Crown Bay to Water Island

I am debating between heading to Water Island or Coki beach for the day in port.

I can't seem to locate clear information. We will be docking at Crown Bay. Only ship in port (currently). Is the water taxi in the same 'location' as the dock for the cruise in Crown Bay? Easy to navigate? (well marked?).

Would anyone advise not going to Water Island?

TIA!

The cruise ships dock at Crown Bay dock. The Water Island ferry leaves from Crown Bay Marina which is across the street beading east. The bushes make it hard to see the ferry dock, but you should see a white kiosk. Head toward it and you should soon see Gourmet Gallery grocery store. Look to the right and you should see Tickles Restaurant. The ferry is right at Tickles.

The only reason you might not want to go to Water Island is it's not known for snorkeling though there are fish by the rocky side.

Thank you Ms411.

Can you estimate the walk from the dock to the ferry?

Snorkeling not a consideration... just looking for rest and relaxation while swimming in the blue water... Coki or Water Island?

Maybe the equivalent of 5 blocks starting from the ship. You have to walk through the dock area which is about 3 blocks. Cross the street and the walk across Crown Bay Marina is about 2 blocks.

Coki is more of a party atmosphere because loud music is usually playing. Water Island is more pleasant to get to and the only drawback is that day sails stop there. The beach will get more crowded when those boats come in.

Thank you for all your help! I think water island will be the spot!

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There are a couple of other things for visitors to be cognizant of when planning a trip to Water Island. They are not usually a show stoppers but are things to be aware of. Transportation to Water Island is via the Water Island Ferry. It is NOT a water taxi that goes on demand; the ferry has scheduled departure times. Also the ferry is a much smaller boat than most visitors expect (nothing like the St. John Ferry). The Water Island Ferry carries only 25 passengers. During holidays, “high” season, or when there are two ships in Crown Bay the ferry will almost certainly be filled to capacity on its scheduled runs. Be prepared for possible wait times on both sides of the harbor. When heading to Water Island, waiting for the next run is merely an annoying inconvenience which wastes up to an hour; on the way back from Water Island DON’T assume you will be able to get on the last ferry before your "back on board" time. Allow a little extra time because nearly everyone heads back to the ship at approximately the same time and the ferry may be filled. Hope this information helps you to have a pleasant day in St. Thomas. :)

There are a couple of other things for visitors to be cognizant of when planning a trip to Water Island. They are not usually a show stoppers but are things to be aware of. Transportation to Water Island is via the Water Island Ferry. It is NOT a water taxi that goes on demand; the ferry has scheduled departure times. Also the ferry is a much smaller boat than most visitors expect (nothing like the St. John Ferry). The Water Island Ferry carries only 25 passengers. During holidays, “high” season, or when there are two ships in Crown Bay the ferry will almost certainly be filled to capacity on its scheduled runs. Be prepared for possible wait times on both sides of the harbor. When heading to Water Island, waiting for the next run is merely an annoying inconvenience which wastes up to an hour; on the way back from Water Island DON’T assume you will be able to get on the last ferry before your "back on board" time. Allow a little extra time because nearly everyone heads back to the ship at approximately the same time and the ferry may be filled. Hope this information helps you to have a pleasant day in St. Thomas. :)

Thanks.

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We went to Water Island from Crown Bay a few years ago. We loved it.

I'd say the 5 blocks mentioned earlier is about right. The water taxi was easy to find; as mentioned, it has set times. The day we were there it was not very full on either trip--maybe 3-4 people. It's not a big boat at all!

The beach was beautiful and almost deserted--maybe a dozen people or less. It's not very developed. There was a food truck, that's about it. Water was beautiful, clear, with a sand bottom. No real snorkeling.

When we were there a large live-aboard type sailboat anchored out a ways and the people swam in--that was neat.

The only caveat I have is that the roads on the island are very steep, especially the road down to the beach and back. It's quite a climb and would be difficult with any mobility problems (We were probably early sixties at the time.)

We spent about 3 hours on the island and waited a while for the water taxi, but not too bad. The island is small and residential; no resort style stuff at all.

Nebr.cruiser - I am glad that you were fortunate to have visited Water Island before it was discovered. The key sentence in your review is "we visited a few years ago".

Things have changed and reviews from years past do not reflect the conditions that exist now. I responded as I did to give a balanced perspective. Visitors expecting that they are able to come and go from a deserted beach at will, might cut their return time so short that they would miss their back on board time. The ferry is frequently filled to capacity on cruise ship days meaning waits of up to an hour. Also excursion boats bring hundreds of guests to Honeymoon Beach as shown in the photos of the last couple of seasons. Of course the number of visitors varies day to day and the beach is busier during the winter months and lesser during the fall - hurricane - months. But in general the reviews from years ago are not what you would find now.

Oh no, I did not realize Water Island had been 'discovered'. What a shame that that beautiful private beach is now just another crowded stop. I would think the people who live on Water Island would not be very happy about this!

Sorry for the misinformation--when we went it was truly an awesome experience.

No harm, no problem. :) Multiple views and experiences are always helpful. I just wanted visitors to know that things do change even here in the Caribbean. Water Island has indeed been discovered. Posts that are based on experiences more than a year old may no longer be accurate. Excursion boat owners and crews change, as do chefs at your favorite eating places. Again, glad you had the opportunity to experience the island as most people no longer do. :)

I would advise against going to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island, simply because Honeymoon Beach has become a popular spot, not only for folks staying on STT wanting something different, but largely for cruisers docked at Crown Bay because of the close proximity to the ferry. And add the 3 - 4 daysail excursion operators that drop off their guests on the Dinghy's end where the nicest beach area is and it gets quite crowded. We ventured there once when there was 1 ship in port (at Crown) and it was very crowded, and the boats that were "anchored" in front of Dinghy's took up much of the swimming space which was not good.

