St Thomas which dock/pier is best

[Irishman45]

Which pier/dock do most people prefer and why? Does one have more entertainment/activities you can walk to rather than taxi than the other?

[Langley Cruisers]

Yes, Havensite is "better" but you don't have a choice when you cruise. Your ship may dock at either due to a last-minute change in plans, even though the specific pier may have been announced the night before in your printed newsletter (I speak from experience on this). The only exception is that Oasis and Allure always go to Crown Bay.

 

Why do you ask? :)

[Irishman45]

Our ship is scheduled for docking at Havensite - yes I know it can change our dock changed this past Feb in Ocho Rios. So we walked over to the better dock which had shops, food and a beach instead of the dock we ended up at which was just a taxi stand and a rusty old building.

 

So if we dock at Crown bay we'll taxi over to Havensite and if we're docked at havensite we'll stay in that area

[Langley Cruisers]

So if we dock at Crown bay we'll taxi over to Havensite and if we're docked at havensite we'll stay in that area

 

Have you been to St.Thomas before? Do you not want to go to a beach at all?

[moran4carnival]

What is the difference between Havensite and Crown Bay? How do you know which pier you will dock at? Is there a website for this?

[Irishman45]

No we've never been. we might try to do a beach for an hour or so but sitting on sand/lounge chairs for 6 hours after sitting on deck for 2 days is kind of boring we'd like to be alittle more active when we get off the ship even if it does turn out to be shopping.

 

Crown bay seems to have nothing around it except the same shops on every island, Havensite seems to be more of an active location fingers crossed

 

As for how to find out which dock I just searched St thomas port schedule found alot of sites all seem to be almost exact

 

Sure glad we won't be there the following day with Epic and Allure at the same time with 3 other ships ouch 16000 people too crazy - Cruise tt

[Essaru]

No we've never been. we might try to do a beach for an hour or so but sitting on sand/lounge chairs for 6 hours after sitting on deck for 2 days is kind of boring we'd like to be alittle more active when we get off the ship even if it does turn out to be shopping.

 

Crown bay seems to have nothing around it except the same shops on every island, Havensite seems to be more of an active location fingers crossed

 

As for how to find out which dock I just searched St thomas port schedule found alot of sites all seem to be almost exact

 

Sure glad we won't be there the following day with Epic and Allure at the same time with 3 other ships ouch 16000 people too crazy - Cruise tt

 

Can I suggest you walking or taking a taxi ($4 pp) into town. Better shops to walk around and restaurant bars. Havensight has some stores but nothing too exciting (I thought). Same stuff as any other dock area.

[BruceMuzz]

No we've never been. we might try to do a beach for an hour or so but sitting on sand/lounge chairs for 6 hours after sitting on deck for 2 days is kind of boring we'd like to be alittle more active when we get off the ship even if it does turn out to be shopping.

 

Crown bay seems to have nothing around it except the same shops on every island, Havensite seems to be more of an active location fingers crossed

 

As for how to find out which dock I just searched St thomas port schedule found alot of sites all seem to be almost exact

 

Sure glad we won't be there the following day with Epic and Allure at the same time with 3 other ships ouch 16000 people too crazy - Cruise tt

 

St Thomas has the highest prices in the Caribbean.

Havensite has the highest prices in St Thomas.

Havensite also has the biggest crowds to fight your way through.

Both locations have a US Post Office; the one in Havensite is a zoo, the one in Crown Bay is quiet.

Many of the best beaches are closer to Crown Bay.

Downtown Charlotte Amalie is exactly halfway between Crown Bay and Havensite.

Taxi/jitney from Havensite to downtown is the same price as from Crown Bay.

Traffic is much heavier in the Havensite area, so it takes longer to get downtown from Havensite than from Crown Bay.

Getting a jitney or cab in Havensite can be a struggle; getting either in Crown Bay is very easy.

Havensite is just like those shopping malls at home except they are outside. If you took a cruise to visit a place that's just like the place where you live, Havensite is your best bet.

 

Sitting on deck for 2 days might be boring for some, but going all the way to St Thomas to pay double for something that you could buy at home or on the internet is just plain idiotic.

[Irishman45]

I didn't say we'd definitely shop its just something we may end up doing if we can't find something more interesting/active to do. Even if its window shop "lookie lookie no touchy touchy" as one woman said she planned to do on our cruise this year.

 

Post office? we'd be home before the letters got to the people we mail them to - POINTLESS waste of time even if the office is empty

 

Traffic - we'll walk into town - good way to meet local people more than just a cab driver and also burn off afew calories.

[laser110]

St Thomas has the highest prices in the Caribbean.

Havensite has the highest prices in St Thomas.

Havensite also has the biggest crowds to fight your way through.

Both locations have a US Post Office; the one in Havensite is a zoo, the one in Crown Bay is quiet.

Many of the best beaches are closer to Crown Bay.

