St Thomas beach advice for a multigenerational family

[CruzinMel]

Hi all - we are going to be in STT the first week of January from 11 - 7.  We're a multigenerational group - my Mom, 78 and of limited mobility, myself and DH in our 50's, and then 2 of our 4 kids, DS25 and DD21.

 

Advise us, oh those knowledgeable about ST Thomas - none of the cruise tour options appeal, basically because of our requirements, so I think I'm going to have to book something private.  Those requirements?

 

• Mom can get around, but she can't walk long distances without tiring, and we don't want her to do stairs.  We're renting a motorized wheelchair for the cruise, but what I really want is a unicorn:  a beach that she could walk onto, so we can get by with her rollator rather than the wheelchair. 
• This is Mom's only port tour for reasons, so I need the perfect Caribbean beach and bonus points if it's not slammed with cruise visitors, and triple bonus points if they have beach chairs for rent.
• DH is not a water person, so his requirement is that whatever beach we go to, there must be a bar that has Crown Royal and preferably snacks.
• Further, DH lives in utter terror of being a pier runner - this plus Mom can't run, means that he will be antsy, cranky, and determined to leave to go back to the ship at least 2 hours before all aboard.  If I thought he'd go for it, I'd leave him on the ship because he's going to hover and clock-watch.  So basically, transportation has to be reliable, time-sensitive, and familiar with STT traffic.
• Me?  I'm easy - water, sand, and sunscreen.  Maybe a beverage.  Boom.
• The kids have never been to STT before - they're there for the experience, and possibly the bar fun.

 

If you were me, what would you book?  Thanks for anything you can tell me!  Mel

[Ms411]

All the taxi drivers do an excellent job of getting people back to the ship on time. But, only the beaches that are popular with cruisers have taxi stands where taxis are waiting to take people back to the ship. At other beaches you may have to arrange for return pick up or have the hotel call a taxi. They usually come pretty quickly.

 

Sapphire may be your best option because the "main" entrance where taxis drop you off doesn't have any steps. You walk through a patio area with a coffee shop and open air restaurant and bar and step onto the sand leading to the water. You'll have to walk further away from the entrance if you want a less crowded area.

 

Chairs and snorkel equipment available for rent. 

 

There's a tour company that specializes in transporting people who may need assistance. The name of the company is It Could Be Worse and the website is icbw.com or icbwvi.com or something like that. If you can't find it I can post the link later.

 

 

[Ms411]

Here's the website for It Could Be Worse. It doesn't place well on Google.

 

https://usviicbw.com/

[FLcruisergrl]

Secret Harbour

[Ms411]

Aren't there steps at Secret Harbor to get to the beach? I seem to remember going through the lobby and eventually going down steps. The other entrance by the dive shop has some steps, too, I think. 

 

 

[blue_water]

Our vote would be for Sapphire. Your mom may not be able to wheel over to the naturally shaded area in front of the condo buildings, but she could definitely be lounging on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the Carib, enjoying the most exquisite island views from the south shore of STT. Yes, we are fans of Sapphire, having stayed there multiple times…And I may tend to embellish, but this description of Sapphire is actually quite accurate!
 

There is a beach bar but I cannot comment on Royal Crown. I know I could not find 1 single bottle during our winter in the Riviera Maya due to the supply issue, but a couple bars were well-stocked. I would pose that specific question on the TripAdvisor STT forum, you may get lucky! Or buy a bottle at Moe’s Market in Red Hook on the way (call first to confirm they have it)…
 

Lounges rent for ~$9/ea, and there were never umbrella rentals because of the natural shade, but there may be now…

[Ms411]

This is one store that has online ordering, and you can search for Crown Royal. They have other stores under the Moe's brand and have a location near the Havensight dock at Yacht Haven Grande. If The Market has it, there's a good possibility Moe's has it.

 

https://www.themarketstt.com/shop

[beautifulbill]

Sapphire has an entrance into the bar/grill area that is wheel chair friendly and at the edge of the beach there are some covered cabana type accommodations that can fit a wheel chair  but they can fill up quickly so get there early. There is beach, bar. grill, pizza, water toys, chair rentals, shop, sun and shade. Also good snorkeling on a beautiful beach if that's of interest.  

[CruzinMel]

On 10/7/2022 at 3:04 AM, Ms411 said:

All the taxi drivers do an excellent job of getting people back to the ship on time. But, only the beaches that are popular with cruisers have taxi stands where taxis are waiting to take people back to the ship. At other beaches you may have to arrange for return pick up or have the hotel call a taxi. They usually come pretty quickly.

 

Sapphire may be your best option because the "main" entrance where taxis drop you off doesn't have any steps. You walk through a patio area with a coffee shop and open air restaurant and bar and step onto the sand leading to the water. You'll have to walk further away from the entrance if you want a less crowded area.

 

Chairs and snorkel equipment available for rent. 

 

There's a tour company that specializes in transporting people who may need assistance. The name of the company is It Could Be Worse and the website is icbw.com or icbwvi.com or something like that. If you can't find it I can post the link later.

 

 

Thank you - that sounds marvelously close to my unicorn!  I had read about ICBW on a page for cruisers with disabilities - I was waiting to see what the STT folks would say first, and then decide based on whether we could manage with the rollator (in which case we'd need a taxi or private car) or if we'd need the wheelchair (then def ICBW.)

[CruzinMel]

On 10/8/2022 at 7:12 AM, FLcruisergrl said:

Secret Harbour

I will have to google that - thanks!

[CruzinMel]

On 10/8/2022 at 10:08 AM, blue_water said:

Our vote would be for Sapphire. Your mom may not be able to wheel over to the naturally shaded area in front of the condo buildings, but she could definitely be lounging on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the Carib, enjoying the most exquisite island views from the south shore of STT. Yes, we are fans of Sapphire, having stayed there multiple times…And I may tend to embellish, but this description of Sapphire is actually quite accurate!
 

There is a beach bar but I cannot comment on Royal Crown. I know I could not find 1 single bottle during our winter in the Riviera Maya due to the supply issue, but a couple bars were well-stocked. I would pose that specific question on the TripAdvisor STT forum, you may get lucky! Or buy a bottle at Moe’s Market in Red Hook on the way (call first to confirm they have it)…
 

Lounges rent for ~$9/ea, and there were never umbrella rentals because of the natural shade, but there may be now…

Second vote for Sapphire, and it sounds marvelous!  I wonder if I could find a way to rent the loungers in advance?  We don't port until 11, which means we won't get off the ship until 12 or so, which means all the early birds will have those particular worms (can't blame them, either!)

 

Thank you!

[CruzinMel]

13 hours ago, beautifulbill said:

Sapphire has an entrance into the bar/grill area that is wheel chair friendly and at the edge of the beach there are some covered cabana type accommodations that can fit a wheel chair  but they can fill up quickly so get there early. There is beach, bar. grill, pizza, water toys, chair rentals, shop, sun and shade. Also good snorkeling on a beautiful beach if that's of interest.  

I'm getting the kids snorkeling equipment for Christmas (our rule this year is that all presents must be cruise-related), so that is definitely of interest - thank you!