blue_water

What are the odds it would be another recommended outfit! 😄

This applies to any day trippers, including folks coming into the BVI on a cruise ship and spending less than 24 hours. 👏👏👏👏👏 Masks are also a personal choice (optional).

We’ve found Coki to be one of the top 3 beaches on the island for years. We stay at Sapphire, but we always look forward to going to both Coki and Lindqvist (now Smith Bay Park) when no ships are in. Coki is just a gorgeous, intimate beach ideal for a romantic outing…Of course it is one of the busiest and most crowded on big ship days because it is small… Maybe that is what you are thinking of? Just too crowded? Or perhaps the neighborhood you drive through to get there? Coki has been beautiful at least since 2001 when we first visited… There are vendors there vying to service you with lounges and food & drinks…

I didn’t mention CanaDian but that is a favorite of friends here…USA is also popular. The fares should be similar.. Yes we would use the Ultramar ferry at Puerto Juarez. It is the furthest port but the most active and reliable. You can compare the timetables between PJ, Playa Tortugas, and Playa Caracol here. One of the others may work for you too since you are staying on the island and don’t need that active a schedule… https://www.ultramarferry.com/en/routes-and-departures I don’t have any other suggestions, I think you covered everything we know…We have a favorite bar across Playa Norte, Jax. Enjoy!

St Thomas is one of the more “touristy” ports, I guess we can say, and shopping, beaches and snorkeling are the primary activities. Having said that, there are some interesting historical sites just outside Charlotte Amalie as well as right in town. We’ve only explored on our own, but there are probably independent tours offered on the VINow website. it looks like you are docked in Crown Bay from either 7 - 4 o 12 - 8, and if you wanted to take the extra 1.5 - 2 hours of round trip ferry and taxi travel time you could also take a tour of the north shore and historical sites on St John. The safari taxi drivers offer a tour before dropping you at a beach for ~$25/pp. But I would check out any walking tours of STT offered on the VINow site, or from other suggestions here, and then just relax at the Emerald Resort in Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach). That is a nice enough beach with a beach bar and lounge rentals and is Walkable from the ship or a short taxi ride… There are a few popular shared tours by safari taxi, but I would not recommend them to you. You may also get some great feedback from residents and land visitors on the TripAdvisor St Thomas forum!

Hi Kim! Obviously this forum is very quiet since it’s no longer a cruise port…But you are probably looking at the TripAdvisor IM forum too…I googled IM on Facebook and see several groups there that are pretty active. We always recommend Canada Transfers to friends, and Reliable Cancun transfers is a favorite of friends. There are a few ferry options, the furthest from CUN is Puerto Juarez but I would recommend that because of the regular service. Ultramar is our choice… Enjoy your trip!

We’ve only visited Isla Mujeres and have taken visiting friends and family to Isla Mujeres to tour the island over the years, they always have fun touring the small island. We’ve rented carts from a few different outfits, Joaquin is also our favorite… Have you chosen a hotel yet? Some hotels will have carts or will coordinate with a rental outfit for you. Friends just spent a week and their hotel ensured a cart was available for the days they wanted… The island has gotten crazy busy the past 10 - 15 years, and even busier the last 7 years with the sargassum onslaught since the west coast beaches are less affected. So from May - August more folks are going to Cozumel and IM for that reason…At least according to posts on the various TripAdvisor forums… We’ve always headed to Punta Sur to see the spectacular cliff views, some of m favorite shots are from there. We were there when the palapa was first built, and we would eat at the small cafe there many years ago. But it has just gotten so built-up and busy there now we bypass that altogether. We did take friends to Punta Sur on an April trip because they wanted to see the views and we’ve never, ever seen it so congested there. Luckily I was able to park the cart well before the entry and we didn’t get stuck in the mess… Our favorite part of the tour is always the quieter east shore. Beautiful views, homes, and quiet! We had considered building there rather than on the mainland, it is that beautiful! We will stop at the cemetery if there are no services, then at Villa La Bella for a Margarita and their “Beer so cold it’ll make your teeth hurt”…But just a good spot to hit if you are driving by. Our favorite lunch spot is Oscar’s, their stuffed mahi is great, and I like the Sicilian pizza..Right on the marina about 800 meters past Chedraui… I agree with you that Xcaret and other sights south of PDC are just too far to really enjoy…If you were staying in Cancun I would highly recommend splitting your time between the HZ and Merida and Valladolid…two extremely very different experiences…

The fare should not be any different because the fares are regulated…They are published as two rates, a “1 person” rate, and a “2+ person” rate. The 2+ person rate is lower (per/person) of course… Most couples and families just hop a shared safari taxi at the port and are paying the lower 2+-person fare. The only time there would be a fare difference between a port taxi and a hailed taxi is if you are a single person. You could be charged the higher “1 person” fare hailing a taxi. But boarding a shared taxi you should be charged the lower “2 person” fare…

I know there are often changes but we’re seeing discrepancies between various sites. Is one site more reliable/accurate than others?