Anyone ever go to St. Thomas as NOT get off the ship?

[dmwnc1959]

I'm booked on the Ruby Princess for early December primarily as a complete, total, and utterly relaxing getaway cruise. I'm not much of a beach person at all, don't do the 'shopping' thing, and even though there will only be two ships (total) in port I'm really not much for walking the streets of downtown 'anywhere' just to window shop. Last year I did a 10-night B2B cruise on Celebrity Millennium and in all four ports of call (Cozumel, Falmouth, Grand Cayman, Roatan) I barely left the ship for an hour and that was just to get pictures of the ship(s) at each port, then went back aboard.

 

I'm guessing we will be docked at Crown Point and not Havensight. I looked at this past winters docking schedule and that's were Ruby Princess docked every time.

 

So, anyone ever cruise to St. Thomas, not get off the ship, and not regret it? :confused:

 

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[sail7seas]

We have been to St. Thomas so many times that at least half the time now when the ship calls at St. Thomas, we don't get off. We are definitely not the only ones aboard for the day. If it's a pretty day, we enjoy the pool, the lack of crowds at lunch time.......

 

Crown Bay has been built up a little more than it was a few years ago and if you feel like it, there are now some shops similar to Havensight so maybe you might like to just roam around at the pier.... or not. :)

 

Almost always, HAL and Princess ships dock at Crown Bay vs. Havensight. They made a ten year contract about 3 or so years ago and that is where they dock most of the time.

 

We have cruised the Caribbean a lot and had a great many resort stays there through the years and it is not uncommon for us to barely leave the ship at all during a ten day cruise. We might get off just to take a good walk for exercise or maybe lunch in a favorite restaurant but it is not unusual for folks to cruise for the ship, the weather, the rest and the people and the ports are not that important to them.

 

 

 

[OCruisers]

We love going to St. John on a St.Thomas port stop ... but~but~but ... after having been there so many times because we do love the Caribbean and on longer (20 day) B2B cruises with a second stop there, we are actually sometimes tired and just want to stay on the ship. Much rather be docked in Crown Bay than Havensight in case we want to walk around a bit!

 

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[mrsfuzzmo]

We docked in Crown Bay on the Ruby in April. Be sure to get up early and watch the entry into port from the bow of the ship. It's a gorgeous sail into that side of the island.

 

We do get off at all ports, because we cruise for the ports and not the ship itself. To each his own. We'll be hitting St. Thomas in May for about the 8th time and will definitley have plans to disembark and find something fun to do. No matter where we sail, we always find something new to do at each port.

[sail7seas]

We docked in Crown Bay on the Ruby in April. Be sure to get up early and watch the entry into port from the bow of the ship. It's a gorgeous sail into that side of the island.

 

We do get off at all ports, because we cruise for the ports and not the ship itself. To each his own. We'll be hitting St. Thomas in May for about the 8th time and will definitley have plans to disembark and find something fun to do. No matter where we sail, we always find something new to do at each port.

 

 

You are so right about what a pretty sail in early in the morning. I often enjoy it from our veranda. On a pretty morning, it's special.

 

Sailaway in the afternoon is also really nice. :)

 

[dmwnc1959]

THANKS for the tip on watching sail in from the bow. I checked sunrise for the date of my arrival (Dec. 13th) and it's 6:42am with civil twilight beginning at 6:19am, plenty of time to catch some arrival scenery for our 7am arrival. Sunset is 5:45pm so I may have better luck on sail away since we leave at 4pm. :D

 

As far as Crown Bay goes, what I've read about it reminds me of the new port shopping complex built by RCI at Falmouth. It might be worth stretching my legs and grabbing a refrigerator magnet and shot glass to join my collection. ;)

 

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[Aislinncursala]

Hi: When I sail solo it is for R&R and enjoy remaining on the ship when everyone gets off. I may go ashore for an hour just to walk around and call family but that is usually it. When I travel with DH we will do one all day excursion per trip in some port but he enjoys fishing so he brings his rod etc., and he is happy where ever there is water and fish, ha!

[dmwnc1959]

Hi: When I sail solo it is for R&R and enjoy remaining on the ship when everyone gets off. I may go ashore for an hour just to walk around and call family but that is usually it.

 

Same here. This particular port is on the second half (Day 5) of my B2B cruises (Day 12), and on Day 17 of my three week vacation. Only because St. Thomas has AT&T will it give me the chance to get caught up on emails, phone calls, and text messages without eating up my internet minutes on the ship or spending gobs of money using the ship phones.

