Question about Emerald Beach & Crown Bay port..

Hi all- I will be on the Regal Princess in early January and I am looking to do a different beach..thing is usually Princess docks at Crown Bay, which looks pretty close to Emerald Beach..Question: DW & I initially wanted to go to Sapphire Beach, but that is all the way across the island to the other side ( 30-45 min?) from Crown Bay, so I looked at the map & thought Emerald Beach might be better & it looks close by..does it have:

1) Shaded areas or umbrellas, or both?

2) Restrooms?

3) Food & beverages?

4) nice beach with NO rocks?

Is there a better choice that fits my needs? Please advise if so..Thanks!!!

Big Al

P.S.- Yes, I have been to Megan's Beach, Coki, Sapphire beach as well...

We've been to St T & St J more times than I can count, so on the last Princess cruise we got off the ship shortly after it arrive at Crown Bay, and boarded one of the open air transports to Emerald. These are lined up just beyond the collection of "tourist shops" and clearly marked. I recall it was about $4 or $5 each to get there.

The Best Western Resort has a nice "tropical atmosphere" and a path to the beach. Since we were among the early arrivals, we immediately headed to a cluster of shade palms. A beach vendor was "selling" lounge chairs and umbrellas, but we only opted for the lounges, then got the hard sell from another vendor who said his were better quality! Sure for a few dollars more. We were quite content with the original chairs, about $10 each for the day. There are quite a few places to dine on the beach, tropical drinks on the patio, restrooms too.

We felt safe leaving our limited belongings on the lounge chairs when we went into the water. There were other Princess passengers in our immediate area and we all seem to look out for each other. The sand was fine; I don't recall it being rocky as I didn't have any water shoes with me that day. Not a snorkel area, though we did have equipment with us. Local vendors were offering a variety of water sports for hire.

Darcy

We've been to St T & St J more times than I can count, so on the last Princess cruise we got off the ship shortly after it arrive at Crown Bay, and boarded one of the open air transports to Emerald. These are lined up just beyond the collection of "tourist shops" and clearly marked. I recall it was about $4 or $5 each to get there.

 

The Best Western Resort has a nice "tropical atmosphere" and a path to the beach. Since we were among the early arrivals, we immediately headed to a cluster of shade palms. A beach vendor was "selling" lounge chairs and umbrellas, but we only opted for the lounges, then got the hard sell from another vendor who said his were better quality! Sure for a few dollars more. We were quite content with the original chairs, about $10 each for the day. There are quite a few places to dine on the beach, tropical drinks on the patio, restrooms too.

 

We felt safe leaving our limited belongings on the lounge chairs when we went into the water. There were other Princess passengers in our immediate area and we all seem to look out for each other. The sand was fine; I don't recall it being rocky as I didn't have any water shoes with me that day. Not a snorkel area, though we did have equipment with us. Local vendors were offering a variety of water sports for hire.

 

Darcy

Sounds pretty good..was the beach nice? Thanks again....

Al - The beach was nice; I walked along the waterline for about a mile. It wasn't over-run with local tourists or cruise ship passengers - they were probably hitting the shops or on the more famous beaches. Actually, I thought the sand was nicer than at Coki.

Returning to the ship was easy; the group of us who arrived together all agreed on a similar return time and our driver was there! I met a few people who walked both to and from Emerald, too.

Darcy

Al - The beach was nice; I walked along the waterline for about a mile. It wasn't over-run with local tourists or cruise ship passengers - they were probably hitting the shops or on the more famous beaches. Actually, I thought the sand was nicer than at Coki.

Returning to the ship was easy; the group of us who arrived together all agreed on a similar return time and our driver was there! I met a few people who walked both to and from Emerald, too.

 

Darcy

Thanks so much Darcy!! Sounds good to me....

Big Al

Emerald Beach is a great option! Easy transport from and back to Crown Bay, good beach, good options. We ended up at the Best Western and had a lovely and relaxing day there on several visits to St. Thomas.

