2 Ships in port a light day?

[Lawag95]

Just checked the port schedule for Jan 19 at St. Thomas Charlotte Amalie port.  There is only the Veendam and Princess Line Crown Princess in port that day.  That's at most 5,000 at the port.  Is that a pretty light day?

Thinking about Coki Beach but didn't want to head there if it was a heavy ship day.

 

Deciding between Coki and Sapphire, but Coki is intriguing as I am a diver and could do a shore dive there.

[beautifulbill]

Coki is a nice easy dive with lots of fish. The divers at Coral World feed the fish so they will come to divers and snorkelers. 

Some of my favorite  dives were  night dives at Coki. 

[cruiseapril]

That is a light day.  Last time we were there there were 6 ships in!

[TTEllis]

4 hours ago, cruiseapril said:

That is a light day.  Last time we were there there were 6 ships in!

Light day? I haven't heard of 2 ships in port in STT in YEARS, always between 5-7. That's awesome. I would be the first one off the ship, the last one back on without the stampede. You should take advantage of that. Later Todd

[Ashland]

We did a B2B last September and there were 2 ships in both St Thomas and St Maarten...now that was really nice !!

[TTEllis]

5 hours ago, Ashland said:

We did a B2B last September and there were 2 ships in both St Thomas and St Maarten...now that was really nice !!

That is, really nice!! It's gotten to a point especially on STT the number of ship's in port dictates planning your day.

For one reason or another(mostly $$$$), the last several times I've been to STT there have been a half a dozen or so Mega-ships ported, it can be overwhelming. 2 ships in port, sounds like you had a great time. Nice!!

[travellingwithnikki]

In May during my day at St Thomas, there was one ship at Havensight and one at Crown Bay - it was very quiet everywhere 🙂

[TTEllis]

10 hours ago, travellingwithnikki said:

In May during my day at St Thomas, there was one ship at Havensight and one at Crown Bay - it was very quiet everywhere 🙂

Lucky you!! I can't imagine how nice that must of been the last 3-4 times anyway I've been to STT I don't think there was ever an instance where we didn't have at least 5 sometime's 7 ships in port at that point it really didn't matter. The island was so packed for all practical purposes you couldn't move. 

We ported at Havensight last December, the few restaurants that were open you couldn't get in any of them. 

I got back to Havensight from Secret Harbour planning to hit a bar before getting back on the ship, no way it just wasn't going to and didn't happen. I'm not standing in line anywhere for a drink when I can get back on the ship walk up to any bar I want, and within about a minute I have a drink in my hand, that's exactly what I did. 

 

[blue_water]

Coki is a very small bay and a popular beach for families, both day and land visitors and . You shouldn’t be packed in like sardines, but it will be more crowded than we like. We’d head to Sapphire simply because we love that beach and vibe, but I don’t know if Coki is a better choice for a shore dive than Sapphire, or even another beach? Perhaps another diver familiar with STT can answer that. Are you alone? Or will others be enjoying the beach while you are out?

 

AA Divers also organizes dive excursions out of the Secret Harbour Resort, you may want to inquire there if interested in off the boat diving?

https://www.aadivers.com/

 

[SRQbeachgirl]

We will be the only ship in port on July 30 (3,690 pax) and we have a catamaran snorkeling excursion booked to St. John. But now I'm wondering if we should save the $300+ and catch a cab to Coki to take advantage of smaller than normal crowds.

[TTEllis]

10 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

We will be the only ship in port on July 30 (3,690 pax) and we have a catamaran snorkeling excursion booked to St. John. But now I'm wondering if we should save the $300+ and catch a cab to Coki to take advantage of smaller than normal crowds.

Save the $300 and go to St. John on your own, one ship in port definitely a St. John day, especially now that everything is back open at Trunk. If you think STT is going to be quiet wait till you get over to Cruz Bay you'll have the entire island to yourself. Going to be extremely hot on STJ, hats, spf 500K even though it wont help much. Have a great trip.

[blue_water]

 

Because Coki is a small bay there will always be a busier vibe with a ship in port + land visitors, but July will probably be much less crowded. And not sure how many are in your party, but obviously Coki could be a less expensive option at $20 $22/pp for taxi + any rentals, drinks, and food.

 

But the catamaran snorkel day is an excellent choice, nothing beats being on the water! That is the ultimate snorkeling experience as well, probably off the cays of STJ? And it’s nice being pampered away from the vendors and your fellow cruise mates. 

 

Enjoy your day whatever you choose!

[SRQbeachgirl]

12 hours ago, blue_water said:

 

Because Coki is a small bay there will always be a busier vibe with a ship in port + land visitors, but July will probably be much less crowded. And not sure how many are in your party, but obviously Coki could be a less expensive option at $20 $22/pp for taxi + any rentals, drinks, and food.

 

But the catamaran snorkel day is an excellent choice, nothing beats being on the water! That is the ultimate snorkeling experience as well, probably off the cays of STJ? And it’s nice being pampered away from the vendors and your fellow cruise mates. 

 

Enjoy your day whatever you choose!

 

The catamaran goes over to Caneel Bay/Honeymoon Beach. It's been 25 years since we visited STJ and the beaches (Hawksnest and Trunk) were practically deserted back then. Been a lot of places since then, but STJ is still one of my favorite memories. 

[blue_water]

11 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said:

 

The catamaran goes over to Caneel Bay/Honeymoon Beach. It's been 25 years since we visited STJ and the beaches (Hawksnest and Trunk) were practically deserted back then. Been a lot of places since then, but STJ is still one of my favorite memories. 

 

On a cruise stop, even with just one or two ships in port, a daysail is an excellent choice for those wishing a more intimate and personal experience away from their fellow cruise mates and land visitors, and off-the-boat snorkeling allows you to experience some of the best sites.

 

We’ve also enjoyed a daysail to HB in Salomon Bay/Caneel Bay. We were staying at Sapphire and took the New Horizons schooner out of the marina there and it was an amazing day! The current in the bay was swift and HB was mostly submerged due to swells, but we were there in January and that’s more likely then. But regardless of the season, nothing compares to being on the water in one of the ports you hit if you have that opportunity!