Sapphire Beach and Magen's Bay in one day doable?

[marina.diom]

I'm cruising for the first time and would love to make the most out of our time in what looks to be such gorgeous St. Thomas. Am I crazy to be thinking of splitting time between two beaches? We are arriving on Wednesday at 10 in December and leaving at 7. We are coming to Crown Bay.

 

Do you think it would be possible to take a cab to Sapphire, spend some time there (more time probably because I have a slight preference for this beach based on what I read) and then catch a cab to Magen's Bay? Is it packing too much in one trip? I am also not opposed to doing it in reverse order. Would taxi's be okay to catch?

 

And to add to this whole thing, I am contemplating doing a catamaran tour. My mom and I have never really snorkeled before or have cruised so i thought doing catamaran might be fun. We are both pretty comfortable swimmers in the open water. If anyone has suggestions for a good catamaran tour especially if it goes somewhere to the east bay, I'd love to hear it.

[Ms411]

The Christmas Winds come blowing through towards the end of December so water can be rough at some beaches. Magens is in a protected cove so water is more consistently calmer than Sapphire. Just something to think about when making your plans.

 

I think those 2 beaches are too much with your port schedule. You probably won't get off the ship until after 10 and you have to be back on by 6:30. If other ships are docked that day, you'll be getting to the beach when they start to get crowded. You could stay until the crowds leave for a less crowded beach experience instead of traveling another half hour to another beach.

 

If you want to do 2 beaches, try Sapphire in a.m. and Emerald in p.m. Less drive time.

 

A catamaran is a good choice if it's not windy because they can take you away from the crowds. There are a few that leave from Crown Bay, but can't think of names. Sorry.

[marina.diom]

Thanks for replying, MS411. I am hesitant because it seems like a stretch. I like your idea of choosing better proximity. What if we did Sapphire Beach and Linguist Beach? Those seem close and I've read how beautiful Linguist is. Could we catch a cab to get us from one to another? Maybe start with Sapphire to try and catch it without big crowds...

 

I also wonder if we will just miss out by not going to Magen's Bay. We are newbies to St. Thomas and I know that's the place to go. My concern is that it's just too crowded. And I'd be better off going to less popular but equally gorgeous beaches. I like that there is pretty good snorkeling on Sapphire.

[Ms411]

You have plenty of time to make a decision. What date will you arrive in St Thomas? I can send you a link that will tell you number of ships. It's better to wait until closer to your arrival date so you can check weather, too.

[mrpayroll]

I would not waste part of the day travelling between the two. Pick either one ( or the catamaran) and enjoy your day.

[marina.diom]

We are arriving on Dec 13th.

 

You think it's too much even if it's splitting time between sapphire and linguist?

[luv2trvlnow]

We did both Magen's and Sapphire in the same day once. But we were in port from 7 to 7. We went to Magen's first and left there just before noon because it was just way too crowded and the buses and shuttles just kept coming letting off more people. I feel Magen's is good if there are only a couple of ships in port or you get there very early. Also the day we were there was unusual because there was a warning there for large waves. Sapphire was actually a little calmer that day.

We caught a taxi from Magen's to Sapphire. At the time it cost $10pp. It was much calmer and we spent the afternoon there and then took a taxi back to the port.

 

I would say if you ever try both beaches to hit Magen's first before it gets too crowded and then go to Sapphire.

[Hiddenball2]

Thanks for replying, MS411. I am hesitant because it seems like a stretch. I like your idea of choosing better proximity. What if we did Sapphire Beach and Linguist Beach? Those seem close and I've read how beautiful Linguist is. Could we catch a cab to get us from one to another? Maybe start with Sapphire to try and catch it without big crowds...

 

I also wonder if we will just miss out by not going to Magen's Bay. We are newbies to St. Thomas and I know that's the place to go. My concern is that it's just too crowded. And I'd be better off going to less popular but equally gorgeous beaches. I like that there is pretty good snorkeling on Sapphire.

 

 

i am by no means an expert. I have been to the island only once, last December for my honeymoon, but we went to Megan's Bay and it was absolutely breathtaking. We are planning another trip and are certainly going again. I am sure all the beaches there are beautiful, but I was certainly not disappointed with my choice to go there last time.

[Ms411]

Timing is everything. If your ship docks by 9 a.m. and you get to the beach early, they are beautiful and not crowded. By noon it's hard to wppreciate their beauty and tranquility because it may be crowded if there are lots of ships in port.

 

The beaches are also less crowded during the off season. If you visit May to Nov your experience is much different than someone visiting during the winter.

 

I never travel during season.

[KatPem]

If you haven't cruised before nor snorkeled, I would honestly choose the catamaran tour. St Thomas is gorgeous and it won't disappoint, no matter what you choose. If opting for a beach, I would probably just select one. No reason to waste time in a cab and the cabs can be pricey on St Thomas. My favorite thing to do is go on a catamaran tour and snorkel, I absolutely love it! It would be a great opportunity to see if they are things you enjoy as well. Luckily, many cruises go to St Thomas, so more than likely if you started cruising regularly, you will be back!!!

[beautifulbill]

Things work a little bit differently in the islands. Let's say you are at Magens and want to go to Sapphire. There will be taxis there and they will take you but they do so at there own time frame. The driver may wait to see if anyone wants to go to a beach along the way, Coki, Margarettaville, or Lindquist

My point being don't expect the driver to respect your time frame. Let's just say they don't rush

Your time is limited. I wouldn't waste it in going from beach to beach. If you like St Thomas then come back and stay that is really the best way to learn the island and see the beaches

[Stinger-pr]

I have done Coki and Sapphire on the same day with a 7am-5pm stop with no problem. The difference is I've rented a car an made my own way. Also, if doing both, don't expect to spend a lot of time at any. We did around 2hrs at each beach to basically snorkel. We did some sightseeing and a quick (45 min.) shopping stop in town before being back on the ship right on time. But the wild card here are how many ships are in town the day you arrive. More ships=more traffic. You need to allot time for traffic, which in St. Thomas, can get very heavy in and around town around the time you'll need to be getting back to the ship. If you still want to do two beaches, pick two that are close by and allow for at least an hour to return to the ship just in case.