The Princess ships may be docking at Havensight in January. Some of the ships signed new contracts with different docks.

Emerald Beach is a great option! Easy transport from and back to Crown Bay, good beach, good options. We ended up at the Best Western and had a lovely and relaxing day there on several visits to St. Thomas.

As long as they dock at Crown Bay, that's it for me! Thanks for the reply!!

The Princess ships may be docking at Havensight in January. Some of the ships signed new contracts with different docks.

Thanks for the info..the Princess rep said they won't know until Oct or Nov..I will be on the look out..Thanks!

As long as they dock at Crown Bay, that's it for me! Thanks for the reply!!

The preliminary schedule for Jan 2017 showed the Regal Princess docking at Havensight on Jan 5, 11, and 25th. Not listed on the 18th so I am not sure if it is in STT or not. Rather than try and cross town you may want to keep Sapphire Beach as an option. Hope this helps. :)

LiveTheLife, does your schedule show where the Royal Princess docks on 2/5/2017? We will be the only ship in port that day. I found the Crown Bay schedule and it doesn't show Royal docking there so I assume West Indies (Havensight) but you never know. We like Sapphire beach too.

LiveTheLife, does your schedule show where the Royal Princess docks on 2/5/2017? We will be the only ship in port that day. I found the Crown Bay schedule and it doesn't show Royal docking there so I assume West Indies (Havensight) but you never know. We like Sapphire beach too.

Based on the information reported in the local newspaper all Carnival Corp ships (including HAL and Princess lines) will be docking in Havensight this coming season and ALL RCL ships (not just Oasis and Allure) will be going to Crown Bay. The preliminary schedule does indeed show Royal Princess in Havensight on 2/5/17. That said there are all kinds of reasons (medical emergencies, dock maintenance, weather conditions etc) that can lead to last minute changes but chances are you will be in Havensight.

Thanks, LiveTheLife. We'll plan on Havensight but have a back up plan just in case. By the way which beach do you think will be more crowded with locals on a Sunday? Lindquist/Smith Bay or Sapphire? We are trying to decide between these two. Other suggestions are welcome too.

Thanks, LiveTheLife. We'll plan on Havensight but have a back up plan just in case. By the way which beach do you think will be more crowded with locals on a Sunday? Lindquist/Smith Bay or Sapphire? We are trying to decide between these two. Other suggestions are welcome too.

Sorry I can't help on this one since I never go to either of these beaches on a Sunday. I expect neither beach will be terribly crowded since the preliminary schedule shows only your ship in STT that day. Good luck and enjoy your visit! :)

Locals hardly ever go to Sapphire.

Thanks to both of you for your responses.

Locals hardly ever go to Sapphire.

On the other hand, if they start up the Sunday party again, they could return.

Loved Emerald Beach. Nice beach, not crowded. Very relaxing.

The preliminary schedule for Jan 2017 showed the Regal Princess docking at Havensight on Jan 5, 11, and 25th. Not listed on the 18th so I am not sure if it is in STT or not. Rather than try and cross town you may want to keep Sapphire Beach as an option. Hope this helps. :)

Livethelife- Thanks for the info..question: IF the Regal docks at Havensight like you mentioned on Jan. 11, do you think Sapphire Beach would be closer than Emerald Beach instead? Thanks again..

Big Al

P.S,- Thanks for all other replies, too!!!

IF the Regal docks at Havensight like you mentioned on Jan. 11, do you think Sapphire Beach would be closer than Emerald Beach instead?

The question that I believe you want answered is if you are docked in Havensight travel to which beach would be more convenient and give you the most time at the beach. In actual distance Emerald Beach is closer to Havensight than Sapphire Beach is, HOWEVER Emerald Beach is west of Charlotte Amalie. Both Havensight and Sapphire Beach are east of Charlotte Amalie. Travel in and across town can be really congested and slow on late afternoons as cruisers return to their ships. Both beaches are nice and will provide a Caribbean experience so your decision will have to be based on your budget and timeframe. Have a great day!:)