HarpHarp

We are stopping at St Thomas with NCL in late January and was looking for excursion recommendations for a family of 8. There are 3 kids (4,3,2) so anything too extreme is out. But would like to see a bit of the island and maybe relax at a beach.

 

With our group of 8 should we arrange something private and should we do it ahead of time?

I would arrange something in advance.

My suggestion for a family group is Coki Beach, with Coral World right next door.

That way if the little ones or the parents need a break from the beach, they can head inside or look at the turtle pool etc.

http://coralworldvi.com/

Here is a great article about feeding fish & the damage it can do.

http://www.reeftraveler.com/2012/02/why-cant-i-feed-the-fish.html

I beg to differ as the tourists feeding the tiny fish the dog biscuits have been doing it there for years with never a word about sharks or barracudas. They sell them in the little shops on the beach specifically for this purpose. But you should always be aware when snorkling and scuba diving of all marine life. Worse I have seen personally in the area are the sea urchins.

Talk to the people at Coral World about that. They don't like the biscuits. Some of them have dyes, additives & other ingredients that harm some corals.

I agree the sea urchins are the biggest pain, literally, at Coki. There are barracudas as well as morays around the reef & hungry sharks will eat anything they can get to, including nails & surfboards & by feeding the fish, you are serving dinner for them. Don't know if that has ever happened at Coki, but it has at other places. I know people have been selling the biscuits there for decades & when I lived there they tried to stop it. There has been damage to that reef & the one at Sapphire because of walking on, & touching the coral & bleaching disease because of contaminants

Budget & Avis both have offices near the pier & there may be some others.

As a former resident, I need to emphasize, THEY DRIVE ON THE LEFT, with a standard right hand drive car. The driver is therefore driving next to the shoulder or curb. The roads are twisty, hilly, narrow or a combination of all 3.

Driving to the usual beaches is ok, but down town is better explored by walking.

The east end & north shore beaches are the best, no doubt, but are expensive to get to as you said. The butterfly house a Havensight is fun for young ones.

Have you considered renting a car? Budget has rentals from $43/day. As a former resident I add just remember to drive on the left. Coki, Sapphire & Lindquist/Smith Bay are pretty easy drives.

Get a ziplock bag of dog cookies and go snorkel with the fish hand feeding them the biscuits . We like doing this at Coki beach. We are not a fan of emerald.

Please don't do this. Coral reefs are very fragile environments & you may attract more than you bargain for like 'cudas & sharks. There have been recent studies that show an ingredient in some sunscreens can cause damage. If you want to see fish being fed, go next door to Coral World

ATM's are plentiful & will work with most major bank cards. Use ones attached to a bank during hours the bank is open, just in case there is a problem.

Some places are only able to take credit cards if it is a chip/ pin set up, for some reason restaurants seem to have difficulty.

Check with your banker about ways of keeping fees to a minimum.

Here is a firm at Red Hook that does it.

http://www.stthomascruiseshiptour.com/tours.html

I would not say it is cheap. You MUST have your passport & there is an additional charge from BVI customs.

Yes, the location is great. It ought to be interesting being there on New Years Eve, but I should have a good view of Pitbull's New Years Eve Party at Bayfront Park. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

You're sailing on the wrong ship! Pitbull is the godfather of the Escape & will be christening it & giving a concert on Monday.

The Breeze is beautiful, especially the hot tubs on 5. We took her around the Med. We didn't care for CCL's entertainment though.

Has anyone on here stayed at the YVE Miami. I am booked there for Dec 31 and Jan 1 for my Breeze cruise and then for one more night post cruise. I am starting to get a little nervous because I have noticed that recent reviews have taken a negative turn. I know that the rooms are very small, but since it is just me, that is not a problem. Any other feedback would be greatly appreciated.

A few people on the list suggested it & I will let you know how I liked my stay in a week or so.:D We also have traveled in Europe where small rooms & slow elevators are the norm, & those seem to be the main complaints. I can't believe the rooms are smaller than the average cruise ship cabin. The location is terrific for what we want to do, with many restaurants near by, so I'm already thinking I will like it.

THankyou...I have looked at this one. Is this the closest beach you would think. Last time we went to the beach by the boat so it was easy...but they say it is not too safe to swim there and the kids are in the water all day

Morningstar is closer, but the water tends to be rough.

Here is what vinow dot com says about Lindberg

Lindberg Bay, also known as Emerald Beach, is beautiful. Palm trees and sea grape trees line the shore and provide natural shade. Typically sparsely populated It is a great beach for laying back and relaxing. The water is usually very calm; perfect for swimming, wading or floating along. The shoreline provides for pleasant strolls. The beach is home to Emerald Beach Resort and Island Beachcomber Hotel

It also mentions a small playground.

We have been 4 times and recently just this past winter where we did Godfry's tour. We have young kids and what I can't stand is the price per person for a taxi, the costs goes way up. I think paying 40$ one way to go to a beach is too much. We are on the gem so is there a beach close by that won't cost very much to get too? or is there something you would do that does not cost a lot. We do not shop or eat in restaurants when we are off the ship. Ideas suggestions????

 

TIA

Taxi to Emerald Beach/Lindbergh is about $6/per person. You may be able to negotiate a better rate away from the port dispatcher, especially for a round trip. Emerald is a good beach for young ones, with the hotel amenities at the Best Western.

