is anything in walking distance of cruise port

[sanger727]

We are taking a cruise which will dock in St. thomas in 2 weeks. We have a catamaran sail and snorkel to st john booked in the morning, which should return us to the ship around 12:30-1. We don't leave till 4.

 

I downloaded a walking map tour of nassau that leaves and returns to the cruiseport, is there anything like that to see around the port in st. thomas? I don't want to deal with a cab that late in the day, but if there's stuff to see just walking around there, I wouldn't want to return to the ship at 1. Any good lunch places close by?

 

Thanks

[O2B@Cagain]

The Epic should dock at Havensight (West Indian dock). There is a shopping area right there. You can also walk to town along the waterfront, or go to Yacht Haven Grande next door. Paradise Point tram is across the street. For lunch: Fat Turtle or Grande Cru at Yacht Haven Grande, Barefoot Buddah across the street from Havensight, or several places in town.

[Colorado Kat]

There is a good sushi place there, but I cannot remember the name. Sorry.

[blue_water]

You are fortunate to have a few hours at Havensight. As mentioned the Fat Turtle in YHG is a good spot for lunch, and there is plenty of shopping right there. Or can take the aerial tram up to Paradise Point and enjoy lunch and cocktails while admiring the view. The tram is within walking distance or you can taxi up. You can usually buy refundable tram tickets at your excursion desk if interested. The best deli on the island, Gourmet Gallery, is also in Havensight.

[O2B@Cagain]

There is a good sushi place there, but I cannot remember the name. Sorry.

 

Beni Iguana in Havensight.;)

[topcop]

We are taking a cruise which will dock in St. thomas in 2 weeks. We have a catamaran sail and snorkel to st john booked in the morning, which should return us to the ship around 12:30-1. We don't leave till 4.

 

I downloaded a walking map tour of nassau that leaves and returns to the cruiseport, is there anything like that to see around the port in st. thomas? I don't want to deal with a cab that late in the day, but if there's stuff to see just walking around there, I wouldn't want to return to the ship at 1. Any good lunch places close by?

 

Thanks

 

Just a note on your catamaran and snorkel to St. John. We booked that trip and as we left port we were only then informed that we could not go to St. John's because it was too rough. The Capt. (we nicknamed him Capt. Grab-dollar) informed us that he would take us to another "nice" beach. He took us to a cove and anchored. When asked where the beach was he pointed to a bunch of coral with perhaps a smidgen of sand and we would have to swim or take a dinghy there.

 

Several in our party could not swim and were expecting to lounge on a beach while the rest of us snorkeled. Well, I went in off the boat, the water was beautify but there were no fish. I saw maybe two small fish, but neither were anything special.

 

So just beware if he cannot take you to St. john because it is too rough.

[newlaxfan]

Just a note on your catamaran and snorkel to St. John. We booked that trip and as we left port we were only then informed that we could not go to St. John's because it was too rough. The Capt. (we nicknamed him Capt. Grab-dollar) informed us that he would take us to another "nice" beach. He took us to a cove and anchored.

 

Which tour company was this with?

[topcop]

Which tour company was this with?

 

Can't recall but it was bilked through the cruise line.

[blue_water]

Topcop any daysail to STJ (or any destination) can be affected by weather and sea conditions, and it's ridiculous to blame the captain for rough sea conditions that particular day.

The captain may also have to select alternate mooring spots because of heavy currents, and is going to do his best to find you the best spots for snorkeling for thst day. You may have been in Caneel Bay off Honeymoon Beach when you wanted to go to the beach as that's the main spot with that option. I can tell you that Honeymoon Beach was indeed just a thin stretch of beach when we snorkeled off the coast there in January and it was not worth taking the dink in. But we didn't give the operator a bad report because the seas didn't cooperate.

[CaribbeanCrazy]

I think topcop has a legitimate complaint. He paid to go to St John not Caneel Bay. Of course the weather isn't the captain's fault. But it is very disappointing to have your plans altered at the last minute. You should have a choice of whether you want to go or get your money back. Maybe he was just warning the OP so they know it is a possibility that it may happen to them. Most people look forward to their cruises for months. Taking the time to decide on what they would like to do in each port. Being anchored off a small beach like Honeymoon is nothing compared to going to St John.

Also this is a forum to inform other cruisers of your experience whether it is good or bad. You should be able to do this without being balled out or called ridiculous. He didn't even remember the name of the company so how did he give them a bad review?

[blue_water]

I think topcop has a legitimate complaint. He paid to go to St John not Caneel Bay. Of course the weather isn't the captain's fault. But it is very disappointing to have your plans altered at the last minute. You should have a choice of whether you want to go or get your money back. Maybe he was just warning the OP so they know it is a possibility that it may happen to them. Most people look forward to their cruises for months. Taking the time to decide on what they would like to do in each port. Being anchored off a small beach like Honeymoon is nothing compared to going to St John.

Also this is a forum to inform other cruisers of your experience whether it is good or bad. You should be able to do this without being balled out or called ridiculous. He didn't even remember the name of the company so how did he give them a bad review?

 

Sorry but don't agree, and a vague bad rep is bad for all ops. And there are no daysails I am aware of that go to beaches on STJ, they moor off the cays of STJ for the best snorkeling, and if sea conditions are favorable they will dink you into Honeymoon for 45 minutes of beach time if you're not a swimmer. If this was a cat going to a beach and not mooring as normal what ship is it and what beach do they normally beach at? Just curious. I would expect the operator to offer the choice of going or not too. But at that point I can't imagine backing out if it's not pouring.

