# St. Thomas ?`s Again



## Whitesandybeaches1 (Feb 28, 2011)

Sorry I am sure you are tired of the st thomas questions but I just gotta know. We generally never pre plan anything for vacation as far as island tours and excursions but knowing the island gets busy with the cruise ships I think I need to plan and book things before we get there. So yeah more questions.                                                                           

1. If I had my way we`d be chartering a boat to go where we want, but I don't get my way, sooo I am looking at tours to the BVI`s, the baths, the caves, soggy dollar and foxy`s I have it narrowed down to new horizons II, pirates penny and limnos. I have told those in our group about the cost of the tours...I get the cost and why...they are not getting it and don't think it is worth it. Grrrr I say. I know it would be cheaper to take a ferry over but I don't think that is a good idea. anyway....other then the ferry to st. John, what has been your experiences with taking these other ferries to the bvi areas? Do they tend to be a pain? What have others experienced doing this to `save money' if u will?

2. Any suggestions on where to spend St. Patrick`s Day? Or night or both?

3. Are grocery stores open on Sundays? Is anything open on sundays?

4. Who do you recommend for a sunset sail....booze is big for this one. having been seriously considering the fury for this because it picks up at the marriott thus not have to worry about who the designated driver will be?

5. Can you pretty much see the island beaches of st john in a day? We are taking the car ferry over one day.

6. Nighlife.....anything worth it that is on the beach?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks for anything u have to offer.


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## legalfee (Feb 28, 2011)

Whitesandybeaches said:


> Sorry I am sure you are tired of the st thomas questions but I just gotta know. We generally never pre plan anything for vacation as far as island tours and excursions but knowing the island gets busy with the cruise ships I think I need to plan and book things before we get there. So yeah more questions.
> 
> 1. If I had my way we`d be chartering a boat to go where we want, but I don't get my way, sooo I am looking at tours to the BVI`s, the baths, the caves, soggy dollar and foxy`s I have it narrowed down to new horizons II, pirates penny and limnos. I have told those in our group about the cost of the tours...I get the cost and why...they are not getting it and don't think it is worth it. Grrrr I say. I know it would be cheaper to take a ferry over but I don't think that is a good idea. anyway....other then the ferry to st. John, what has been your experiences with taking these other ferries to the bvi areas? Do they tend to be a pain? What have others experienced doing this to `save money' if u will?
> 
> ...



1. Yes the BVI tour is worth it for the Baths alone throw in Treasure Island cave snorkeling and Jost Van Dyke and its unforgetable. I've taken Limnos but I've heard good things about Horizon also.

2. There are so many places to go to its hard to say. I like Iggys as far as a bar. There are some other good ones in Red Hook.

3. Yes the grocery stores are open on Sunday. Food Center on the way to Red Hook is OK. Pueblo not so good.

4. Havent done a sunset sail we usually go out for dinner. Sounds fun though.
Also its not illegal to drink and drive in USVI.

5. We took the car ferry in the morning to St John. The wife spent about 3 hours shopping and we spent 3 hours at Trunk Bay. Trunk Bay is the one to see.

6. The Marriott has live music on the patio at night. As far as dinner on the beach Oceana is the best.


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## Numismatist (Feb 28, 2011)

Enjoy your trip!

The Fury is great, I have been numerous times and have always seen (and swam with) sea turtles.  Sting Rays, lots of bright fish.  I wouldn't classify it as a 'booze cruise'; although they do keep the rum punchies flowing.

St. John, yes, Trunk is the classic beach; however, I'd also skip over to the next one (by car) and see Cinnamon as well.  The shopping is much better in St. John for non-luxury items (CA is well-known for luxury items, think Rolex, etc.) whereas St. John has a nice mix of local stuff.

Overall (imho), St. Thomas/St. John is all about the fish, clear water, and nice beaches.

The Baths (BVI) are a must-see, so is Jost Van Dyke.  IF you're going to spend money, spend it on a nice charter to BVI.


