What not to miss in St.Thomas for first timers

[ajj0624]

My husband and i are trying to decide what is the best thing to do in St. Thomas since we have never been and may never get the chance to come back again. We like beaches and snokeling and will be bringing our own gear. But I also like shopping and i hear the shopping is good there but where and what? Also we looked at doing a pirate ship outing that took you to 3 areas of the island to shop but i wonder if this takes too much of our time since when in port your time is so limited and other routes may get us there faster and more reasonably priced. We also don't want this to be so hurried we didn't enjoy anything. Any advice for first timers?

[Sandytoes]

My husband and i are trying to decide what is the best thing to do in St. Thomas since we have never been and may never get the chance to come back again. We like beaches and snokeling and will be bringing our own gear. But I also like shopping and i hear the shopping is good there but where and what? Also we looked at doing a pirate ship outing that took you to 3 areas of the island to shop but i wonder if this takes too much of our time since when in port your time is so limited and other routes may get us there faster and more reasonably priced. We also don't want this to be so hurried we didn't enjoy anything. Any advice for first timers?

 

If you enjoy the beach and snorkel, I highly recommend Sapphire Beach

 

Here's my review (with photos)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=610217

 

 

 

We enjoyed it so much we went back on our 8\5 cruise.

Taxi ride is now $11.00

[kkorman]

My husband and i are trying to decide what is the best thing to do in St. Thomas since we have never been and may never get the chance to come back again. We like beaches and snokeling and will be bringing our own gear. But I also like shopping and i hear the shopping is good there but where and what? Also we looked at doing a pirate ship outing that took you to 3 areas of the island to shop but i wonder if this takes too much of our time since when in port your time is so limited and other routes may get us there faster and more reasonably priced. We also don't want this to be so hurried we didn't enjoy anything. Any advice for first timers?

 

My suggestion... Coki beach in the AM and shopping in the PM. Beaches get busy in the afternoon and the snorkeling is great there.

[venusbello1]

Well I honestly can't say much about St. Thomas, but when we stopped there we did the full day catamaran cruise to St. John and it was definitely one of my favorite excursions ever!

 

Since shopping is not really on the top of my list I can't say much about it, but certainly the beach at St. John was one of the most fabulous beaches I have ever been too (and I am a beach person!).

 

Happy cruising and have a wonderful time in St. Thomas!

 

VB1

[hughdm]

We have done FanTaSea catmaran to St. John's, Atlantis submarine, and went up to Blackbeard's Castle. We loved all this stuff. I guess if I had to choose one, St. John's was neat.

[emileg]

Its fun to explore the shops in Charlotte Amalia. Many are housed in ancient Danish warehouses. The various allies and glades are interesting to walk through as well. A taxi tour around the island is worthwhile. There are no shortage of drivers soliciting business in their open-air vehicles. You will probably have time to do two different activities. This is our favorite Caribbean port.

[nbsjcruiser]

My husband and i are trying to decide what is the best thing to do in St. Thomas since we have never been and may never get the chance to come back again. We like beaches and snokeling and will be bringing our own gear. But I also like shopping and i hear the shopping is good there but where and what? Also we looked at doing a pirate ship outing that took you to 3 areas of the island to shop but i wonder if this takes too much of our time since when in port your time is so limited and other routes may get us there faster and more reasonably priced. We also don't want this to be so hurried we didn't enjoy anything. Any advice for first timers?

 

Coki Beach has awesome snorkeling and you should also take the skyride to paradise point. You'll get a sky high view of St Thomas. Awesome views! Views like this: http://mgbutler.homeunix.com/photos/NOS/St%20Thomas/slides/DSC08746.html

[HRHMadonna]

Check out Burlie's tour at www.viscenictours.com

 

For $25 pp she willl take you downtown to Charlotte Amalie for shopping, then on a narrarted tour of the island with multiple photo stops and finally a 2-3 hour stop at Coki Beach for snorkeling & some great beach time.

 

We have used her several times and were totally pleased....A day with Burlie is a great value and a great way to "do it all" in St. Thomas.

 

You can email her through her web site and arrange for her to pick you up right at your ship's security gate.

[vulcan500]

I so appreciate all the tips on what to do in port. We were in St Thomas in January and didn't do any excursions, just walked around the town and were put off by all the people hawking their wares. It seemed to be an entire town of nothing but jewelry stores...and some T shirt shops. Who can (or wants to) buy diamonds while on vacation? If we purchase anything, it is locally made crafts, etc. It felt like being in a carnival midway! This January we'll try an excursion and stay away from the "shopping".

[nschurr]

What not to miss in St.Thomas for first timers

 

 

Don't miss the boat!!!!:)

[chrysalis]

My suggestion... Coki beach in the AM and shopping in the PM. Beaches get busy in the afternoon and the snorkeling is great there.

