9-Hours in St Thoma...
 
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9-Hours in St Thomas

 NJoy
(@NJoy)
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What is your favorite thing to do in St. Thomas on a Wednesday? Coffee Shop or after work hang out? Take out food...if you do take out?

On a Wednesday, March 2015, I will arrive St Thomas for one day only [9-hours total].

What would you do if in St. Thomas for 9-hours only on a Wednesday?

For someone planning to move to the USVI I wish I could just visit for one month but current employment will not allow anything more than a brief vacation to explore for now. So I booked the first Cruise I could that would get me to St. Thomas!

If in my town I'd say take the Ferry that tours around the city and under the iconic San Francisco, California, Golden Gate Bridge, to learn a bit about the cities history, then visit all the great land marks you have only read about and desire to visit up close. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 where the Cruise Ships dock would be at the top of the list. A Day Trip to Sausalito or even take a easily accessible Whale Watching Charter would be a must if time permits while visiting San Francisco, California. Near Fisherman's Wharf at Ghirardelli Square is the place to have your first amazing coffee of the day. Ghirardelli chocolates included!
.

March 2015 is when I am arriving by Cruise Ship to start my exportation for a future move,

I have been doing a lot of research and initially wanted to take a cruise that would let me visit both St Thomas, St Croix, and St John, along with other ports of call in the Caribbean Chain, but those cruises were sold out for the dates I had planned vacation dates. By default, I am scheduled for a cruise that visits St Thomas for one day only, then on to St. Kitts, WI, St Maarten, NA, then on to Tortola, British, VI., then San Juan, Puerto Rico. From there I will fly home to San Francisco, California.

The problem is I still want to see St Croix.

I did a bit of research, and discovered Ferry service between St. Thomas and St. Croix has been suspended as of June 2013. Does anyone know why? And, apparently it has not been restored since and the only way to day trip to St Croix is by Air. My Cruise Ship does not offer a day trip excursion to St Croix so I decided to purchase a Sight Seeing tour on St Thomas for a couple of hours, then the rest of the time, I REALLY WANT TO SEE St. Croix!

Website research says: Transportation between these two islands is possible using: Inter-Island Airlines. Caribbean Buzz Helicopters and another carrier.

My time restraints will not allow me to use "Cape Air" as their flight schedule will not work with my Carnival Cruise Ship Port Schedule departure time.

Just some curious questions: What is the best thing to do on a Wednesday in St. Thomas in the afternoon if on Vacation? And, has anyone used Caribbean Buzz Helicopters for a day trip to St. Croix?

Caribbean Buzz Helicopters has no rates posted on website. They request a email inquiry for rate quote.........so I can only assume rate will be outrageous!

Any feedback, observations, suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and have an enjoyable week ahead!

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 4:03 am
(@anonny-mouse)
Posts: 48
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It has been my experience that Caribbean Buzz's rates are very reasonable, considering you are chartering a private helicopter. How much does it cost to get a private helicopter for the day where you come from?

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 9:49 am
(@speee1dy)
Posts: 8873
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have you tried sea borne airlines? they run frequently

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 11:10 am
CruzanIron
(@cruzaniron)
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Wait until you get back to SJU then take a trip over here.

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 12:15 pm
(@alana33)
Posts: 12365
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9 hours is too short a time to explore both islands of STT & STX especially on a cruise ship visit, IMO.

You can take an island tour, explore downtown Charlotte Amalie, Havensite, check out Yacht Haven Grande, go to Magens Bay Beach, ride up to Paradise Point in Havensite on the tramway, there's a walking tour that visits historic sites in town, go for a half day sail or dive tour, try kayaking in the Mangrove preserve, take a zipline adventure, explore St. Peter Great House, just for starters.
Lots to do, little time to do it all.

Your cruise ship will will offer a variety of tours. Take the ones that most appeal to you in the time allotted.

Hard to get a true feel for STT on a 9 hour tour with ythousands of other cruise ship passengers. You'll waste a couple hours just getting back and forth by taxi and air to go to STX, only to have an hour or so there and have to get back to board ship prior to departure.

When job and time allows, come for 10 days or 2 weeks and explore all 3 islands of STJ, STT, STX.

Each island has its own unique charm as well as challenges.
No way you'll get a feel for any place in so short a time.
Good luck and enjoy the time you have to spend.

The cruise ship is likely to offer STJ excursions as well.
You can't do it all in 9 hours so chose what suits you.

