What beach in St Thomas? First time Cruiser!

[Rufus1129]

Hello! I have been researching shore excursions in St Thomas until my eyeballs are going crossed. I haven't found any that really hit me as "THE ONE" we want to do. I basically am hoping to find the best BEACH DAY for my family of 4 with 2 teens. Snorkeling, lounging, wanting to just experience the water and have the "tropical Caribbean" experience. I'm scared of booking something that's going to involve a lot of transit time or a beach that might be not the best. So, any advice or direction you experienced travelers could give me would be so much appreciated!!

 

We sail JUNE 7th!! (On Carnival Liberty!)

 

THANK YOU!! :rolleyes:

[blue_water]

For a nice beach day with snorkeling Coki or Secret Harbor are your main choices with amenities. Coki is a gorgeous beach with several vendors renting/selling but can get busy because it's smaller, and SH is home to a condo resort and you're limited in where you can sit and in shade but there's a restaurant there.

 

I think that Coki is the nicest beach on the island but everyone has a different perspective.

Good luck!

[lovetogobyebye]

We just returned from our Carnival Valor cruise to So. Caribbean 5/4-5/11 2014. Enjoyed our time on Coki Beach :) Beautiful, clear water! You could see the fish swimming around your feet while standing shoulder deep in the water. We booked a tour in downtown with Maynard's Tour & Beach (delightful 71 yr old man, open air vehicle) which left at 12:15 near the Post Office. We met him as soon as we jumped off the a/c shuttle from the cruise terminal. He gave us an island tour with several scenic stops and then took us to Coki Beach. Price was $25 pp. Coki Beach had restrooms with changing stalls & outdoor showers. We rented 2 lounge chairs & an umbrella (sun is VERY intense-sunburn quickly) for the afternoon. FYI-across the road from the beach they have jetski rentals too. They also had refreshments for sale-best hot dog I'd ever had! Delicious Chunky Monkey (or Funky Monkey) drinks made with banana, rum, Bailey's, amaretto...

[Rufus1129]

We just returned from our Carnival Valor cruise to So. Caribbean 5/4-5/11 2014. Enjoyed our time on Coki Beach :) Beautiful, clear water! You could see the fish swimming around your feet while standing shoulder deep in the water. We booked a tour in downtown with Maynard's Tour & Beach (delightful 71 yr old man, open air vehicle) which left at 12:15 near the Post Office. We met him as soon as we jumped off the a/c shuttle from the cruise terminal. He gave us an island tour with several scenic stops and then took us to Coki Beach. Price was $25 pp. Coki Beach had restrooms with changing stalls & outdoor showers. We rented 2 lounge chairs & an umbrella (sun is VERY intense-sunburn quickly) for the afternoon. FYI-across the road from the beach they have jetski rentals too. They also had refreshments for sale-best hot dog I'd ever had! Delicious Chunky Monkey (or Funky Monkey) drinks made with banana, rum, Bailey's, amaretto...

 

Oh thank you so much for all the details! I am a bit nervous about setting up our own excursion rather than using one of the Carnival ones, but this info has been very helpful. So the a/c shuttle from the cruise terminal is Carnival's Shuttle...? or do we need to arrange that too?

 

Thank you again!

Donna

[O2B@Cagain]

Donna: The excursions offered by cruise lines are WAY overpriced. They take trips you can arrange and add a nice big % on for themselves. On most Caribbean islands, you can do better on your own. On St Thomas, there are more taxis than cruise visitors. At the dock, just tell the taxi dispatcher what you want to do and they can hook you up. Easy peasy. The only time I would take a cruise ship excursion would be if there was a language barrier.:D

[blue_water]

Oh thank you so much for all the details! I am a bit nervous about setting up our own excursion rather than using one of the Carnival ones, but this info has been very helpful. So the a/c shuttle from the cruise terminal is Carnival's Shuttle...? or do we need to arrange that too?

 

Thank you again!

Donna

 

Donna chill...

