ST. THOMAS review

Very soon, after Christmas, I will post a review on our 10 day southern Carib cruise on the Royal.

I wanted to do a quick review of our shore excursion on St. Thomas:

We took the ship's shore excursion to tour St. Thomas. We were all loaded up in "taxis" that were open air Safari vehicles......the larger ones based on an F-450, five to a row,(25 peeps).

The smaller version based on the F-250 or F-350, three rows by four (holds 12).

These vehicles have no windows and are virtually "open" on the sides at the end of some rows.

There were no seat belts.

We were first taken to do some shopping in Charlotte-Amalie. Virtually every other store there is a jewelry or gem shop! There were clothing and souvenir shops but none of great interest (to me, anyways).

The area appeared run down, but that certainly could have been from hurricane damage. I do not recall water being offered for sale as we exited the ship...later on at other ports, yes.

That being said, this excursion included no water or beverage as part of the price of the excursion.

I always bring a water bottle in my tote bag. One woman took advantage of our stop in Charlotte to purchase a bottle of water from a street vendor...an old woman with an picnic cooler....$1.00.

This was one trip that water should have been included or at the least, encouraged that we purchase water before getting off the ship. Many of my fellow travelers did not have water with them. After 20+ cruises, this, to me, was a "poor" showing in not including this one little item..... Most likely assuming people would purchase their bottle water or alcoholic drink once we reached the Mountain Top store...and many did purchase the banana daquiris or ice cream.

Afterwards, we were taken on a very winding mountainous road to the destination of "Mountain Top",.....for a beautiful marine view of the islands..the biggest one we saw was St. John's.

The store there sold all manner of souvenirs and clothing and alcohol (lots of Rum!).

The Mountain Top is known for their "Banana Daquiris". We did not imbibe.

Last stop was to Megan Bay Beach. We were told to bring towels (we did not)...and no one on the ship seemed to be passing them out). Later, found out you had to ask before you "scan out".

The beach was significantly impacted by the hurricanes. We saw the damage to the trees, many that had been uprooted or branches torn off.

The beach bar/food concession building had been destroyed and a temporary makeshift concession set up.

This consisted of a tent/canopy structure....and a total of five bar seats....

Just adjacent and under the same structure is the food service that is very limited. Offerings were hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey sandwiches. All drinks purchased at the bar. The service was very slow at the food service.

We had a good time talking to a guy, at the bar from Houston who was once an Asst. Police Chief...and then quit that and started an NGO to improve relations between Police and youth.

For rental, there were chaise lounge chairs and separately, sun umbrellas.

Two well built picnic shelters are there (roof on pillars open air picnic shelters). Only a few spots under that shelter provided relief from the heat and strong rays of the sun.

My observations:

The description given for this shore excursion left out a lot of detail, IMHO.

The day before our excursion I went to the shore excursion office to ask specifically what was options were available for purchasing food at the beach. Only one person there said that they had been to Megan Bay recently and that there was a bar there...but no other details.

1. A new bar/food concession structure will not be completed for a while. It was supposed to have been completed by the time we took our cruise but nothing had been started. The bartender said likely that it would be finished at the end of January.

He did say that he wasn't sure if that would even happen on time.

Bar/Food concession will not take credit cards...only cash.

Unknown reason why but they are temporarily unable to take charge cards

Food is a bit expensive....a hamburger is $11.00

Lack of shade.....we were soooo fortunate to find two of the five bar seats and to sit in shade.

The two picnic shelters are situated at the two far ends of the beach..not close to the concessions.

Frankly, I was very nervous riding in the safari taxis. Going up the winding mountainous road and me, seated, on the end of the row that was open...I grabbed and held onto the bar in front of me.

Having taken many caribbean cruises, I know as others should know, that their safety standards are not up to U.S safety standards.

On Bonaire, we toured around in a 20 seater van/bus. No emergency exit at the top (ceiling/roof), no seat belts, no emergency tool to smash the windows....and if you were unlucky (like we were)....the last row in the back....you would be very stuck in trying to get out in an emergency.

