Coral World in St. Thomas

[Disneycrazymom]

Can anyone comment on how they liked Coral World? How does it compare to Sea World? Or is it more like the Living Sea at Epcot? I found a discount coupon at http://www.coralworldvi.com
and I think it might be a nice way to spend the day between there and Coki beach with my 4 year old. Any good or bad comments are appreciated. We would go on our own not with the ship's tour. Thanks!

 

[jcemom]

I always love reading more reviews, so I'd like to know also! That is what we're planning...Coral World and Coki Beach!

 

[myfairygodmother]

Quite honestly, Coral World just can't be compared IMO to Sea World or even The Living Seas. We did ALL of Coral World in just over an hour and thought that the best part was the iguanas that ran wild all over the place(yes--they will bite)! There was one building that reminded me of the living seas where you went down into the center of a large aquarium--the circular room is glass all around so you can see the fish and see them being fed. There is another building that is out in the water and when you go to the lower levels you can see the fish and coral. They also had an open pool with baby sharks and a person that talked about them and let the children touch the sharks. The short "nature trail" did have several varieties of native plants and more iguanas and lizards. There were a couple of other areas that I can't remember the details of right now.

Being a huge Sea World fan and used to the professional expertise with which Sea World & The Living Seas are developed and maintained, Coral World was nothing impressive. We used discount coupons that we had found on the internet so we did not pay full price to get in.

We did very much enjoy Coki Beach which is adjacent to Coral World. One nice feature was that Coral World did have clean bathrooms, showers, and lockers that we were able to use while at Coki Beach. The beach was clean and not very crowded. The water was clear and no current/waves etc. I thought it was a great beach for kids.

Definately do not spend the $$$$$ for the ship excursion there!! This is a VERY easy trip to do on your own for much less money. Just be sure you agree on a price with the taxi driver BEFORE you get in!

 

[tvguy]

I can't compare it to Sea World or Living Sea, but it is a small scale sea life park. I'm have been to Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Coral World can't compare. However, it is an interesting place to visit. My wife and I went there about 18 years ago, and decided that we would take your kids when we went on the
12-27-03 Eastern. They enjoyed it. I should also be noted that we aren't big on shopping, so Coral World is a great place to go if you don't want to spend all day shopping.
We did the Skytram in the morning, which has shops at the top. Went back to the ship for the only lunch we had in the dining room, did Coral World and Shopping in the afternoon. It was a nice balance for us.

 

[Dizzyworld]

We did this side trip on our own with the Coral World coupon. I agree with what everyone else has said. The one plus we saw was for our then DD (6) and DS (8). They had just learned how to snorkle and this was a great place for their first time not in a pool. They could even stand with water just a little above their knees and see fish swimming around their feet. A lady on the beach gave them a few dog biscuits for the fish, which my children loved doing.

We had done the sub in the morning (not a good ride for us since we saw very few fish at that time, just the luck of that day I guess?), lunch on the ship, and then took a taxi to Coral World. Very easy. The kids are now DD (9) and DS (11) and they want to go back in Aug.

 

[jcemom]

Hmmm...well, I certainly didn't expect it to compare to Sea World, but actually I don't even like Living Seas (sorry). I thought I read that there were several touch pools, the sharks, maybe rays?, and something else? That's what I was thinking my kids might like. I was picturing it along the lines of a local aquarium/science center-type exhibits for the kids to interact with. No?

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Thanks everyone, It sounds like a nice option for us to see the beach and DD 4 can see some fish as she can not swim well enough to snorkel yet. My expectations are not too high but for the $46 it is worth it to get to do both.

For those that took a cab over did you prearrange a pick up time or were there cabs there to return to the ship? I know I'll worry about getting back!

 

[SweetSpot]

I agree that Coral World was nothing special if you've been to any other aquarium before but the use of the bathrooms did come in handy. We were through Coral World in less than an hour and we wouldn't do it again but we loved Coki Beach and can't wait to go back. The beach wasn't crowded, clean and although there were locals trying selling there they weren't pushy. My DD got her hair braided (full head $35) and rented chairs for I think $5.00 each. I liked that they brought the chairs and umbrellas to you instead of you renting and then dragging your own like at Magen's Bay.

The taxis are readily available at the port but try and see where your other passengers are going because you could be in for a long ride. We had others that need to get an excursion in St. John that they booked and were running late. We got a free tour of the island but we were in the taxi longer than I would have liked. We didn't prearrange for a ride back because there's a taxi stand in the parking lot and several taxis waiting to take you back to the ship. Give yourself time to get back because the traffic is bad that time of the day with school letting out and others trying to get back to ships. On both our cruises they were calling out peoples names and cabin who were late getting back to the ship in St. Thomas.