Creeped out by Coki Beach on St. Thomas. Better beach excursions from RCI?

[mikeerdas]

Posted over in the St. Thomas forum about my experience (bad--felt dangerous) at Coki Beach. Am wondering from RCI folk--are there snorkeling / beach excursions offered specifically by RCI that I would have liked better than Coki?

 

Here's the thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1013166

 

Follow-ups can go here (RCI-excursion specific), or directly to the St. Thomas forum thread.

[fridaythe13th]

We don't do ship excursions but we have been to Coki Beach and I have to agree with you on this one. It is a very "poor" part of town and just getting there is a trip in itself. While the beach is beautiful (minus the surrounding company) I chose Megans to bring my sisters to on another cruise as I felt they would not like the company. My friends' parents live up the hill just past Coki beach in a nice house on Coki Point overlooking St Johns and we have stayed there in the past. We used Coki beach early morning and early evening when nobody was around. It's too bad you have to go through poverty to get to a beautiful destination. The locals really are harmless but I agree it can be scary to some.

 

We have used http://www.godfreytoursvi.com a few times and were satisfied.

Edited June 27, 2009 by fridaythe13th

[SamFritz]

I've never been to St. Thomas, so I don't know the beaches there. My favorite Royal Beach Break has been the Jungle Beach Break at Costa Maya,:) Passion Island at Cozumel very nice too. :)We had an awful beach break on Grand Cayman. The tide and wind drove the waves all the way up the beach so there was, at times no sand at all. :mad: I took pictures and showed them to the people at the excursion desk; they refunded our money on that one. :p We also avoided the beach in Roatan, Honduras after hearing about sand flies there. :( I talked with a woman who did go to the beach there; she had red welts all over her legs and arms.:eek:

[BND]

We go to Magen's Bay. Carnival offers this excursion and I thought RCCL did too, but really, you can catch a cab yourself and there is a small entrance fee. What's nice is because it's a park, it's clean, well maintained and beautiful. It's very safe and almost no waves because of the way the inlet is. We go out and just hang out in the water. Easy to swim, snorkel, float or just walk around. You can rent chairs if you want and no one will bother you at all. They have a nice grill and bar and there are a couple of girls that will take your drink order on the beach. Everything sold there is sold by the employees of the park. And there isn't anyone hawking anything.

 

I noticed someone on the thread you linked to said something about women offering hair braiding, I think she's thinking of somewhere else. No one approaches you about anything there.

Edited June 27, 2009 by BND

[Charles4515]

Posted over in the St. Thomas forum about my experience (bad--felt dangerous) at Coki Beach. Am wondering from RCI folk--are there snorkeling / beach excursions offered specifically by RCI that I would have liked better than Coki?

 

Here's the thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1013166

 

Follow-ups can go here (RCI-excursion specific), or directly to the St. Thomas forum thread.

 

I would not do an RCI beach excursion. You pay for nothing you can't do cheaper yourself and you have to leave on their time. As far as beaches I have been to Coki because it is a good snorkeling beach. If you want a beautiful beach on St, Thomas I suggest Sapphire Beach. I have not been there for a couple of years but it was not like Coki. The best beach experience though is to go to St. Johns which has several beaches. Trunk Bay is one that I recommend. You take a cab to Red Hook, a ferry and a cab to the beach. RCI no doubt has a beach trip to Trunk Bay but I think it is better to do it yourself. Trunk Bay is part of a national park so you don't have to worry about a Coki Beach type atmosphere.

Edited June 28, 2009 by Charles4515

[B-52]

The best thing to do in St. Thomas is get over to St. Johns. You won't believe how beautiful their beaches are.

 

Went to Trunk Bay this last cruise, and WOW! What a contrast to St.Thomas. Shared a taxi with a college student who is staying there for the summer and he told me where the local beach bums go.;)

[schmenge]

I agree with most of the posters about the options. We went to St. Johns, a few years ago (Navigator), Coki last year (Mariner), and just went to Magens (Adventure) last week.

 

If you also want to go to another diversion, Coral World was OK for kids and Coki is right next to it. I did not get the sense of poverty any worse than many other islands, but I agree that it is nice - but the third best option.

 

Magen's is great and described perfectly earlier. Full services available, calm, not great snorkeling though.

 

Best is clearly St. John's. Trunk is great, but also look at Cinnamon Bay.

 

I would always do it on your own - not through the ship.

[sunandseagirl617]

We purposely went to Coki last week and by-passed it once there. We went to Coral World instead. Unfortunately, the character that got on the taxi to 'take command' of us, rubbed me the wrong way.

