Sapphire Beach Afternoon Crowds?

[cruisecookie]

The Freedom of the Seas does not dock in St. Thomas until noon. On our day in St. Thomas it looks like there will be 5 -7 cruise ships in port. We want to visit Sapphire beach but are concerned about how crowded the beach will be by the time we arrive. Will we still be able to rent chairs and find a spot in the shade?

[zqvol]

The Freedom of the Seas does not dock in St. Thomas until noon. On our day in St. Thomas it looks like there will be 5 -7 cruise ships in port. We want to visit Sapphire beach but are concerned about how crowded the beach will be by the time we arrive. Will we still be able to rent chairs and find a spot in the shade?

 

After spending a week at Sapphire beach, I can tell you that when a lot of ships are in port it is really busy from about 1 - 3 p.m. Usually you can find some shade especially toward teh south end of the property, whihc is less crowded than the north end. We never saw them run out of chairs.

[blue_water]

We stay at the Sapphire resort and if on your cruise we would go to Sapphire with no concerns. There will be a group by the dive center where the best swimming section is, but to the south to the right of Dive In and in front of condo bldgs A & B you will be able to find a shaded spot. There are tons of chairs ($9 ea) and you can place them anywhere along the shore. You can walk to the swimming area and get away from the crowd when relaxing.

You'll find runners from the Sapphire Village restaurant behind the Marina, and the Banana Cabana beach grill which is located between bldgs B & C taking orders from folks on the beach. But just walk around very to BC to order drinks, and their Mahi Mahi sandwich is amazing and big enough to share at $14. The Dive In sells beer and rum punch for $1 less than BC.

If we were looking for a beach with no fellow cruisers we'd head for Hull Bay (Google Hull Bay Hideaway). But Sapphire offers the gorgeous water and island views.

Enjoy!

[GotMINI]

Generally - how is the snorkeling at Sapphire? From reading other postings, sounds iffy, but really cannot gauge.

[beautifulbill]

Generally the snorkeling is good but just as with anyplace that are a lot of variables. You also need to know where to snorkel as there are several spots

[GotMINI]

We are trying to decide on Coki, Secret Harbor or Sapphire. Coki sounds like it will be crowded (4 ships will be in port day we are there) but snorkeling supposed to be great. Secret Harbor and Sapphire have had good snorkeling write ups, but more remote. Sapphire I've read can be windy and even rocky. Also, haven't been able to find out much about amenities at Sapphire - who do you rent chairs/umbrellas and snorkel equipment from, are places to get food/beverage, what are bathroom facilities like there? A lot of what I have read is dated from several years ago and even some mention things had closed up there, or "yes it's there" but with no details so I can look into it more.

[Ms411]

There is a dive shop that rents chairs and snorkel equipment and also sells some snacks and beverages. Chairs are $9; snorkel gear is $10, I think.

 

There is an outdoor tent that makes sandwiches and other light foods for lunch. They also do some mixed drinks and have other adult beverages. A few other restaurants will deliver and the dive shop should have the menus.

 

There are regular bathrooms and separate changing areas.

 

If you limit your search to 2015 you should see lots of comments on Sapphire. It's the most popular topic on the St Thomas forum.

[illiniwahoo]

We slept late and got to sapphire about 11am. By then the water was a little rough (fine for swimming still), so made the visibility terrible. The result was poor snorkeling, but still a nice day on the beach!

 

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[O2B@Cagain]

The sea conditions have nothing to do with the time of day. They are guided by prevailing winds, swells, squalls, and other weather factors. :) Usually the winds are out of the east, but if they are a little south of east or a little north of east, the calm nature of some beaches can be affected.

[KathS]

We stay at the Sapphire resort and if on your cruise we would go to Sapphire with no concerns. There will be a group by the dive center where the best swimming section is, but to the south to the right of Dive In and in front of condo bldgs A & B you will be able to find a shaded spot. There are tons of chairs ($9 ea) and you can place them anywhere along the shore. You can walk to the swimming area and get away from the crowd when relaxing.

You'll find runners from the Sapphire Village restaurant behind the Marina, and the Banana Cabana beach grill which is located between bldgs B & C taking orders from folks on the beach. But just walk around very to BC to order drinks, and their Mahi Mahi sandwich is amazing and big enough to share at $14. The Dive In sells beer and rum punch for $1 less than BC.

If we were looking for a beach with no fellow cruisers we'd head for Hull Bay (Google Hull Bay Hideaway). But Sapphire offers the gorgeous water and island views.

Enjoy!

 

 

We have visited Sapphire Beach as part of the Godfrey Tour on previous cruises. We would like to go to Sapphire Beach again on our own on our upcoming cruise. Do you know if they require a day pass to go on the grounds, or can anyone go there? Are there changing facilities? Can we buy food/drinks, etc.

 

Thank you.

[blue_water]

We have visited Sapphire Beach as part of the Godfrey Tour on previous cruises. We would like to go to Sapphire Beach again on our own on our upcoming cruise. Do you know if they require a day pass to go on the grounds, or can anyone go there? Are there changing facilities? Can we buy food/drinks, etc.

 

Thank you.

 

You'll locate a taxi at the dock heading to the east end, the taxi coordinator will direct you. The taxi will drop you near the lobby building (the restaurant and lobby are currently closed). The beach is open to the public so you do not need a day pass. The dive center is right there where you will pay for your lounge chairs ($9 ea) and you can also rent snorkel gear, kayaks, floaties, and other items there. There are changing and restrooms located by the dive center. You can place your lounge chairs near the dive center or over to the right in the shaded area.

The Banana Cabana is a beach grill located between condo bldgs B & C that serves a great mahi mahi sandwich and drinks and beer. You can also buy beer and rum punch at the dive center for $1 less. You'll see runners from BC and from the restaurant on the hill behind the marina taking food and drink orders on the beach.

[KathS]

Thank you!