CRUISE 2014 - DAY 3 - ST. THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS

We woke up to another gorgeous, sunny morning.  Our plan for this cruise was quite different than past cruises.  We had no real schedule or excursions planned and were open to whatever tickled our fancy for each day.  We wanted to relax, recharge and enjoy the sun and sand!

The view from the ship - Charlotte Amalie is almost directly across the harbour

After some breakfast at the Windjammer, we caught a safari cab into Charlotte Amalie, the main town on St. Thomas.  We usually take the time to walk to and from town but were feeling lazy.  The walk takes around 20 minutes at a steady pace and, if you take the path through the yacht club, you pass by lots of boutiques that are nice for window shopping but whose prices are well out of our range.

One of the alleyways in the AH Riise shopping complex downtown

There is lots of shopping to be had ranging from the Vendor’s Market right up to high-end designer fare and tons of jewelry stores to choose from.  We didn’t have anything major on our shopping list so we wandered the tents at the Vendor’s Market looking for some sunglasses for Dave but the price was not right and we kept moving.  Bargaining is the norm but when they start way higher than we want, we just walk away.  There are lots of cab drivers around that area and a driver named Tim approached us offering rides to Magen’s Bay and other beaches, if we wanted.  When he found out that we had been there several times and were thinking of going to our favorite beach on Water Island (Honeymoon Beach), he turned into a real source of local information for us.  We had heard that Honeymoon Beach had been ‘discovered’ and was now often very populated and not the quiet, relaxing spot we have loved in the past and he confirmed that for us.  The Kon Tiki party boats have started making a stop there around lunch and they carry a lot of people. 

We asked him about Sapphire Beach, which was the other spot we had read some great reviews on and from his perspective, he said it was the best beach on the island.  There has been some drama going on between the owner and some others so access to the beach was restricted to pedestrians…no cabs allowed on the property and there were no facilities.  We told him that we were planning on taking the dollar taxi there and he pointed us to where the dollar taxi stand was.  He also told us that he was taking a group there and would be returning around 3:30pm if we decided we wanted to cab it back instead of the ‘bus’.  Dollar taxi’s look somewhat similar to the safari cabs…perhaps a bit more worn looking. 

travel with the locals on the dollar taxi

They are actually local bus transportation and way cheaper than cabs.  There are few tourists that use them or are even aware of them but they are the best deal going!  They only pick up at specific bus stops.  One of the stops is close to the Havensight pier where most ships dock.  There are no close stops to the Crown Bay pier on the opposite side of the island.  You walk through Havensight, turn left at the exit and walk down to where you see a gas station on the other side of the road.  The bus stop is on the road that runs beside the station (not the main road).  There is also a spot right beside the Vendors’ Market.  It cost us $2 each to get from Charlotte Amalie to the Sapphire Beach Resort & Marina.  If you ask a local, they will let you know when to ring the bell to make a stop or they may even take care of that for you.  The ride probably took around 40 minutes or so.  By cab, it would have been around $10 per person each way.

 

We had a bit of a walk (perhaps 7 or 8 minutes) down the hill to an absolutely gorgeous beach.  You have to love it when you walk around the corner and gasp because the colour of the water is just so stupendous…there are no words!  We spent several hours there, floating in the water, chatting with people that we met, laying under a tropical tree…the ultimate in relaxation!  We decided that if we paid a bit more and went back with Tim, we could spend longer on the beach… so we paid $10 per person to return to the ship via cab.

Since we had late sitting dinner, we had lots of time to shower, nap and take it easy before our 8:30pm dining time.  We had a very quiet evening and were in bed early.  All of the sun, exercise and fresh air makes us tired very early but makes for some incredible sleeps.  Our next stop would be St. Croix, USVI and we had never been to that island before and were looking forward to checking it out.

CRUISE 2013 - DAY 2 ST THOMAS, USVI

Good morning, St. Thomas!!  One of our very favorite Caribbean islands.  This is one island we would like to come to for an entire week.  You can easily catch a ferry to St. John, Tortola or St. Croix from St. Thomas so you could be as busy, or not, as you prefer.

