5 Ships in Port - Beaches & Snorkeling

[bjlbbk]

There will be five cruise ships in port when we visit St. Thomas in January (two at Crown Bay and three at Havensight).  I am curious how crowded that might feel and if we need to take that into consideration when making plans for the day? Will the more popular beaches (Magens and Sapphire) be overcrowded with that many ships in port? RCCL offers an excursion to Smith Bay Beach Eco Park which looks to be in the same area as Lindquist Beach. Has anyone had any experience with this beach and know if you can get a taxi there (and back)? It looks to be more secluded with some beach rentals, picnic tables, restroom facilities but no food. Any other recommendations for a busy day at port? We have our own snorkel gear and would love to snorkel if possible. Thanks in advance for any help!

[Ms411]

Take a private excursion with St Thomas Adventure Tours. Best way to avoid the crowds. 

[Ms411]

Here's the link for St Thomas Adventure Tours. I did a two beach snorkel tour with them last year.

 

https://www.stthomasadventuretours.com/

[bjlbbk]

5 hours ago, Ms411 said:

Here's the link for St Thomas Adventure Tours. I did a two beach snorkel tour with them last year.

 

https://www.stthomasadventuretours.com/

Thank you! I will check this out. Did they provide transportation to and from the port or did you have to taxi to meet them?

[Ms411]

At that time they said they could pick up from the port for a small additional fee, but we got to the meeting place on our own. The itinerary changes depending on weather and where their contacts on the water tell them the crowds are.

 

The ships used to have limited capacity for their excursion to Smith Bay Park, but they may have increased capacity this year because of more ships so it may be more crowded. 

[bjlbbk]

6 minutes ago, Ms411 said:

At that time they said they could pick up from the port for a small additional fee, but we got to the meeting place on our own. The itinerary changes depending on weather and where their contacts on the water tell them the crowds are.

 

The ships used to have limited capacity for their excursion to Smith Bay Park, but they may have increased capacity this year because of more ships so it may be more crowded. 

That is helpful to know... I was curious which beach they took you to but it sounds like that could change depending on the circumstances for that day. Thank you!

[Laszlo]

On 11/20/2022 at 1:28 AM, bjlbbk said:

There will be five cruise ships in port when we visit St. Thomas in January (two at Crown Bay and three at Havensight).  I am curious how crowded that might feel and if we need to take that into consideration when making plans for the day? Will the more popular beaches (Magens and Sapphire) be overcrowded with that many ships in port? RCCL offers an excursion to Smith Bay Beach Eco Park which looks to be in the same area as Lindquist Beach. Has anyone had any experience with this beach and know if you can get a taxi there (and back)? It looks to be more secluded with some beach rentals, picnic tables, restroom facilities but no food. Any other recommendations for a busy day at port? We have our own snorkel gear and would love to snorkel if possible. Thanks in advance for any help!

Not only will it feel crowded it will be very crowed. Make plans to get off as soon as you can

[bjlbbk]

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

Not only will it feel crowded it will be very crowed. Make plans to get off as soon as you can

That's what we were afraid of...luckily we get into port very early so we will try to do just that. Thanks for the reply!

[Laszlo]

18 minutes ago, bjlbbk said:

That's what we were afraid of...luckily we get into port very early so we will try to do just that. Thanks for the reply!

Good luck! My wife and I really lucked out with our 12 day in January or the Getaway. We only have one port out of 7 with other ships

[bjlbbk]

4 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Good luck! My wife and I really lucked out with our 12 day in January or the Getaway. We only have one port out of 7 with other ships

That will be so nice! Enjoy!! That is what we are more used to so this will be a learning experience I'm sure! Hopefully we will manage to avoid most of the crowds with an early start....we shall see.  We aren't early risers so not looking forward to that part...ha!

[gopatriots]

We are in the same situation as you and seeking advice for a beach day in St. Thomas in January 2023 for our group of 9 adults.  We are the last of 5 ships to arrive in port 12:30 pm to 8:00 pm and wondering how difficult it will be to get our group of 9 to either Magen's Bay or Secret Harbour for a couple of hours on the beach. I am wondering if we are better off hiring a boat for a half day private charter to take us to a beach on St. John. Not interested in snorkeling, just a few hours on a great beach.  Has anyone done a half day afternoon charter 1pm-5pm to St. John from St. Thomas? Thanks for your suggestions.

[Ms411]

There will be plenty of taxis waiting at both docks when your ship arrives so it will be easy to get your group to any beach. The advantages of coming late is you don't have to wake up early to get to the beach, and some people should be leaving the beaches by then.

[blue_water]

On 11/20/2022 at 1:28 AM, bjlbbk said:

There will be five cruise ships in port when we visit St. Thomas in January (two at Crown Bay and three at Havensight).  I am curious how crowded that might feel and if we need to take that into consideration when making plans for the day? Will the more popular beaches (Magens and Sapphire) be overcrowded with that many ships in port? RCCL offers an excursion to Smith Bay Beach Eco Park which looks to be in the same area as Lindquist Beach. Has anyone had any experience with this beach and know if you can get a taxi there (and back)? It looks to be more secluded with some beach rentals, picnic tables, restroom facilities but no food. Any other recommendations for a busy day at port? We have our own snorkel gear and would love to snorkel if possible. Thanks in advance for any help!

5 ships can be a real pain or not a problem, depending on their size. But yes, the beaches with amenities will be more crowded for sure.

 

But I love your idea of going to Lindqvist/Smith Bay on your own! I’ve read the snorkeling can be very good there, and Lindqvist is arguably the most gorgeous beach on the island…

Sapphire has a coral area and a seagrass area and all the amenities folks look for, and is our favorite STT beach. But Lindqvist is a great choice on your own on a big ship day. Just grab a lunch and enjoy the beach and water while your fellow cruisers are being herded back to the ship. Taxis do stop in, and you can also just wait by the road as well.

[blue_water]

3 hours ago, gopatriots said:

We are in the same situation as you and seeking advice for a beach day in St. Thomas in January 2023 for our group of 9 adults.  We are the last of 5 ships to arrive in port 12:30 pm to 8:00 pm and wondering how difficult it will be to get our group of 9 to either Magen's Bay or Secret Harbour for a couple of hours on the beach. I am wondering if we are better off hiring a boat for a half day private charter to take us to a beach on St. John. Not interested in snorkeling, just a few hours on a great beach.  Has anyone done a half day afternoon charter 1pm-5pm to St. John from St. Thomas? Thanks for your suggestions.

I would look at a private charter if that is an option. There are several listed on the VINow site, but look now as you are very close

[blue_water]

On 11/21/2022 at 9:01 AM, Laszlo said:

Not only will it feel crowded it will be very crowed. Make plans to get off as soon as you can

That depends on where you go, of course. For snorkeling, there are only a few beaches I know of with limited amenities. STJ offers some other options if you get away from Trunk and Cinnamon, but choices are even more limited now unfortunately…

The growth of the cruise industry is obviously a huge part of this, but the uptick in land visitors since Covid-19 also impacts these islands…