Which Pier in St.Thomas?

[2boyzmom]

Does the Noordam dock at Havensight or Crown Bay?

[Krazy Kruizers]

It can be either depending on how many ships will be in port.

Check: www.********** (http://www.**********) to see where you will dock. They put up the schedule at the end of the month for the next month.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Don't know why only part showed.
**********

[Krazy Kruizers]

vinow

[Krazy Kruizers]

have to keep breaking it up.

last part: com

[cruisinbulldog]

It can be either depending on how many ships will be in port.

Check: www.********** (http://www.**********) to see where you will dock. They put up the schedule at the end of the month for the next month.

On the 1/27 Noordam cruise this site said Havensight.. We ended up at Crown Bay with only 2 other ships at Havensight..:rolleyes:

Bulldog

[Krazy Kruizers]

That can happen.

[sail7seas]

Most HAL ships seem to be docking at Crown Bay but there are definitely exceptions.

We were on Noordam, January 6, 2007 cruise and we tendered from the inner harbor. There were about 6 other ships in that day and we thought tendering would be a long, drawn out process but in the end it was fine. Sometimes the delay and hold up is not the ship or the tendering service, it is waiting for Homeland Security folks to arrive at the ship and get the Immigration process underway. They did an excellent job, we thought.

The benefit to tendering from inner harbor is the tender dock is right in the center of downtown. No taxi or long walk required.

Tendering from the outer harbor is way less pleasant IMO Takes much more time as the tender ride back and forth is so much longer.

[KAKcruiser]

I had heard that HAL and Princess signed a contract to dock at Crown Bay.

[sail7seas]

I think I heard the same thing. Too bad; we always enjoyed docking at Havensight. We loved the walk back and forth. The walk from Crown Bay is not particularly safe, I don't think. I was eager to walk by, in and around the new Marina and the shops they are opening. I've heard many lovely shops are opening there so we'll probably have to take a taxi from Crown Bay to go to the Marina.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I hope that isn't true that HAL has signed a contract to be at Crown Bay. The few stores that are open aren't that great. We much prefer to be at Havensight.

Princess signed their contract a couple of years ago to be at Crown Bay.

[sail7seas]

I'd be irked (not that anyone would care :) ) if we docked at Crown Bay and there had been docking space at Havensight. It's no mystery that the vast majority of pax prefer Havensight to Crown Bay.

If there are lots of ships in there is no choice but for some to go to Crown Bay or to tender but if there are only 3 ships, Havensight can hold them all....well, maybe not if two are the huge Monster of the Sea types.

[2boyzmom]

We docked at Crown Bay in February with Princess and hailed a cab to the rental car agency. It was a bit of a pain since the agency is directly across form the Havensight Pier :(

[sail7seas]

I agree.......there is nothing convenient or appealing about docking at Crown Bay IMO

[Krazy Kruizers]

I would be furious if I had to pay for a taxi to go all the way to Havensight for the car rental agency.

And I don't see any being built at Crown Bay.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On our recent Maasdam cruise we were docked at Crown Bay, had checked vinow, and knew we would be there. So we didn't book any tours. We had originally thought we would go back to Coki Beach, but it is a longer ride to there from Crown Bay and with so many ships in that day, we knew it was going to be even longer getting back from the ship.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We did take a safari bus and go into town. While we were walking around town, we noticed that the Milenium was anchored very close to town. They didn't have a long tender ride. Have never seen a ship as close to town as the Milenium was.

[2boyzmom]

We have been to St.Thomas many times and love renting a minvan from Budget (about $75.00 for the day) and hit all the great beaches and shops. We travel with 6 people total, so it's worth the price. Yes- Crown bay is ugly and a total bore! Hoping to dock in Havensight next year. We actually were told by Budget that they have a small outpost within walking distance of Crown Bay. Of course we found that out AFTER we picked up the car in havensight :)

[sail7seas]

We did take a safari bus and go into town. While we were walking around town, we noticed that the Milenium was anchored very close to town. They didn't have a long tender ride. Have never seen a ship as close to town as the Milenium was.

Noordam anchored very close and we had a brief tender ride. Seeing as Immigration went quickly and easily and tendering was well organized, it turned out to be much more convenient and comfortable than we expected.

What was really great is that was the first time Noordam had used tenders since her return from Europe (maybe 2 months earlier) and some of us were guessing there could be some glitches seeing as it had been a long time. (previous St. Thomas calls she had docked). We were sorry we didn't give Noordam's sailors more credit. They did an excellent job and we were on and off the tenders in a snap.

[sail7seas]

I would be furious if I had to pay for a taxi to go all the way to Havensight for the car rental agency.

And I don't see any being built at Crown Bay.


What's to be furious? The company is located wherever they are located. The ship docks wherever it docks. If ship docks a distance from where a company is located.....it's an inconvenience but no one's fault. No one is doing anything wrong. What am I not understanding?

[Spender Nui]

Athough I'd prefer Havensight I'd much rather tender than dock at Crown Bay.

[KAKcruiser]

I sent an email question to HAL about 2 weeks ago to ask about the rumored Crown Bay contract. No answer. So I wrote again last week. Still no answer.

[Sundagger]

I had heard that HAL and Princess signed a contract to dock at Crown Bay.

Yes they have. I've posted this link a couple of times about the effect on Havensight.

"I've recently read a couple of articles about HAL signing with the Port Authority to dock at Crown Bay (along with Princess). Here's one article about it and the effect it's having:
http://www.virginislandsdailynews.co...me?id=17605037 (http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17605037) "

[sail7seas]

Interesting article. I wonder how much connection there is between what is happening to Havensight and the fact there are so few stores opening at Crown Bay?

I also wonder if HAL or Princess ships would tender if Crown Bay were full or would they dock at Havensight in a case where there was an empty dock at Havensight but not at Crown Bay? Is that a possible scenario. I know Havensight takes 3 ships. How many does Crown Bay take?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Crown Bay can take only 2 ships.

[sail7seas]

If Noordam and a Princess ship were at Crown Bay and there were only two other ships from other cruise lines at Havensight, would (for example) Maasdam (if she were coming to St.Thomas that day) tender or use the third dock at Havensight?