What to do off the ship in San Juan, St Thomas and St Croix?
 

Doing a cruise in April. What should we see in these ports? <BR> <BR>Thanks for ANY suggestions!!

Well, in San Juan Old San Juan with its two forts and old buildings is quite interesting. A visit to the Bacardi Rum distillery in interesting if you enjoy that sort of thing (get few free samples). Our stop there was all day and we ended up spending all of it in Old San Juan, but some other people went over to the beaches and enjoyed that as well. <BR> <BR>St. Thomas, I would highly recommend the tour of St John Island, which is about 90% national park. No doubt the ship will offer an excursion and we did that and felt it was worth the cost. On St Thomas you can shop, shop, shop till you run out of money or stamina. <BR> <BR>Haven't been to St Croix sorry.

In San Juan go to Old San Juan (your ship should dock there) and walk the streets and go to the forts, in St. THomas shop till you drop at Havensight right by the docks and in St. Croix take a snorkel trip to Buck Island.

<BR>Cheri's right, Buck Island if you snorkel. If not, consider learning cause it's a terrific excursion. <BR> <BR>The other best option is to rent a car & drive around the island, hugging the coastline as much as possible. The scenic route that takes you to the "Beast" & then overlooks Carambola is lovely. <BR> <BR>Another suggestion, rent horses at Sprat Hall, just outside of Fredricksburg & ride thru what they refer to as a rainforest. It's not a true rainforest, like El Yunque on Puerto Rico (another option for that port of call) but it's lovely. <BR> <BR>I've seen photos of the Sprats' daughter riding bareback in the surf, but don't know if they permit guests to take horses along the beach. Couldn't hurt to try. Nice people. And their little roadside restaurant doesn't look like much but served quality food. <BR> <BR>If you prefer to shop, skip Fredricksburg & do Christiansted instead. <BR> <BR>Buck Island would be my first choice.

Thanks SO MUCH for your suggestions! I'm counting the days....

<BR>btw, I can't remember the name of the folks who own Sprat Hall. I'm almost certain it's not Sprat ---- they're awfully nice people.

We just returned from St. Thomas. We've also been there on a cruise. When we stopped there on the cruise, we took a trip to Coki Beach (great snorkeling and way less crowded than Magen's Bay) in the morning and then shopped in the afternoon in Charlotte Amalie. They got us back in time to spend about 2 hours shopping. A trip to St. John is worth your time also. It's very quiet and beautiful.

I believe it's Fredricksted, not Fredricksburg...and they have nice shopping when the ships are in. They don't bother to open their stores otherwise.

San Juan, ditto OSJ, or do El Junque. Beaches on that part of the island not worth it if you're going to the VI's, which are much nicer. SJ beaches reminded me of Miami Beach. <BR> <BR>In St. Thomas, we did a day sail on the beautiful Winifred out of Red Hook with Captain Sharon Allen. 'Twas a great day. Otherwise, you might take the ferry to St. John on your own, and spend the day on a beach. No reason to pay the cruiseline to take you where you can go on your own & probably have a better time. Beaches there are beautiful. <BR> <BR>St. Croix, definitely Buck Island if you're a snorkeler, but do not take cruiseline offering if you can prearrange with someone else (Diva or Snowflake both highly recommended). Otherwise, hit Cane Bay or Shoys Beach for some good beach time, or pay a few bucks to the Buccanneer to use their facilities, or shop in C'sted. <BR> <BR>Let me know if you want more specifics. <BR>

<BR>Yes indeed, Fredricksted. I have family in Fredricksburg, thus the slip. Are there many new shops? I know all but a few are closed except when a ship's in port. Unless there's been a major shift to that side of the island, I'd still recommend C'sted. <BR>