My feelings about the caribbean is that if I ever take another cruise there..(the weather is spectacular.)..that I prefer not to do any further shore excursions. Too old now to be taking silly chances

BTW, our favorite island was Grenada. Very unique and so different from the rest of the islands and gorgeous.

We were glad we contributed to the economy of St. Thomas, but in rating this particular excursion...I would give it a D+.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I have never cared for those open air vehicles, which the drivers try to Pack as full as they can, except for going back and forth between the ship and downtown. And when the ship is docked at Havensight, we walk to town.

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So you think that a tourist area excursion should meet all the safety requirements that you think they should? Not gonna happen. Did the excursions say that drinks were available on the transportation for purchase? If not then why would you expect it? Do the description say food was available for purchase? Did it say what the cost would be? After all this area is recovering fron major hurricane damage and to expect service to meet your desires is living in a different world. I do hope you xpressed you dissatisfaction at th cruise desk on the ship instead of just on here.

Good to know the most recent status of the port after the hurricane, especially the matter on credit cards. Hope it improves in the coming months. We have also taken the open-sided vans even before the hurricane.

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I’m confused. St. Thomas and Bonaire are two different islands about 500 miles apart. While St. Thomas was hit by a hurricane, Bonaire was well south and unaffected. So is this post about St. Thomas or Bonaire.

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Thanks much for the report.

So you think that a tourist area excursion should meet all the safety requirements that you think they should? Not gonna happen. Did the excursions say that drinks were available on the transportation for purchase? If not then why would you expect it? Do the description say food was available for purchase? Did it say what the cost would be? After all this area is recovering fron major hurricane damage and to expect service to meet your desires is living in a different world. I do hope you xpressed you dissatisfaction at th cruise desk on the ship instead of just on here.

As I have mentioned, we have done 20+ cruises. That being said I have been on many many ship sponsored excursions, and a few that we booked on our own or with others

My beef, if you could tell by my OP was the lack of information. Yes, I know as do others they suffered hurricane damage. That is no excuse for not giving accurate information (IMHO)

At the very least the shore excursion office should know what is "there".

Nothing was said about snacks or the opportunity to buy them...but my biggest beef is that water was not sold or provided.

In any case, I am sure there were those who enjoyed that excursion. My husband and I made the best of it and enjoyed speaking to the bartender as well as the folks at the bar.

I just feel it is highly unfair not to clearly spell out what to expect...on an island that suffered serious hurricane damage...was initially taken off the itinerary (St. Croix was the replacement), and then, last minute....St. Thomas added back on.

Lastly, in all things, whether business or pleasure or anything else, communication is soooooo important, would you not say?

And that was my main complaint...lack of information. If the shore excursion office has no idea what is going on then they have no business selling such an excursion.

I’m confused. St. Thomas and Bonaire are two different islands about 500 miles apart. While St. Thomas was hit by a hurricane, Bonaire was well south and unaffected. So is this post about St. Thomas or Bonaire.

 

 

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Sorry, I was not clear. My post was specifically about St. Thomas.

I only threw in a mention about Bonaire because of the issue of safety standards of vehicles used on the Caribbean islands.

Thanks much for the report.

You are most welcome!

typical of Princess, sorry, to offer little or no information about things like that:cool:

Sorry, I was not clear. My post was specifically about St. Thomas.

 

I only threw in a mention about Bonaire because of the issue of safety standards of vehicles used on the Caribbean islands.

I get it now. For some reason, on my phone, it's only displaying part of your post. Only the part from "On Bonaire..." to the end is displaying. But on my computer, the whole thing displays. Something wonky in Tapatalk I guess.

Thank you for your review. We have been to St. Thomas many times and the truck taxis you describe are what they have always been. Next time search via your cruise's roll call for private tours. They are usually better with less cost, but the transportation will still be in the open air trucks. Open air transports are normal on most of the islands.

Thanks for the review.

As I have mentioned, we have done 20+ cruises. That being said I have been on many many ship sponsored excursions, and a few that we booked on our own or with others

 

My beef, if you could tell by my OP was the lack of information. Yes, I know as do others they suffered hurricane damage. That is no excuse for not giving accurate information (IMHO)

 

At the very least the shore excursion office should know what is "there".

