St. Thomas - What to do???

[RKAJ]

We will be in port on RCCL Voyager of the Seas 4/4/06 and can't decide what to do. We'll be in port 8 am - 5 pm. We are a group of 6 adults and have never been to St. Thomas.

 

I'd love ideas. Some things we'd like to do are: see the island, sail, snorkel, little shopping.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks

[MizzouMary]

Hi RKAJ,

 

We just returned from a Princess cruise in Feb. and chose Interline Sailing http://www.interlinesail.com/ for a 1/2 day sail to St. John based on recommendations from Cruise Critic. It was awesome! Our group of four had the whole sailboat to ourselves. Jan and Omar, the owners, are great. They are so attentive. Omar has years of sailing experience and Jan is a very nice lady. Jan told us lots of things about the islands, things we would have never known had we went on our own. We left from the Redhook area that morning and sailed over to Cinnamon Bay in St. John. Jan made lunch for us (chilled shrimp, ham and turkey roll-ups, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. and they had all of our favorite beverages available for us to enjoy. We went snorkeling (they have all of the equipment) at the reef in Cinnamon Bay while Jan and Omar stayed with their boat until we were done. We left all of our things with them on the boat so we all could go snorkeling without worries. It was the best experience. My husband got to sail the boat too! Please read my review (the link is below). I have pictures of our excursion too (see the link at the bottom of the review). We caught a taxi at Cinnamon Bay to Cruz Bay and then took the ferry back to Charlotte Amalie to do some shopping. We shopped for hours so we had plenty of time to do both. We feel like we got the best of both worlds since we got to sail, snorkel, see St. John and shop in St. Thomas. We are so happy we chose Interline for many reasons, but especially because it was a private excursion. We have been on ship excursions before and they really pack you in without giving you any personal attention. It is well worth the money. Have fun in St. Thomas! Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=306685

[RKAJ]

how funny....We're from St. Louis and I see you made a stop here.

 

I have a question though... We won't be in until 8 am (don't know if that's St. Thomas time or not). Is the departure time for the sail negotiable? Also, how long do you actually get to snorkel?

 

Thanks

Kim

[MizzouMary]

Hi Neighbor. I used to live in St. Louis right after I graduated college. We are from central MO. Small world!

 

Interline is wonderful to work with. We arranged the meeting time and met at 8 a.m. and they were very accommodating. Our ship arrived at 7 a.m. Sprint Nextel service works in St. Thomas, so I called them to let them know where we were along the way and Jan directed us to Omar. It worked out great. Just let them know what time you are arriving and they will work out the details with you. Jan and Omar do this every day, so they are used to working with cruise ship passengers. Let them know what you would like to do. For example, we are huge Kenny Chesney fans, so Omar took us to see Kenny's boat, then we got to go see his house in St. John, the beach he and Renee Zellweger were photographed on, and then we went to Cinnamon Bay to snorkel. We explained what we wanted and they tailored it to us. It was great! We asked them to leave us at Cinnamon Bay once we were done so we could catch a taxi to town, stopping along the way to photograph the views. We could have stayed at Cinnamon all day to swim and snorkel if we wanted to. They will take you to other beaches if the weather permits and you desire to go there. They also have more than one sailboat, so if there is a larger group, they all leave at the same time and kind of "race" over to the St. John. Coast Guard regulations limit them to six passengers per sailboat. Again, they are wonderful to work with. We highly recommend them. Jan is from North Carolina and Omar is a Canadian. If you have any other questions, please let us know.

 

Have a great cruise!