 

Been researching shore excursions and maps of St. Thomas and still can't find anything that just reaches out and grabs me. :cool:

 

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[golfer1966]

Isnt that why we cruise... to be in a new port everyday. I have been to St Thomas several times and I will always get off the ship. Heck thats half the fun. I, unlike some of you, love the beaches and snorkeling so maybe thats the difference, but .. and not being a smarty pants here, but why stay on the ship. If you wanted to just chill, couldn't you do that at a hotel at home. Maybe its me, but the ship is nice, but I wanna see and do stuff in the ports. To each his own I know....;)

[2PinaColadas]

I would at least get off the ship long enough to take some pictures and check out the area. Maybe go to the Mountain Top or take the Tramway to Paradise Point for a little while.

 

However, as some of the other posters said, I cruise for the ports. Plus, I am a photo bug. (Gotta have lots of pix!) But, it is YOUR cruise, do whatever you want, as long as you enjoy it. ;)

[dmwnc1959]

Isnt that why we cruise... to be in a new port everyday. I have been to St Thomas several times and I will always get off the ship. Heck thats half the fun. I, unlike some of you, love the beaches and snorkeling so maybe thats the difference, but .. and not being a smarty pants here, but why stay on the ship. If you wanted to just chill, couldn't you do that at a hotel at home. Maybe its me, but the ship is nice, but I wanna see and do stuff in the ports. To each his own I know....;)

 

We all cruise for different reasons and we all live in different environments. I could for a week stay at a local hotel, eat 3 meals a day in local restaurants, pay to go see some movies at the local theater (literally all the stuff I can do on any God given weekend during the year) and still pay a heck of a lot more than I am for a week on the beautiful Ruby Princess.

 

My single occupancy fare on Ruby includes:

 

- all the various types of live entertainment and shows in the all of the ships lounges, atrium, main show room, and movies with popcorn on the giant poolside MUTS

 

- all my amazing multi-course MDR meals, tons of delicious goodies at the International Cafe, free room service (can't get that at any hotel), pub styled foods (Pub Day), amazing buffets (lido) with lots of included beverages, all the pizza, hamburgers, and foods I can eat from the poolside grill

 

- and all the amazing, unobstructed ocean view sunrises and sunsets I can handle...

 

...for a WEEK, and only costs $862. For a WEEK. Even if I add tips (you tip at shore side restaurants as well) and the cheap airfare I snagged to FLL it STILL comes out to be a much better deal than staying at home and chillin' at a local hotel for a week. Especially in December, in West Virginia, and when it's 21 degrees outside with several inches of snow. And NO one is going to wait on me hand and foot staying in a local hotel here! ;)

 

This cruise on Ruby Princess will be #47 after I come off of cruise #46 the same day on Allure of the Seas which hits most of the exact same ports I cruised to last year doing a 10-nt B2B. Next year cruise #48 on Celebrity Constellation will hit the exact same ports I did last year on Celebrity Millennium (and this year on Allure), and I won't leave the ship in either case. And cruises #49 and #50 next fall on the brand new Royal Princess for 12-nights doing a B2B hits the same exact ports that I am visiting on Ruby this December.

 

The beauty of all this is, that if I change my mind, and that's a big IF, I have the option of heading into Charlotte Amalie, or Philipsburg, or Marigot IF the desire strikes me. And I sure can't do any of that if I stay at home in a local hotel.

 

So I have the opportunity to be pampered, waited on hand and foot, enjoy amazing sights and scenery, amazing solarium and pools, enjoy fine dining, and be entertained until my ears fall off and never leave the ship. If I want.

 

And I can do it cheaper. :D

 

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[dmwnc1959]

And I can do it cheaper....

 

PLUS Princess Cruises is giving me $100 OBC (from their Military OBC program) and my TA is giving me $50 OBC so that knocks my overall cruise price down even further. Yea! :D

 

I'll be on Ruby Princess for a week and sailing around in the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean. That alone is much better than staying at home.

 

Even if I never get off the ship. ;)

 

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[lka1012]

With one of my all time favorite fabric stores in CA, of course I get off the ship. That may be all I do however. But I do just love wandering the streets enjoying the archhitecture.