 

Last summer we went to Sapphire Beach and loved it! However, when I read some recent reviews regarding the condition of the beach on cruise critic, we skipped it this year. :(

[ChristieNJ]

Wow, we've been to Coki twice, most recently this past April. We love it there! The fish come right around you, turquiose water, and drink service and you can also order food on the beach, including pizza! I've never felt unsafe there, and we've always had a beautiful time. Perhaps you just had a pushy person helping you out, and unfortunately he ruined your time for you. :( That stinks, because both times we've been to Coki, it has been the highlight of our trip! :)

[turquoisesea]

I also vote for a trip to St. John's. Both Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay are gorgeous, with changing rooms and showers. If I were a brave person I would take the ferry myself, but I always worry about missing the ferry and not making it back to the ship! :eek: Megan's Bay is pretty but it can't compare to the beaches on St. John.

If you decide to go to St. John, just Google St. Thomas. The offical island website has maps and the ferry schedule. There are two ferry's, but most people take the taxi from the ship to Red Hook and take the short ferry trip from there.

[camofwilliamsburg]

We were robbed on Coki Beach. Hated the place. I do think it was done by the husband of the women who were asking to braid my daughters hair. he sat behind the big tree watching us. When we turned our heads for just 15 seconds all of our stuff was GONE. All the money, our clothes, sea passes... We had the police bring us back to the ship. OUr camera and many other things were in the bag that was taken. He also stole from others. The ironic thing about this was that the women all told us to go into the water and they will watch our stuff since my daughter was going to get her hair done by them. They told others they would watch their stuff too. If we go to St Thomas now, we stay on the ship.

[mikeerdas]

Thanks everyone. My original plan for St. Thomas was, in fact, to go to St. John's (Trunk Bay). Now that I know better, I will head straight for St. John's the next time I have a port stop in St. Thomas.

 

I realize some people have a wonderful time at Coki beach or it wouldn't be recommended by anyone. But I'll never go back.

 

St. John's would be more my style. I'd like to be left alone when I'm snorkeling or at a beach. Don't need people hovering around, trying to be "helpful." And I certainly don't need to have vendors swearing at each other and needing to worry about my stuff getting pinched.

 

Yep, I had a bad feeling from the start when red-eyed guy "took control" of us as a group when we were getting off the taxi. "Welcome to Hell" is how it felt. And it only got worse. A bit of hyperbole, but it certainly wasn't the relaxed vibe I was after. I've experienced far better snorkeling elsewhere, so it was a complete loss. Had a far better time later in the afternoon, when I walked off the ship and explored the town.

[happy cruzer]

We were robbed on Coki Beach. Hated the place. I do think it was done by the husband of the women who were asking to braid my daughters hair. he sat behind the big tree watching us. When we turned our heads for just 15 seconds all of our stuff was GONE. All the money, our clothes, sea passes... We had the police bring us back to the ship. OUr camera and many other things were in the bag that was taken. He also stole from others. The ironic thing about this was that the women all told us to go into the water and they will watch our stuff since my daughter was going to get her hair done by them. They told others they would watch their stuff too. If we go to St Thomas now, we stay on the ship.

 

I feel your anguish. My DH and I travel alone. He will not go to a public beach because he can't relax, sun, and swim watching our belongings. Our only beach time is on the private cruise line beaches where you don't have to take ccs and other stuff. Sometimes we hike and jog on the public beaches but that's about it. You might look for cruises that stop at the private islands. Good luck.

 

PS I know others love the public beachs and I am glad you get to enjoy them. We just are very risk adverse.

[mikeerdas]

Happy, your husband sounds like me. Thanks to everyone for the posts. Can't believe I passed up St. John's for the scary St. Thomas experience.

 

Also had a weird experience with the cab driver who took me back from Coki to the ship. He talked about hating the locals--said he wouldn't pick them up because they did things like hop out without paying, tear through his upholstery with knives, etc. Don't know the truth of the matter, but that sure was unsettling to hear. The whole "den of thieves" vibe. Ugh.

 

I've read at least 2/3rds of St. John's is a national park. Sounds like my kind of place.

[nimbex1970]

Geeze, I'm shocked. I've been to Coki 4 times. We're going to St. Thomas soon and that's where we'll go. Driving through all the caribbian islands you see poverty, here is no different. Go into the city in Cozumel, not the shopping area and it's bad, sections of San Juan, Aruba... lets not even start on Jamaica.