[hokie78]

So here's the real question: Do you want to see St Thomas or St. John? Tough to do both in a day while facing a sailing deadline. If STJ is your preference, follow the advice of the first replies, although I would (and have done) it on our own. If you want to experience STT, spend the morning beaching and snorkeling at either Coki or Sapphire Beach (see my reply to the above post about an STT beach to snorkel from). After lunch, head back to town for your shopping. You have 2 options there. You can go into the "downtown" area where there are tons of stores--mainly jewelry, electronics and liquor (good prices, but I hear it's better to save the liquor buy for St. Maarten). You can walk from the ship, but it's deceivingly long, especially on a hot day. There are lots of neat little alleys and passageways to explore, all with interesting shops and a cold beverage always within reach. When it's time to bo back, you'll have no problem finding a taxi driver asking, "The ship? The ship?" If you're pressed for time, you can do your shopping right at the pier. Havensight Mall is literally at the foot of the gangplank, and has many of the same stores (and prices) that you'd see in town. Newer and a little more modern at Havensight. If you want to do the tour thing, I'd just grab one of the many taxis that hang around the pier and make a deal with the driver. I'm pretty sure every taxi driver is a tour guide as well. See this board for specific (Godfrey's) recommendations. Be sure to have Drake's Seat, Mountain Top (small shopping area, great views and incredible banana dacquiris) and Megan's Bay included on your tour. Hope this helps.

[RKAJ]

I think since we've never been to St. Thomas that we'd like to stay there.

 

I do have a question though.. How is the snorkeling at Sapphire Beach? Is it crowded?

 

Is there a place close by that you'd recommend for lunch?

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

Kim

[hokie78]

Snorkeling at Sapphire is good to great depending on recent conditions (storms, etc.) I think it's the best among the 4 or 5 Caribbean islands that we've visited. Maybe a half notch below Poipu Beach on Kauai, HI and probably a few more notches down from world renowned sites like in the Caymans and other such spots. I'm not smart enough to name the types of fish you'll see, but there's a good variety. And if you're not freaked out by swimming in shallow water (which you can't stand up in since it's coral and covered with urchins in the nooks and crannies), you'll love the labryinth (sp?) of pathways you can follow along and through the reef and get to spots most novices won't try. I truly believe it will serve your purpose. It can get crowded, but nowhere near the crowds you could potentially have at Coki. Having your own snorkel gear helps anywhere, especially at Sapphire as supplies are limited and offered to their own guests first. If you don't have gear, but plan to snorkel a few more times after this trip, invest! Remember, Sapphire Beach is attached to Sapphire Beach Resort (Google this name but be careful--there's another Sapphire on some other island, so be sure you've found the right one). So unlike Coki, it has all the hotel-type amenities right there. If you're discreet--and don't flash around your cruise ship towel too much--you can even get away with a dip in their pool which sits on a rocky out-cropping overlooking the Caribbean and St John. I believe their main restaurant is open for lunch but even if not, the bar and grill on the pool deck definitely is. You can get an over-priced (like anywhere) burger and fries platter there and take it back to your spot on the beach. No beach service to speak of here (i.e. waiters coming to your chair), but no big deal to us. Actually, closer to the main building there may be service, but it's sporadic. Two sets of restrooms and one outside shower are available. And if you're lucky enough to hit it on a Sunday, they have a weekly beach party there that attracts tourists and locals alike. Don't be put off by the local comment--they come dressed to the nines in some cases (one Easter Sunday was especially fun to see). And if you're game, one of them may teach you how to dance in a way you're never danced before! Go to Sapphire--you won't regret it.

[hokie78]

Sorry--one more thought. Red Hook is just about walkable from Sapphire Beach and has a variety of eats and treats.

[KruznKel]

Godfrey runs a tour.. picks you up ship time.. either 9, 10 or 11.. for shopping.. then picks you up at 12 at a designated spot.. for a 1.5 2 hour tour of the island and then will take you to the beach of your choice.. Sapphire, Coki or Megans Bay for 2 hours..Then he returns you to the ship.. It is 25pp for the entire day.. If you rent snorkel equipment and stuff that is on your own buck.. Just another suggestion..

[bnaj]

Hi there!

 

We just got back from our cruise. When in St. Thomas we went on the Snuba tour. We contacted Visnuba before leaving and they met us at Coral World.

