Just Back: Went to St Thomas on Adventure of the Seas

[Big_G]

Thanks for the report.

[printingchick]

I heard back from the national park association in USVI regarding the Annaberg/Leinster Bay area. They are addressing some safety issues (I'm assuming downed trees, etc.), but expect the areas to be fine for our visit in February. Just wanted to share in case anyone else had an interest in that area.

[Getting out there]

Never heard of that area. What's there?

[printingchick]

Annaberg itself is the site of sugar plantation ruins. It sits on a mountain top with unbelievable views. Just down from the ruins is the entrance to the Leinster Bay trail, which leads to Waterlemon Cay, said to have excellent snorkeling.

[RSWBADGER]

November 8, 2017, road to Maho Bay.

 

 

 

But the damage inflicted by Hurricane Irma on the forests of St. John September 6 may be much worse than anyone suspected. The upper western-facing slopes, including Mamey Peak and the Cinnamon and Maho Bay watersheds, have been particularly affected. Seven weeks after the storm, there are still swaths of forest where the trees are lying flat, and little that is green can be seen.

“I’m afraid there’s been a great deal of tree death there,” said native species expert Eleanor Gibney. “The sheer force of the gusts, estimated at 250 mph, separated the bark from the wood. No tree can survive that.”

[printingchick]

Yikes!! Photo is disheartening. Hoping there is marked improvement by February, but I totally expect it to be far less lush and green than in past visits. So sad!!! :loudcry:

[kalliekae]

Thank you for your report. We'll be on the Allure and in St Thomas on Nov 29. We had originally planned to golf. Obviously, that isn't going to happen so we booked a bus tour to view the island. I may cancel that now after reading your report and look for something else to book. We've been to St Thomas many times and love the island.

[printingchick]

Good reading....

 

https://wtop.com/business-finance/2017/11/st-john-the-little-virgin-island-that-could/slide/1/

[SisterSpike]

Thanks for posting. I hope more do also as more ships go. My cruise isn't until Feb. I've never been to St. Thomas and really wanted to see Maegen's Bay. As a first timer and right now not many taxis what would you recommend I do?

 

I recommend booking an excursion. The drivers know the island and where the roads are not in good shape. You can see Maegens Bay from the Mountain Top. It is stunning.

[kassimer1]

This makes me so happy to read! I’ll be there on Oasis in December. I’ve felt a little conflicted about vacationing there when there are still so many people suffering the effects of the hurricane. Our usual in St Thomas is to taxi to Sapphire Beach, but we decided to do a ship excursion on a catamaran just in case taxis weren’t readily available. I can’t wait to see that blue water!

just be careful and use deet insect spray, they have had some cases of dengue fever , also be careful and only drink botrtled water. there has also been leptspirosis

[Sealover64]

We were in St Thomas on Friday 11/10 on Adventure of the Seas. There is a lot of visible damage to the hotel on the right (Marriott?) as you enter the harbor. There were missing roofs beside us on the pier but no piles of debris. We were greeted by a Mardi Gras type celebration with music and dancers as well as cheering and waving. As we disembarked the dancers were handing us trinkets and photo post cards of St Thomas. They were definitely excited to see us and personally thanked each one of us for coming. The open air bus drivers were equally thankful and shook our hands.

 

We booked the Sapphire Beach and Island Tour excursion through the ship as we didn't know if taxis would be available. We did talk to a couple later that took a taxi back to the ship from downtown but there definitely was not the usual lines of taxis waiting at the pier. There was a lot of damage around the island that ranged from debris strewn around to collapsed buildings. There were many blue tarps visible that FEMA had installed over damaged roofs. There was no electricity on the island. The driver Curtis told us that they had contracted with "foreign" electrical workers but they were still waiting for the telephone poles to arrive. The wires were laying along the sides of the roads and in some places blocked the roads. Pieces of telephone poles hung from sagging wires above the streets,

 

Curtis said they are very proud of the community effort to help each other. Those with generators are housing others without. He explained that fuel is difficult to get and expensive so they take turns using the generators. The solar farm that took several years to build is gone. Pieces of solar cells are everywhere. The owner of Sapphire Beach said he was hoping for electricity by Xmas but Curtis thinks it will be closer to a year.

 

Curtis also told us about friends that lost their lives. One woman was sucked out of her home when the wall crumbled. Another police officer was trying to put plastic on a blown out window when a piece of his neighbors roof blew into the window and killed him. A young mother of four huddled under her truck for seven hours because her roof was blown away.

 

The roads are in very bad shape. Some are impassible. There are no road signs. I don't know if there are rental cars available but I highly discourage attempting renting one at this time. Many cars we saw don't have windshields and are covered with plastic. Others are being driven with no windshields. There are traffic jams where debris is blocking the road or where giant holes are.

 

There was a lot of damage on the Sapphire Beach property as we headed down the hill but the bathrooms are functioning and the dive shop is open. Many people rented snorkel equipment. There is a tent over the snack bar/food area and they were cooking something that smelled heavenly!! The beach is narrower and the sand is courser than I remembered. The trees behind the beach were heavily damaged or missing but a few people saw the iguanas in the field behind the trees.

 

We snorkeled to the right (as you face the water) and the visibility was limited due to sand being kicked up by the surf, There was a fair amount of fish at the shallow reef but it was too rough to go to the end of the rock point. Keep in mind that you can encounter conditions like this without a visit from a hurricane. Others that snorkeled to the left reported seeing debris and a roof.

 

Despite the damage visible around us, the view across the water remains breathtaking. The water was clear for swimming and quite enjoyable. The residents were upbeat and thankful that they emerged "ok" and reminded us that St John and Tortola was much worse off. Their resiliency and optimism was truly inspirational. They are excited that everyone now has jobs and are working together to put their community back together.

 

As we pulled away, even the drivers waved and cheered with the shop owners and yelled "Thanks for coming! Tell your friends!" We struggled with our decision to visit St Thomas and worried we would be instrusive or viewed as non-caring but we are reassured that they want us there and need us there. We are glad we went and enjoyed our short time with the lovely people of St Thomas!!!

 

Thank you for sharing!

[printingchick]

Wondering if anyone has any recent experiences to report from St. John. Will be there on Adventure of the Seas in February.

[Keith1010]

Terrific information.

Keith

[docfoxy1]

Does anyone know if the skyride is now open in St Thomas? many thanks

[do_not_spindle]

We were in St Thomas (RCCL GoS, 12/13), docking at Crown Bay. We stayed near Charlotte Amalie and Emerald Bay. Heard that the St Johns ferries are only running from the east end of St Thomas, did not see any running from Charlotte Amalie. Our taxi driver told us she was still without power, so a lot of work remains. Saw a maintenance yard filled with debris, larger one next to it loaded with new utility/phone poles to repair the grid.

[docfoxy1]

We were in St Thomas (RCCL GoS, 12/13), docking at Crown Bay. We stayed near Charlotte Amalie and Emerald Bay. Heard that the St Johns ferries are only running from the east end of St Thomas, did not see any running from Charlotte Amalie. Our taxi driver told us she was still without power, so a lot of work remains. Saw a maintenance yard filled with debris, larger one next to it loaded with new utility/phone poles to repair the grid.

 

 

thank you, useful to know