My husband and I will have one day in St. Thomas and don't want to shop this time. Any suggestions on what to do? We've heard about a ferry to St. John(where do we get it and does it drop us off at a nice beach or where?)or Magen's Bay(still a nice beach? take taxi from ship there? how do you get one back?). Please help with details for these locations or others of interest. Thanks!

Hi-

We usually go to Magen's Bay first thing off the ship and relax at the beach. It is less crowded in the a.m. and you can pick your spot. Later it is hard to get chairs. We usually take a taxi and it will come back at your designated time you tell them to pick you up. The last 2 Xmas's it gets very crowded later in the afternoon to get back to the ship. Just leave yourself enough time.

There are ferries to St. John's from both Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie. You're dropped off in town on St. John's, and can take a taxi to the various beaches.

How about a day sail? We went with Captain Steve Marsh. Look at www.sailyachtnightwind.com for details. It was well worth it. There are several other day sails offered in St. Thomas as well.

You can also try Morningstar Beach. A short cab ride from the dock. I thought it was a nice beach, the Marriott is there for drinks or snacks. I found it to be less crowded then Magans Bay.

I have been to St. John from St. Thomas, sailing from Red Hook and also from Charlotte Amalie. I prefer to go from Charlotte Amalie, where the taxi ride is short and the boat ride is long, instead of the other way around. The traffic in St. Thomas is really terrible.Once on St. John (my favorite island), you can take the jitney to either Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay and spend the day. Talk to your waiter aboard the ship and order a box lunch to take with you. No extra charge on most ships, but you must give them a day's notice.
The last time I was in St. Thomas, I went on a snorkeling trip to Buck Island with Jolly Mon: [email protected]. It was arranged by the cruise line (Celebrity), and it was wonderful. They took six of us out on a 40-foot sailboat, and we really sailed! When we got there, we saw sting rays and swam with turtles and it was a great experience. Have a great time.

Athena39--Thanks for the info about box lunch, etc. Which would you pick between Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay?

Trunk Bay is where all the shore excursions from all the ships go. That's because it is so very beautiful. All the photos you've ever seen of St. John feature Trunk Bay. It almost doesn't look real. There is a National Park underwater snorkeling trail, but it has been damaged by overuse. Cinnamon Bay is very beautiful, too (as is Hawknest Bay). At Cinnamon, there is a campground with public toilets and showers. There is a general camp store where you can buy stuff. The snorkeling is not as good there, but it's a great place to while away the day. You really can't go wrong with either one!