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## dchilds (Feb 28, 2011)

BVI hopping is worth the cost.  Our one day trip was the decision maker for joining Trade Winds.


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## mclyne (Feb 28, 2011)

We will be in St. Thomas in April and are looking into chartering the Fury. We are a family of 6 adults and 5 grandchildren. Would like some feed back from others who have been on the Fury. We are looking into their half-day charter but not sure if it is best to book in the morning or afternoon. Grandchildren really want to see turtles!!!
 Any info would be appreciated. If there are other charters offering half day snorkeling, swimming etc.etc. that you would recommend, I would appreciate 
your input.  Thank you


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## Numismatist (Feb 28, 2011)

Fury is a great 1/2 day - I'd pick the morning just because it has seemed less crowded at Buck Island (where they take you) then.  The captain is very entertaining.

I have personally swam next to sea turtles about 6 inches away.  I have seen Sting Rays and too many fish to name.

The children will especially like jumping off the back of the boat over and over after the snorkeling.

The snacks are so-so, bag of pretzels and such, the alcohol is run punches.  It is definately NOT a drinking cruise, more of a relaxing sail in the warm air.

Last time I was there, if you can tolerate a sales tour, they were giving a free Fury cruise for your party.


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## SpikeMauler (Feb 28, 2011)

We'll be at Frenchman's Cove in less than three weeks. We also plan on BVI Island hopping one of the days there. We have it narrowed down to Pirates Penny or Vibe Boat Charters. I'd prefer Vibe as it's a private charter but the boat is smaller and I'm a little worried about the wife getting sea sick so I'm probably going to book Pirates Penny.
We were there last year for St Patricks Day and was told to check out Molly Molones in Red Hook. We didn't make it there though, as we were having too much fun at the resort. I'd take a cab there that day as parking will be limited and the place will probably be packed with like minded revelers.


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## mclyne (Feb 28, 2011)

Thank you. You info was very helpful


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## Whitesandybeaches1 (Feb 28, 2011)

Thanks for the info. Although I'd prefer a private charter, that's probably not going to happen, having trouble with just the fact it'll probably cost about $200 per person already. but Know we'll probably not travel to the area again either just because we want to check out other islands in general (St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, and on and on) I just have to convince everyone else of that.


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## Whitesandybeaches1 (Feb 28, 2011)

Anyone know what the charge is for the Pirates Penny BVI tour? There are no prices listed on their website that I can see anyway.


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## ailin (Feb 28, 2011)

Whitesandybeaches said:


> Anyone know what the charge is for the Pirates Penny BVI tour? There are no prices listed on their website that I can see anyway.



It's $135 per person, lunch not included, plus $30 customs fees.


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## riverdees05 (Feb 28, 2011)

*Horizons II*

We took the Horizons II from St. John at the end of December 2010.  We booked ahead of time and didn't guess on the best day to take the cruise - it was rough.  We had a good tour, but one of the Grandsons got sick.  They will usually go unless it is really bad, so be prepared.


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## MuranoJo (Feb 28, 2011)

*I'd do a Private Charter*

Whitesandybeaches,
I'm with you--I'd try to talk them into a private charter, that is if you can justify the cost, which really may not be that much more, depending on the size of the party.

We typically look for private charters when traveling with a group and almost always have a better time.  One example was a trip to Puerto Vallarta with a group of 8 adults.  We chartered a 40-ft. sailboat to take a tour of Banderas Bay for seeing the entire Bay from the water, lunch on a beach and snorkeling. (Yeah, PV isn't known for snorkeling, but a few in the party had never tried it and we did see fish.)

We liked the fact that it was our exclusive group and we could adjust the length of time at a location or activity, and it was our call--we didn't have to abide by the group schedule.  We got to know the small crew and they were very accommodating.


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## maryk (Mar 15, 2011)

*Fury from the Marriott?*

Where do you find information on the Fury from the Marriott for 1/2 sails?


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## Numismatist (Mar 16, 2011)

maryk said:


> Where do you find information on the Fury from the Marriott for 1/2 sails?



Right here:

http://www.adventurecenters.net/


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