Getting Around St. Thomas

We didn't rent a car but if you do, be aware that even though it's a US territory, they drive on the left. Even more confusing is that most of their cars are imported from the US so the steering wheel is on the left unlike cars in the UK or Australia where the steering wheel is on the right which probably takes a bit of getting used to.

There is a lot of traffic in and around the cruise ports and traffic jams seem to be fairly common, even the taxi drivers don't seem to be able to get around the jam between the two cruise ship docks.

We had scheduled a snorkeling excursion independent of the cruise line with VI Ecotours, they told us to get a taxi to "the snorkeling place". Once we got off the ship, they pointed us to where the taxi are queued up, there's a man who organizes multiple passengers into a taxi as the taxi prices here are per person and not a set price for a destination so they try to get as many people as possible into one taxi which are mostly vans.

The price per person to the snorkeling place was $10, from the snorkeling place we hitched a ride with a couple on our tour to Sapphire Beach. When we were ready to go back, there was a taxi waiting at the beach and it was $11 per person to get back to the ship. To get to Red Hook for the ferry to St. John it was $11 per person. Ask before you get underway, the prices seem to be set for each destination.

Unlike other islands, St. Thomas taxi drivers don't seem to do island tours so book your excursions on the ship or before you leave home unless you just want to go shopping or to the beach.

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My wife Liz and I hopped aboard the The Caribbean Princess for a nine day Caribbean Cruise out of Brooklyn along with my Mother and her fiancee Hal. The Cruise Ports includes stops at: Bermuda, San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. I was a nice nine day cruise with beautiful weather except for San Juan and a great ship.

Princess likes to give the big ship feeling without it being overwhelming which is hard to do when the ship can accommodate 3,070 passengers. Princess managed to give us a relaxing cruise where we didn't feel rushed. The ship was very nice with 4 pools, several restaurants, a spa, various lounges and clubs, shopping and more. The Piazza area was their version of a centrum through the middle of the ship with retail , dining rooms, clubs and bars surrounding the area. The staff aboard were very nice and attentive. I enjoyed that this line attracts an "older crowd", less children and less of the party puking variety twenty somethings that other cruise lines tend to cater to.

We chose this cruise in particular due to the time of year and my Mother's work schedule. Since we have Elite status on this cruise line we enjoyed priority boarding and access to special lounges, free laundry services, free internet, discount coupons, free wine tastings, special captain's events and a 10% discount on shop purchases aboard the ship.

The shows and entertainment were great fun and we enjoyed the Movies Under the Stars. The food in the dining room is not as good as Royal Caribbean in our opinion but there were several nights that "Wowed" me. We did like that there were plenty of quick food options such as burgers, hot dogs, pizzas, sandwiches and pastries that were not from the buffet. The drink selection and prices were very good and we enjoyed the variety of themed lounges as well as pool bars.

This was a great cruise and we were very happy to sail Princess. We look forward to our next cruise with them which we have already booked while on board.

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Liz and I hopped aboard the Emerald Princess for a Caribbean Cruise out of Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades). The Cruise Ports includes stops at: Princes Cays, St. Maarten/St. Martin, Grand Turk and St. Thomas. I was a nice seven day cruise with beautiful weather and a great ship.

Princess likes to give the big ship feeling without it being overwhelming which is hard to do when the ship can accommodate 3,070 passengers. Princess managed to give us a relaxing cruise where we didn't feel rushed. The ship was very nice with 4 pools, several restaurants, a spa, various lounges and clubs, shopping and more. The Piazza area was their version of a centrum through the middle of the ship with retail , dining rooms, clubs and bars surrounding the area. The staff aboard were very nice and attentive. I enjoyed that this line attracts an "older crowd", less children and less of the party puking variety twenty somethings that other cruise lines tend to cater to.

We chose this cruise in particular due to their port choices and were happy at the smooth embarkation and disembarkation process. Checking onto the ship was also a breeze with our rooms being ready immediately and our luggage arriving quickly.

The shows and entertainment were great fun and we enjoyed the Movies Under the Stars. The food in the dining room is not as good as Royal Caribbean but there were several nights that "Wowed" me. We did like that there were plenty of quick food options such as burgers, hit dogs, pizzas, sandwiches and pastries that were not from the buffet. The drink selection and prices were very good and we enjoyed the variety of themed lounges as well as pool bars.

This was a great cruise and we were very happy to sail Princess. We look forward to our next cruise with them which we have already booked.

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I always find that when exploring walking is the best way to see everything. As long as the weather isn't sweltering hot it is quite enjoyable to walk around Charlotte Amelie. We enjoyed walking along the water and in and out of side street shops. With the construction issues on the roads its actually quicker to walk than take a taxi.

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For just $4 a person you can have a taxi from the Main Street of Charlotte Amalie shopping to the pier. Most taxi's carry multiple people and look like a mini van or bus. It's an easy and cheap way to get around if you decide not to walk.

I found our Garmin GPS was a life-saver. St. Thomas is difficult to drive, with very few road
signs and windy and hill roads. I was surprised that it worked in St. Thomas with the factory
pre-installed maps. Even several residents of St. Thomas were surprised to find that we had
a GPS that would actually work there. Apparently they didn't know of any that would operate
on their island.

Avis- ---- where do I begin ;)

We had a confirmed car and when we arrived at the desk the lady there told us
they didn't have our car. Her whole attitude was one of complete indifference.
She didn't offer us any explanation but said she would have another car, which was
too small, for us in 10 minutes. After one hour they produced a car. There were four
parties waiting at her desk for cars, and she never gave a word of explanation about
our status. When our car arrived, I inspected it and found it had scrapes down on side of
the vehicle. I went back inside to make sure it was noted on our paperwork. She grunted "it's documented"
and pointed at the paperwork.

We returned it with a full tank of gas, and then the staff showed their only enthusiasm. They asked for
our gas receipt. We couldn't find it at first and then they explained there is a $19.95 charge if you return
the vehicle full of gas but without a receipt. Amazing.

Meanwhile, the Budget Car Rental next to Avis appeared to be moving people in and out smoothly. I
will never use that Avis again and hope that is not indicative of their normal business practices at other
Avis locations.

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Many cruise ships dock at the West Indian Ship Dock such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland America, etc. When we were docked here (Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas)here there were three cruise ships at this dock and three others at Crown Bay. It's a bust port of call. This dock is right by shopping and food and is a short 15 minute walk to the heart of town.

**They have free shuttle buses that take you to the mall if you don't feel like walking. It's a short 5 minute ride.**