MissouriGirl Posted February 23, 2006 #1 Share Posted February 23, 2006 For those of you who have been on the SUN to the Eastern Caribbean this year, where does it dock in St. Thomas, Tortola and (if we are redirected like the other cruises have been) Nassau? We're leaving March 4th and I'm trying to plan a few on-our-own excursions! Thanks in advance for any help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmeister Posted February 24, 2006 #2 Share Posted February 24, 2006 In St Thomas, the Sun docks at Crown Harbor, not the main cruise port. It's a $4 cab ride (per person) to downtown Charlotte Amalie, the major shopping area. Sometime this year, some shops are supposed to open right on the pier next to Crown Harbor, but when we were there 2 weeks ago, there was no sign of occupancy. You can reach beaches, including Magens Bay, by cab for less than $10 a person--no need to sign up for an excursion. If you want to visit St John, I'd recommend an excursion; it's hard to make all the connections you need to make to get there on your own. Tortola, there's only one dock in Road Town, and it accommodates two ships. If you want to visit Virgin Gorda, the ship's excursion is a good value, and you have the advantage of leaving the ship first. It's about a 20 minute walk in to Road Town from the dock, but there are cabs available for a few dollars. There are only a few tents offering merchandise at the end of the dock. In Nassau, there's one dock, but it's huge, accommodating many ships. Because the Sun doesn't have Nassau as a regular port of call, it berths at the far end of the dock. You'll walk about 10 minutes just to get to dry land, and then a few more minutes to get thru a port building loaded with merchants and artisans. Cabs are plentiful, especially to take you to Paradise Island, which is actually a 15-20 minute walk from the pier. The ship was only in Nassau for a few (5-6) hours, so it would be difficult to do anything adventurous there. The other port of call is Samana in the Dominican Republic. The ship is at anchor and you tender in to a small dock just outside of Samana. Don't bother with Samana; there's nothing there. Cabs will take you to the beach, but they're all a good distance. The nearest one is Las Galeras, about 26km or 40 minutes away. It's primitive but beautiful; no facilities except a few food and beverage stands. Cab drivers will ask exorbitant amounts to take you there, especially if you're travelling in a small group. It's a good idea to assemble a group of 10 and hire a van. You can negotiate the price down and when you spread it out over enough people it's more reasonable. We paid $120 for a group of 10 for 5 hours, and then a tip for the "tour guide" who will ride along whether you ask for him or not. Cayo Levantado, an island near Samana, is touted as having extraordinary beaches, but it's expensive to get to and it may be "off limits" if another ship is anchored near it and tendering all its passengers there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riz Posted February 24, 2006 #3 Share Posted February 24, 2006 The dock in St.Thomas changes week to week.....I noticed this week it was anchored in the bay..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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