 

Nothing was said about snacks or the opportunity to buy them...but my biggest beef is that water was not sold or provided.

 

In any case, I am sure there were those who enjoyed that excursion. My husband and I made the best of it and enjoyed speaking to the bartender as well as the folks at the bar.

 

I just feel it is highly unfair not to clearly spell out what to expect...on an island that suffered serious hurricane damage...was initially taken off the itinerary (St. Croix was the replacement), and then, last minute....St. Thomas added back on.

 

Lastly, in all things, whether business or pleasure or anything else, communication is soooooo important, would you not say?

 

And that was my main complaint...lack of information. If the shore excursion office has no idea what is going on then they have no business selling such an excursion.

So after over 20cruises did your other cruise lines tell you all the information you needed to do everything you wanted? Did it tell you whether every single place you went to accepted credit cards? Did you really expect the cruise desk to know all the minutia about the repair progress on every business on every island affected by hurricanes? How was Princess t know all this formation on an island that was making upgrades daily. Sorry but you expect entirely too much of an area recovering daily from a devastating event. Especially when it was added at the last minute by your own admission.

I would like to point out that St Thomas is part of the USVI and as such under the US federal laws. To say that they have different laws than the US is not correct. The people of St Thomas and the other islands in the USVI are US citizens.

Unless the write up for the ship excursion specifically states that food or drink is available, then it is not. Pax are responsible for their own needs that includes bringing their own water. I have never exited a Princess ship where they were not selling water as we left the ship.

St Thomas was ravaged not by one hurricane but two. Their infrastructure was destroyed and it is amazing that they are even able to host ships at this point but they need the money since most of the island was destroyed and the US government has been exceedingly slow in giving them aid. To expect them to provide the same accommodations that they did before is ludicrous at best. St Thomas being an island where everything has to be shipped in means higher prices just like in Hawaii and other US islands.

It is my opinion that the OP is harshly critical of St Thomas and their expectations were way out of line for what the island has had to endure this past fall. We will be calling on St Thomas next fall, a year after the devastating storms and do not expect the island to be even recovered all that much then.

Thanks for your review and observations. Happy cruising wherever you go next. Merry Christmas!

*❅.•*˚✻.• * ˚⛄.❅.*❅.•*˚✻.• * ˚⛄.❅. *❅.•*˚✻

Thank you for your review. We have been to St. Thomas many times and the truck taxis you describe are what they have always been. Next time search via your cruise's roll call for private tours. They are usually better with less cost, but the transportation will still be in the open air trucks. Open air transports are normal on most of the islands.

I disagree, having been to STT countless times, including staying on-island. There are plenty of taxi vans and some cars, so it is quite possible to catch a ride in an enclosed vehicle. It's just that the surrey top trucks show up to the cruise ships as they can pack in and move a lot of people. I don't much like them either as the drivers like to jam them up and they make a fortune as the fee is the same as if you were riding in a smaller taxi.

I understand the OP's disappointment over Magen's Bay. Although not indicated I have to believe someone who has cruised over 20 times has been to STT and Magen's previously. Surprised some personal research wasn't done to learn a bit about the state of affairs on St Thomas. Also, surprised that someone with that many cruises doesn't understand about taking water and towels for the beach.

Anyway, what the OP described as conditions for Magen's sounds about right. Basically, all the beach side trees were stripped of leaves, if not knocked over. There was a lot to clean up and the vegetation needs to come back. It is going to take a while to rebuild. Another famous beach (Orient in St Martin) had everything wiped out and all was left standing was part of a washroom. We have never used a beach umbrella at Magen's in over 25 years of visiting there at various times - there was always plenty of tree shade for us.

Thanks for sharing. I agree with you about the open taxi. I will never ride in one.

