is Coral World worth a visit?

[JaKaTo]

hi fellow cruisers,

we are first time visitors to St Thomas... and of course want to do it all!! a little bit of shopping, a great sight-seeing tour, some swimming/snorkeling. I'm wondering if Coral World is worth a 2 hr visit? or is this one of those touristy things that you would skip in lieu of real beach & snorkeling time? I'd like opinions on what you consider the most critical to do/see... how much time we should look to devote to each activity (we arv in port @ 8am & dpt @ 5pm)... who best to do these activities with... etc??? please weigh in with your thoughts & best advice... thanks!!! :-)

Kathy.

[okgladmom]

Kathy, If you've never been to an underwater type Aquarium, Coral World will probably be enjoyable for you. If you have been to one before, you might want to skip it. It's pretty much the same thing as you'll see at other Aquariums. The grounds are pretty and you'll see tropical wildlife and birds. IMO, the cost is a little high for what you see. We were there in 2007 and are going on a cruise this June with a stop in ST and will not be going to visit it again.

[lmg1230]

We are also going to be in St. Thomas in March and are wondering if anyone has participated in the activities at Coral World. My 12 year old daughter was looking at their website and is interested in the seal lion swim, the interaction with the sea turtles and the helmet trek. Has anyone done any of these activities and if so, what did you think of them? Did you book them ahead of time or when you arrived at Coral World?

[Tak8]

My family did the Sea Lion swim in December '07. Coral World was ok, but the Sea Lion excursion was a great experience. It takes about an hour, but if you decide to do it leave an hour afterward. They take photos and offer a CD which took about an hour to produce. Coki Beach is right next door and you could have some beach time will you wait. I like Coki Beach even without going to Coral World. They have only 4 slots at each of the times they do the Sea Lions, so I would book in advance if you are interested.

[Peace2U]

Coral World is interesting, especially for kids. I liked feeding the stingrays.

[figs]

I was there in 2007, found it nearly-empty (couldn't find an employee to save our lives), rinky-dink (one or two exhibit buildings, a handful of small ponds/tanks, and a fairly small, but admittedly cool, underwater observatory), and fairly depressing (due to the conditions the sea turtles were in then, a tiny, dirty, scummy pond---they were almost the same size as the pond!). It reminded me of those "animal park" faux-zoos you find in small towns across America---where they have one mangy lion, one zebra, and a handful of lizards in tiny pens, then a petting zoo for the kids. Coral World seemed like the Caribbean version.

 

HOWEVER, I've heard mostly happy reports on this board since my trip.

Especially now that they have added the Sea Lion Experience. Sounds like they've made some improvements----there weren't any tanks large enough for sea lions that I remember from when I was there. So changes have been made! :)

[JaKaTo]

we have no kids, and won't be doing the Sea Lion swim... so does that make a diff? is it still a must-do or a don't bother???? thanks for everyone's input & ideas... it's a great dialog!! :-) Kath.

[Peace2U]

I think it would be more interesting for kids personally.

[coltahonas]

On Feb.9th we went to Coral World in St.Thomas and had the BEST TIME doing the Turtle Encounter, as well as the Sea Lion Splash. Both of these activities cost extra (on top of the aquarium's $21/person admission fee) but were totally worth every penny!

First, we were able to stand in the water with 2 large sea turtles and stroke their backs. Why snorkel in the ocean, hoping to see a sea turtle when you can just pay to BE with one? Just my perspective. LOVED IT!

Second, we swam in a pool with 2 South American sea lions. They pulled us around in the water (we held onto their necks) and also jumped over our heads. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Similar to dolphin swims I had done before on other islands.

One person on cruisecritics indicated it was a small aquarium that could be done in an hour -- simply not the case! We were there ALL day. Every 45 minutes there is some sort of feeding going on, so we just followed that schedule. We fed the lorikeet birds, fed the stingrays, watched them feed the nurse sharks, watched people doing the B.O.S.S underwater helmet dive etc.

And for those who don't like water, they have a huge underwater observatory (included in park admission) that allows you to see every fish imaginable.

We had a FANTASTIC time. If you are a nature lover who likes to get close to animals, check out their website: http://www.coralworldvi.com/

They also have a toll free number: 1(888)695-2073

 

P.S- they have lockers you can rent for $3 as well as showers and bathroom facilities (included in admission fee). Coki Beach is right next door, and they give you an arm band that allows in and out privileges. So you can spend some time at the beach and go back to Coral World to clean up.