Is it worth going to Sapphire beach in St. Thomas if we have 15,000 ppl in port?

[luckyprincess]

Hi! I've posted this on the St. Thomas board as well, but it doesn't get a lot of visitors....

I'm going on FOS on Saturday, and haven't scheduled anything for St. Thomas. Mostly, because we will have 4 other ships in port with us for about 15,000 people!:eek:

We want to do Paradise Point, but I know that won't take all day. I have heard that there are jetski's and parasailing at Sapphire and that it is beautiful. We don't just sit in the sand well, so would love to do some activities. Does anyone with experience there know if it's worth even going to the beach with that many people milling about? I'm not sure if everything will be packed tight with people or all the activities booked up by the time we get there. Do most people go in the morning, or afternoon?

I hate not having a plan. Is there an actual town to walk around in or is it like the port at Cozumel, where it's kind of like a flea market? Thanks for any help!

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[138east]

Hard question to answer - I don't know what the impact of 15,000 really is. I've been to St. Thomas several times and most folks seem to head off to Magen's Bay or Coki - I went to Sapphire in Feb. and was the only one on the safari cab going there. One reason for this is that there are not a lot of facilities at Sapphire - you can get some food and drinks and there are bathrooms, but I have heard comments that they are not always well kept. When I was there the beach was not at all crowded. There were people, but not like the number of people at Megan's Bay. If you are concerned about crowds, I would go there first thing in the morning. Hang out until you've had enough and come back to the ship and have a late lunch. Then walk across the road to Paradise point and do that. There is plenty of shopping at the Havensight Mall, but going into downtown Charlotte Amalie is also an option.

[bag11]

My first reaction is to tell you not to go to Sapphire but that is because we spend January and February there and hate to see the cruise ship passengers take over the beach.

 

But, to be honest as of last February - The food concession was limited. The bathrooms needed a lot of work and some days it seemed like they have not been cleaned in a week. Thank goodness, we have our own unit.

 

There is a jet ski rental at the marina area. You can also rent kayaks and snorkle equipment. If you snorkle, go all the way over to the left to see the sea turtles.

 

You can walk to town from the cruise ship and it is a very nice walk now since they put in the other shopping area. Just keep hugging the water around the port and you will reach town. Once there, you can find your "local goods" or high price jewerly - the choice is yours. If you want to try local food for lunch, go to Cuzzins on Back Street.

[shorbr]

Cuzzins is a nice place to eat and drink. Had to tell the bartender to "tone down" the drinks. They were toooo strong :)

[marci22]

My general beach advice is that if you get to any beach first thing in the morning, say by 10am, you will have your pick of lounge chairs and by the time you are ready to leave in a few hours, that is when it will be getting crowded.

[ArataCPA]

Maybe we are just lucky but we have been to Sapphire beach several times, and it has never been crowded. On our previous visits to St. Thomas we would head straight for Magen's Bay, until it was recommended to us by a cabbie as being a quieter, less crowded alternative. The snorkeling was outstanding. The water was crystal clear even out beyond the reef. There was a lot of aquatic life, a live band and water sports activities. Unfortunately we did not use the resort facilities so I cannot comment on that. Good luck, I am sure you will have fun either way.

[jakenashleysmom]

Beach is beautiful but facilities are not. I was in line to use the facilities, that were not clean at all, for quite a while when an attendant told me to use the mens. I had to go really badly and didn't necessarily have a problem with using the mens so I went in. There was one stall and one urinal. I went in the stall, and began my "business" when in walked an man to use the urinal! He must have had about 20 beers because he "went" for a LONG time....I was trapped in the stall the entire time!!!:eek:

 

The ride in the "jungle cruiser" was no picnic either. BUT....if you don't really feel you would need facilities, and want less crowds, Sapphire is for you! The beach is really beautiful, and there is a marina with jet skis that my son and husband rented and had a blast!

[Sheffie]

We went to Sapphire and had a nice relaxing time. We did not do any of the activities that you like to do, though. We thought the beach was nice, quite and relaxing. The iguanas are all over the place. They are such fun to watch.

 

Have a good time, no matter which beach you go to.

[Wilda]

Ugh- the trafic in St. Thomas with 4 ships in port is going to crawl. Have you considered skipping out all together and venturing over to St. John? Some great shops in Mongoose Junction, which is only a short walk from the ferry dock.

 

If you are set on staying in St. Thomas, have you considered snorkeling at Magens Bay?

[kintegra]

We were on the Valor the same day the Freedom was @ St Thomas. We went to Sapphire Beach first thing in the morning & stayed till about 2pm. There was NO ONE there! We rented snorkel equipment & had the most wonderful time! The coral is beautiful right there! Iguanas were running around on the beach & the kids had fun chasing after them. Not an elaborate place, but a very beautiful place to just relax in the sun & do some awesome snorkeling! Enjoy!

[iluvcruzin]

I like Sapphire beach because it isn't crowded. It has gone down as far as services and imenties over the years. It's a timeshare resort that has had it's share of problems. My BF used the jetski's there and had a great time. I personally like just relaxing on the beach, swimming a little and seeing the iguana's in the trees and running around.

[B-52]

Best thing about St. Thomas is leaving it to go to St. Johns.

[negc]

Best thing about St. Thomas is leaving it to go to St. Johns.

