Ideas for st. Thomas

[Arwen]

Hubby and I will be leaving in less than two months for a B2B Caribbean cruise on the Eurodam.

 

I have all of our activities/excursions lined up, except for St. Thomas.

 

Hubby is physically limited...He can walk short distances, and most of the shorex for St. Thomas are for the physically active. We were interested in one shorex (rated 'one man') that is a bus/jeep ride around the island. However, I have read the reviews of this excursion on HAL's website and one person commented that unless you are the correct side of the bus, that photo taking opportunities are very limited and is highly disappointing..

 

I have checked Roll Call and it is not very active for this cruise. Anyone have ideas for an independent 'tour' of the island? We would love to hire a reliable taxi/tour guide for three to four hours. Hubby is an amateur photographer and videographer and we both have read that St. Thomas is particularly beautiful.

 

If any CC'ers can recommend a tour company in St. Thomas, please let me know. We do not mind spending the extra cash for this opportunity, but just want a guide/company that is reliable and with a good reputation.

 

Thanks!!!

Arwen

[CruiserBruce]

Have you looked on the St Thomas board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

[rain_bowbrite]

Hubby and I will be leaving in less than two months for a B2B Caribbean cruise on the Eurodam.

 

I have all of our activities/excursions lined up, except for St. Thomas.

 

Hubby is physically limited...He can walk short distances, and most of the shorex for St. Thomas are for the physically active. We were interested in one shorex (rated 'one man') that is a bus/jeep ride around the island. However, I have read the reviews of this excursion on HAL's website and one person commented that unless you are the correct side of the bus, that photo taking opportunities are very limited and is highly disappointing..

 

I have checked Roll Call and it is not very active for this cruise. Anyone have ideas for an independent 'tour' of the island? We would love to hire a reliable taxi/tour guide for three to four hours. Hubby is an amateur photographer and videographer and we both have read that St. Thomas is particularly beautiful.

 

If any CC'ers can recommend a tour company in St. Thomas, please let me know. We do not mind spending the extra cash for this opportunity, but just want a guide/company that is reliable and with a good reputation.

 

Thanks!!!

Arwen

 

 

Hi Arwin,

 

St. Thomas is beautiful and one of my favorite islands visited so far. Have you tried asking this question on the St. Thomas/St. John board?

 

I've used a company in the past called Air Force One that serviced St. Maarten as well as St. Thomas, but I think they may not be in business anymore? Maybe someone else will know? It's very easy to find a taxi willing to do a tour of the island on St. Thomas, at least that was our experience with my mom who isn't very mobile.

 

Another option is the St.John National Park Island tour, if it is offered as a shore excursion on your cruise. It's $64 a person and would be totally worth it. St. Thomas is beautiful, but St. John is breathtaking. The tour does allow a short amount of shopping time before it departs Cruz Bay on St. John, but that area has lots of shade, places to sit and have a refresher, and it's beautiful, many great photo ops there!

 

That's my two cents. Definitely check out the St. Thomas boards as well. :)

[richwmn]

Hubby and I will be leaving in less than two months for a B2B Caribbean cruise on the Eurodam.

 

I have all of our activities/excursions lined up, except for St. Thomas.

 

Hubby is physically limited...He can walk short distances, and most of the shorex for St. Thomas are for the physically active. We were interested in one shorex (rated 'one man') that is a bus/jeep ride around the island. However, I have read the reviews of this excursion on HAL's website and one person commented that unless you are the correct side of the bus, that photo taking opportunities are very limited and is highly disappointing..

 

I have checked Roll Call and it is not very active for this cruise. Anyone have ideas for an independent 'tour' of the island? We would love to hire a reliable taxi/tour guide for three to four hours. Hubby is an amateur photographer and videographer and we both have read that St. Thomas is particularly beautiful.

 

If any CC'ers can recommend a tour company in St. Thomas, please let me know. We do not mind spending the extra cash for this opportunity, but just want a guide/company that is reliable and with a good reputation.

 

Thanks!!!

Arwen

 

I am just back from St Thomas on the Eurodam. It was a great cruise. In St. Thomas I have a cab driver that takes me around and has for many years. If you want more info, send me a message at rich@wa70.com. Use St. Thomas in the subject line to remind me to look at it.

 

Rich

[mamaofami]

We usually get picked up by friends there, but once when we didn't, we just walked outside the port and grabbed a taxi to Magen's Bay. It's a beautiful beach with full service restaurant, beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. Just watch your time in St. Thomas and be sure you leave enough time to get back to the ship. There are usually multi ships in port at once.

 

I would call Rich's taxi driver.

[Arwen]

Have you looked on the St Thomas board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=133

 

Thank you for the link...Just checked it out and will post my question there, too.