We were supposed to meet our tablemates from last night on the pier as they wanted to go to Honeymoon Beach with us.  We walked around and waited for about 10 minutes but couldn’t find them.  We found out later that day that they had gone past the gate and were waiting on the other side for us.  We never caught sight of each other : - (  We couldn’t wait any longer because we were determined that we were not going to miss the ferry to Water Island again…like we had the last two times we were on St. Thomas!  We walked through the Havensight shops , all the way to the exit where the taxi stand was located.  If we were just going downtown, we could have caught a safari cab once we got off the ship but since our destination was not a regular one that a lot of people would go to, we had to get to the taxi stand.  We were waiting to leave and another couple got into the van.  We started chatting and we asked them where they were going (Emerald Beach) and told them where we were headed when they asked.  They thought Water Island sounded perfect and asked if we minded if they came along with us for the day.  So, we picked up a couple of great travel companions from the great state of Texas.

The ferry leaves from Tickles Dockside Pub over in the Crown Bay Marina. 

There are two cruise docks on St. Thomas:  Havensight and Crown Bay.  The town of Charlotte Amalie is between the two locations so we had to travel a bit of a distance to get there.  We arrived well in advance for the 10:30am ferry.  We spent the time getting to know our new travel buddies and all piled on to the ferry when the captain arrived and opened the cabin (ie: removing the rope across the open doorway). 

Ferry schedule

The ferry was completely full and left early so we were extra glad that we got there in good time.  The ferry costs $10 per person for a round trip.  We met a couple of cops from Montreal on the ferry and they joined our group for the day as well.

On arrival at Water Island, we all walked up the hill and then turned to the right at the top of the hill to make our way down to our own little bit of paradise.

The walk takes a leisurely 10 minutes and the beach is powdery white sand and the water is crystalline blue.  Usually the only people on the beach are a few adventurous cruisers who take the ferry over and the rest are either year-round residents or those who are renting properties on Water Island for vacation.



Bathrooms

Heidi's Honeymoon Grill for a bite to eat

We swam, walked the beach and laid in the sun all morning.  There is a beach bar at the far left hand side of the beach and also a grill at the far right hand side if you want to have lunch.  The food is very good but it will cost you $10 for a burger and coleslaw...but it's a good burger!!   Around 1:30pm, the Kon Tiki party boat arrived and the beach started to fill up.  Fortunately, we planned to catch the 2:15pm ferry back to St. Thomas so we didn’t feel too crowded for very long.  I guess the word is getting out about our ‘secret’ beach!  We headed back to the dock a little before 2pm and waited in the little stand that held the residents’ post office boxes and a good ‘put and take’ library as well. 



Water Island dock with St. Thomas in the background

The trip back across only takes about 15 minutes, at the most, and there was a cab already waiting to take us downtown or back to the ship.  I had planned on doing some browsing at the Vendor’s Market in Charlotte Amalie but Dave’s hip and leg were bothering him and I decided that there really wasn’t anything critical I wanted to buy and we just headed back to the ship.

We grabbed a late lunch at the buffet, took a shower and a nap before supper.  We had our assigned table for four all to ourselves for supper.   After supper, we went to the family comedy show and the Welcome Aboard show and then crashed.  Sun, sand and surf sure makes a girl (and guy) pretty tired : - )

Cruise Jan 2011 - Day 2 - ST THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS

View of the harbour area near Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas

The first full day of our cruise was blessed with a delightful sunny day and warm temperatures. I couldn’t sleep in because I was too excited to get going so I quietly crawled over Dave, got dressed and made my way up to the Mediterranean Buffet for some Rooibos tea (from my own special stash). I also grabbed a bowl of yogurt and a banana for a breakfast ‘snack’. I found an empty table near the aft pool which is for adults only and is generally very quiet.  St. Thomas is the busiest port in the Caribbean so we were fortunate that there were only two ships in port that day.  I did some reading and enjoyed the view of the Charlotte Amalie harbour for awhile and then headed up to the sports deck to do some yoga. There was Ms. Rebecca, all athletic and energetic, making her way around the jogging track. I do well enough to put one foot in front of the other without tripping at that time of the morning so kudos to her for her motivation…and coordination!  I took a few photos of the harbour and pier area and then went back to the cabin to wake up Dave and to get our gear together for the day.