Until this Fall, I would have agreed wholeheartedly, but this time we returned to Magens Bay after not going there for more than a decade and were very favorably impressed. It was clean, the beach and water were in pristine condition and the facilities were fine. On a previous visit to St. Thomas, we went to Sapphire Beach but have to agree about the poor condition of the facilities there. There are a number of good beaches in St. Thomas so the crowds will be spread out and, as the above poster has pointed out, St. Johns is a great alternative. Downtown Charlotte Amalie is, IMHO, preferable to the downtown area in Cozumel but whenever we have felt the necessity of shopping, Havensight Mall has proven more than adequate. St. Thomas at least has the infrastructure that will allow it to handle 15,000 tourists fairly comfortably which is more than one can say for some of the other islands in the Caribbean which can be overwhelmed when more than two ships are in port at the same time.

[jenjes3]

Hello - we have done Magens Bay and Sapphire Beach. I thought the beach and the view was beautiful at Sapphire Beach. It wasn't as crowded. They had a little store and the facilities were ok. Haven't been there since 2007. Plan to visit again in May 2010 when we visit the port while sailing the Freedom of the Seas. I loved being able to see other islands from the beach.

[JDsafeman]

St Thomas is one of my favorite places but it is becoming very crowded with all the ships there.

I would add my vote for St. John. A short ferry ride and a bus or taxi to Trunk Bay will give you a beautiful beach area and some of the best snorkeling.

You can book this through the ship's excursions but it is much cheaper to do it on your own.

Have fun where ever you choose!

[jenjes3]

I have also took ferry to St. John. It was beautiful but it does take time to get there and back.... Be sure to try and find out when ferry departs. We had just missed the ferry and had to wait for quite a while for the next departure.

[MaryL31]

I am on the same cruise, and I find that part of the problem is that we are docked from 11-7, or something similar. By the time you actually get off the ship, it's, what? 11:30 or 12:00? It makes it hard to decide what direction to turn in, or whether it's even worth it to try to hit the (already crowded) beaches.

[bag11]

You are going to see major changes at Sapphire since 2007 and not for the better. But, we hope every year that things will improve and some day they might.

[negc]

I am on the same cruise, and I find that part of the problem is that we are docked from 11-7, or something similar. By the time you actually get off the ship, it's, what? 11:30 or 12:00? It makes it hard to decide what direction to turn in, or whether it's even worth it to try to hit the (already crowded) beaches.

 

It has been our experience that most people are content to spend no more than three hours in the Caribbean sand and sun and are then ready to head back to the ship or to do some serious shopping. By the time you are off the ship, many of those people crowding the beaches will be getting ready to leave and you may find the beaches less crowded by mid-afternoon than they were first thing in the morning. With a pretty good selection of beaches to choose from, not to mention the popularity of taking the ferry to St. John's, you may face less of a problem than you think.

[MaryL31]

negc- thanks, I didn't think of that!

[jakedoc]

Sapphire was always a favorite of ours. We were just there in November and there were maybe 30 people there. Like other posters have mentioned, the facilities have really gone downhill. There used to be a store with cold beer and clean facilities-no more. We always take the "dollar taxi" and never have problems. if there are that many people on the island that day, make sure you give yourself at least 1 1/2 hors for the return due to snail traffic. Only takes 20 minutes to get there.

[QTMichele]

It has been our experience that most people are content to spend no more than three hours in the Caribbean sand and sun and are then ready to head back to the ship or to do some serious shopping. By the time you are off the ship, many of those people crowding the beaches will be getting ready to leave and you may find the beaches less crowded by mid-afternoon than they were first thing in the morning. With a pretty good selection of beaches to choose from, not to mention the popularity of taking the ferry to St. John's, you may face less of a problem than you think.

 

I'm also on this cruise. :D I've been concerned about the sheer volume of cruise passengers while we're in port. Here's the schedule:

• Magic 8-4:30
  
• Eurodam 8-5
  
• Glory 10-6
  
• Gem 12-7
  
• Freedom 11-7
  

Before I rechecked the schedules, I thought that Freedom was the only ship leaving later. After double checking, I see that there will be 3 ships in port around the same time (Glory, Gem, and Freedom). Do you think there is still room for concern regarding crowded beaches (and the island in general), or do you think we can take a sigh of relief? :o

 

Thanks for your input!:D

[luckyprincess]

Wow - thank you so much for your replies everyone! So much great info in this thread!:D Okay, let me add details I didn't before:

So, we are going to definetly do Paradise Point - probably first thing, so around 12:00. Then, we're stuck between walking out to town and looking around (here's where my girly genes are messed up - I don't really like to shop unless I'm specifically looking for something. On vacay, I really don't spend my time shopping and I don't wear much jewelry, so don't need that). We just never got the chance to really explore the ports we've been to since we're always booking activities and excursions, is this a fun place to explore? I HATE to say this but we aren't much into history (except to know not to repeat it!) so any kind of tour or history tour wouldn't be on our list.

We also aren't ones to lay on a beach for long - we like stuff to do on the beach. For example, when we went to Cozumel, we took a taxi to a place (I thought it was Paradise something, but think I'm wrong) that had a really cute restaurant/bar and clean bathrooms and a gorgeous beach with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas. They also had $20 wristbands to use all of the water stuff - snorkeling, kayak, inflatable iceberg, water trampoline and a climbing contest thing on the sand. We had a great day there going between being active and laying down with a Sol. Perfect day, really.

That being said - is there anything like that on St. Thomas or is it more rustic? I'm studying to be an animal biologist so something more natural is great too, with iguanas and indigenous animals and birds but would like to know there are decent facilities around. I'm going to research St. John's to see if its too much rushing or time out of the day to get there. Sounds amazing.

Again, thank you all so much for narrowing everything down for me! I'm sure this thread will be useful for new people doing searches, as well - everyone's ideas are great!