HarpHarp

Baltimore, with a population of about 10 times St Croix has had 227 homicides in 2015 compared to St Croix's 9, or about 1/2 the per capita rate. This took place at night & well away from the pier. You are much more likely to run into crime in Miami before you get on the ship.

St. Croix spent 40 years trying to recover from the shock of the Fountain Valley Massacre in 1972. Cruise ships did not port, except very occasionally, when I was living there, hurting the economy. The crime rate is of great concern because of this, plus this seems to be gang related, so time to get very serious. They don't want another incident like the one in St. Martin.

This is a lovely island with wonderful people. Please get off the ship & find out what this island has to offer.

YVE Hotel on Biscayne Blvd is across the street from Bayside and one block away from the Intercontinental and the Holiday Inn and maybe 4 blocks from the entrance to the port of Miami. Lots of people stay there. Good pub with good food on the 1st floor as well.

Got what I consider a great deal here for a couple of nights before our cruise. What's the best way to get to the hotel from the airport?

My jeweler brother says check out Sterling Jewelers.

Also , borrow a metal detector & look for the original.:)

Next April my DH and I will be on the Freedom on our first cruise and our first trip to the Caribbean as well. We will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary (it's actually on Sunday - but we're extending the celebration. ) The traditional gift for the 35th is coral - so I thought that I would get my DH an excursion where he could dive or snorkel around coral. Clever, huh?

 

 

 

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could recommend an excursion where my husband could snorkel or dive and I could just lounge. Or maybe go into a shallow beach area. He's the adventurer. Me - not so much.

 

 

 

Thoughts? The cruise itself is kinda our dual anniversary gift, but I wanted to give him something on the actual date.

Well I'd do the Champagne Catamaran excursion to St John. Here's a description:

"Your relaxing fun-filled day begins with a short scenic ride to a quaint marina where you’ll board the catamaran. At the marina dock, your friendly crew will greet you and acquaint you with the vessel. Glide along the eastern end of the island before setting sail to the most pristine of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The brisk sail across Pillsbury Sound brings you to a special mooring destination where you can swim on a beautiful St. John beach, snorkel or simply relax under the palms. Enjoy freshly baked breads, cheeses, fruits, and a variety of beverages onboard. Champagne and other beverages are complimentary after swimming and snorkeling. After your relaxing stay at the beach, delight in the tropical breezes as you make the downwind return sail to St. Thomas. "

Even better, most of the time the beach on St. John is Honeymoon Beach;) Most of the snorkeling spots are coral reefs & this one is a beauty.

It is very popular with cruisers & vacationers alike. Don't know about the feasibility of booking it independently if you are on a ship.

Sapphire Beach isn't what it used to be. IMO none of the beaches on St. Thomas rate up there with St. John. For those reading this thread in the future try researching Secret Harbour on St. John, you won't be disappointed.

Oh and we were one of those condo renters for a week. We didn't look down on cruisers we just felt sorry for you that you had to leave and we got to stay in Paradise :D

Secret Harbour is on St Thomas, not St John. It is smaller that Sapphire & has good snorkeling.

Yes, the beaches on St John are unspoiled, but there are plenty of lovely beaches on St Thomas.

When I lived on St Thomas, we would go to Trunk, Honeymoon, Salt Pond or Cinnamon, if we had the time & $$ to get there. If not, Sapphire, Coki , Secret Harbor or Lindquist (The beach in the Hannah & her horse commercial) were just fine.

??????? Cruise ships have been going to Tortola for years, it is not close to being a new port.

The new pier is less than 6 months old. Ships had to tender, & it was easier & cheaper to dock at St Thomas, where there is more to do & they have been handling 10,000+ cruise ship passengers a day for a very long time.

Smaller cruise ships, like the Windjammer ships have been stopping at Tortola for many years, but it is only recently that the mega ships have come calling.

It wouldn't surprise me to find some of the facilities overwhelmed at times.

Frenchman's Reef & Mornigstar is less than 3 K, but it will be warm& the roads are not the best for walking. Remember the cars drive on the left. You could taxi there or to a much better beach IMHO, Emerald/ Lindbergh, for about $6.

To those of you who have been to TORTOLA, what is there to do there.

 

Next cruise will be our first visit.

I lived on St Thomas, when you didn't need a passport to go back & forth.:)

For cruise ship passengers, the big attraction is the Baths on Virgin Gorda, via NCL or, according to the schedule, Speedy's ferry. The ferry dock is a short walk from the new pier.