[blue_water]

I'm booked on the Ruby Princess for early December primarily as a complete, total, and utterly relaxing getaway cruise. I'm not much of a beach person at all, don't do the 'shopping' thing, and even though there will only be two ships (total) in port I'm really not much for walking the streets of downtown 'anywhere' just to window shop. Last year I did a 10-night B2B cruise on Celebrity Millennium and in all four ports of call (Cozumel, Falmouth, Grand Cayman, Roatan) I barely left the ship for an hour and that was just to get pictures of the ship(s) at each port, then went back aboard.

 

I'm guessing we will be docked at Crown Point and not Havensight. I looked at this past winters docking schedule and that's were Ruby Princess docked every time.

 

So, anyone ever cruise to St. Thomas, not get off the ship, and not regret it? :confused:

 

.

 

I can't imagine staying on the ship in any port.

If I had been to a port so many times that I couldn't think of anything to see I would at least take a day sail. There's nothing like being on a sailboat on a beautiful day.

 

If that's not for you just rent a car and see the island you haven't seen. There are several different areas to explore that would take several cruises to do. I know when we stay on STT or Tortola we spend much of our time driving and seeing beautiful areas we'd missed on previous visits. So on a cruise it's a no-brainer because you have limited time on the island.

 

If neither of these appeal to you I would consider booking only repositioning cruises and not worry about hitting any ports.

[dmwnc1959]

I can't imagine staying on the ship in any port.

 

Try it once. Especially someplace like Cozumel. It's pretty amazing. You really won't miss anything on the island that won't still be there next year.

 

If I had been to a port so many times that I couldn't think of anything to see I would at least take a day sail. There's nothing like being on a sailboat on a beautiful day.

 

Now there's an idea!!! I'll have to look into it. Next year when I'm there on Royal Princess there will be five fairly large ships docked there, and this year there will only be two ships total. Less crowded on the open waters with fewer 'sailors' out on day-long boat trips.

 

If neither of these appeal to you I would consider booking only repositioning cruises and not worry about hitting any ports.

 

Been there, done that too. The only problem with those, as well as with transatlantic crossings is that on the extended number of seas days everyone is still 'on the ship'. At least in a more 'frequented' port of call a majority of the people leave the ship (for a while at least) and I have the advantage of having the whole ship to hang out on in peace and quite. Kind of like Turn Around Day on a B2B when everyone has disembarked and before the 'new' people get on. ;)

[dmwnc1959]

With one of my all time favorite fabric stores in CA, of course I get off the ship. That may be all I do however. But I do just love wandering the streets enjoying the archhitecture.

 

Charlotte Amalie will be Day 12 of my B2B cruises so it will depend on how things go. I already don't any plans on leaving Allure of the Seas in Cozumel, Falmouth, or Labadee (that alone must be treason! ;)) so by time I hit STT on Ruby Princess my sea legs may need some stretching. The sailboat trip mentioned by blue_water does sound intriguing so I'll see what that entails. The only thing I want to do in St. Maarten is go over to Maho Beach to watch the giant planes land but I may save that for next year when the ship docks three hours earlier (7am instead of 10am). That should be pretty amazing!

 

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[blue_water]

Try it once. Especially someplace like Cozumel. It's pretty amazing. You really won't miss anything on the island that won't still be there next year.

 

 

Lol...no thanks, we enjoy exploring and seeing out of the way places. Actually being on the ship between ports can be very boring to us and so we don't cruise much anymore but rather stay in destinations. Cruising did introduce us to the Caribbean though, and I would recommend it to anyone for that. But after visiting the same islands on a cruise it's time to think about flying to one that you really liked. There is so much more to see and experience, and it's so much more enjoyable not to have to make it back to the ship. We enjoy waving Bon voyage to cruisers as we head to a happy hour or beach bonfire.

 

We've cruised to Cozumel a few times and after my wife visits her favorite jewelry store we head to a secluded resort and enjoy one of the most pristine beaches in the Carib. So much nicer than the pool scene on the boat, even if no one else is on the ship. Last time we stayed in the Riviera Maya we ferried to Cozumel and rented a car and drove the rest of the island we had never seen. Beautiful tour and great beach bars. We also had time to check out a sister resort so we could see if we wanted to stay there in the future.

 

So for us missing a day on an island is absurd, but I know everyone is different too.

[VillaHappy]

We've stayed on St. Thomas several times since 1998. So, when we are on a cruise and the ship docks at St. Thomas, we usually don't go ashore.

[dmwnc1959]

But after visiting the same islands on a cruise it's time to think about flying to one that you really liked.

