St. Thomas (USVI) "Re-Do"

[ajtraveler66]

Just got back from a wonderful cruise that included St. Thomas.

 

I took a ship excursion from St. Thomas over to St. John.  I loved what I saw, but I only got to spend about an hour there instead of the two hours of beach time we had been counting on. (Long story).  

 

The excursion didn't start until about 11:45....and we had been in the port most of the morning.  It seems such a shame that the ship didn't offer a longer excursion.

 

In some ways, I wish we had arranged for a private excursion, but it's always nice to have the 'security' of being on a ship-sponsored tour.  

 

Would love to go back to the Virgin Islands.  Any suggestions on how to make things better that next time?

 

As a commentary....I enjoy the NCL Bermuda cruise because the ship is at port for over 2 days...and it makes for such a relaxed time.  That said, with so much to see in the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands, it is such a shame that ships can't arrange for a multiple- night stay while at port in this magnificent part of the world.  Maybe they'll read my post and do something about it.  Ha, ha!

 

 

 

 

[Ms411]

If you want flexibility, you need to skip the ship excursions and plan your own activities for the day. As long as you pay attention to the time, there shouldn't be any issue getting back to the ship on time.

 

[Love2CruiseTampa]

I agree with doing it on your own to maximize time. We were in St Thomas a few weeks ago and docked at 7AM. We were able to be off the ship and at Sapphire Beach by 9AM, enjoyed the whole morning, had lunch at the beach bar, and were still back at the ship by 1:30PM with time to spare before all aboard at 2:30PM

[blue_water]

Do a self-excursion, much more flexibility and time on STJ (depending on your port times, of course). Ferries and taxis are quite reliable.

[O2B@Cagain]

"Would love to go back to the Virgin Islands.  Any suggestions on how to make things better that next time? "

 

You can make a land based visit and have plenty of time to see all the beaches, enjoy the sunsets, wave to the people on the cruise ships as they leave... LOL

[EeyoreRN]

I feel your pain!  I am trying to plan for a day in St. Thomas and hubby and I really want to do an excursion over to St. John, but the few excursions offered are very short compared to our time in port. We are thinking of figuring out how to do it on our own, but that is so much more intimidating!

[blue_water]

Not intimidating at all, and there are countless threads on this forum detailing the transportation and costs. Briefly, taxi to Red Hook, ferry to Cruz Bay, and head to a beach from there depending on how busy a vibe you want. You are in charge of your time, Just take a return ferry that gives you a couple hours to get back to your port.

Going on your own is quite safe and the taxis and ferries are ultra reliable.

Consider purchasing a Hook bracelet from St John Bracelet in Cruz Bay to remember your first visit! You will find info on that in this forum as well...

 

Take a moment to research those details here and you will be amazed at the amount of info already here!

[blue_water]

19 hours ago, EeyoreRN said:

I feel your pain!  I am trying to plan for a day in St. Thomas and hubby and I really want to do an excursion over to St. John, but the few excursions offered are very short compared to our time in port. We are thinking of figuring out how to do it on our own, but that is so much more intimidating!

One thread I pulled one of my earlier posts From has some details - 

 

 

Cost to get to Cruz Bay from Havensight (WICO) = ~$36.50/pp round trip ($10/pp, 20 - 25 min taxi to Red Hook, $8.25/pp, 20 min ferry to Cruz). Add $2 from Crown. 

 

2-hour island tours are offered for $25/pp on safari taxis

From VInow dot com -

• Sightseeing Tours: 2 hours – One passenger $50; two or more passengers $25 per person. 3 hours – One passenger $70; two or more passengers $35 per person.

Adding the island tour makes your first visit to STJ even more memorable.

 

There are also private tour options where you have your own driver, this one includes drinks - 2.5 hrs for $50/pp, 4 hrs for a $100/pp - nice day that!!!

https://www.stjohnislandtours.com/#tours