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Hi,
We will be in STT for only one short day in April as a port of call. I am looking for suggestions on the best way to make the most of the time. We would like to do some beach, some shopping and see something along the way. We will be in port from 8 am to 4 pm. The ship offers shore excursions but I am not sure if we can plan better ourselves to make the most of the short time. There are adults and older children in the group of 6. Would it be feasible to get a taxi to take us to the beach? Will it be hard to find one when we get off the ship? How expensive?
Any tips, Thanks!
I could hook easily hook you up with a mini-bus driver who will charge you less than what you'd pay on the cruise ship for a tour to Magens Bay.
You could easily disembark the ship, and if docked at Havensight can easily do a spot of shopping within walking distance of the ship in the early morning hours and then go to the beach for a couple of hours in the afternoon. He can even give you a mini-tour of the island as part of the deal as well.
If you dock in the Inner or Outer Anchorage your tender will ferry you ashore right across the street from the main shopping area and once again, you could shop for a couple of hours and then hook up with the mini-bus driver.
E-mail me if you'd like his phone number. He's been driving for 26 years and knows the island hands down and is a very fair, and kind man.
Hello Sue,
You could do an island tour visiting view points, Mountain Top, Drake Seat for 1.5 hours or 2 hours and then head to the beach; maybe Magens Bay, Sapphire or Secret Harbor for a couple hours. Then head to town or Havensight to shop.
Yes you will find taxis at the cruise ship dock. The cost of a taxi is per person and per destintion so in order to answer the cost question I would need to know where you want to go.
You might want to look through the beach guide for St. Thomas and then attraction section also and look at the pictures and descriptions and see which places interest you and then we can help with opinions and maybe the sequence of your day. If you go to the top of this page you will see a button that says St. Thomas - click on it and you will see the other options like Beaches ect.
Happy Planning.
--Islander
Hi,
Thanks for the suggestions, would 6 people be enough for a taxi? I know that the taxis are not generally private but I don't know how many it takes to fill the taxi. I think we were thinking of going to Magen's Bay for the morning, perhaps getting a little scenic tour on the way and then heading back to town early afternoon, doing the tram ride and a little shopping. I have a few people offering to hook me up with a taxi driver. What is the best way to do this? What would be a reasonable rate for a little scenic tour and then heading to the beach?
We definately want to get some beach time in and some time for shopping in town. The ship pulls out at 4:45 so there is not a lot of time, I am not sure what is reasonable to fit in and how long it takes to get from one place to the other.
Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Sue
Hello Sue,
There are various types of taxis; cars that hold 4 passengers are few but exist, small vans that hold 6-8, vans that can hold 10-12 and safaris that can hold maybe 20-24 (just ballparking the number of passengers, but the numbers are about right). In any case at the cruise ship dock you usually find vans and safaris but certainly could look for a smaller van so that your group can go alone. If you don't fill the taxi the driver might take another group along particularly if its a large safari bus or van. If you want a private taxi and the driver can carry more passengers he will charge you more $ - make sure you agree to the price before boarding.
You can go to Magens Bay in the am like you planned. It will be about $6 each person for the cab ride and it takes about 15 minutes.
When you are ready to leave Magens Bay walk over to the taxi stand (easy to spot but for a location - its right accross the road from the entrance/ticket booth area.) and ask one of the drivers for a 1.5 hour island tour for 6 people. The rate should be around $80-90 for the 6 of you. Make sure you decide on the price before boarding. And tell the driver you want to be dropped off in Havensight at the Paradise Point Tram when the tour is over.
The Paradise Point Tram is $15 a person round trip. And from there you can walk accross the street to Havensight to shop.
You have a great day planned. A tip; you might bring a change of cloths with you - there are salt water showers at Magens Bay which are useful for rinsing off the sand and there are changing rooms so you can change out of the wet swimwear into dry clothes - which will make it much more comfortable while you tour and shop the rest of the day.
--Islander
Islander,
Thanks for the tips! You have been very helpful.
Sue