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 12:17 pm
(@the-oldtart)
Posts: 6523
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9 hours is too short a time to explore both islands of STT & STX especially on a cruise ship visit, IMO.

It's completely not doable!

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 12:25 pm
(@east-ender)
Posts: 5404
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Ditto Alana's post. Wednesday is the busiest cruise ship day of the week in March. If you are serious about wanting to move here, then spend your day exploring work opportunities. If you want to get a flavor of the island, take an island tour, but realize that the crowds are not like that every day.

There is no way you could see both St Thomas and St Croix in 9 hours. I'm not sure why you booked a cruise instead of a week's vacation in the USVI, but that is water under the bridge. If you readjust your expectations for the day and just have fun, maybe you'll be back!

P.S. You wouldn't be able to see all the things you listed in San Francisco and the Bay area in 9 hours either. 😉

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 12:26 pm
(@ms411)
Posts: 3554
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Njoy can't be serious about moving here. Wants to move to St Croix so books a cruise to St Thomas????

Most people go to work on Wednesday. Maybe OP should visit a business in his/her specialty.

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 12:40 pm
(@the-oldtart)
Posts: 6523
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All the things the OP suggests doing in her home town are tourist attractions and that's all she'll experience here on a cruise ship stop.

OP. do a pre-move visit of a few weeks so you can start to properly digest what's available on all three islands. Spend at least a week on STT (you can easily reach STJ by ferry, only 15 minutes away) and at least another week on St Croix. Also read all the information on the drop-down menus top of this page. Enjoy your cruise ship day on St Thomas but expect nothing more of it than what it is - a vacation day on a Caribbean island.

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 1:24 pm
 NJoy
(@NJoy)
Posts: 46
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Thanks everyone for great feedback!

 
Posted : February 5, 2015 2:26 pm
 NJoy
(@NJoy)
Posts: 46
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Topic starter
 

After two full days at sea, our ship anchored in St. Thomas, USVI.

It was on a Tuesday.

While in port visited Megans Bay for several hours, took a tour around Black Beard’s Castle and adjacent historical homes/museums, then a stroll into town.

Megans Bay was beautiful. On the day of our visit the weather was nice and warm even at 10am. Just perfect! An early visit to the beach and still despite the time there were plenty of visitors at the beach enjoying the picturesque scenery and waters. .

I was not expecting the downtown waterfront to be so busy. I recall saying to myself "Why are there so many people here walking around?" Shortly after that however we realize our ship was not the only one in port that day. In fact, there were many boats docked, several yachts in port, and several [more than 3] large Cruise Ships in port too. That explained it. With lots of tourism comes increased revenue for those in the Tourism and Hospitality areas of business so it's a good thing.

Having no preconceived expectations of how my trip would be like other than I was extremely excited to be there at last, I was pleased by the couple of people I did have encounters with. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming be it a greeting of hello, eager to engage me in conversation, but mostly it was great to have had the opportunity to visit St. Thomas, and leave with a positive memorable experience.

I have decided to visit again for a longer period of time if I can afford it. Given my schedule perhaps I'll visit for a couple of days and if everything works out, perhaps a move this year to the Caribbean.

Deciding factor will be ability to find employment, of course.

The vacation was fast and furious to say the least. As the comment above cautioned; 9-hours is not enough time to determine if a move is in order, and that 9-hours will amount to just a vacation. Yes and yes. I agree.

One day - One day trip was not enough time in St Thomas.

Then, just as quickly as we had anchored, we pulled anchor and set sail for St. Kitts.

I enjoy posting on this board and want to thank everyone who commented on my original post.

 
Posted : April 8, 2015 11:21 pm
(@alana33)
Posts: 12365
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Glad you had a great visit!

Jan - April is our busiest cruise ship season. Not unusual to have 3 and more ships in port during this period. They heard to Europe, the Med and Alaska around the end of April. Things slow way down after that so for many this short burst of intense tourist activity is make it or break it time. Aug - Sept are our quietest months. Also normally the height of hurricane season tho recent years have given us storms in Oct. Many businesses close in Sept for vacations and clean-up, etc., especially restaurants.

Do come back ....and stay longer!

 
Posted : April 8, 2015 11:36 pm
 NJoy
(@NJoy)
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Thank you Alana33. I had a great visit!

 
Posted : April 9, 2015 12:41 am
(@speee1dy)
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glad you had a great time

 
Posted : April 9, 2015 10:50 am
 NJoy
(@NJoy)
Posts: 46
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speee1dy Thank you.

 
Posted : April 9, 2015 1:24 pm
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