[Arwen]

I am just back from St Thomas on the Eurodam. It was a great cruise. In St. Thomas I have a cab driver that takes me around and has for many years. If you want more info, send me a message at rich@wa70.com. Use St. Thomas in the subject line to remind me to look at it.

 

Rich

 

Hi Rich...thank you for your advice! I will be sending you an e-mail right now. I am definitely interested in a reliable taxi and guide for the tour!

 

Arwen

[Thebes]

Hi Arwin,

 

St. Thomas is beautiful and one of my favorite islands visited so far. Have you tried asking this question on the St. Thomas/St. John board?

 

I've used a company in the past called Air Force One that serviced St. Maarten as well as St. Thomas, but I think they may not be in business anymore? Maybe someone else will know? It's very easy to find a taxi willing to do a tour of the island on St. Thomas, at least that was our experience with my mom who isn't very mobile.

 

Another option is the St.John National Park Island tour, if it is offered as a shore excursion on your cruise. It's $64 a person and would be totally worth it. St. Thomas is beautiful, but St. John is breathtaking. The tour does allow a short amount of shopping time before it departs Cruz Bay on St. John, but that area has lots of shade, places to sit and have a refresher, and it's beautiful, many great photo ops there!

 

That's my two cents. Definitely check out the St. Thomas boards as well. :)

 

Does this excursion have enough time to see st.john ? Have u done it ?

[rain_bowbrite]

Does this excursion have enough time to see st.john ? Have u done it ?

 

Hi Thebes,

 

No, I haven't done this specific tour. I recommended it to the OP as an option based on the type experience she mentioned looking for, with many photo ops for her husband, not a lot of walking, and getting to see the island and its sights.

 

To answer your other question, St. John is not a huge island and pretty much the entire island is the National Park and there aren't a ton of main roads. So yes, based on the description and reviews I read of this tour, I believe you would get to see St. John if getting an overview of the island and seeing the main tourist sights is what you are interested in. Cruz Bay, where ferry docks, is the main town there, it's not very big and you'd have plenty of time to explore it all. Also, just the ferry ride over there is beautiful.

 

I love to snorkel and have taken the Redhook ferry to St. John (Trunk Bay) for snorkeling from St. Thomas a couple of times, but on my own not though the cruise line. Which is another reason I recommend that tour, or the other St. John tour through HAL is a great price. The cost of a cab to Redhook, then the ferry charge to get to St' John, then the taxi fee to Trunk Bay, then the entrance fee to get in, it ends up being around the same price as through the cruise line. And the second time I did this I opted to use the bus system to get to the ferry on St. Thomas and we almost missed the ship coming back. Talk about being scared into never doing that again!!

 

Hope that is helpful. :)

[JulieRose]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147405-d1475074-Reviews-Doubloon_Pirate_Ships-Charlotte_Amalie_St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

 

This is the best shore excursion we have ever been on. They sail you out to a snorkeling spot where you can see sea turtles. They play music and serve drinks/ chips & salsa on the way out and back. Some people didn't even leave the boat and still had a blast. The crew was AMAZING. It skewed a little younger (30s/40s) but the only child was about 12 and there were 2 couples that I would wager were in their 80s. Everyone, even those who sat out on the snorkeling, seemed to have a good time.

[Arwen]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147405-d1475074-Reviews-Doubloon_Pirate_Ships-Charlotte_Amalie_St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

 

This is the best shore excursion we have ever been on. They sail you out to a snorkeling spot where you can see sea turtles. They play music and serve drinks/ chips & salsa on the way out and back. Some people didn't even leave the boat and still had a blast. The crew was AMAZING. It skewed a little younger (30s/40s) but the only child was about 12 and there were 2 couples that I would wager were in their 80s. Everyone, even those who sat out on the snorkeling, seemed to have a good time.

 

Thanks Julie! I will look into this. Hubby used to snorkel, but not now...and though I swim (in a pool only :-)...), I have never done snorkeling.

 

But, if we could still have fun out on a sail and see the sea turtles that would be awesome. I do need to decide what to choose in the next day or two...as we are getting closer to our cruise (well about six weeks out).

[rain_bowbrite]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147405-d1475074-Reviews-Doubloon_Pirate_Ships-Charlotte_Amalie_St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

 

This is the best shore excursion we have ever been on. They sail you out to a snorkeling spot where you can see sea turtles. They play music and serve drinks/ chips & salsa on the way out and back. Some people didn't even leave the boat and still had a blast. The crew was AMAZING. It skewed a little younger (30s/40s) but the only child was about 12 and there were 2 couples that I would wager were in their 80s. Everyone, even those who sat out on the snorkeling, seemed to have a good time.