Havensight pier area with the "Skyride to Paradise Point" at the top left of photo

Our next stop was the Pacific Dining Room for breakfast. The French Toast with Cinnamon was totally delish and I paired it with a glass of pineapple juice.

We made our way off the ship around 10am with plans to catch a cab from the Havensight pier, where we were docked, over to the Crown Bay pier on the other side of Charlotte Amalie (the main town) in order to catch the ferry to Water Island. Unfortunately, we discovered that we couldn’t just hop in one of the cabs sitting at the pier and we had to walk all of the way through Havensight to the taxi stand to get one. Needless to say, it wasn’t a quick walk as they direct you on a path through all of the shops to get where you’re going. We did get a cab relatively quickly but our cab driver gave us a snort when we said we were trying to make the 10:30am ferry to Water Island. He then proceeded to lecture us about waiting until the last minute : - ) Traffic downtown was slow and it seemed that we crept along by inches at times.

We pulled up outside Tickles Dockside Pub, at the Crown Bay Marina, just in time to see the ferry pulling away from the dock. Our hearts sank with the thought that we would have to miss this much anticipated outing.  The cabbie honked his horn furiously but the ferry captain just ignored him and kept on going (FYI -  cab fare was $6 each).  We stopped and talked to the waitress at the restaurant and she suggested that we may be able to convince the ferry captain to take us over on a special trip for a bit more money than the regular $10 per person round trip fare. Since we wanted to get some snacks and drinks, we walked down the road to a local Pueblo grocery store and picked up some fruit, chips and juice for the day. We got back to the dock and had a very short wait before the ferry returned.  Dave was easily able to make a deal with the captain to take us over for $45 for the four of us and $5 each for the return trip so we only ended up spending an extra $6.25 each over what we originally would have paid…and we had our very own private ferry ride.

Water Island Ferry

We arrived on Water Island, which is a small island off the coast of St. Thomas and is considered the fourth US Virgin Island (along with St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix). The island is only accessible by boat/ferry and it is just under 500 acres in size. There are about 200 full-time residents during the winter and they get around the island on golf carts.

We walked up the steep hill from the dock and down the other side and in about 5 minutes, we had arrived at Honeymoon Beach.

This beach is incredibly picturesque and isolated so there aren’t many people that make the trip there.  A couple of ship’s excursions stopped in during the day however, the peace and tranquility of the beach was not disturbed. There is a small food kiosk run by a lady named Heidi - who can be somewhat cranky but she makes incredible burgers. A burger and some coleslaw will set you back about $9.50 US but it sure tastes good!! There is also a beach bar at the far end of the beach and some 'rustic' washrooms halfway down the beach. The washrooms boast a side for “Buoys” and the other for “Gulls” and usually open when the beach bar opens.

We spent an indulgent morning stretched out on the beach in the shade of the palm trees, swimming in the crystal blue Caribbean water, walking the beach and taking lots of photos. There was a local dog that kept running up and down the beach with a stick in his mouth. He would spot someone who looked like they had a good arm and head right for him. Funny, he mostly headed for guys, not girls?  I guess he thinks that girls...throw like girls : - )

There were also three little kids who were a source of constant amusement. They were probably 4, 5 and 7 years old and they were completely at home in the water. They spent the entire time trolling around the swimming area on a surfboard. The little guy would paddle over to people and then stand up and wait for the applause. Too cute!

We headed back to the dock with a good 10 minutes to spare before the 2:15pm ferry back to Crown Bay Marina. We all gathered on the dock when we saw the ferry coming but a few people slipped past us and when everyone got loaded on the ferry, it was topped out at its maximum capacity of 25 people and the four of us had to be left behind. We didn’t stew much because the operator said he would come right back and we weren’t on a tight schedule so we went to the little stand where the mailboxes and a small ‘put-and-take’ library were located and waited about 20 minutes. Everything happens for a reason and we had another private ferry ride back and got to have a good chat with the operator who was from Maine and spent half his year in Maine and half on St. Thomas.  Sounds appealing, no??

