rnforcollegefees

Were there washroom facilities?

Yes, at Sapphire there is a public restroom at the Dive Shop area. We all used it, even though we came in from outside. No problem. To the questions about food, there is at least one place with snack bar type stuff--off to the right as you look at the beach, my boys got burgers and fries and sodas. We saw the yellow/white umbrellas and assumed correctly that food was there! $10 burgers, so don't be shocked. The view: priceless! :)

We were there last week. First cruise, first time to St. Thomas. It was my favorite stop--out of St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk. I think because we had more time there, and I LOVED Sapphire Beach. The snorkelling is right off the beach; in fact, there is a sign warning people to watch the reef as it is protected and very close to shore (ie within feet of water line) To answer your question about stuff--generally, we always left someone behind to watch stuff. We were a group of four, however. With two of you, you want to snorkel together (I get a little freaked out by myself out there, but that's neither here nor there.) There were plenty of people in lounge chairs around us that I would have had no problem saying, "We're going in the water for a minute, mind if I leave my bag under your chair?" We did that on other islands, and everyone was very accommodating. There may be lockers on Sapphire somewhere, but if not, just ask some nice couple. Also, we went to Coki Beach earlier in the day, which was nice, but Sapphire was nicer in that the habitat of the fish and coral was more natural. At Coki, the aquarium next door feeds the fish, so you'll see more, but they are all of about 2 species and it feels forced. Also! The $2 bus!! have you looked into that? I'm about to find that thread and post, but basically, we took the local bus to/from downtown for $2 person each way out to beaches and then back to Crown Point, where our ship was docked. So much better than the $10-11 each way/pp fare charged by taxis. And fun, too! We talked to lots of local people, who were more than helpful when we needed advice and directions. I thought St. Thomas to be the friendliest place we visited, but really, everyone we met throughout the cruise was lovely. So, long answer! Have a great time! Oh, and take the walk out to Pettykill Point (I know I'm butchering the spelling--it is something like that. Off to the right of Sapphire.) Take your camera. The views are amazing and beautiful.