 

Like you said we are all different. I don't cruise the Caribbean or Gulf of Mexico for the 'itinerary', I cruise for the 'ship'. There really aren't any islands down there I'd care to fly to and stay for a week. I'd be bored to tears after the second day or third day. I don't 'do' the beach or snorkeling scene, I don't drink alcohol, nor engage in the 'shopping' aspect so many seem to enjoy. That's just not me. I much prefer a nice shady spot on a promenade deck lounge chair with a good book than lying out under a beach umbrella at a resort. Part of that comes from being sensitive to the sun due to medications I am taking so I have to limit my exposure. The other part of my preference for being on the ship comes from spending twelve years in the Navy. It helps me get back to my love of the sea. Not 'haze gray and underway', but at least on a nice cruise ship. ;)

[blue_water]

Yes, understood. We aren't looking for the experiences you mentioned either, and we usually stay in apts or condos rather than do the resort thing as we're looking for a different experience. But I do understand your point and hope you get some beautiful days to enjoy on your cruises! And I liked your last sentence!

[HarpHarp]

I used to live on St Thomas and I have a suggestion if you want to get off the ship & really have some peace & quiet.

 

Take the ferry to Water Island

From V.I. Now

A vacation on Water Island might include: relaxing days on the beach, kayaking, exploring the shoreline at Limestone, a day of fishing or boating, a day trip to St. Thomas, hiking around the island, exploring the remains of military fortifications, joining residents for movie night on the beach, having lunch and drinks at Honeymoon Bay and taking a bike tour.

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Visitors on St. Thomas can easily day trip to Water Island. It is a good option for cruise ship passengers docked at Crown Bay Dock, which is a short walk from the Water Island ferry at the Crown Bay Marina

[blue_water]

And of course if you like being on the ship and relaxing rather than being around the partying it would be much better on port days.

[dmwnc1959]

But I do understand your point and hope you get some beautiful days to enjoy on your cruises! And I liked your last sentence!

 

I have loved cruise ships long before I ever set foot on one. I was a young teen in Mississippi when I saw my first ever Cruise Travel magazine, and from that moment on 'it was all over'. I joined the Navy in 1977 right out of High School to get closer to ships and the sea, spent 10 years on ships and two years shore duty in Italy. Even then I took every opportunity to go see cruise ships. While I was stationed in the states I would specifically take vacations to Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and NYC when I knew there would be a bunch of them in port over a long holiday or four day weekend just to see the cruise ships. I was lucky enough to be stationed in places like Norfolk were I could watch them arrive and depart for their shipyard overhauls, in California - San Diego, LA, and the Bay area of SF where I could watch them arrive and depart from mid-span of the Golden Gate Bridge, and in Philadelphia were cruise ships departed for Bermuda in the summer months. Stationed in Italy I got to see a great number of cruise ships in Naples and Venice, some that rarely if ever visited US waters. I cruised the Caribbean for weeks and weeks on end from the late 70's through the late-80's while in the Navy and saw countless cruise ships at most every island down there. Several years after I got out of the Navy I became a travel agent. Saw a lot more cruise ships then too! Even drove down to Charleston SC several times when cruise ships come in. The crowd that gathered there for the arrival and departure of the legendary QE2 was amazing. After I left the business I still loved cruise ships. It's in my blood I guess. I must have been a viking in a previous life. ;)

 

Now I live in WV and cruise when I can. Two years ago it was a simple 9-nt cruise out of Baltimore down the coast to places I had already been, but I loved the Celebrity Mercury. It was my second time on her. Last year it was 10-nights to more places I had already been, but I loved the Celebrity Millennium. This year it's 14-nights to more familiar places, but I picked Allure of the Seas and Ruby Princess not for their itineraries, but to cruise during a specific time frame, to have specific amenities, and enjoy a specific demographic. And next year I picked the Celebrity Constellation and Royal Princess because of the ship, not because of where it's going.

 

I have always loved and been fascinated by cruise ships. It was love at first sight you might say. And when I die, I would prefer that my family take my ashes and spread them over the sea. Back where I belong. Maybe some of me will wash up on St. Thomas and then I'll get to enjoy the beach. ;)

[scott4020]

I too will be going on the Ruby in December and other than taking a walk to find some free internet or maybe lunch I will spend the day on the ship in St. Thomas.

 

I go cruising to relax so tours and shopping aren't really my thing.

[blue_water]

Why not choose relaxing destinations? Unless the natural beauty of many islands doesn't interest you?