 

I agree.....

[Cruisewebber]

yep...that's exactly what we've done both times we've been to St. Thomas. Coki Beach is absolutely beautiful!! Here's a little picture of it......

[blindrid]

I so appreciate all the tips on what to do in port. We were in St Thomas in January and didn't do any excursions, just walked around the town and were put off by all the people hawking their wares. It seemed to be an entire town of nothing but jewelry stores...and some T shirt shops. Who can (or wants to) buy diamonds while on vacation? If we purchase anything, it is locally made crafts, etc. It felt like being in a carnival midway! This January we'll try an excursion and stay away from the "shopping".

 

i totally agree with this post. I'm OK with jewelry shopping to a point, just not going to a handful of stores as they are virtually on every street corner. My next visit all I'll plan on is hit the beach!

[ladyPI]

My husband and i are trying to decide what is the best thing to do in St. Thomas since we have never been and may never get the chance to come back again. We like beaches and snokeling and will be bringing our own gear. But I also like shopping and i hear the shopping is good there but where and what? Also we looked at doing a pirate ship outing that took you to 3 areas of the island to shop but i wonder if this takes too much of our time since when in port your time is so limited and other routes may get us there faster and more reasonably priced. We also don't want this to be so hurried we didn't enjoy anything. Any advice for first timers?

 

Check out Sunny Liston Tours. For $25.00 pp they will take you to shopping, high points of site seeing and a choice of 4 beaches I think. All this for $25.00 :D They are really great fun and very reliable.

 

http://sunnylistontours.com

[happyvalley]

My recommendations: Take the tram up the hill for a great view. It's just outside the shopping area by the port, so within walking distance. I'd highly recommend taking the ferry from the downtown pier to St. John to go snorkling. Once you arrive in St. John, take a taxi to the beach, actually a state park. It has a self-guided snorkle tour with signs underwater. Try to time your arrival to avoid the ship tours. It's cheaper and more convenient to do this trip on your own. There's enough time in port to do both shopping and the trip to St. John. I've been to Magens Bay (sp?) on the north side of St. Thomas, but St. John is better. Enjoy!

[serene56]

I would take one of the tours available for 25.00 pp

 

With these tours you get to do it all. be picked up and dropped off at the pier. 1,2,or 3 hours worth of shopping depending on your stamina. 2 hour island tour and 2 hours at the beach for swimming, snorkling and sun.

 

there are 4-5 tour companies all offering the great deal

[emileg]

Check out Sunny Liston Tours. For $25.00 pp they will take you to shopping, high points of site seeing and a choice of 4 beaches I think. All this for $25.00 :D They are really great fun and very reliable.

 

http://sunnylistontours.com

Wasn't he a great boxer in the 1960's?

[ajj0624]

thanks for all your suggestions!! This has really helped me.

[TwinCruiserMom]

Make sure you explore the Ports of Call section of cruise critic on the front page of the boards as there is literally hundreds of pages of info! Especially for St. Thomas which is a very popular port.

 

We love Godfrey's tour which is $25. You pick either 1, 2, or 3 hours of shopping, then he takes you on a great island tour. Beautiful views, and tons of information on St. Thomas and the neighboring islands. He will then take you to a beach for a few hours and we chose Sapphire. It is a fabulous beach where you could take tons of pictures that look just like postcards!

 

Godfrey is very reliable, respectful and his safari open air van is in excellent shape. I would highly recommend his tour.

 

http://www.godfreytoursvi.com/

[flamomo]

Our stop on St Thomas was very relaxing. We took our time getting off the ship (no excursion), leisurely wandered around the quaint shopping area, and had an enjoyable lunch at a brightly painted (in Caribbean colors), open air restaurant overlooking the harbor.

It was a nice day for us. Very low key.

[Kimmer727]

I would do the beach in the morning and shopping in the afternoon.

DO NOT miss taking the TRAM ride up to Paradise Point. This is right outside the shopping area located by the pier. It will cost you $19 to go up, but the view is totally worth it. You can stay up there as long as you like, there are shops and a restaurant. We had a lovely cocktail up there, and the view of the ships and the island are truley amazing!!

[Hojo's redbeard]

Wasn't he a great boxer in the 1960's?

 

Yes, but Charles "Sonny" Liston the boxer died in 1971. Too bad he's most famous for getting knocked out by Muhammad Ali in 1965.

 

We used Sonny last time we were in St. Thomas, liked it and will use him again next month.

[Ethel5]

Somebody posted the name of a place in St. Thomas to get great Conch fritters. Unfortunately, I didn't mark the thread and lost it. Can anyone help?

[Sandyrella]

The Banana Daquiri on the Mountain Top!!!:p

[AzCruiseGurl]

Does any one know how long Sonny Liston tour is??