 

We have never left our belongings, all our documents are in husbands swim trunks with money and the camera. I have the underwater camera around my neck. This just seems like basic logic that you'd apply anywhere, not saying that in any nasty way, just a simple statement. You can't trust anyone anywhere.

 

Coki is a local beach, not a resort with protection that happens to have the aquarium next to it. You are in a foreign country and need to be careful. I'm so sorry to hear that my favorite place on earth, yep I'm serious, was bad for you... but I know where I'm going and take the right precautions. St. Johns is like paying to goto a resort and you have the transfers to deal with..

 

Vacationing, I prefer the local places with all that comes with it because I enjoy the flavor. If I wanted a resort experience, I'd pay to goto a resort or go to St. Johns with the added hastle. Perhaps a poor choice for your taste in beach experiences? It's so hard to know in advance what is a good fit. Your post is excellent as it can warn others that this is not the "sterile" environment that some expect from an excursion. People need to know what they are buying with their vacation $$. Me, it works beautifully, others it is absolutely not it.

[camofwilliamsburg]

Yes it was a lesson learned. Now we carry very little and it is on hubby too in a waterproof pocket. The only things on the beach are the towels and our shoes and clothes. We usually watch them now when we do go into the water. Now we cruise without the kids so it is harder to watch but less to watch. One of the kids hated the ocean so she was the designated watcher.

What do other people do with the stuff on the beach? Many times if we find others from the cruise we take turns watching. Never again will I trust a local who tells me they will watch. By the way, in Fromers it even warned us about Coki beach with comments like the place is known for pick pockets. We knew this, still went .... we watched our stuff all day except that one time when I was distracted for less than 30 sec. We were being watched for sure!

[cruisingagentone]

We have been to Morningstar beach and thats where we will go again. Its part of Marriotts Frenchman's reef not very far from the ship and we felt very safe there. Nice bar and clean restrooms.

[mikeerdas]

What do other people do with the stuff on the beach? Many times if we find others from the cruise we take turns watching.

 

It's just me and my wife, so no one to watch our things. I purchased something called an Otterbox--it's waterproof down to a depth of several dozen feet and you wear it round your neck. I store my sea pass in it, driver's license, and whatever money I need for the day. I leave the cell phone in the cabin because it can demagnetize the sea pass. Got this solution from folks here in CC. You know who you are and thank you. :-)

 

As for Trunk Bay, I've read there are lockers. Would be a good place for a camera to be stored.

 

To the person who likes Coki beach, terrific for you. As for culture, I consider beaches everywhere to be relatively culture-free. And I am not a "beach person." I'm there exclusively for the snorkeling. That's where it ends. To boot, I've heard St. John's has great hiking (what I'd rather be doing than slowly getting skin cancer, frying on a beach).

 

For local experiences, I prefer things like staying on small side street neighborhoods in places like Paris and eating at local cafes. Am actually looking to rent a small studio apartment in Paris near a market. I like staying in domatias in rural Greece, etc. For beaches, especially in poor Caribbean locations, I prefer safety over "authenticity" or whatever you'd like to call it. Again, I've never viewed beaches as brimming with local culture. Some local cultures I'm glad to avoid. My preference and possibly my loss. But I don't think so...

 

To imply someone prefers all "sterile" environments because they don't like Coki Beach is incorrect and a bit presumptuous. Welcome to the Internet. :-) And thanks for sharing your positive experiences. Anyone reading this post now has the good and the bad; actually, I've found there to be more good than bad in any previous posts I've personally read on Coki beach. Never would have gone near the place if I knew what I know now.

Edited June 28, 2009 by mikeerdas

[aggie1]

As for St.Thomas, we did a day sail with Highpockets on her sailboat. Went to St.Johns and several other islands. Her name is Kathryn and she was wonderful. My DH and another person got sick, but she know what to do and they recovered. It was a six hr tour including lunch and was wonderful. Reserved a taxi for the trip to Red Hook and he was right there when we got off the ship. The water in St.Thomas is the most beautiful blue I have ever seen. Enjoy the island.

[happy cruzer]

It's just me and my wife, so no one to watch our things. I purchased something called an Otterbox--it's waterproof down to a depth of several dozen feet and you wear it round your neck. I store my sea pass in it, driver's license, and whatever money I need for the day. I leave the cell phone in the cabin because it can demagnetize the sea pass. Got this solution from folks here in CC. You know who you are and thank you. :-)

 

As for Trunk Bay, I've read there are lockers. Would be a good place for a camera to be stored.

