Gondola lift -- logistics

[goin'toalaska]

I saw some pics of the gondola lift that goes up the mountain in St. Thomas and think the kids would like it, so I"m trying to figure out if we can fit it in with our other plans.

1) How close is it to the pier? Could we have the cab drop us there on the way back from the beach, and then walk back from there to the ship?

2) How long would it take? So if our ship leaves at 5, and we have the cab drop us there at 4, would that be enough time to get tickets, wait in any line, and go up and down? I do NOT want to miss the ship!

3) I assume there's no age restrictions -- right?

Thanks!

[blue_water]

No, 1 hr would not be enough time to take the tram up and enjoy Paradise Point. You could buy round trip tram tickets on the ship to save some time. But you should allow at least 2 hrs for this.

Yes you can taxi up / down, and if you are docked at Havensight you can walk back to the ship from the tram station but not from PP. if docked at Crown Bay you'll want to allow 1 hr to taxi from PP to the ship for BOB time.

There are no age restrictions. Pap is a nice spot to enjoy the view before returning to the ship.

Edited July 13, 2015 by blue_water

[goin'toalaska]

Sorry, I'm confused. I thought one could take the tram up and back down, right? So we would be walking back to the ship from the tram station, right? Does anyone know how long a walk it is?

Another poster on another thread said that the ride is only about 10 minutes (not sure if that was one way or two ways). Is the two hour assuming that you want to shop or eat at the top? I don't think we'd want to do either. Is there usually a long wait to get in the gondola to come back down?

[blue_water]

Ho, sorry if I confused you.

Yes you can take the tram up and back down, I would guess it's a 5 minute ride, perhaps 10, we haven't taken it in some time. But nice views from the tram. And yes if you don't care about relaxing at the top with a Bailey's Bushwacker or seeing the area you can do the tram up and down in 1 hr. The longest line would probably be at the bottom.

 

If you are docked at Havensight yes you can walk from the tram station to the ship, it's about a 10 - 15 minute walk depending on where the ship is docked there.

 

Hope that helps! :)

[Fourseventeen]

Not worth the cost if you only have 30-40 mins. The tram is about a 10 min walk from the cruise ship....pretty close. Typical wait time is about 15 mins to go up and about the same to go back down. You will want time to walk around when up on top of paradise point and to take photos from up there. Plus at a cost of about 20 bucks a person....it would be a pure waste at that cost just to go up and come right back down. PLUS if the ship onboard time is 5pm...you dont want to be "that person" that shows up late and risks being left in St Thomas

[blue_water]

Not worth the cost if you only have 30-40 mins. The tram is about a 10 min walk from the cruise ship....pretty close. Typical wait time is about 15 mins to go up and about the same to go back down. You will want time to walk around when up on top of paradise point and to take photos from up there. Plus at a cost of about 20 bucks a person....it would be a pure waste at that cost just to go up and come right back down. PLUS if the ship onboard time is 5pm...you dont want to be "that person" that shows up late and risks being left in St Thomas

 

Actually it is definitely worth the price if goin'toalaska wants to do it, especially with the kids. it's a neat thing that you won't do anywhere else on the cruise.

There isn't a lot to see at PP but it's a fun spot to listen to a band and have a drink while enjoying the view after a beach day, for example If you can fit it in do it, and you can usually buy refundable round trip tram tickets at your excursions desk for a couple $ less. The birdlady's free show is fun for kids young and old alike if your timing is right.

The tram can be busy coming down if late in the day but they load them quickly. Just allow 15 - 20 min for the walk to the ship as they do "park" a ways out if last in.

Have fun and report back!;)

[zqvol]

I saw some pics of the gondola lift that goes up the mountain in St. Thomas and think the kids would like it' date=' so I"m trying to figure out if we can fit it in with our other plans.

1) How close is it to the pier? Could we have the cab drop us there on the way back from the beach, and then walk back from there to the ship?

2) How long would it take? So if our ship leaves at 5, and we have the cab drop us there at 4, would that be enough time to get tickets, wait in any line, and go up and down? I do NOT want to miss the ship!

3) I assume there's no age restrictions -- right?

Thanks![/quote']

 

You need to be on board your ship no later than 4:30. It is about a 10 minute walk (depending on where you are docked along the pier) each way. Up and down each way is about 5 - 8 minutes. So . . . . being dropped off at 4:00 simply does not give you enough of a safety factor to visit. (You also need to factor in 15 minutes at the top and 15 minutes at the bottom waiting for the tram.)

 

You really need to allow at least 20 - 30 minutes at the top to make it worth while, which means to me that you need to be dropped off around 3:15 - 3: 20 to safely visit the top of the mountain.

 

BTW there are no age restrictions.

Edited July 17, 2015 by zqvol

[blue_water]

Way too much "info" here! Just use common sense and enjoy your day! :)

[Fourseventeen]

disagree Blue...if you have 30-40 mins...its not worth it. My .2 cents. thats gonna get you to the top and right back down with no time to see any bird show, no time to grab a drink or see a band if there even is one. I have been to PP many times and less than half the time has there been a band up there so I think thats hit or miss depending on the day/time of the visit. But I say its not worth it unless you have 1.5-2 hours from the time you arrive at the base of PP to the time you need to be back on the ship.

[blue_water]

disagree Blue...if you have 30-40 mins...its not worth it. My .2 cents. thats gonna get you to the top and right back down with no time to see any bird show, no time to grab a drink or see a band if there even is one. I have been to PP many times and less than half the time has there been a band up there so I think thats hit or miss depending on the day/time of the visit. But I say its not worth it unless you have 1.5-2 hours from the time you arrive at the base of PP to the time you need to be back on the ship.

 

The OP is asking about the tram and is not interested in PP. So yes, in my opinion it is worth taking the tram for the ride if time allows. A great option is buying refundable tickets on the ship to save some time, and if you don't have enough time no biggie.

 

Again it's a unique option on a Carib cruise.

Edited July 17, 2015 by blue_water

[shanley]

We did this with my daughter was she was 5, back in the Go Diego Go days and she loved it! She liked it more than the submarine ride.

 

We walked to and from but it was long ago and I don't remember the time needed.

 

We didn't do much at the top but take pictures and then come back down.

 

My biggest concern with your question is about time you have to be back at the ship. The time the ship leaves will not be your all aboard time. So if you have only 30 minutes, it might be risky getting back on time, especially walking with kids.

 

When we did the gondola, we did the butterflies that are at the pier and walked around the shops near the port. It was a low key day with no real excursions.