Tortola itself is a small island with gorgeous views & beaches. An island tour with a stop at Cane Garden Bay beach would be a great port stop. Brewer's Bay is a good beach for snorkeling.

Sailing is big time on Tortola. There are many sailboats that run excursions to both Virgin Gorda & Jost Van Dyke, with the famous Soggy Dollar Bar.

Before you get back on the ship, stop at Caribee spice shop for spices & local crafts & follow that up with a painkiller at Pussers:D

The Baths

Thanks.

...just trying to predict a head count for the thermal spa on the transatlantic.:)

There are also spa balconies & spa mini suites on the Breakaway & Escape.

The Breakaway spa was never crowded even the first cols morning sailing out of New York. The cabins are the same size but come with special spa toiletries & robes and spa access for the week. We had enough of a price drop that the spa cost was minimal on the Breakaway.

Chuckie,

How is your daughter? I hope she is doing well. Not where you want to end up while you're on vacation.

Yup....we paid $199 per person for 11/14 Escape cruise. The one on Breakaway looks incredible and Escape is supposed to be even better! I figured that I could pay that for an Atlantis your that is much less time and less enjoyable!

The one on the Breakaway is incredible! We were lucky to upgrade when we had a price drop on our Breakaway cruise. We loved it so much we got a spa cabin on the Escape, before the huge price jump, thanks to my PCC:)

See you at the spa:cool:

Hull Bay is a nice place to hang, but the snorkeling isn't good. My apt. overlooked Hull when I lived in St Thomas & I would watch the surfers in the winter & it does attract a lot of fishing boats.

These folks are at Hull Bay, but take boats to snorkeling spots ,usually on St John.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147404-d1215144-Reviews-St_Thomas_Scuba_and_Snorkel_Adventures-St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

Sapphire & secret Harbor would both be good if you didn't want to go to St John.

There are many marvelous snorkeling beaches on St John

Here is a guide.

http://stjohn-beachguide.com/snorkeling-on-st-john/

In looking at my old freestyle dailies, I see they had a "Baby Clown" activity for the little one, & then later in the day a splash academy circus for the older kids. I bet your little one would get a kick out of seeing big brother on stage.:)

They usually have something like that, maybe a talent show, along wit a magician , family karaoke, goofy golf & there is always the sports court.

Does anyone know if there are any water features the baby could splash in? I remember a water cannon or something like that that the little ones were running through, though I'm not sure that was on the Star.

......hope she doesn't get sick and need a doctor..........

I hope nobody on a cruise needs a doctor, but there is one on board, as well as other assorted medical professionals who are perfectly capable of taking care of a 1 year old. What you really ought to hope for is that the 50 year old guy you're traveling with doesn't have a heart attack & needs a cardiac ICU. There isn't one of those on board.

OP, your little one will have fun at the guppies free play where you can go & do activities with her. You have good advice from others here on using the stroller. Last time I was on the Star, I saw a little one dance like crazy for about the first 30 minutes of the deck party, then crash in her stroller while mom & dad enjoyed the music.

Enjoy your cruise.

I'm actually going there on my own. NCL excursion is more than double that price.

 

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Yes they raised the price on NCL again. That's why I was asking about the start times listed for that excursion on your cruise. The timing of the ship excursion may be better for us & we have OBC to use.

I was also hoping to hear from Speedy's that the fleet on hand for the 7:45 hasn't been overwhelmed by the mega ships.

No matter how we get there, the Baths are amazing.

Has anyone been in the hospital on St. Thomas? My daughter was just taken off the NCL ship in that port. She is in the ER , and is being evaluated. Does anyone know about the quality of the care in this hospital?

Thank you for any info.

They have the same level of accreditation that most hospitals stateside have, by the same organization.

I have been there, but it has been long enough that my impression really isn't relevant. My Dr. when I lived on St. Thomas was fine.

This must be very stressful for you. Hoping & praying for a swift recovery for her.

BTW, how far is the ferry terminal from cruise ship terminal in Tortola? Is it walking distance? Thanks!

Yes the ferry is a short walk. Is your start time for the ship excursion still listed at 8:10? I was going to take the ferry to beat the crowd, but I've heard from Getaway passengers since the port time change that they moved the start time up. I may just take the ship excursion.

I also e-mailed Speedy's to see how tough it would be to get a spot on the 7:45, but haven't heard back yet.

You'll love the Baths.