Just vague information and sorry you didn't enjoy your day topcop.

Edited December 8, 2013 by blue_water

[O2B@Cagain]

A. Caneel Bay IS on St John.

B. "A catamaran sail and snorkel" describes a large number of tours. Topcop doesn't reveal the name of the boat or the captain.

C. Weather conditions always matter! This is why you need a plan B. When there are storms in the north Atlantic, swells can make sailing and beachgoing dangerous.

D. The captain holds the safety of the crew paramount.

[topcop]

Topcop any daysail to STJ (or any destination) can be affected by weather and sea conditions, and it's ridiculous to blame the captain for rough sea conditions that particular day.

The captain may also have to select alternate mooring spots because of heavy currents, and is going to do his best to find you the best spots for snorkeling for thst day. You may have been in Caneel Bay off Honeymoon Beach when you wanted to go to the beach as that's the main spot with that option. I can tell you that Honeymoon Beach was indeed just a thin stretch of beach when we snorkeled off the coast there in January and it was not worth taking the dink in. But we didn't give the operator a bad report because the seas didn't cooperate.

 

Where did I say i "blamed him" for the bad weather"?? We booked a day sail to St. John to a "NICE" beach where we could relax on the beach and/or snorkel. Some of us just wanted the beach, while other looked forward to some good snorkeling. We got neither. And the Captain and the description of the tour should have been clear about the alternatives. The alternate beach did not even come close to what we booked.

 

We got to anchor off a coral beach with really no place to spread out a blanket and relax. The small bit of sand would maybe accommodate 10 people. Unlike St. John's beaches where a non-swimmer can wade into the water and enjoy the surf, at this alternate site you had to be able to swim if you wanted to go into the water because of the drop off and there was no surf.

 

The other disappointment was this spot had terrible snorkeling. When I say a couple of silvery fish was all we saw, I am NOT exaggerating. We have snorkeled at St. John's before and have see many colorful fish.

 

So read my post again. I did not give the Captain a bad report because the seas didn't cooperate, of course he cannot control that. I informed the poster that alternate site may be nothing like he was expecting. AND, from posts on other forums some time back, I learned that rough seas are quite frequent and this alternate trip is NOT an infrequent occurrence.

[topcop]

I think topcop has a legitimate complaint. He paid to go to St John not Caneel Bay. Of course the weather isn't the captain's fault. But it is very disappointing to have your plans altered at the last minute. You should have a choice of whether you want to go or get your money back. Maybe he was just warning the OP so they know it is a possibility that it may happen to them. Most people look forward to their cruises for months. Taking the time to decide on what they would like to do in each port. Being anchored off a small beach like Honeymoon is nothing compared to going to St John.

Also this is a forum to inform other cruisers of your experience whether it is good or bad. You should be able to do this without being balled out or called ridiculous. He didn't even remember the name of the company so how did he give them a bad review?

 

Thank you CaribbeanCrazy...At least you understood my post and where I was coming from.

[sanger727]

Just a note on your catamaran and snorkel to St. John. We booked that trip and as we left port we were only then informed that we could not go to St. John's because it was too rough. The Capt. (we nicknamed him Capt. Grab-dollar) informed us that he would take us to another "nice" beach. He took us to a cove and anchored. When asked where the beach was he pointed to a bunch of coral with perhaps a smidgen of sand and we would have to swim or take a dinghy there.

 

Several in our party could not swim and were expecting to lounge on a beach while the rest of us snorkeled. Well, I went in off the boat, the water was beautify but there were no fish. I saw maybe two small fish, but neither were anything special.

 

So just beware if he cannot take you to St. john because it is too rough.

 

 

Thanks for the info on both sides of this issue. This is something that concerns me, if the catamaran can't take us to St. John, I'd prefer to cancel the excursion altogether. What should I look for to anticipate if the sea may be too tough? Was it stormy, windy, etc.? Right now forecast of the day we'll be there is party cloudy, 81, and winds 18 mph. If there was a way to know ahead of time that it would be too rough, we'll cancel onboard and make alternate plans

[blue_water]

Sanger there is no way of really knowing, generally you can expect these swell conditions during the hurricane season, especially Sept - Nov, and when rough seas are forecast due to storm at sea. So you could monitor any activity that may affect the USVI during that time before you leave.

 

These excursions usually include a mooring in Caneel Bay or another bay, and if sea conditions allow you can dink into Honeymoon Beach or another beach for 45 minutes or so while others snorkel. topcop I'm gathering from your description the seas were just too high to use the beach as most of the beach was underwater.

We had that same experience last January, but we researched these excursions and so were not surprised when we saw the beaches were not an option. We survived a very nasty pelting of wind and rain in transit from Sapphire Marina to Caneel and had to hold on to whatever we could to prevent being swept off the deck. When we arrived it was obvious the sea was too rough and the beach was mostly covered in water. And since we're not big snorkelers we were also disappointed that the beach was not an option. But the rest of the day was nice even with no beach and we were lucky there. So I do understand how disappointing that can be and it's good for folks to understand that.

Unfortunately when on a cruise, by the time you are at the boat even if a refund is offered you don't have another good alternative so you make the most of it. Maybe this operator wasn't as up-front as he should have been with you, I don't know. But hopefully next visit you'll have a better experience.