I would say stay on the road going west past the airport, UVI, and around. See a part of the island that many people miss.

Exactly! I think I would start off heading that direction, through down town, past the airport & around the west end. That way, if you are running short on time, you can skip one of the beach stops. They are all lovely, but there isn't that much difference. There are 2 botanical gardens along your route & Drakes Seat has wonderful views.

Have you been to St Thomas before? If not I really would suggest an island tour. There are beautiful views and the basic tours are relatively inexpensive.

From either dock you can taxi down town & shop or see some of the historical sites. The Synagogue and the old Moravian church are interesting, and after reading Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman I intend to stop by the Pissarro gallery myself. There is also an Ice Bar that sounds interesting

If you are docked at Crown Bay, take the ferry to Water Island & hang at the beach bar at Honeymoon. Come back & walk through the shops

If you are at Havensight, there is shopping at the mall & the tram to Paradise Point is near by.

Two things I really enjoyed when I lived in St Thomas:

Kayaking through the Mangrove

Snorkeling at Turtle Cove

You might also check the calendar at the national park on St John to see what the rangers are doing the day you are there.

http://www.nps.gov/viis/planyourvisit/calendar.htm?submitted=1&date_start=10%2F27%2F2015&date_end=11%2F26%2F2015&keyword=&as_sfid=AAAAAAXnn1Hsu8RnBmVM4CLXFz7m-tnR9YKp9PPwx4TV9pFN1U6TZ0hlDS-pHl-6YcnJGC6U_INITvbnjTWPSalI30zB4qjSZPnXKjoPJf_wFk7rIw%3D%3D&as_fid=2A_GuEI_89PPWS8VbwSE

Should be about $10 per person each way.

Thanks so much for the gorgeous pictures! Such beautiful views....something I won't get to see when I sail with 4000+ of my "closest friends!!!" :rolleyes:

 

......to everyone on the transatlantic.....have a wonderful time and bring her home safe to Miami. :)

But I'm certain the rest of the passengers are as wonderful as we are.;)

what dock will the Escape be at when she goes to St. Thomas? We have always been to Havensight pier with other cruise lines. This is our first experience with NCL and we are planning what to do according to where we dock. Thanks!

When will you be there? My cruise in November:) shows us at Havensight & I would expect yours would be the same.

The docks are close enough that you should be able to do whatever you desire from either one, though as a former St T resident, I'd hesitate to go to Water Island if one of the Royal megaships is docked at Crown Bay.

I'll give a better beer assessment later in the trip. I'm no real expert and am not too fussy when it comes to beer.

 

Tried the La Rubia, which was good (I think I tried it on the Getaway when I wasn't very impressed) and Pops Porter, which I really like.

 

The selection may not be the best, but it's certainly not bad. I'll be working my way through whatever I can drink in 14 days , along with visiting the Cellars a few times as well and some cocktails when I get the UBP next week (on corks and caps at the moment).

I'm not a big IPA fan, but I do like the stouts, brown ale & porters. I'm looking forward to trying the Pop's I love most Belgian ales & lagers almost as ch as their chocolate:D

20 days:cool:

The walk to town is flat, paved, and on the waterfront. Very easy.

 

The Historical Trust also runs walking tours:http://stthomashistoricaltrust.org/ There are some very interesting old buildings in town including the St Thomas Synagogue http://synagogue.vi/ , the second oldest in the western hemisphere.

Read Marriage of opposites by Alice Hoffman for insight into the synagogue. Check out the Pissarro gallery while you're there also.

All of this incredible food on the Garden Cafe Buffet has to be for the travel industry folks and not to be expected next month in the Caribbean, right?

Does that mean I don't have to fast for the next 3 weeks?:D

I've never seen tendering in st Thomas as I've never seen 4 ships in havensight. I really doubt 4 fit there.

I have seen 4 ships there, but that was when ships were much smaller. Tendering was a frequent occurrence then also

Taking a look at the more detailed WICO schedule, the Spirit arrives at 11 am is assigned to near anchorage.

http://wico-vi.com/docs/default-source/ship-schedules/november-2015-ship-schedule.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Since the Escape is new, its first stop is the week before with yours truly on board:D, the Spirit was relegated to anchorage, being the 2nd NCL ship.

I read this reading reviews of our exact room - that at 5:30am there is noise from setting up chairs, etc that lasts about 15 minutes.

I don't have a reference for what's better about the mini-suite compared to the balcony. I know we want aft facing though.

That was a rookie mistake I made on our first cruise. The mini suites on the Gem have a tub. I would look at an aft balcony on 10

Here is the VI now dot com cruise ship schedule for 11/24 with the same ships.

Carnival Valor - 2,984 West Indian Co.

Divina - 3,502 West Indian Co.

Norwegian Escape - 0 West Indian Co.

Norwegian Spirit - 2,018 West Indian Co.

Oosterdam - 1,916 Crown Bay

Reflection - 3,046 Crown Bay

4 at Havensight & 2 at Crown Bay

Check the deck plans. If you are in an aft on 11, change it. Get a mini or balcony mid ship with cabins above & below . Noise from the pool deck would be a real bother.

The Breakaway is a great ship, but the itinerary is just so so. I'd grab the Gem 10 day for the ports.

Get the thermal pass, which you can book on line for a discount about 90 days before the cruise. I would bet you won't miss the Haven.