I have just found out that the day we arrive in St.Thomas, 6 other ships are there as well. We originally planned to do the submarine, then Coral World and Coki Beach. Now that I know there is sooo many more ships in I was wondering if maybe I should change my plans. We do want to still go on the submarine but then maybe change to a quieter beach. Any suggestions as to what to choose.
Sapphire Beach will be less crowded, but there is also a lot fewer ammenities. The number of ships visiting that port with you is not excessive for St. Thomas. There are usually at least 4 ships in port at any point in time. You'll be surprised how well they handle the crowds. Also, more people will be visiting Magen's Bay than Coki, normally. I wouldn't worry about changing my plans unless you just want to. Best wishes!
We've been to St Thomas many times & the only places that get crowded are Coki beach & the downtown shopping area. Megen's bay does get lots of visitors but it has sufficient room to let everyone spread out so overcrowding is not a problem.
Thanks for the advice. I also was wondering if I should do the ship excursion for the submarine or do it straight through Atlantis themselves. Also Penny, what does Sapphire Beach have? I hope a restroom, drinks and some food.
Yes, Sapphire has a small gift shop. It had bottled water, beer, sodas, juices, and wine. It had some snacks. There were restrooms. They had beach chairs and loungers for rent. They had some wind surfers for rent. They did have some snorkel gear for rent, but it wasn't open half the time we were there. There was a restaurant by the marina, but we didn't go to eat there. It was really windy the day we were there, so we just snorkled (we have our own gear) and came back to the ship. It is a beautiful little beach and not many people go up there. It's near Red Hook, where you catch the ferry to go over to St. John, so it's a bit of a ride. I think they charged us $12/pp each way for the cab fare, there is no entrance charge for the beach. I didn't see any jet skis there, but they may have had them. Like RichC stated, Magen's is larger, but it seemed to me that Coki was less crowded. Maybe the times we were there, no one wanted to go there. I was truly amazed that so many people didn't go to the beaches at all, but I guess they like shopping more. I don't know about doing the submarine through Atlantis. I don't know if it saves you enough to cover your own transportation or not. Almost everything we do, we book through the ship. Except in St. Thomas we take the ferry to St. John and the cab to Trunk Bay on our own. We've done it enough times to feel confident about making it back to the ship on time. I sure don't want to be one of the people on the dock watching my ship sail without me! I have seen it happen all too often. Just be sure to have water shoes with you if you decide to do Sapphire, those little rocks hurt. (I'm a weenie). Best wishes!
Thanks Penny for the great advice. Sapphire sounds like the beach for the day after our excursion at Atlantis. I will be sure to bring my water shoes and snorkel gear.
I have another question....is getting a cab back from Sapphire Beach going to be a problem? I realize that you can ask your cab driver to come back for you but what if he doesnt come. Is getting a cab going to be a problem? Also do you know if we have to wait for the cab to fill up before he takes us back to the ship. I have heard some horror stories lately and I really worry about missing the ship. I think I will start back to the ship 2 hours before it leaves
We did Atlantis in Cozumel. Had Fun. I booked it online and saved a couple of bucks over the fee if you just show up and even more over the ship price.
If price is your main concern and if you are able to reserve one that allows lots of time to get back to the ship, then the internet is the way to go.
I understand that if you book on ship, that if there is a problem with the ride not getting back to shore on time, then it's the ships problem to wait ... I'm not sure about that, but I don't think they book anything that "could" cause a conflict, anyway.
Atlantis has a good reputation, so I wouldn't worry about their end of the deal.
Have a good trip. We'll be there in ... I'll have to look below to see how may days.
If you're going to Sapphire, you should arrange for your taxi driver to come back at a pre-arranged time. You can't necessarily count on cabs just hanging around at the time that you want to leave.
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