what beach when busy

[dowen63]

What beach do you recommend if there are 6 ships in port?

[beautifulbill]

It is interesting that cruise ship visitors often ask about uncrowded beaches  Cruise ships keep getting bigger every year So when you are on a ship you bring crowds with you. It’s crowded at every stop 

if you want to enjoy beautiful uncrowded beaches stay on an island and avoid the beach on a cruise ship day 

[blue_water]

What Bill said...Cruising today just loses its charm when porting with so many ships, and with todays behemoth ships...

 

But if we were in your situation we would taxi to Hull Bay, you’d probably need to hail a taxi outside the port area unless a driver going to Magens Bay would drop you and return for you. May not be quite as nice as the East End beaches, and no lounges that I know of, but a nice beach with bigger waves and you could find a nice spot on the beach. There is a beach bar/restaurant there that opens at 11AM.

https://www.hullbayhideaway.com/

 

Elysian Beach (Cowpet Bay) would probably also be relatively free of your fellow cruise mates and there is a beach bar (Sangria’s Bistro) offering daily lunch specials. There are several boats moored offshore, and there are condo resorts there, and probably no lounges for day visitors...but a nice beach...

http://www.sangriasvi.com/

 

Just a couple options that should be a bit less crowded than the more popular beaches. 

[beautifulbill]

Sangria's building was damaged in the hurricanes and it has not reopened.. The main restaurant, Caribbean Fish Market is open for lunch and dinner,

[blue_water]

Thanks for that update Bill, I should have noted I was just relying on their website...

[Ms411]

The best way to avoid crowds is to do a day sail. The captains have experiences in avoiding the crowds. Many day sails not offered on the ships limit capacity to 6 people.

 

Bill is right about the big ships. The ships keep getting bigger and bigger but the destination options for those huge ships are limited so the ports that can accommodate them get busier and busier, and put tremendous stress on the infrastructure.

 

Smaller ships can go to more destinations that are less crowded.

 

[blue_water]

Yes a daysail can be a good option on a busier day

[OCruisers]

3 minutes ago, blue_water said:

Yes a daysail can be a good option on a busier day

 

Yes, for sure, a daysail is a wonderful option.  

[TTEllis]

On 5/7/2019 at 7:58 PM, dowen63 said:

What beach do you recommend if there are 6 ships in port?

We were on STT in Dec. 2012(7 ships) 2013(6 ships) before the hurricane, and went over to St. John and Trunk Bay. I have found it really doesn't matter how many ships are in port on St. Thomas if you plan your day on St. John especially now that everything is back open, it's never crowded. 6 ships in port you can't move downtown, Magen's Bay we've all been there when you can't even enjoy the beach, the bar is so packed you can't get a drink.

 

I was there last Nov., 6 ships in port, went to Secret Harbour and glad I did. When we got back to Havensight the 1 bar that was open was so packed you couldn't get in. 

 

[blue_water]

Just our experience to give you another perspective, when staying on STT on a big ship day and going to STJ for the day Trunk, being one of the most popular beaches, was extremely crowded, Cinnamon not quite as bad. Other less frequented beaches were free of cruisers but you need a rental or dedicated driver for that option, and there are no amenities. 

 

And SH, like Coki, is usually very crowded being a small beach area, and at SH day visitors are restricted to a specific section of the beach. So just depends on the vibe you want...They also run out of lounges and umbrellas so be aware of that if you arrrive in port after other ships...

[TTEllis]

2 hours ago, blue_water said:

Just our experience to give you another perspective, when staying on STT on a big ship day and going to STJ for the day Trunk, being one of the most popular beaches, was extremely crowded, Cinnamon not quite as bad. Other less frequented beaches were free of cruisers but you need a rental or dedicated driver for that option, and there are no amenities. 

 

And SH, like Coki, is usually very crowded being a small beach area, and at SH day visitors are restricted to a specific section of the beach. So just depends on the vibe you want...They also run out of lounges and umbrellas so be aware of that if you arrrive in port after other ships...

Correct there are "no amenities" at the beaches you mentioned other than Trunk, especially a "snack bar" that serves ice cold drinks. 

Cinnamon and Hawks Nest are nice, very quiet but no bathrooms, and nothing to drink. It absolutely depends on the vibe you want. "Be aware of what time you arrive in port" that's absolutely key in getting over to St. John. If there are 6-7 ships in port and yours happens to be the 4th, 5th or 6th much less 7th ship, your done. 

 

We were on STT last Nov. 28th, the snack bar and bathrooms had not opened yet at Trunk Bay or I would have gone over. Trunk Bay was open but if you wanted something to eat or drink you had to bring your own, I wasn't into carrying a cooler from Cruz Bay out to Trunk and back. If you don't have anything to drink on Trunk, there's no reason to go. I hope that's the case with people going over to St. John. I really hope it get's back to it's former self, the island is so beautiful and nothing but FUN. When I was there back in the day Cruz Bay was just a HUGE party, it needs to be that again. 

I haven't read any recent reviews of Trunk Bay since everything opened back up at the end of last December. 

I'll check TripAdvisor and see if I can find anything. Thanks

 

 

 

[TTEllis]

On 5/9/2019 at 3:23 PM, OCruisers said:

 

Yes, for sure, a daysail is a wonderful option.  

Anymore a "daysail" is the only way to go. A private day sail or a day sail with the ship it doesn't matter, it's reaching a point these "daysail" deals with 6-7 monsters in port are the ticket to have.