Blackbeard Island Experience

[NJLVW]

Has anyone gone on the Blackbeard Island Experience? I am looking for information on what it actually entails. Usually we just go shopping and walking around the town. This sounds pretty interesting doing Megan's Bay & Blackbeards castle. Just wondering if it is really worth it? How far is downtown from Blackbeards? I thought Blackbeard"s was on top of a hill? Hope someone has some input.

Thanx in advance

[candhmama]

It's been awhile since I have been there but from what I remember, Blackbeard's Castle isn't too far from downtown, it is just up the hill, and if you walked down the hill you would be in downtown. We only drove bye it once so I don't remember exactly how far it is. Hopefully someone else can be a better help

[happymom88]

I was reading about that today. I would love any info anyone has. It sounds really interesting, but it has the potential of being really lame, too.:rolleyes:

[NJLVW]

There must be someone out there that has done this NCL excursion??? It looks like it may be interesting but would really like some feed back.

 

Thanx

[SnowBird Cruzer]

This may not be worth anything, because it has been many years since I went to St. Thomas. However, I'll be back in March and I'm curious to see what has changed and what hasn't.

 

Back in 1990 we went to Blackbeard's Castle, which was a hotel then. We couldn't go anywhere but the parking lot, which did have a beautiful view of the harbor/port. But it was disappointing overall.

 

The shore excursion listed for Blackbeard's castle for RCCL does sound much better with much more to do but I was burned once, so I'm going to do something else.

[The Islander]

Blackbeards is right up Government Hill and the 99 steps from downtown. Maybe 10-12 minute walk... depends on how quickly you do the stairs :). The tour at Blackbeards includes the watch tower which is called Blackbeards Castle... pirate lore... however the tower is actually part of old Danish fortifications. Beautiful view of the harbor and Charlotte Amalie from the top and from the bottom too. There is a pool right in front of the tower from when the place was a hotel. It is no longer a hotel, it is just for touring now. Using the pool is allowed. Along with the tower, there are numerous pirate statues around the grounds. And there are several historical homes below the tower area that are part of the tour, they are furnished with historic peices of furniture and art and so on. Very interesting if you enjoy historic homes and areas. The whole of Government Hill has historic homes on it, some are now offices, some are still residences, some need some tlc - again if you like this sort of thing its very nice and interesting. Try their website for info: http://blackbeardscastle.com/.

 

--Islander

[NJLVW]

Thank you for the link. It looks quite interesting. We do like history of different areas. Do you know if they have a restaurant at this castle? Just wondering.

[toothy26]

Magan's Bay was great but the rest of the tour was a waste of time. Climbing the tower took about 5 minutes and the pool did not look too inviting.

[The Islander]

toothy26 - Did you visit Blackbeard through the ship excursion? If so did the tour not include the historic homes too - was it just the tower they took you to and that was it?

 

--Islander

[toothy26]

I just asked my husband and he thinks we saw some little buildings where there was some art work and a small garden with interesting statues but historic homes , I don't think so.

[usvicruiser]

There is a pool right in front of the tower from when the place was a hotel. It is no longer a hotel, it is just for touring now.

 

Blackbeards still operates as a hotel.

[NJLVW]

Does it have a restaurant????

[The Islander]

toothy - thanks for the reply, if you check out their website at http://www.blackbeardscastle.com/ you will see the information on Haagensen House and Villa Notman the two historic homes that are usually part of a tour at Blackbeards. Neither is huge but they aren't little either.

 

usvicruiser - the Inn at Blackbeards has been closed for quite some time. The property including some historic homes just below it are now a historic tour. Their property Hotel 1829 is still used as a hotel. And there is a separate inn that is in front of Blackbeards and its still open as usual.

 

NJLVW - there isn't a restaurant. They used to have bbq plate options, just like 2 meals you could choose from but I don't know if they still do this. Best bet would be to contact them via their website and find out.

 

--Islander

[toothy26]

Thanks Islander. Yes, now that you showed me the website, I do remember the houses.

[Name Of The Game]

I had a hotdog there. I think it was a quarter-pounder for $3.00.

[usvicruiser]

usvicruiser - the Inn at Blackbeards has been closed for quite some time. The property including some historic homes just below it are now a historic tour. Their property Hotel 1829 is still used as a hotel. And there is a separate inn that is in front of Blackbeards and its still open as usual.

 

I can guarantee you with 100% certainty that the Inn at Blackbeards Castle is currently operating as a hotel (although it had been closed for a while in the recent past). However, their website does not seem to have been updated to reflect this fact. If you doubt me, call up their main desk and ask.

[recreation enthusiest]

I've been to Charlotte Amalie shopping many times so on our last cruise we did this as something a little different. This walking tour brought out a whole new aspect of the town area. Awesome views and very cool sights. The new Amber museum was very cool. My wife still got her shopping fix and I was not totally bored!

[The Islander]

usvicruiser, yes it had been closed for quite a while. Thanks for the update that it has reopened.

 

--Islander

[Relaxing on the balcony]

We did this via Princess last year and really enjoyed it. We were able to go to the castle and thru some historical homes. There were some very interesting guides in the houses with a ton of knowledge about the area and island. They were characters and very friendly. We then hung around the pool for a little while (dipped our feet in it.) and continued with our tour. The grounds and vistas were beautiful! I think it was just before the 99 steps that we stopped in at a small rum "factory" it was like a small store. The ladies were great and very generous with the free samples.:) We then shopped for a bit and went on to Megan's Bay. It was a fun day! We learned some history and got to go to the beach...what could be better.