Going to St. Thomas & St. John - What to do at each?

[Slythgal]

Our NCL cruise is going to St. Thomas one day and St. John the next (early June). I've checked a few different sites with port schedules and we're the only ship scheduled at both places. Not sure how accurate that is but I'm excited that it might not be as crowded as I feared!

 

I am sooo lost with what to do at these ports. I don't mind doing an official excursion with NCL but they are somewhat limited for these ports. They're mostly shopping and all-day beach breaks. I'm looking for any excursion (NCL or not) or private tour company that y'all could recommend that would have more to do. AND wouldn't leave us in danger of missing the boat!

 

We have an 11-year old daughter and we're fairly adventurous. I definitely want to snorkel at some point, but I don't want to just hang out at a beach all day. We love kayaking, history, and stuff that is off the beaten path.

 

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

[Ms411]

If you like history and off the beaten path, you might like this tour. As of now, this is the only organization that offers public tours to Hassel Island. I took a tour there years ago before the storms. 

 

https://www.stthomashistoricaltrust.org/hassel-island-tour

 

For St John, you should be able to do a kayak tour with https://arawakexp.com/day-trips/.

 

 

[BklynBoy8]

USVI Site would be of General Help To You...

 

https://www.visitusvi.com/

 

https://travel.usnews.com/US_Virgin_Islands/

 

Of course we are also partial to all Various Shopping of items from A to Z..

 

 

[Slythgal]

Thank you both! I'll definitely check out the Hassel Island and kayak tours. 

[jean87510]

On 12/9/2023 at 11:59 AM, Slythgal said:

Our NCL cruise is going to St. Thomas one day and St. John the next (early June). I've checked a few different sites with port schedules and we're the only ship scheduled at both places. Not sure how accurate that is but I'm excited that it might not be as crowded as I feared!

 

I am sooo lost with what to do at these ports. I don't mind doing an official excursion with NCL but they are somewhat limited for these ports. They're mostly shopping and all-day beach breaks. I'm looking for any excursion (NCL or not) or private tour company that y'all could recommend that would have more to do. AND wouldn't leave us in danger of missing the boat!

 

We have an 11-year old daughter and we're fairly adventurous. I definitely want to snorkel at some point, but I don't want to just hang out at a beach all day. We love kayaking, history, and stuff that is off the beaten path.

 

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Do you mean St. John, Antigua?  Different spot then St John USVI.  

 

Regarding kayaking and snorkeling at St. Thomas, my husband and I did the kayaking on your own in the mangroves in St. Thomas.  The kayaking was fun.  The hike on the island we like although short.  What we really disliked and truthfully shouldn't be included was the snorkeling.  You have to wear a lifejacket and no fins which is fine BUT it is so shallow *hence reason for lifejacket as you don't disturb the ground* that some parts are literally 1 foot.  We ended up just getting out as the visibility was terrible.  We stayed on St. Thomas so we had more flexibility.  Now if you are really into a day of fun, bring your own snorkeling stuff.  Rent a car and go to the other side of st. Thomas.  Google Mermaids chair.  Then drive to Brewers beach and snorkel with a lot of turtles.  This is best if you have a long port day.  We did this same itinerary Christmas day 2022 and loved it.  Best part is no cruisers go here so no traffic.  Day we did it I think there were 4 ships in and we saw no one.

[zackarykeef]

 

On 12/9/2023 at 11:59 AM, Slythgal said:

Our NCL cruise is going to St. Thomas one day and St. John the next (early June).

 

You're going to St. John'S, Antigua, not St. John, the USVI. Just wanted to make sure you're aware so you don't take recs or accidentally book the wrong excursion! Make sure you ask for recs on the Antigua page.

 

You can get to St. John island from St. Thomas while you're in Charlotte Amalie, so that is an option.

Edited December 18, 2023 by zackarykeef
typo

[Piaa]

Highly doubt you will be stopping at St John on an NCL cruise (we only have small boutique type cruise ships that anchor - think SeaDream and Azamara etc) - are you sure you don't mean St John's Antigua?  

 

[Slythgal]

Yes, it is St. John Antigua, not USVI. I didn't want to post in multiple forums so I just picked the one associated with the first stop. Sorry for the confusion!