th.

 

Googling Fajardo bio bay tours will get you a list of vendors, most of which will be kayak tours. Just make sure that you're looking at the right location. There are more than one bio bay.

Thank you. I'll check it out. We need 4 seats. 2 adults and 2 kids aged 9 and 10.

Has anyone done the bio bay with kids? Worth it?

Thanks for the tips!

If you were to only visit one or two beaches, which ones would you go to?

I tried to map it myself but it's hard to do on my phone :)

I'll try again later on my laptop.

 

To start with you need to strike Sandy Point from your list as it is closed during the week and you come in on a Tuesday.

Christiansted is great for shopping and dining when you have a rental car.

Point Udall has been a common request lately, just remember it's over an hour drive just to get there from the pier and an hour + to get back. Important to keep that in mind when your ship leaves at 4pm.

Cruzan Rum is always a great choice to spend some time. I don't know that they have a minimum age for the tour but I would never recommend you take children along. It is an industrial setting with metal stairs and sharp edges. Someone could always stay in the visitor center with the kids while the rest of you do the tour.

Rainbow Beach is always too crowded for me on ship days but if that's where you want to be it is a wonderful place with great amenities.

 

How I would do it is this:

Pick up the car by the pier and head for Point Udall, spend a few minutes at the monument and enjoy the view. Head back west into Christiansted for shopping and sightseeing. You may enjoy the Purple Papaya for souvenirs and Angry Nates for food. Head west on the highway until you turn into Cruzan to enjoy the tour. After that head west on Centerline road and enjoy the scenery. (Alternately you can take Centerline all the way from Christiansted if you want the more scenic route). Centerline will run you back into Frederiksted where you may want to do some more sightseeing and eating before you head to the beach. North of town you'll find Rhythms at Rainbow Beach where you should end your day with a lovely cocktail on the beach.

 

I have plenty of other recommendations but I think that is an incredibly active itinerary for one day here so I won't add any other stops.

 

None of the places on your proposed route include dangerous places so I would not worry. The only caution I have for you is not to leave your car unattended with valuables in it (another reason to go there first) at Point Udall.

 

I'll try to work on that map later, hope this helps!

Thank you so much for your help!

I think we will skip Cruzan as we don't want to take the kids there.

As for beaches, what other beaches aside from Rainbow would you suggest since we will have a car?

Also, would it make sense to drive around the island rather than only on the main centerline road?

I'm not Drake, but I can tell you that Sandy Point is only open on weekends, and Dec 15th is a Tuesday.

Thanks!! Really appreciate the info.

Can you still access the beach at Sandy Point or is just the conservation area closed?

Should we just skip this stop or?

hello fellow cruiser,

I don't know the answer to you question sorry. But i have one of my own for you. How much approximately was the rental car for the day? And how far from the port is the rental car company? We are trying to find something to do for myself and husband and there doesn't seem to be many tours just to tour the island without seeing one of the rum factories.

(We have tour more than one and don't need or want to see another)

Glad to help.

I booked with https://budgetstcroix.com/

They have an office at the cruise port. I have it booked for approx $43.

We are planning on renting a car in St. Thomas and doing a drive around teh island.

We are thinking of taking this route. Has anyone done this? Is it do-able? Are any of the stops not worth it? Are there any we must see/do?

Would appreciate any help!

Thanks!

Has anyone done a self drive tour of the island?

What driving route would you take and what stops would you recommend?

I would like to map these out on Google maps in order or sequence and print out some maps and all for the day.

Would really appreciate your help!

Thanks!

Hi Drake,

Need some help from you please. We will be in St. Croix on Dec 15th and have a booked a car rental with Budget.

We would like to do some sightseeing and you had had mentioned in another thread to stay away from a few areas. Which areas are these?

Sandy Point

Christiansted

Point Udall

Cruzan Rum (maybe- do they charge for kids?)

Rainbow Beach

What driving route and what order of the above should be take? Where else would you recommend us visit?

I would like to map these out on Google maps in order or sequence and print out some maps and all for the day.

Would really appreciate your help!

Thanks!

Looking to do the Bio Bay late evening on Dec 8th.

I have tried http://www.kayakingpuertorico.com/ but they are full.

Have anyone used any other Tour Operator that they would recommend?

Thanks!

We'll be there Dec 13th as well!!

Want to rent a car and drive around. Are there no car rentals locations near the cruise port?

Thanks for the map. We'll be there in December. What did you do?

Also, the link you gave doesn't have Martinique in it...

We are booked on the 10 day journeys cruise in December.

How many formal nights should we expect and what else would be different from a regular cruise?

Thanks again everyone! I'm glad you are enjoying it so far. If you have any questions, just ask. This was the whole reason I did the review. I felt I had too many questions that I could not find answers to online, especially when it comes to the specialty restaurants.

 

 

 

 

Hmmmm, to me it was worth the $15. Matt enjoyed it a lot more than I did. It was my least favorite amongst the three specialty resteranuts. If I had to pay for a whole family to go I would pass but for just $15 a person, I'm fine with it. The best part, even more than the food, was the peace and quiet. I find the dining room so busy and loud.

 

 

 

 

The $15 covers the bread, apps, entrees and desserts. One of each per person.

 

I don't think each person is allowed to order more than one. We didn't try to here, but at Ji Ji we ordered some extra's and had to pay. I'll go into detail about that later in the review.

 

I'm not sure how it would work family-style as just two people going made it kind of weird. Like I said, I had just one big piece of chicken and there were only three peieces of broccoli. I would imagine they give you more food if a large family went but I'm uncertain how it would work.

 

The $15 does include a tip but you are given the option on the receipt to add more if you wish.

 

 

 

By far, I would chose the Sunrise restaurant. It's two stories and features two large sun chandlers. It's very bright and airy. The Sunset is one floor with low ceilings and dark colors.

 

There are great views if you eat in the Sunrise Restaurant overlooking the wake of the ship.

Thanks!! Will send an email to the maitre'd.

Once again, awesome review!

A couple of questions:

1. If we were to chose early dining (family of 4), which dining room is nicer? Sunshine or Sunset? We would prefer a table or booth for 4 with a view if possible.

2. The Taste Bar - is this for an extra fee?

Anyone?

Boy I'm getting tired of answering questions like this, they make me sad.

Here's the deal, are you planning to buy any drugs while you are here? Perhaps an illegal firearm? Are you currently feuding with a rival gang in the housing projects?

I'm guessing none of the above apply to anyone on these forums, which means you will be absolutely FINE here!

We have gangs, drugs, and violence, like any other major american city. Avoid the areas where these things happen and you are perfectly safe!

I don't even lock the doors on my house, hell I don't even have a lock on my gate, that's how safe St. Croix is if you stay away from the projects.

 

Please come enjoy your visit and quit worrying about bogeymen in the news.

Thanks! We have booked a car rental and plan to drive around.

Please can you tell me exactly what areas to avoid?

Wondering the same.. We have a stop in Dec, buy curious to know if it will be cancelled.

Is St. Croix safe after all the violence reports in the news? Anyone been recently?

We're planning to rent a car and tour the island, but having second thoughts.

Awesome pics and review! Thanks for sharing!

We are going on the Sunshine this Dec on a 10 night Journeys cruise. Looking forward to it and your review helps a lot!

Looking to rent a car for the day and tour the island on our own.

Any suggestions on who to rent from?

Which companies have offices / rentals near the cruise port?

Thanks!

When renting a car in St. Thomas, which location does Carnival dock at and what companies have car rentals at the cruise port?

Thanks!