 

Hi Julie,

 

Thanks for sharing the tour. I looked at the link and it doesn't appear to be offered on HAL, only the lines that dock at the Havensight pier, HAL docks at Crown Bay. :( It looks awesome though.

 

There is only one other ship in port with us in St. Thomas during our upcoming Dec. 16th Noordam cruise and I think we are just going to cab it Coki Beach and spend the day snorkeling there, we have our own gear. Should be a nice day and not too busy. :D

[Thebes]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147405-d1475074-Reviews-Doubloon_Pirate_Ships-Charlotte_Amalie_St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

 

This is the best shore excursion we have ever been on. They sail you out to a snorkeling spot where you can see sea turtles. They play music and serve drinks/ chips & salsa on the way out and back. Some people didn't even leave the boat and still had a blast. The crew was AMAZING. It skewed a little younger (30s/40s) but the only child was about 12 and there were 2 couples that I would wager were in their 80s. Everyone, even those who sat out on the snorkeling, seemed to have a good time.

 

Hi Julie,

Is this the St. John national park excursion or the st.john trunk bay beach excursion you're talking about ? There are 2.

[Thebes]

Hi Thebes,

 

No, I haven't done this specific tour. I recommended it to the OP as an option based on the type experience she mentioned looking for, with many photo ops for her husband, not a lot of walking, and getting to see the island and its sights.

 

To answer your other question, St. John is not a huge island and pretty much the entire island is the National Park and there aren't a ton of main roads. So yes, based on the description and reviews I read of this tour, I believe you would get to see St. John if getting an overview of the island and seeing the main tourist sights is what you are interested in. Cruz Bay, where ferry docks, is the main town there, it's not very big and you'd have plenty of time to explore it all. Also, just the ferry ride over there is beautiful.

 

I love to snorkel and have taken the Redhook ferry to St. John (Trunk Bay) for snorkeling from St. Thomas a couple of times, but on my own not though the cruise line. Which is another reason I recommend that tour, or the other St. John tour through HAL is a great price. The cost of a cab to Redhook, then the ferry charge to get to St' John, then the taxi fee to Trunk Bay, then the entrance fee to get in, it ends up being around the same price as through the cruise line. And the second time I did this I opted to use the bus system to get to the ferry on St. Thomas and we almost missed the ship coming back. Talk about being scared into never doing that again!!

 

Hope that is helpful. :)

 

Thanks you so much. This does help :):)

I have heard from another poster here as well ( Kazu) that the cost of this ship shorex is a dollar more than doing it independently and it is not worth the hassle with ferries and buses and maybe taxis. I could understand how scary it is to miss the ship.

 

My last question before I book is that you referred to the " other excur". Did u mean the trunk bay beach tour for $79.95 ? I'm not sure which one to choose and I'm not a snorkeler but my wife is and the diff in cost is negligible. Have u heard anything about this one to trunk bay ?

[sevenseasnomad]

We usually get picked up by friends there, but once when we didn't, we just walked outside the port and grabbed a taxi to Magen's Bay. It's a beautiful beach with full service restaurant, beach chairs, umbrellas, etc. Just watch your time in St. Thomas and be sure you leave enough time to get back to the ship. There are usually multi ships in port at once.

 

I would call Rich's taxi driver.

 

Magen's Bay is rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world; however, if the port is crowded with cruise ships, you may not be able to get close to it, since many passengers try to go there.

[rain_bowbrite]

Thanks you so much. This does help :):)

I have heard from another poster here as well ( Kazu) that the cost of this ship shorex is a dollar more than doing it independently and it is not worth the hassle with ferries and buses and maybe taxis. I could understand how scary it is to miss the ship.

 

My last question before I book is that you referred to the " other excur". Did u mean the trunk bay beach tour for $79.95 ? I'm not sure which one to choose and I'm not a snorkeler but my wife is and the diff in cost is negligible. Have u heard anything about this one to trunk bay ?

 

Hi Thebes,

 

Sorry. I wasn't super clear this morning. I tried to edit that post and add more info and it wouldn't let me. The other tour I was referring to is the St. John on your own tour, but as option for just seeing the island, not snorkeling.

 

If you want snorkeling at Trunk Bay and a short tour of the island, yes the Trunk Bay Beach Tour is the way I'd go. I haven't personally done this tour but if we weren't going to hang out on St. Thomas this time and were doing St. John/Trunk Bay on our upcoming trip, for peace of mind - this is the way I'd go. Almost missing the ship was very scary, we were the second to last on board and they were literally pulling up the walkway thing behind us as they scanned our ship cards. Doing the tour through HAL you are guaranteed to make it back on the ship!

 

Have a great time on whichever tour you choose! You will LOVE St. John! :)

[PattiG]

Stay on the ship and avoid the shopping hassle.