St. Thomas on a budget

Well, after paying for the cruise, and 2 days of Disney World before the cruise, I find that I am coming up short on the cash flow! :rolleyes:

There are only 2 things I want to do on St. Thomas-go to the beach, (preferable snorkeling) and go to the Ice Bar. There are four of us.

I think I heard the Ice Bar is $20 per person, so that's $80 right there.

So we either need a beach that's pretty close to the ship, OR a beach that's pretty close to the Ice Bar, so that we can take a taxi to the beach or Ice bar and then walk to the other.

In other words, I prefer only having to take two taxis, one from the ship and one back to the ship!

Thanks!

If you're on the Fantasy that will dock at Havensight. The closest beach is Morningstar (Marriott), and Lindbergh (aka Emerald) is closest to Crown Bay. Neither are snorkeling beaches, and any beach will require a taxi to/from the ship or Magic Ice.

So instead of saving a few $ on a taxi to these beaches I would consider Sapphire Beach on the East End. That offers great snorkeling (a reef and a sea grass area) and is a nice beach with the amenities you need. Taxi is $8 - 9pp each way.

An alternative is the $2 "bus" which you can pick up at a stop outside the dock area. We don't recommend that because it can waste precious time but it is an option for some. Note that you will have to walk from the road to the beach, that's downhill one way and I'm betting you guessed it's uphill the other :D

If you do Magic Ice after the beach you will be nice and cool and you could walk the 1.4 miles back to the ship easily by taking the walk through Yacht Haven Grande. That would limit the taxi cost to $64 for the 4 of you. Just a thought...

If you're docking at Havensight, you can easily walk the 1.5 miles to Magic Ice if you walk or exercise regularly. You could take the $1 safari from town to Emerald Beach, but it'd about a 1/4 mile walk to the beach from the bus stop and the same to return to that bus stop for the return if your ship docks st Havensight.

We just rented a car for $60 from Budget at the cruise port, for our cruise next month. You can go everywhere then, with no waiting. We do this every time we're in St Thomas. :)

Many ppl do this and occasionally you will read that there are no vehicles available, that does happen in the islands unfortunately. So have a plan B just in case. We've had to adapt a couple times when staying at Sapphire and renting from Budget there.

Well, after paying for the cruise, and 2 days of Disney World before the cruise, I find that I am coming up short on the cash flow! :rolleyes:

 

There are only 2 things I want to do on St. Thomas-go to the beach, (preferable snorkeling) and go to the Ice Bar. There are four of us.

 

I think I heard the Ice Bar is $20 per person, so that's $80 right there.

 

So we either need a beach that's pretty close to the ship, OR a beach that's pretty close to the Ice Bar, so that we can take a taxi to the beach or Ice bar and then walk to the other.

 

In other words, I prefer only having to take two taxis, one from the ship and one back to the ship!

 

Thanks!

Closest beach is Morningstar at the Marriott. It's not expensive and it's a nice beach. You can easily walk to/from town along the seawall. It's about 3 miles roundtrip.

Are there taxis readily available from the Ice Bar back to the ship?

Yes, plenty of taxis waiting near Magic Ice.

Closest beach is Morningstar at the Marriott. It's not expensive and it's a nice beach. You can easily walk to/from town along the seawall. It's about 3 miles roundtrip.

Sorry to jump in on this thread. I was wondering, do you mean you can walk to Morningstar Beach from Havensight? I've been trying to figure this one out and it's been pretty difficult. I know it's about a mile and a half. I don't mind the distance, but I was wondering how safe it was.

Thanks in advance!

I believe that means you can walk to town easily from Havensight, not to Morning Star. I would not walk from Havensight to Morning Star, and I am the one who advocates walking up to Paradise Point! It is a long haul with no sidewalk and maniac drivers zooming back and forth.

I believe that means you can walk to town easily from Havensight, not to Morning Star. I would not walk from Havensight to Morning Star, and I am the one who advocates walking up to Paradise Point! It is a long haul with no sidewalk and maniac drivers zooming back and forth.

Thank you for clarifying. That was pretty much what I had been reading.

So you think a walk to Paradise Point is doable? I've not heard anyone say that so far. I'd love a good hike up, but I was wondering about the road up that way too.

I seem to recall O2B and I having this discussion some time ago...:p

We wouldn't attempt it due to the steepness - period. And although there's not a ton of traffic, the turns can be dangerous with novice island drivers :eek:

But I'd be more concerned about my ankles than anything as they are getting older :mad:

And yes, AZ Parrothead was referring to the walk to town, you cut through Yacht Haven Grande and save time. You have to taxi to any beach from Havensight.

NoOther: Of course it depends on your fitness level. Many people are unable to walk a mile, but others run 26.2 miles. ;) The road to Paradise Point is about .85 mile, and yes, it is uphill the whole way. Lots of locals use it for hill training. Because it is so steep, the cars and taxis that go up are not flying around the corners like they do on most of the roads.

 

And yes, AZ Parrothead was referring to the walk to town, you cut through Yacht Haven Grande and save time. You have to taxi to any beach from Havensight.

Thank you. I figured as much. I was just holding out hope for a different answer. :) We are sailing on a budget and like to walk so I thought we'd try.

NoOther: Of course it depends on your fitness level. Many people are unable to walk a mile, but others run 26.2 miles. ;) The road to Paradise Point is about .85 mile, and yes, it is uphill the whole way. Lots of locals use it for hill training. Because it is so steep, the cars and taxis that go up are not flying around the corners like they do on most of the roads.

I think I'd like to try just for the challenge of the hill. lol My husband and I do marathons so the steepness would be the only issue. Of course, paying for the Skyride could be a restful adventure also. :) Thanks for the info!

If you're docking at Havensight, you can easily walk the 1.5 miles to Magic Ice if you walk or exercise regularly. You could take the $1 safari from town to Emerald Beach, but it'd about a 1/4 mile walk to the beach from the bus stop and the same to return to that bus stop for the return if your ship docks st Havensight.

Can you give me more info on the bus to Emerald beach. Where to catch how often ect.