6 Ships in port at the same time!

[hawaiikat]

Aloha,

We are arriving at 11:00am on 11/12. According to Cruise TT there are 6 ships in port that day: Carnival Conquest, Westerdam, Ruby Princess, Allure Of The Seas, Norwegian Getaway, Regal Princess. Will the island be totally swamped? Any change of finding a jet ski or para sail adventure? Never been there, so all suggestions are appreciated.

 

Much Mahalo,

Kat

[OCruisers]

St. Thomas handles having 6 ships in port frequently. You'll be fine. :)

LuLu

[dcikon2]

Megan's Bay will be crowded. I wouldn't go there with 6 ships in port.

[sail7seas]

Six ships in St. Thomas at the same time is not unusual. It will be busy especially given Getaway and Allure are both in. They carry a lot of people. :eek: Don't worry about it. You'll be able to do most of what you want.

 

[Ms411]

Kat, you will be able to jet ski and parasail, but depending on where you do it, you may have to wait for your turn. There are excursions you can book in advance, so you may want to consider that option instead of just showing up at a beach and hoping to hop on one right away.

 

Not all beaches offer jet skis and parasails. Are you hoping to do ship excursion or on your own?

[blue_water]

This is indeed one of the busiest days on STT and the port areas and beaches will be "swamped". Beaches are the main destinations here, and you can see descriptions and amenities in the other threads here including the beautiful beaches of STT thread. You are arriving later in the day and Magens and Coki will be very crowded. Even Smith's Bay Park (Lindqvist Beach) may be crowded that day.

 

For jet skis look at the outfit at the Bolongo Bay Resort, not sure but the resort may still offer day passes which would not be a bad idea that day. There are also small jet ski rentals at Coki and Sapphire, not sure about parasailing options.

 

For snorkeling or a quiet beach we'd head for Sapphire, no public restrooms or chair or snorkel gear rentals so it promises to be the quietest beach on the island.

 

Many ppl will head to St John, either via the cruise line excursion or on their own. So many beaches there will also be crowded, although it may clear up a few hours after you arrive if the other ships leave earlier.

 

Taxis are the primary method of transportation, and depending on where you dock you may want to visit Paradise Point to experience the view with a drink before returning to the ship. And Charlotte Amalie may be less busy your last couple of hours there and that's a neat area to explore the historical areas.

 

Good luck!

Edited June 16, 2014 by blue_water

[xmansmommy]

How do you find out how many ships will be in a particular port on the same day as yours?

[blue_water]

cruisett dot com is the most reliable site I've used over the years, you can search by "Ships" or by "Ports".

 

Searching by port will show the date, port load (total ppl from all ships), and the ship names in that particular port each day.

 

Searching by ship will show the port the ship is in that day (or at sea), along with the actual time in port for that day, the port load, and the ship names also in port.

 

vinow dot com for the USVI is useful to see whether you are docked at Crown Bay or Havensight (WICO).

[xmansmommy]

Thanks Blue_Water!

[KirkNC]

Not unusual at all.

[pompeii]

We're there on the Ruby Princess the same day. Right now, the schedule shows the heaviest passenger load of the month - ugh! But the VINow site doesn't have November's schedule yet, so I haven't been able to find out whether we're at Havensight or Crown. I've read that Princess usually docks at Crown.

 

Does it take much longer to get to Red Hook from Crown than Havensight? We have a day sail booked that leaves from Red Hook and with that many people on the island, I don't want to cut it too close getting back in the afternoon. I imagine traffic will be heavy......

 

If we're at Crown, I thought about just catching the ferry to Water Island instead.

[blue_water]

Most operators with excursions geared for cruisers will get you back to shore with time to spare for your return. Yes it will be heavy traffic on the return but the drivers do this everyday. A little longer from Crown but no worries.

Enjoy your daysail!

[pompeii]

Most operators with excursions geared for cruisers will get you back to shore with time to spare for your return. Yes it will be heavy traffic on the return but the drivers do this everyday. A little longer from Crown but no worries.

Enjoy your daysail!

 

Thanks, Blue Water, that makes me feel better:) I emailed our boat captain and we are moving the start time up a half hour so we have a little more wiggle room in the afternoon. She's been great with planning and communication and I think it's going to be a great sail! Especially since the beaches will be mobbed and she promises to take us to some uncrowded spots.

[blue_water]

Yes, I agree - getting off the island is an excellent choice for a busy day!

[Lovefuninthesun]

We have been in port at STT before when there were 6 ships -- not gonna lie, it was crowded! Especially when the ships included the Oasis and one of the giant Disney ships.

 

But, it is what it is -- just plan an excursion you'll enjoy and go with the flow.