Just grab a taxi at the dock and enjoy your day. Coki is your destination for snorkeling, etc

Easy -no worries!!!

[dcikon2]

I am taking it that Coki has improved after an incident happened there a few years ago. Magens Bay is nice, but can get quite crowded. I like the little gift store and restaurant there, but some staff have been unfriendly at times. Sapphire Beach is nice, but I believe there aren't amenities located on the beach anymore.

 

Take a taxi to where you would like to go (Coki). Since it is busy, there will be plenty of options to take you back to the port.

[blue_water]

The only time I would take a cruise ship excursion would be if there was a language barrier.:D

 

Actually there are times when the ship excursion is a good option. Some folks prefer the "security" that option provides, and some of the best operators in the islands do not accept private bookings and deal only with the cruise lines. So we've used the cruise line excursion in those instances. Is the champagne cat sail available only through the cruise line? If so that's an example for this port.

 

But yes, for STT and STJ it is very easy to go on your own by taxi and ferry, and you're not having to wait in queues when getting off the ship so you can have more time to enjoy yourself.

[OCruisers]

You might want to consider taking an excursion offered by Carnival to St. John (so lovely there).

They pick you up from the ship, take you to have fun, return you to the ship, and you never "miss the boat" ... all with no advance planning or worrying on your part! :D

We especially like the Champagne Catamaran. ;)

LuLu

[O2B@Cagain]

I don't know, Blue. Who are the "best" operators? There are plenty of boats that can take you sailing. Is it the champagne that is special? All of these cost you a chunk of change for the cruise line. If you go to a dangerous island, maybe security is a concern. As I said, on St Thomas, there are plenty of licensed taxis to take you where you want to go and to get you back safely. :D

[blue_water]

I'm talking about great excursions that you have to book through the cruise line due to contracts. We've enjoyed a few (including the champagne cat) that we would not otherwise have had the opportunity. Some of these do take bookings from land-based travelers too, and in those cases you can show them a hotel key card if you have one or maybe give them a room number. But some only take bookings through the cruise line booking system.

 

Some of the "best" are the Excellence in Antigua, the Golden Eagle in SXM, and the champagne cat mentioned. We've taken other excursions with the first 2 while on land-based vacations, but to get the excursion that's geared to the cruiser we had to book through the ship.

 

I believe the OP is interested in a beach snorkel based on other threads and Coki would be a best fit IMHO.

[monicajay]

Oh thank you so much for all the details! I am a bit nervous about setting up our own excursion rather than using one of the Carnival ones, but this info has been very helpful. So the a/c shuttle from the cruise terminal is Carnival's Shuttle...? or do we need to arrange that too?

 

Thank you again!

Donna

 

No reason to be nervous. I have only done one cruise ship excursion ever and it was only because my husband was feeling sick and I didn't want to be totally alone. Taxis are easy and helpful in St.Thomas but I would personally suggest you do one of the tours that takes you around the island first for a couple of hours and then takes you to the beach. The views are incredible from Mountain Top. You can book these in advance or when you get there.

[blue_water]

St Thomas is one of the many islands that one can get around your own quite easily using taxis. You can also visit St John via a short 20 minute ferry from Red Hook on your own. Tours are an option if you want that, we would recommend just hooking up with a taxi driver when you arrive that is offering tours. Very reasonable, and a little more flexibility that the cookie cutter options.

 

A couple worthwhile stops are the overlook on Skyline Drive, and Drake's Seat overlooking Magens Bay. I wouldn't worry about Mountaintop since the new version was built as it's largely a big souvenir store. I would recommend hitting Paradise Point before returning to the ship though for the view and a Bailey's Bushwacker.

If you decide to try snorkeling I would still recommend Coki on your own.

 

[EDIT] one ship-sponsored excursion that is worth considering is the champagne cat sail to St John - nice day, that.

