St Thomas or St. John

[Charleschung66]

Hi, we will arrive in St. Thomas via RCCL in April. This is the first time that we ever visit USVI. While I am going through the forum to plan the shore excursion on the day of arriving St. Thomas, I notice that lots of people are talking about spendind the day on St. John. Is that really a better choice/island to visit? I have a teen and a young adult girls. We are sort of active and are thinking of snorkeling, sightseeing, etc., shopping is not that important to us, though. I would really appreciate someone can give us a guideline or suggestion.

 

Charles

[blue_water]

St Thomas offers excellent off-the-beach snorkeling options including Sapphire, Secret Harbor, and Coki. Also several sightseeing options for history and amazing views and of neighboring islands. St John has beautiful beaches and you can take an island tour there. For snorkeling you'd want to go to Waterlemon rather than Trunk IMHO.

Going to a beach on STJ adds another 1.5 - 2 hrs of travel time and $48pp so your port time is a factor too. You'll find many great threads on this topic as you read through this forum. :)

[Charleschung66]

Thank you. I guess we will stay on St. Thomas. After all, we have to tour this island since this is the first visit.

[Keith1010]

You've made a wise decision. Stay with St. Thomas. When you return then visit St John.

 

Keith

[tuffy0317]

You've made a wise decision. Stay with St. Thomas. When you return then visit St John.

 

Keith

 

Totally agree with this - after doing both, we've found that St Thomas snorkeling and swimming can be just as good if you know where to go. Lots of great spots that are not Meagans Bay, which can get crowded.

[sugarbird]

Totally agree with this - after doing both, we've found that St Thomas snorkeling and swimming can be just as good if you know where to go. Lots of great spots that are not Meagans Bay, which can get crowded.

 

No way that the swimming and snorkeling on St. Thomas are as good as St. John.

My wife and I have owned a 2nd home on St. John for 36 years. We spend 4 months a year there. We have been to all of the beaches on St. Thomas and St. John many times.

St. Thomas is 50.000 people and St. John is less than 5,000. St John has very limited flat areas and 2/3 of the Island is a national park.

If shopping and some beach time/snorkling is your interest--and you only have 1 day--St Thomas would be fine and very enjoyable.

However, St John is one of the worlds "special places" and should not be missed on this or a future trip.-it does require more travel and time.

Life is full of choices--St Thomas is fine as I said-- if you want limited travel and are on a tight schedule.

[beautifulbill]

Sorry Sugarburd but I much prefer St Thomas versus St Jihn. I very seldom bother with going to St John anymore but it is a nice island to spend a day if you have the time but once is enough

[blue_water]

You are both passionate about the places you came to love and are so lucky in that regard. St John is indeed beautiful and has its own charm, while STT, particularly the East End, does as well. Both offer gorgeous beaches and excellent snorkeling. We own elsewhere, and when renting in this area we prefer the East End for various reasons. Just a matter of perspective and what works for you.

[blue_water]

I should add we visit the BVI and have historically considered STT and STJ steppingstones in reaching our destination. But since we "discovered" Sapphire Beach and have stayed there that's become a part of our trip. The beaches of STJ are gorgeous, and we will visit them from time to time. But staying close to the water on a gorgeous beach is hard to beat, and Sapphire offers that opportunity.