St. Thomas with 4 ships in port! Advice needed

[Crystalcat]

Thanks to love2vacation who posted a link to a cruise timetable: http://www.cruisett.com/ports.php. As a result, I have found out that there will be 4 ships :eek: in port at St. Thomas the day we are there next March. I was considering going on our own to Sapphire Beach then to town, or venturing over to Trunk Bay, but now I'm wondering if traffic (getting a taxi, or being stuck in traffic on a local bus) will be freakishly insane and perhaps I should reconsider an excursion through the ship. Our ship is in port from 11am - 7pm. Thanks!

[jollycruise]

There were 6 ships in port when we were there, it was busy but getting around wasn't too bad.

[laser110]

I have to laugh because I remember the days growing up and there would as many as 8-10 in one day. 4 or5 at WICO, 2 in the Inner harbor anchorage, 2 at the Outer Harbor Anchorage.

 

Of coruse back then the ships were smaller and carried less people.

 

Scott

[nicki_momof3]

I wonder how accurate this link is. We are going on DCL to Tortola and will be in port 8/18 but it is not listed on the website. Our 8/19 St. Thomas port is listed.

 

Weird!

[Loucat]

Would not worry about 4 ships. As others have said, there are times with MANY more. We have been to St. Thomas at least 4-5 times and once every berth was filled. It was crowed in town, but the ships enter and leave at different times, so the crowds grow and then it quiets down. Just be sure to leave enough time to get back to the ship in case there is alot of traffic. Have a wonderful time. We love that port:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Only 4 ships??

We have been there when there was 7 mega ships there -- now that was crowded!!

Years ago I remember being there with about 9 ships.

[138east]

I don't think it will be a problem. All the other ships get in earlier and leave earlier, so the traffic getting back for a 7 pm departure will be much less. By the time you get off at 11 am, most of the folks will have gotten off the other ships.

[PatfromPa]

It will be crowded downtown, with the narrow streets sometimes you have to walk on the road to get around the crowds, but it is a great shopping mecca. If you leave with enough time to get back to the ship you should be fine. the ships leave at all different times so the crowds thin out too.

[lostdart58]

FYI, shops, island wide, close at 5PM sharp. You may want to shop first......then go to Sapphire.....stay there till 5-5:30. There will be less traffic heading back into town after 5:30.

[Ms411]

The 5 o'clock closing time has become more flexible as the economy weakens. Some stores at the Havensight dock will remain open until the last ship pulls out. Even some stores in town, especially on the Waterfront, may stay open past 5.

 

It all depends on what you want to shop for. If you're looking for something specific and want to comparison shop, you should shop first. If you're looking for basic souvenirs, you can do that after your day at Sapphire.