 

I cannot say enough about this adventure!!! My husband has never tried diving before and Frank was the perfect person to get him hooked. My husband loved it. He even got nose to nose with two turtles.

 

It was so much fun we can hardly wait to do it again. Our cruise did not offer this excursion but if you want to try it, email info@visnuba.com and check out their website. Frank or his wife will meet you and take you out right at the beach.

 

Now speaking of beach. Right at Coral World is Coki beach, you can play in the water there but I think they might charge a fee. If you go into Coral World you get use of the beach as well. Great Day! We did not want to leave.

[Ms411]

RKAJ - AKA Kim,

 

Sapphire is a beautiful beach not too far from Coki. Though Coki has better snorkeling, Sapphire's snorkeling is ok, and it's definitely more picturesque. I'm sure there are pictures somewhere, but if not e-mail me at viphotogifts@yahoo.com and I'll send you one. I have dial-up, so I'm stingy with e-mailing pictures :D

 

Sapphire has a casual restaurant right on the beach, so you can eat there. Walking to Red Hook isn't really recommended - NO SIDEWALKS! Most people take a cab from Sapphire to Red Hook if they're going to St John. Most people beaching at Sapphire eat at Sapphire.

 

Watersports available at Sapphire should include kayaks, water wheels, windsurfing, wave runners and parasailing. Check http://www.diveinusvi.com for details.

 

I'm sure there'll be some taxi offering a tour including Sapphire, so if the first driver you see says he's going to Magens, just keep asking or tell him/her you want to go to Sapphire.

 

Enjoy!

[BeachMusic]

Hi RKAJ,

 

We just returned from a Princess cruise in Feb. and chose Interline Sailing http://www.interlinesail.com/ for a 1/2 day sail to St. John based on recommendations from Cruise Critic. It was awesome! Our group of four had the whole sailboat to ourselves. Jan and Omar, the owners, are great. They are so attentive. Omar has years of sailing experience and Jan is a very nice lady. Jan told us lots of things about the islands, things we would have never known had we went on our own. We left from the Redhook area that morning and sailed over to Cinnamon Bay in St. John. Jan made lunch for us (chilled shrimp, ham and turkey roll-ups, fresh fruit and vegetables, etc. and they had all of our favorite beverages available for us to enjoy. We went snorkeling (they have all of the equipment) at the reef in Cinnamon Bay while Jan and Omar stayed with their boat until we were done. We left all of our things with them on the boat so we all could go snorkeling without worries. It was the best experience. My husband got to sail the boat too! Please read my review (the link is below). I have pictures of our excursion too (see the link at the bottom of the review). We caught a taxi at Cinnamon Bay to Cruz Bay and then took the ferry back to Charlotte Amalie to do some shopping. We shopped for hours so we had plenty of time to do both. We feel like we got the best of both worlds since we got to sail, snorkel, see St. John and shop in St. Thomas. We are so happy we chose Interline for many reasons, but especially because it was a private excursion. We have been on ship excursions before and they really pack you in without giving you any personal attention. It is well worth the money. Have fun in St. Thomas! Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=306685

Just wanted to let you know, I did check out the interline site and it looks like something we would really enjoy! I notice they have a powerboat going to the Baths at Virgin Gorda and my ship (NCL DAWN 4/16) will be in Tortola the next day so I will inquire about that trip as well. Really appreciated this tip and your wonderful review!

[hokie78]

Hey BeachMusic! Does your screen name have anything to do with the type of music made popular in the Carolinas in the 60's? I'm a transplanted Virginian that doesn't hear that phrase or typr of music much anymore. Just curious . . .

[MizzouMary]

Just wanted to let you know, I did check out the interline site and it looks like something we would really enjoy! I notice they have a powerboat going to the Baths at Virgin Gorda and my ship (NCL DAWN 4/16) will be in Tortola the next day so I will inquire about that trip as well. Really appreciated this tip and your wonderful review!

 

Thanks! I know you will love Interline. Jan and Omar are the best!

 

Mary