So the ones on 5 near splash academy are not a plus for your family :)

I would think the front facing ones on 9 & 10 might be a good fit, especially on 9 since it would be relatively close to the action on 6/7/8, & quiet since there are cabins below. We were pretty far forward on the Breakaway & didn't notice much of a motion problem & I know I would love a front facing window.

We also were able to do an upgrade when the BA was less than a year old for very little money, so do keep an eye on prices & promos as the year goes on.

I have been searching for the last hour and can't find which dock Escape will use in St. Thomas. Anybody know for sure?

I am booking an independent snorkel excursion that leaves from Havensight, so we could walk if Escape docks there.

Thanks in advance for any info you can give me.

Since all the other NCL ships dock at Havensight, it's pretty good odds that it will dock there. They are very slow at posting at VINOW and any of the other schedules don't seem to show what dock

Rock of Ages on the BA is fantastic! We have seen it 3 times.

 

I do wish NCL would add another show, a comedy act would be great.

Head to Howl at the Moon. The funniest show since Dave Heenan:D

The Family Ocean View Cabins on 5 are under the Atrium/ Guest services. & near the Splash academy & Nursery. I would bet they would be quiet

I loved deck 5 with the picture window. It feels like you're right on the water.

I'd book one of those cabins with no hesitation. If a chance for an upgrade came you could do so , but I don't think you would be disappointed with one of the family ocean views.

From the State Department section on the BVI's

All U.S. citizens traveling outside of the United States are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter the United States. This extended to all sea travel (except closed-loop cruises), including ferry service on June 1, 2009. Travelers must now present a Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document such as a passport or a passport card for entry to the United States.

Note: Be aware that Caribbean cruises that begin and end in the U.S. (closed loop cruises) do not require that you travel with a valid passport. However, should you need to disembark due to an emergency and you do not have a valid passport, you may encounter difficulties entering or remaining in a foreign country

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/country/british-virgin-islands.html

I would bet if what you were told was accurate, we would have heard the yelling by now.:)

I have a group of 18 that will be stopping on the Gem from 7-1 pm in Tortola. My family has went ahead and booked the baths tour with NCL, but some of my friends are not water people - will this trip be a waste of time for them? Or will they be able to see plenty from shore?

 

Also on the NCL website it says: "The footpath to The Baths is rough, consists of uneven terrain and goes through small spaces" The small spaces part has some of my friends concerned! So do you have to go through the tight spaces or is that only if you are out exploring the baths?

Here is a video:

The Baths are a very special place. The best parts can be seen by walking or wading, swimming skills not required. The beaches are lovely & can be enjoyed without dipping a toe in the water, but I can't imagine not wanting to wade around the rocks

anchored in the harbor; the tenders will drop guests right in the heart of Charlotte Amalie.

◾Bad Ass Coffee, 5330 Yacht Haven Grande, Suite 103, Tel.: 340.344.2744

◾Hubbly Bubbly, hookah bar and Middle Eastern cuisine, open for lunch and dinner in a fun lounge or outdoors in the marina complete with free Wi-Fi. 5304 Royal Fortune Yacht Haven Grande, Tel.: 340.774.6652

◾Jen’s Island Cafe & Deli, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.43-46 Norre Gade, Tel.: 340.777.4611

◾Shipwreck Tavern, find free Wi-Fi and the Best Burger of the Virgin Islands within Havensight Mall located at the Havensight Cruise Ship Dock, Tel.: 340.777.1293

◾The Dog House Pub, situated right next to Shipwreck Tavern is this is an inexpensive hangout for lunch and dinner or just drinks, plus free Wi-Fi, Tel.: 340.998.8341

◾Barefoot Buddha, enjoy artisan roasted organic coffees & teas, good food for breakfast and lunch in a peaceful, casual environment. Located 9715 Estate Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, Tel.: 340.777.3668

◾Big Kahuna Rum Shack, a great spot downtown on the waterfront. Try their World Famous Love Juice as you are taking advantage of their free Wi-Fi, Tel.: 340.775.9289

Shipwreck Tavern & The Dog House pub are both very near Havensight

Well, you have definitely helped with us feeling secure about venturing over to St. John, HarpHarp. We have been to St. Thomas so much, that we are so looking forward to visiting St. John. We have heard that it is truly paradise. We were planning on going straight to Cinnamon, to avoid the crowds that will probably be at Trunk Bay. I think there are 3 ships in port that day. How do we check into what the Park Rangers are doing that day?? That sounds like something we would be interested in. :)

Here is the park web site:

http://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm

If you click on the calendar link on the right, today's listings & a search by date function come up.