DIY St Thomas follow-up

[BuckeyeMark]

We never really got a plan in place for St Thomas as to what to do and what we wanted to do so we ended up doing the Two Site Snorkel excursion from Princess.  That was very good - saw sea turtles and a sunken ship.  Really good.  Castaway Girl is the name of the boat.  Interestingly there was a decent long swell up and a number of folks got to feeling seasick, including my wife.  She NEVER gets seasick but she did there.  A small boat and a long swell and bobbing in the ocean in a snorkel vest ... bang.  Sea sick!

 

So we got back around 4:45ish, got up to the ship and stored our snorkel gear and changed into dry clothes.  Got out to see what else we could see in St Thomas  ... and the town was rolling up the sidewalks!  We couldn't believe it.  We were the only boat in but we weren't going out till 9:30 so you think shopping etc would stay open late.  NOPE.  A LOT of stores were closing - everywhere!  I even called The Pirate Museum to see how late they were open and they closed at 6:00 p.m.!  The guy on the phone said "It's 5:15 and we're kinda mostly closed already."  REALLY?!  So we walked around a little in the little shopping area right there by the cruise shop and then got back on the boat.

Our experience at St Thomas was ... not the best.  Yay for snorkeling though!

[Ms411]

K Princess docks at Havensight and there are popular restaurants in the area. Tap and Still is the most popular because of the affordable food and drinks (especially during happy hour starting at 3) and because of sports on the tv's. They're open until maybe 10.

Chicken and Bowling across from Havensight (down from the Pirate Museum) is also open late and has a live dj some nights starting at 9 or so. Of course you can bowl any time you want.

 

Paradise Point has a popular sunset party on Wed evenings starting around 6. Live reggae band. Party goes until maybe 10.

 

There are also opportunities to do sunset sails, night kayaking, and night snorkeling offered by private companies on the island. I don't think they advertise on the ships, because so few ships stay late. They are very popular with land visitors so advance reservations required. Some ships do offer the sunset sail.

[blue_water]

Sorry you didn’t have a chance to shop in town. But I was even more disappointed to see your complaint about stores closing at normal business hours. YOU expected the shops in town to be open late into the evening without doing a bit of research on that, which led to your critical post. MS411 and others could certainly have helped with that question before you arrived. And as noted there are a ton of shops right there at the dock.

 

Experiences make each successive cruise even more enjoyable!

[BuckeyeMark]

9 hours ago, blue_water said:

Sorry you didn’t have a chance to shop in town. But I was even more disappointed to see your complaint about stores closing at normal business hours. YOU expected the shops in town to be open late into the evening without doing a bit of research on that, which led to your critical post. MS411 and others could certainly have helped with that question before you arrived. And as noted there are a ton of shops right there at the dock.

 

Experiences make each successive cruise even more enjoyable!

 

you are right - didn't research.  made the mistake of assuming the stores would be open to accommodate shoppers and their money.  that's certainly been our experience at other ports.  we'll know better next time.  my post isn't meant to be critical but to warn others not to make the mistake we did.  

[blue_water]

Thanks, and yes you are right that it can help others plan their day!