We had to go up to the marina office to buy our ferry tokens, do you already have these from the ship? We did see many folks miss the return ferry they wanted due to the lack of space so yes, be aware of that if you return later...

If you're also considering going to Coki I'd suggest Sapphire Beach which is about the same distance and same cab fare. Much less crowded than Coki or Honeymoon with natural shade and amenities.

Water Island has been "discovered", however it depends (as most places) on how many ships are in port. If Royal Caribbean has any of their large ships, it can get crowded, as Honeymoon Beach is where the entertainers from those ships spend their day off. It is usually only "really" busy on Tuesdays or Wednesdays during high season. The charter boats anchor off of Heidi's Honeymoon Grille's side of the beach (not Dinghy's). It can get crowded at times when there are 5 or 6 ships in port. I live on Water Island, so I rarely go down to the beach on those days. That being said, however, it is a nice place to hang out without vendors pestering you to buy stuff. There is now a free shuttle from the ferry dock to the beach. The ferry does run on a set schedule, but if for some reason you cannot fit on the ferry, they will make a trip across to crown bay and then return to pick up any overflow. We are a small island and it took some time to work out the kinks of being "discovered", but we welcome anyone who wants to experience it for the first time or come by for another try. :)

**disclaimer** I own no business on Water Island, just want to represent it the way I have experienced it in the 4 years I have been here.

The charter boats anchor off of Heidi's Honeymoon Grille's side of the beach (not Dinghy's).

 

 

Perhaps something has changed, but the charters definitely anchored in front of Dinghy's when we visited from the East End of STT. You reslly had to be careful in the swimming section because there were so many powerboats and the operators cared little about swimmers.

I’ve followed Blue Water’s posts for a long time and have come to trust and rely on his judgment. He is right on the mark again this time. My recent experience echoes Blue Water’s regarding swimming near Dinghy’s. In addition I had trouble returning to my ship at the designated time. The free shuttle took 3 truckloads of people back to the dock. They must have known we would not all fit on the scheduled ferry. It did come back for the overflow passengers but the round trip took an additional 25 - 35 minutes. Yes, I did make it back to my ship but I was greeted by Security with my name on the “delinquent list”. Not sure what a prior poster has to gain by resurrecting an old post but he must have some skin in the game somehow.

I’ve followed Blue Water’s posts for a long time and have come to trust and rely on his judgment. He is right on the mark again this time. My recent experience echoes Blue Water’s regarding swimming near Dinghy’s. In addition I had trouble returning to my ship at the designated time. The free shuttle took 3 truckloads of people back to the dock. They must have known we would not all fit on the scheduled ferry. It did come back for the overflow passengers but the round trip took an additional 25 - 35 minutes. Yes, I did make it back to my ship but I was greeted by Security with my name on the “delinquent list”. Not sure what a prior poster has to gain by resurrecting an old post but he must have some skin in the game somehow.

I was not arguing with what he posted and have no "skin" in the game. Just looking at the boards and saw this. Not sure why you are trying to turn this into a negative post. But, hey, knock yourself out.

The charter boats anchor off of Heidi's Honeymoon Grille's side of the beach (not Dinghy's).

 

 

Perhaps something has changed, but the charters definitely anchored in front of Dinghy's when we visited from the East End of STT. You really had to be careful in the swimming section because there were so many powerboats and the operators cared little about swimmers.

I think it must have changed. Dinghy's side is where the smaller dinghy's and jet skis go. Heidi's is where the Kon Tiki and cruise charters (Pirate boat, Cats, etc) anchor now. No boats are allowed in the swim area and it is roped off. I am not sure if it was like that when you were last here. I only replied to this because I was browsing topics and saw this one. I was in no way trying to take away from what your experience was here. Not really sure why others would take it that way. Have a great day!

All I can say is all of the powerboat and cat charters were on Dinghy's end and nothing was on Heidi's end. Again, perhaps that has changed, and I wouldn't be surprised since it was so congested and dangerous in front of Dinghy's.

Certainly not here to argue, just stating facts.

Yes the swimming area is roped off, however that doesn't prevent the boats and motors from invading the swimming area.

For someone going to HB for the first time it's nice, just be aware of the potential for waiting for a return ferry due to the crowded situation and small ferry.

To clarify or qualify my post we were last on WI the winter of 2015 if I remember correctly. So they may have since moved the powerboats and the multihull to the other end. My understanding is Dinghy's is newer, and if that is correct it all makes sense...

Howdy, Water Island, USVI, US is one of the nicest places ! The last Virgin! I am not familiar with the new trans[port across the water from the marina. Is a schedule available and what does it cost now?

We love love love Water Island and the low key no vendor vibe at the beach.....however with that said our last trip 2015 coming back had a large group on the ferry and loads of stuff which impeaded others being able to get on that run. We were lucky and always plan in extra time but if a person is trying to soak up the whole day on the beach it could have been a deal breaker! I did notice that there were a large number of RCL dancers and entertainers on the beach and every female exactly the same height which is what made me notice! I do think the ease and location to Crown makes it a spot which will continue to get the crowds, but no more than any of the other beaches on a heavy port day.

I would say HB gets considerably more crowded than some of the other beaches on a heavy port day, at least the sections where you want to be. Just a popular spot for cruisers docked at Crown today, and then add the many charters that drop their loads off.

I'm sure it was a nice, low key spot once, just as many other beaches were several years ago...