What to do?

[nyyhoneybee]

We will be in St. Thomas from 12-8pm, a group of 10. From 81 to a 1 year old. 

 

I have no idea what we should plan on doing, and I know it will fall to me to make plans. I'll listen to all ideas and suggestions at this point! 

[blue_water]

As a Red Sox fan it took me a couple days to get past your avatar 😇, but I made it!

 

If you can provide an idea of what you think your group would like to do, or perhaps a list of what would not work for the group might be easier. For example going to Trunk Bay beach on St John on your own - that is an easy DIY excursion, but you may not be interested in spending 2+ hours traveling to St John with a larger group, and with a cost of ~$50+pp. you are also arriving in port later in the day, and we don’t know how many other ships are in port. 

 

So I would take some time to read the other threads in this forum and decide whether a beach day, an organized guided tour, a nice daysail or something else interests the group. You will find discussions on the different beaches, guided tours, going on your own, etc. 

 

Your “homework” as the group coordinator:

1) TAKE TIME to research the different options by reading threads here on beaches and other excursions.

 

2) TALK TO THE GROUP to get their feedback on the different options you learn about (nice relaxing beach day, guided tour with shopping or beach time, Champagne cat sail to STJ, etc).

 

3) COME BACK and share what you are interested in to get more constructive feedback for your particular group. Include your port times, date, and your ship since there are two ports. 

 

Your friends/family will be sure to have a more enjoyable day and f they are at least somewhat involved in the decision-making process, and cannot blame you if they are unhappy with YOUR choice! 😀

[blue_water]

I do see you are docked in Crown Bay on Oct 16 from 12 - 8, and just one Carnival ship is docked in Havensight (WICO) from 7 - 3. So you could enjoy a nice beach day as folks from Carnival start heading back to the ship. So keep that in mind while doing your research. If you do just decide on a beach on your own, Magens is a very nice, calm bay with amenities, and I would consider Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach for the Emerald Beach Resort). That is a nice beach with amenities that is closest to Crown Bay.

 

But do take some time to check out other threads for ideas. Going on your own is very easy with the taxi/ferry system. The only ship excursion we would consider is the Champagne cat sail...

[nyyhoneybee]

1 hour ago, blue_water said:

I do see you are docked in Crown Bay on Oct 16 from 12 - 8, and just one Carnival ship is docked in Havensight (WICO) from 7 - 3. So you could enjoy a nice beach day as folks from Carnival start heading back to the ship. So keep that in mind while doing your research. If you do just decide on a beach on your own, Magens is a very nice, calm bay with amenities, and I would consider Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach for the Emerald Beach Resort). That is a nice beach with amenities that is closest to Crown Bay.

 

But do take some time to check out other threads for ideas. Going on your own is very easy with the taxi/ferry system. The only ship excursion we would consider is the Champagne cat sail...

 

 

You made me laugh with the avatar comment 😉

 

My original plan was a beach day but I was afraid of over crowding, and I'm not sure I've ever been to St. Thomas with an afternoon/evening hours, so I was trying to get some ideas of something possibly different with taking the later hours into account. This is also my first time really cruising with the kids, and the rest of my family is content to figure out what they want to do day of which for a group of 10 of us I'm not as comfortable with. 

[blue_water]

😀 If the cruise ship schedule sticks it’s great that you will be the only ship in port after 3. But HOS is a 6k passenger ship too...

I don’t think Trunk Bay on STJ is a good option, only because of your arrival time and it is a national park and closes. But it is doable.

I like the Champagne cat sail for a mixed group and as a way to avoid crowds - have you looked at that?

[nyyhoneybee]

I haven't, I'll take a look. I also might say this is the one port we aren't doing the same as everyone which would mean I'll only have 4 of us to worry about which would be nice 

[blue_water]

Yes, very! Our favorite beach is Sapphire, but if you want to shop in Charlotte Amalie and then enjoy a beach closer to the ship Emerald is a great option. The ferry to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island is a nice experience if you haven’t done that before, very easy from your ship, but it gets so crowded there now, especially with a big ship in Crown...

But the Champagne cat is a great way to enjoy the day...

 

I’m sure others will offer recommendations too.

 

Edited September 4, 2019 by blue_water