We caught a cab to downtown Charlotte Amalie ($4 each) and while the guys went to the internet café, Rebecca and I went to A.H. Riise at the waterfront. They have an entire mall made up of different little stores for cosmetics, crystal, clothing, jewelry, etc. Great prices on Clinique products! Then we went over to the vendor’s market nearby.  It is an entire square of tents with vendors that sell all of the touristy stuff that people look for (sunglasses, jewelry, watches, dresses, shirts, hats, knock-off purses, etc). Bargaining is expected so never take the first price that you’re quoted. All you have to do is hum and they start knocking off a few dollars….”just for you”!! Rebecca found a dress she liked and took a bit of time to get the price down. She liked it enough that even though she didn’t get it as low as she wanted, she still bought it.


Vendor's Market

We walked back through town and along the highway back to the Havensight pier. There is a shortcut through the yacht club so we took that and dropped in to a couple of shops in the shopping area. If you like pricey gear, there are shops for Gucci, D&G, etc.

We got back on the ship with just a few minutes to spare before the 4:30pm ‘all aboard’ call.  Rebecca and I immediately hit the frozen yogurt stand and picked up a big glass of lemonade and went out on deck for the sail-away from St. Thomas...the guys went for naps!!



Farewell St. Thomas

That evening after supper, we went up on deck to watch "Iron Man 2" on the huge outdoor screen at the central pool area.  The others didn't think it was that good so they took off to check out karaoke and I stayed and watched the movie!

What a stupendous day on one of my favorite islands! This is one island I would definitely return to for a week’s vacation. You can catch ferries from St. Thomas to St. Croix, St. John and Water Island so you would never run out of new things to see. If you want more detail about local transportation, excursions, beaches, etc on St. Thomas, check out my detailed St Thomas posting under 2010 posts on this blog!

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Charlotte Amalie is the name of the town near where the ships dock. There are two piers where cruise ships dock.

Most ships dock at the West Indian Company Dock in Havensight, but you may also dock at Crown Bay Dock or, when all berths are full, you may anchor in the harbour and tender into Charlotte Amalie.

Havensight is about a mile from Charlotte Amalie and take about 20 minutes to walk or you can take a cab for around $5pp. There are tons of shops in the Havensight Mall to browse through. There is not much around the Crown Bay Dock so you will need to take a cab into town (around $4pp) as the walk is a long one. Cabs are usually open air 'safari' trucks and wait until they get full before they leave. Leave yourself time for this delay!

St Thomas is a great place for duty-free shopping with lots of jewelry and electronics buys to be had. Know your prices before you go and you may find some great deals. Bargaining is a way of life here so be prepared to sharpen your skills.

There is a vendor’s market near where the cabs drop you off downtown. It sells t-shirts, jewellery, knock-off handbags, souvenirs, clothing, etc. You can get some great bargains if you hang in and negotiate awhile.

There are also local taxis called “dollar taxis” that can take you most places on the island for about $2pp. You need to walk to a bus stop and flag down the $ taxis. They also look like big 'safari' trucks so it is sometimes difficult to distinguish them from regular open air cabs. The bus stop will be the identifying factor! This may be a bit intimidating to first-timers but it is a cheap way to get around the island. There is a bus stop near the Kmart which is down the road, to the left, of the Havensight pier. A bit of a walk will get you there. The dollar taxi routes don't go as close to the Crown Bay dock so a cab is your likely choice there.

The regular taxi fares are regulated and fixed based on the destination.

INTERNET CAFÉ – Beans, Bytes and Websites – downtown Charlotte Amalie in the Royal Dane Mall – ask locals or shopkeepers for directions when you get to the mall as there are many little alleyways to go down. It is not like our North American malls. All shops are off the quaint little alleys which are beautiful but can be confusing.

ATTRACTIONS
A couple attractions of interest would be:

SkyRide to Paradise Point which is an aerial cable car that takes you to 700 feet above sea level for a panoramic view that can’t be beat. There are shops and a bird show so you can spend some time wandering about. Round trip fare is $21 per person.

Coral World Ocean Park (at Coki Point) which has an observatory 15 feet under the water where you can view coral and sea life. The park is open Saturday to Wednesday from 9am – 4pm and the entrance fee is $21 per person. Coki Beach is right next door if you want some beach/snorkel time as well.