 

To the person who likes Coki beach, terrific for you. As for culture, I consider beaches everywhere to be relatively culture-free. And I am not a "beach person." I'm there exclusively for the snorkeling. That's where it ends. To boot, I've heard St. John's has great hiking (what I'd rather be doing than slowly getting skin cancer, frying on a beach).

 

For local experiences, I prefer things like staying on small side street neighborhoods in places like Paris and eating at local cafes. Am actually looking to rent a small studio apartment in Paris near a market. I like staying in domatias in rural Greece, etc. For beaches, especially in poor Caribbean locations, I prefer safety over "authenticity" or whatever you'd like to call it. Again, I've never viewed beaches as brimming with local culture. Some local cultures I'm glad to avoid. My preference and possibly my loss. But I don't think so...

 

To imply someone prefers all "sterile" environments because they don't like Coki Beach is incorrect and a bit presumptuous. Welcome to the Internet. :-) And thanks for sharing your positive experiences. Anyone reading this post now has the good and the bad; actually, I've found there to be more good than bad in any previous posts I've personally read on Coki beach. Never would have gone near the place if I knew what I know now.

 

Oh my, Mike you could be my DHs twin, it will make him feel better to know that he is not alone.

 

I just take the good stuff like hiking etc. and let the sunning, beach stuff go so that he can relax and not worry.

 

To each their own.

[mikeerdas]

Oh my, Mike you could be my DHs twin, it will make him feel better to know that he is not alone.

 

I just take the good stuff like hiking etc. and let the sunning, beach stuff go so that he can relax and not worry.

 

To each their own.

 

To each their own indeed. Hey, it's the Internet. There are probably more of us out there than your hubby realizes. :-) For me, the more research I do, the better I feel. I did *not* do enough research on Coki beach. And am very glad to have all y'alls input on Coki and St. John's. My next St. Thomas port stop (getting over to St. John's ASAP) will be a lot happier.

Edited June 28, 2009 by mikeerdas

[A2Mich]

I also vote for Trunk or Cinnamon Bay on St John. I remember on our Princess cruise, we took a catamaran day trip on the Heavenly Days catamaran from the Bolongo Bay resort on St Thomas to Cinnamon Bay for a champagne cruise/snorkel tour.....was a great experience.

[relaxandenjoy]

I love Magen's Bay. One reason is the ease of getting there. It's nice to just jump on a taxi any time. We usually exit the ship whenever the mood strikes and spend some time on the beach as well as some time shopping. However, after reading this thread, I may have to hop over to St. John next time.

[Charles4515]

Coki is a local beach, not a resort with protection that happens to have the aquarium next to it. You are in a foreign country and need to be careful. I'm so sorry to hear that my favorite place on earth, yep I'm serious, was bad for you... but I know where I'm going and take the right precautions. St. Johns is like paying to goto a resort and you have the transfers to deal with..

 

St. Thomas is part of the United States Virgin Islands. They are a US territory. The locals are US citizens.

 

Coki is a very good beach to snorkel from but the beach itself is not so clean and the ambience is subpar. Unless snorkeling is ones number one priority it is not worth going to. I enjoyed snorkeling there but I would not go back. Once was enough. We had our little experience there too. We decided to leave early and would not wait for the taxi that the beach "honchos" wanted us to use. They threatened the taxi driver who offered to take us back. He took us anyway but it appeared they were close to getting physical with him.

 

St. John is not like paying to go to a resort. Not that there would be anything wrong with that. I have paid to go to resorts. On some Caribbean islands like Jamaica that is the best option. St. John is mostly a US national park. It is a gorgeous mostly unspoiled island. Trunk Bay and many of the other beaches are part of the national park. Not at all like going to a resort. No waiters serving fancy drinks on the beach. No pools or buffet restaurants. The transfers getting there and back are a negative of going there but I think it is worth it. I alway get right off the ship after it docks to make the 9:00 ferry from Red Hook. I have done this many times and that is what I will usually do in the future despite the transfers.

Edited June 29, 2009 by Charles4515

[harry0]

I have been to Coki many times and love it. There are alot of locals selling goods (legal and illegal). We usually go with a group of at least 6 so watching our"stuff" is not a problem. If we are alone we search out other passengers(easy to spot by there towels)and ask them to watch our stuff.

St. Johns is great, but we are one and done with it due to the cab/ferry/cab hassle. We are only there for a limited time and dont want to spend 2 hours in transit.