Escape question - 18000 cruisers in St Thomas at once?

[duchesslt]

According to Cruise TT, the Norwegian Escape will be in St Thomas at the same time as Anthem and Divina mega ships and then these smaller ships. By my estimation and that of Cruise TT "port load" figure, about 18000 people could be trying to hit the same beaches and excursions. Can a seasoned cruiser tell me how this Island handles an influx of nearly 40% add'l population in one day?! I'm seriously considering cancelling our excursion and staying on the boat. I can't even imagine how this could be orderly or secure :(

19-Jan-16 18045Norwegian Spirit, Carnival Valor, MSC Divina, Anthem of the Seas, Norwegian Escape

Edited December 30, 2015 by duchesslt

[erocrobro]

Don't stay on the ship! You will miss one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Get off the ship, and go to St. John. Most of the cruise passengers will stay on St. Thomas and there will be far fewer people on St. John. It is very easy to do, I did it with with my three children and would do it again if we ever get the chance.

[boopsahoy]

According to Cruise TT, the Norwegian Escape will be in St Thomas at the same time as Anthem and Divina mega ships and then these smaller ships. By my estimation and that of Cruise TT "port load" figure, about 18000 people could be trying to hit the same beaches and excursions. Can a seasoned cruiser tell me how this Island handles an influx of nearly 40% add'l population in one day?! I'm seriously considering cancelling our excursion and staying on the boat. I can't even imagine how this could be orderly or secure :(

19-Jan-16 18045Norwegian Spirit, Carnival Valor, MSC Divina, Anthem of the Seas, Norwegian Escape

 

I've been in St Thomas with 6 ships in port-no biggie! Get out and enjoy!:)

[duchesslt]

I've been in St Thomas with 6 ships in port-no biggie! Get out and enjoy!:)

 

Ok, I'll go with the flow of 18k people :cool: I like the idea of switching our excursion to St John. My guess is Megan's Bay and Blackbeard Castle will be swarmed and that isn't my idea of fun.

[HarpHarp]

Former St Thomas resident here. There is probably not a better place equipped to handle the crowds. We had nearly that many when I lived there & then the Eisenhower carrier group arrived, so add 3,000+ drunken sailors on shore leave to the mix:eek:

 

I was there on the Escape last month for the first time in decades & heard no complaints about the crowds with a passenger load of about 17000. That said, I would not plan to go to Magens Bay or Coki if I wanted some beach time. Try Sapphire or Hull. If you want to take the ferry to St. John, head for Cinnamon rather than Trunk. Downtown shopping will be congested but doable. I'd hit the shops near the dock in Havensight & the market for some local things, especially the St John Bay Rum factory & avoid the millions of Jewelry stores. There will be plenty of taxis.

Any more questions ask away.

Tortola, one of my favorite islands, is the real problem with this itinerary. I love this place & VIrgin Gorda & Jost Van Dyke, but they are not organized to handle the mega ships.

[LrgPizza]

St. Thomas is 12 miles long by 4 miles wide. Plenty of space! Haha.

 

Most of the cruise ship passengers will be spending their time in the water surrounding the islands, just like they do at most Caribbean ports. The island itself will be busy, but this is what they do. They are used to it, and can accommodate. No worries. I love St. Thomas (especially when staying as a guest on the island when no ships are in port. Ha!)

[cmdchiefthom]

Book an excursion to St. John and avoid the crowd. ;)

[duchesslt]

Former St Thomas resident here. There is probably not a better place equipped to handle the crowds. We had nearly that many when I lived there & then the Eisenhower carrier group arrived, so add 3,000+ drunken sailors on shore leave to the mix:eek:

 

I was there on the Escape last month for the first time in decades & heard no complaints about the crowds with a passenger load of about 17000. That said, I would not plan to go to Magens Bay or Coki if I wanted some beach time. Try Sapphire or Hull. If you want to take the ferry to St. John, head for Cinnamon rather than Trunk. Downtown shopping will be congested but doable. I'd hit the shops near the dock in Havensight & the market for some local things, especially the St John Bay Rum factory & avoid the millions of Jewelry stores. There will be plenty of taxis.

Any more questions ask away.

Tortola, one of my favorite islands, is the real problem with this itinerary. I love this place & VIrgin Gorda & Jost Van Dyke, but they are not organized to handle the mega ships.

 

Have you been to the Marriot Frenchman's Cove? Nice beach? Was also thinking of using my marriott points to access for a day. Thanks!

[Ranger719]

Was there a number of months ago with 6 ships in port...no problem

[HarpHarp]

Have you been to the Marriot Frenchman's Cove? Nice beach? Was also thinking of using my marriott points to access for a day. Thanks!

 

The beach is Morningstar, & is connected with the 3?? Marriott properties there. Closest beach to the dock & one of the least attractive beaches in St T. All the beaches public so I don't know what you will get for your points. I've heard differing opinions about the amenities there, pool etc. but the food is good.

 

Here is the web cam link to Sapphire:

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com/

 

If you want a lovely uncrowded beach day, grab a picnic lunch from one of the Havensight places & head to Lindquist/ Smith Bay. This is the beach in the Hannah & her horse commercial, starring Hannah Davis, who is from St Thomas.

[Sand and Seas]

How do you get to the Rum Factory? We love St Thomas and can't wait for our Escape cruise:D

[MBMGWM]

Former St Thomas resident here. There is probably not a better place equipped to handle the crowds. We had nearly that many when I lived there & then the Eisenhower carrier group arrived, so add 3,000+ drunken sailors on shore leave to the mix:eek:

 

I was there on the Escape last month for the first time in decades & heard no complaints about the crowds with a passenger load of about 17000.

 

Another former St. Thomas resident (8 years) here. Agree that St. T. is a pretty well-oiled machine for tourists, but DEFINITELY leave plenty of time to get back to the ship if you're not on a ship's excursion. My wife & I almost missed the ship on our last visit there due to some incredible traffic. We were in a rental car and could have walked the last mile to the cruise ship faster than we got there by car. I had to call the car rental company and arrange to just leave our rental car on the docks for them to pick-up while we scrambled back to the ship. But...all's well that ends well!

[watchdiva]

Want to avoid crowds? Book a private sailing excursion! The last few times we ported in STT we booked with High Pockets or Independence for a sail/snorkel excursion. Both boats take a max of 6 people IIRC and the sail was the highlight of our cruise! Both serve fantastic lunches and allow for two snorkel stops.

[kayleighbayleigh]

Want to avoid crowds? Book a private sailing excursion! The last few times we ported in STT we booked with High Pockets or Independence for a sail/snorkel excursion. Both boats take a max of 6 people IIRC and the sail was the highlight of our cruise! Both serve fantastic lunches and allow for two snorkel stops.

 

When you sailed with High Pockets, what was the snorkeling like? After seeing your post I looked into them and everyone seems to be raving about them! My boyfriend and I prefer shallower snorkeling near the shore and around drop offs, rather than deeper snorkeling that requires a quick dive down to get a closer look, so I'm curious about how flexible/knowledgable they were about where to snorkel.