Downtown Charlotte Amalie is exactly halfway between Crown Bay and Havensite.

Taxi/jitney from Havensite to downtown is the same price as from Crown Bay.

Traffic is much heavier in the Havensite area, so it takes longer to get downtown from Havensite than from Crown Bay.

Getting a jitney or cab in Havensite can be a struggle; getting either in Crown Bay is very easy.

Havensite is just like those shopping malls at home except they are outside. If you took a cruise to visit a place that's just like the place where you live, Havensite is your best bet.

 

Sitting on deck for 2 days might be boring for some, but going all the way to St Thomas to pay double for something that you could buy at home or on the internet is just plain idiotic.

 

 

Bruce,

 

Some of your points are valid, but the one on prices is waaaay off. I'll agree that on some items there is no real bargin. You need to do some "homework" prior to your trip and see if you can find the same item at home cheaper or same price. However, your neglect the fact that the USVI is duty free and US citizens can bring home $1600 Duty Free per person. That means the same items at home may have an associated tax that you do not pay in the VI.

 

On computer equipment, the savings may be minimal. Cameras - be a savvy shopper and do your homework. Jewelry and Liquor - the prices are absolutely better than stateside. For example, I have been eyeing a Tissot T-Touch watch I like. I saw it on a trip to St.Thomas, but decided at the time not to buy, since we purchased some property that trip. I have been quoted a price of $900-$1100 for the watch here in the US (NJ) On St.Thomas I have seen the same watch sell for around $600, again minus the sales tax I would have to pay on top of cost of buying here.

 

Liquor is also cheaper. Many name brand spirits can be found up to 40-60% off in stores and liquor produced in the USVI ( Cruzan Rum, Southern Comfort, Captain Morgan are all produced on St. Croix) count towards your duty free amount as a 6th bottle. I recall at one time you could by a 1/5 of Cruzan for as little as a $1.

 

Irishman45: I would suggest maybe you hook up with some of the tour operators listed on the forum here. They offer you an opportunity to spend some time shopping, a quick dip in the ocean and also a tour of the island to see some stuff you may not be exposed to at home.

 

Scott

[O2B@Cagain]

St Thomas has the highest prices in the Caribbean.

Havensite has the highest prices in St Thomas.

Havensite also has the biggest crowds to fight your way through.

Both locations have a US Post Office; the one in Havensite is a zoo, the one in Crown Bay is quiet.

Many of the best beaches are closer to Crown Bay.

Downtown Charlotte Amalie is exactly halfway between Crown Bay and Havensite.

Taxi/jitney from Havensite to downtown is the same price as from Crown Bay.

Traffic is much heavier in the Havensite area, so it takes longer to get downtown from Havensite than from Crown Bay.

Getting a jitney or cab in Havensite can be a struggle; getting either in Crown Bay is very easy.

Havensite is just like those shopping malls at home except they are outside. If you took a cruise to visit a place that's just like the place where you live, Havensite is your best bet.

 

Sitting on deck for 2 days might be boring for some, but going all the way to St Thomas to pay double for something that you could buy at home or on the internet is just plain idiotic.

 

Bruce: You are really way far wrong with several of your comments. You cannot judge ALL prices in Havensight as the highest on St Thomas. Rarely are there crowds there; in fact, locals shop there because of the ease of parking and shopping. And Havensight is much closer to town than is Crown Bay. The only stateside store I can think of is Sunglass Hut. You may not like Havensight for some reason, but don't make blanket error statements, K? ;)

[sail7seas]

HAL and Princess have a long term contract for lower price docking and both (almost all the time) dock at Crown Bay. Oasis also docks there. Bruce's point about getting taxi and the traffic returning to Havensight at the end of the day is valid.

 

On the other hand, we used to enjoy the walk from Havensight to Charlotte Amalie and usually walked one way for sure and sometimes both. Crown Bay is further from downtown than Havensight. It is a longer walk from Crown Bay and it isn't safe as there are stretches with no sidewalks and part of the walk goes through a section I might not like to walk. We miss that part of our visits to St. Thomas. BUT, they have built it up a little more than it was. Same crummy shops with over pricing but way fewer of them. They recently added an Internet Cafe and some slot machines if someone wants to throw away some money. :)

 

What we also miss by not docking at Havensight because we always sail HAL is that Havensight is right next to Yacht Haven Marina. The best quality shops are here. Yes, designer prices but stores such as Gucci and Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton etc are located here. It's a pain to have to get a taxi there and back. Would be so much more convenient docking next door but Princess and HAL save a considerable amount and will for a number of years so we are stuck over at Crown Bay.

 

[Got2Cruise]

I like Havensight, because we enjoy USVI for the beaches not shopping. BUT, if there is sometime left at the end of the day you are right at the shops, and can squeeze some shopping in:D And even if you do shop at Sunglass Hut, you do not pay the sales tax that some of us have to pay at home.