Edited May 19, 2014 by blue_water

[Rufus1129]

No reason to be nervous. I have only done one cruise ship excursion ever and it was only because my husband was feeling sick and I didn't want to be totally alone. Taxis are easy and helpful in St.Thomas but I would personally suggest you do one of the tours that takes you around the island first for a couple of hours and then takes you to the beach. The views are incredible from Mountain Top. You can book these in advance or when you get there.

 

Thank you for that idea Monica. I looked at a couple of the excursions listed on Carnival's shore excursion site but I didn't see anywhere that it specified "Mountain Top" as one of the destinations. I wonder how I can find out if any of these goes there so I make sure I book one that does.

 

Thanks for your help!

[blue_water]

Mountain Top is a souvenir store that offers a nice view of Magens Bay. The original burned down in 2009 and the new version is much more commercial and just doesn't have the same charm but times change. But it is one of the typical stops and you can get their banana daiquiri while there for $11 or $12.

The pictures show how popular it is for taxi and group tours.

http://www.mountaintopvi.com/main.html

 

 

We would also request a stop at Drake's Seat for a nice view of Magens.

[mitsugirly]

Coki beach is your place. The snorkeling there is out of this world good...right from the beach. Check out my review and TONS of pictures of what you'll see there...just click on the Coki St Thomas link in my signature. :)

[timmy1958]

Magens Bay can get a bit crowded, but it is absolutely beautiful. Bar/restaurant/restrooms available as well.

[blue_water]

Magens Bay can get a bit crowded, but it is absolutely beautiful. Bar/restaurant/restrooms available as well.

 

Unfortunately Coki also gets very crowded like Magens, but COki is a very small bay so it doesn't take many people to get a busy vibe.

 

Magens is a nice bay but I believe Donna was looking for a beach with good snorkeling and that would be on the East End (Coki, Sapphire, Secret Harbor, or Cowpet).

[slabeaume]

This won't help the OP, but maybe it'll help someone else. We went to St. Thomas for 9 nights last Nov., specifically to snorkel. Here's my snorkel blog with lots of pictures of the various beaches and fishies from there:

http://travelingwithsue.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-st-thomas-9-day-vacation-to-island.html

 

Lots of great snorkeling!

[mitsugirly]

This won't help the OP, but maybe it'll help someone else. We went to St. Thomas for 9 nights last Nov., specifically to snorkel. Here's my snorkel blog with lots of pictures of the various beaches and fishies from there:

http://travelingwithsue.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-st-thomas-9-day-vacation-to-island.html

 

Lots of great snorkeling!

 

 

I love this blog. So many amazing places to see and pictures. It sucks your Canon D10 took a dump. Mine just did last month (while snorkeling as well) and thank goodness I had my Olympus Tough with me. I always carry 2 cameras just in case. I did have 2 Canon's, but no more. They just didn't seem to last very long (2-3 years). Now I'm equipped with a 630 and 830 and love them both. :D

 

You make me really want to try Cowpet now. :)

[slabeaume]

I love this blog. So many amazing places to see and pictures. It sucks your Canon D10 took a dump. Mine just did last month (while snorkeling as well) and thank goodness I had my Olympus Tough with me. I always carry 2 cameras just in case. I did have 2 Canon's, but no more. They just didn't seem to last very long (2-3 years). Now I'm equipped with a 630 and 830 and love them both. :D

 

You make me really want to try Cowpet now. :)

 

I usually travel with 2 cameras, too, but one's usually a DSLR. I figure my underwater cameras give out on me because I'm in the water for 3 and 4 hours at a time and they say they're good up to about an hour. I haven't found any difference in quality of the pictures with any of the cameras I've used underwater. Of course, a little photoshop helps!

I keep talking up Cowpet, but it doesn't seem to get many takers. It's really a nice uncrowded place with 2 very nice restaurants right there on the beach. One is casual so it's a great place to go in between snorkeling.

[erocrobro]

Are the amenities similar at Coki and Magen's? Bathrooms, food, snorkeling gear?

[blue_water]

More food & drink options at Coki, snorkel gear and chairs, as well as jet skis and Coral World is there too. For snorkeling you will want Coki as Magens is not a snorkel spot.