We haven’t been to either of these attractions but we know people who have gone and they enjoyed them. There are also lots of historical sights to see on the island. Go here for more info: http://www.vinow.com/stthomas/attractions_stt/

BEACHES
I have not listed all of the beaches as there are a lot of them. We have been to all of those listed below, except for Emerald Beach.

Magen’s Bay Beach – this is the best known beach on the island of St. Thomas. It is one of the top beaches in the world (according to several travel magazines). $8pp cab ride, $4pp entrance fee. You can rent chairs and umbrellas if you like but there are lots of trees that can provide shade. Depending on how many ships are in port (I will have this info as we get closer to cruise time) the beach can be quite crowded with cruisers, but the water is gorgeous and warm. This is a great option for first-timers!

Emerald Beach (aka Lindbergh Beach) – is another beach that has excellent reviews. $6-7pp cab, $7pp chair rental, $10 chair + umbrella, near Best Western hotel, shade available, beach bar, bathrooms under construction, not very good snorkeling, no vendors to bother you. It is generally quiet but it is near the airport so around 12pm-2pm there are several jets passing over.

Coki Point Beach - $9pp cab, food/drink, chair rentals, vendors on beach can be bothersome, good snorkeling, outside beach area is a bit run-down but you can get out at the entrance and catch a cab back from the same spot without wandering too far away.  UPDATE:  After the death of a 14-year old tourist who was caught in the crossfire of a shooting, this beach was removed as a ship excursion destination early in 2010.  The government has said that they have implemented several  projects to make the area safer and cleaner but just be aware of this issue when choosing your beach destination.

Trunk Bay – this beach is one of the top 10 best beaches in the world. It is located on the island of St. John, which is able to be reached by ferry (see schedule below) from either Red Hook at the east tip of the island or downtown Charlotte Amalie. You can take a cab to Red Hook, catch the ferry to St. John (20 min ride), then a cab to Trunk Bay or you can catch a cab downtown and take the Charlotte Amalie ferry (45 min ride). Both of these options will cost in the range of $40 per person. There is some great snorkeling around a little island just off of Trunk Bay where there is a marked underwater trail highlighting the coral and fish of the area. Make sure that you return in early afternoon (2-2:30pm) as after 3pm, the locals start filling the ferries when they get off work. We have done this trip several times and Trunk Bay is one of our favorite beaches. It just involves a lot of time, attention to timing and is a bit costly.

TOURS
Island tours are available. Most run in the $25 - $30 per person range. The person that I have read the best reviews about is Henry Christopher who charges $25 pp for a 2 hour island tour. At the end, he will drop you at a beach of your choice for 2 hours and then deliver you back to the ship. Check out his website at: http://www.eeetours.com/index.html

OTHER OPTIONS
Water Island is a small island off the coast of St. Thomas that can be reached by ferry from the Crown Bay marina (the other cruise ship dock). Water Island is designated as the fourth Virgin Island - joining St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.

You can take a small ferry over to the island and you will have a bit of a walk to get to Honeymoon Beach, but it will be worth it to enjoy this tropical gem of a beach!! Not many cruisers know about this spot or make the effort to get there, so it is very quiet and uncrowded. Some of the 'party boat' charters stop there around noon or so and it can get a bit crowded for about an hour until the party boats leave. There are some basic bathroom facilities but they may not open until the lunch bus arrives mid-morning.   If you dock at the Havensight dock, a cab to the Crown Bay dock should cost you around $5pp each way.  Ask to get dropped off by Tickles Restaurant or you will need to walk over to the small marina to the left, if the cab drops you where the cruise terminal is located.  You should confirm the return times when boarding.  The ferry holds about 25 passengers and costs $12 pp round trip. Tickets are sold by the captain once on board.

You can check out the ferry schedule and fare prices at the site below. It also has schedules for other ferries leaving from St. Thomas to St. John, Tortola and St. Croix:

http://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/#Water%20Island%20Ferry:%20Crown%20Bay%20to%20Phillip


You can check out “http://www.vinow.com/stthomas/ “ if you want more info on attractions, beaches, etc.

You can also find some great info on http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=17