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First time to St. Thomas

Kiwi_cruiser

By Kiwi_cruiser,
in St. Thomas/St. John

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Kiwi_cruiser

Kiwi_cruiser

Posted
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We are looking at booking a Caribbean cruise soon and one of our ports of call is St. Thomas

 

We have never been to St. Thomas before and I was wondering what is their to do there?, any tips/ideas??

 

Can you snorkel there?

 

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome :)

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blue_water

blue_water

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st Thomas is actually a great port to plan a snorkel excursion, and you have several options depending on how active you want to be.

Great off the beach snorkeling can be had at many of the East End beaches like Coki, Sapphire, and Secret Harbor, you can get more details on these beaches in other threads here. You can choose one of the many daysails that moor off St John or other islands for excellent snorkeling like Yacht Nightwind, High Pockets, or New Horizons. Or there are several cruise ship excursions that include a nice day on a cat perhaps with a stop on STJ.

You can also go to the BVI with a few operators if you want some of the best snorkeling and a chance to see Jost Van Dyke or Virgin Gorda.

Many choices, and STT is a good port to plan a water activity.

Edited by blue_water
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  • 4 weeks later...
beshears

beshears

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There's a place called Magic Ice (I think in the dowtown area), that you might want to check out. Most people don't know about it, but it has all kinds of ice sculptures, from people, animals, lamps, chairs (you can sit on them as they have pads on them), and last, a long bar made out of ice. You don't have to take it, but they will serve you a small drink of rum coke/sprite. When you first walk in, they will give you warmers to wrap around your legs, a coat to wrap around you, and gloves. Reminds me of Eskimos. :) Since I'm from Missouri, it really wasn't that cold to me, and at times I took my gloves off to take pictures.

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karen&roy

karen&roy

Posted
Posted
We are looking at booking a Caribbean cruise soon and one of our ports of call is St. Thomas

 

We have never been to St. Thomas before and I was wondering what is their to do there?, any tips/ideas??

 

Can you snorkel there?

 

Any tips/advise/ideas are very welcome :)

 

we ALWAYS go to St John when in ST tHomas for beautiful snorkeling by ourselves. Take Taxi to Red hook Ferry in St Thomas for ride to St John (you can look up red hook ferry schedule). Then get on a small bus to Trunk Bay when at St John. They will be all over the place. You can rent snorkle gear there. It is amazing! Google Trunk bay! The ships have tours there but its $$ and they herd you in and out. Enjoy! We will be there in Sept!!

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blue_water

blue_water

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As with many islands snorkeling and day sails are the main activities. Any other interests? Off the beaten path beach (with no amenities) like Hull Bay, or a busy vibe like Coki Beach? Other ideas include taking the red hook ferry to St. John and taking an island tour with a beach stop, and there's a zip line on st Thomas. Much depends on your time in port and how many others are in port with you.

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Grandmaanne7

Grandmaanne7

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As with many islands snorkeling and day sails are the main activities. Any other interests? Off the beaten path beach (with no amenities) like Hull Bay, or a busy vibe like Coki Beach? Other ideas include taking the red hook ferry to St. John and taking an island tour with a beach stop, and there's a zip line on st Thomas. Much depends on your time in port and how many others are in port with you.

 

We will be there 8:00 to 5:00 with 3 other ships in port (over 16,000 passengers!!!). Do you have any specific recommendations due to that fact?

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HarpHarp

HarpHarp

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I lived on St Thomas for several years & the east end beaches are great for on shore snorkeling. Sapphire is my favorite & is usually not that crowded, Coki has the advantage of Coral World right next door.

Here is the Sapphire web cam

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/

With that many passengers, avoid Magens Bay & if you are not interested in shopping avoid downtown Charlotte Amalie when all the ships are there . For some unique shopping at local artists studios as well as a lovely setting try Tillet gardens.

http://www.tillettgardens.com/

Take an Island tour & check out some of the great views from Mountain Top or walk through the botanical gardens.

 

Blue Water, my apartment was above Hull Bay & I hiked down there many times. Certainly off the beaten path.

Edited by HarpHarp
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blue_water

blue_water

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Yes agree with harpharp, and Sapphire would be our choice for a snorkeling beach or just a beach to relax on with enough amenities to be comfortable, also abundant shade along the shore. Doesn't tend to get that crowded there.

If you want to pack a lunch and lay a towel on the sand and use portapotties or the wild blue Lindqvist is still not yet developed and is arguably one of the nicest beaches you'll see anywhere. Now Smith Bay park and a small admission fee though.

You also have time to go to St John and enjoy an island tour, hit Cinnamon Beach, and then see Cruz Bay, nice place for shopping and lunch. Just hop a taxi to the Red Hook ferry terminal near Sapphire and take the 15 min ferry over. Figure $10pp each way to Sapphire or Coki, and for STJ add another $7pp for the ferry, ~$25pp for the island tour, and $7 taxi back to Cruz.

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blue_water

blue_water

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Do you have a link to a website that can tell me how many ship we might have in port when we visit?

 

cruisett.com

Just search by your ship name and date to see what other ships are with you in each port.

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