Tony

We were in St. Thomas a week and a half ago and took the Princess excursion to Magen's Bay. It was far different than we remembered on our past visits but they have done a great job in making it usable in such a short time after the devastating hurricanes. They have already planted a lot of new palm trees and the temporary "shop" and bar / restaurant are the best they can do at this point since the prior facilities were destroyed. We had been advised about using cash for purchases there and were able to find a nice shady spot to park our rented chairs. The beach was just as good as it had ever been.

In the downtown area the craft market was in full swing and we chatted with several vendors, all happy to see us. Many residents still do not have electricity and I would hope those who cruise there would realize that it's going to be a good long while before things get back to normal.

I very much enjoyed your review/report.

Keith

We were in St. Thomas a week and a half ago and took the Princess excursion to Magen's Bay. It was far different than we remembered on our past visits but they have done a great job in making it usable in such a short time after the devastating hurricanes. They have already planted a lot of new palm trees and the temporary "shop" and bar / restaurant are the best they can do at this point since the prior facilities were destroyed. We had been advised about using cash for purchases there and were able to find a nice shady spot to park our rented chairs. The beach was just as good as it had ever been.

 

In the downtown area the craft market was in full swing and we chatted with several vendors, all happy to see us. Many residents still do not have electricity and I would hope those who cruise there would realize that it's going to be a good long while before things get back to normal.

Thank you for the testimonial. We visited Cozumel a year after hurricane Wilma paid the island a disastrous visit. Buildings were still boarded up, Destruction was clearly visible in destroyed buildings etc. The plaza that was always so beautiful had all of the trees and plants gone sometimes with bare trunks sticking up without limbs. The whole island looked like a war zone to me. Fast forward to our visit last May and the island has recovered, remodeled buildings, new plantings etc. It takes time measured in years and St Thomas as well as St John will recover and be better but years later.

We were in St. Thomas a week and a half ago and took the Princess excursion to Magen's Bay. It was far different than we remembered on our past visits but they have done a great job in making it usable in such a short time after the devastating hurricanes. They have already planted a lot of new palm trees and the temporary "shop" and bar / restaurant are the best they can do at this point since the prior facilities were destroyed. We had been advised about using cash for purchases there and were able to find a nice shady spot to park our rented chairs. The beach was just as good as it had ever been.

 

 

 

In the downtown area the craft market was in full swing and we chatted with several vendors, all happy to see us. Many residents still do not have electricity and I would hope those who cruise there would realize that it's going to be a good long while before things get back to normal.

The beach is just as good as it ever has been you say???? In doing research on ST Thomas and the recovery from the hurricane Magen’s Bay has been listed recently as unsafe for swimming due to high levels of E. Coli in the water. Following this on the St Thomas site ********** under Recovery blog and the beach conditions. Last time a majority of the beaches showed unsafe was Dec 8. Latest update says none of the St Thomas beaches were tested fir the period Dec8-15. No further updates since Dec 15 as of yesterday. Princess or any other cruise line should not be offering excursions to Magen’s Bay at this time.

We will be in St Thomas on the Royal in a couple weeks and will not go to any beaches. We will get off and contribute to the economy though.

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The beach is just as good as it ever has been you say???? In doing research on ST Thomas and the recovery from the hurricane Magen’s Bay has been listed recently as unsafe for swimming due to high levels of E. Coli in the water. Following this on the St Thomas site ********** under Recovery blog and the beach conditions. Last time a majority of the beaches showed unsafe was Dec 8. Latest update says none of the St Thomas beaches were tested fir the period Dec8-15. No further updates since Dec 15 as of yesterday. Princess or any other cruise line should not be offering excursions to Magen’s Bay at this time.

 

We will be in St Thomas on the Royal in a couple weeks and will not go to any beaches. We will get off and contribute to the economy though.

 

 

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CC hid the website for the recovery blog info after I posted it just search Vinow and it will pop up for you.

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Arwen,

Thank you for your current review on St Thomas. We will be there next week and have not pre-booked an excursion yet. I think we may choose a water/snorkel tour because land was hit so hard, boats may be a better option. It is understandable that the island is under repair and will some be time before things are back to normal. We all wish the islands and residents hit by the hurricanes speedy recoveries.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise,

Laurie