Coral World, worth it??

[disneygatorfan]

Is Coral World worth it?

If so, about how much did it cost to get there via taxi?

Also, is it a lot of walking outside where one might get overheated easily, or are some of the exhibits inside, ore are there places to sit inside, or in the shade?

How long would you say you would stay there on average?

Is the food pricey at the snack bars?

 

[debm]

I think you will get lots of different opinions. We took the coral world and island drive excursion. First and only excursion we have ever been on in 4 cruises. The drive was cool---but scary in the open air bus ( a modified truck) with no seat belts, 4 kids, etc. AND crazy drivers. But when we got to Coral World I honestly thought "this is IT?" It almost looked like a Wally World thing to me. It actually was nicely done, especially if you wanted a chance to get in the water with the fish. I thought that part was set up really nice. The aquariums and viewing areas were nice but I think for me it was just VERY small. Looking at the map I expected something much larger. And with my young kids they ran around and were done in 15 minutes. We had to do something for the 1 1/2 to 2 hours we had to wait for the ride back. Didn't eat there because we were to cheap and wanted the good food on the ship. the gift store was very nice I thought. Much like a museum shop in the STates. Some very unique but nice products.

I think it depends on the ages of kids, if any. One of those things you may just have to experience to know. It definitely wasn't a "wow" impressive thing to us.

 

[DrCavin]

We took a taxi to CW & I think it was about $20 for 4 people. My kids loved CW, they were 4 & 6 at the time. It is pretty small and we were there for about 2 hours. We took our time going around & waited for a shark petting session.

They do have the underwater adventure where you basically walk a path underwater with a helmet on that supplies air. It is not for young kids, but did look pretty interesting.

 

[DIScruisers4]

We went to Coral World in January 2002. We had a large group, from grandma to grandchildren. The taxi was $7.00 per person, but we negotiated a lower rate for our return trip. Everyone liked Coral World. There's nothing exceptional about it, but did have a variety of things to see and do, especially for the young ones. After about 1 and 1/2 hours or so, we went to the adjacent beach (I believe it was Coki Beach) and spent about two hours there. It was very nice, and made the overall trip worth it.

Hope you enjoy your trip

 

[kplatt]

We have been to St. Thomas 3 times and have visited Coral World each time. It's not a razzle-dazzle kind of place, but our family loves it.

My kids are now 14 and 12 and still want to visit again. The activities (sting ray feeding, etc.) are nicely timed so that you can leisurely move from one to another. It's never been crowded on the days we visited, making for a very relaxing day. My son and I did the Sea Trek (underwater with the helmets) on our last visit and loved it. On our second visit we saw newly born seahorses ranging from a few hours to several days old. While we've never been to Coki Beach next door, I think you can re-enter Coral World with your wristband to take advantage of the showers.

Our neighbors vacationed on St. Thomas for a week and went to Coral World twice!

Karen

Wonder 11/01
Magic 3/02
Magic 11/02
Carnival Destiny (don't ask) 12/03
Booked on Eastbound-Panama Canal Magic 8/05

 

[tvguy]

We have the Monterey Bay Aquarium so, compared to that, Coral World isn't much.
DW and I went years ago to Coral World, before kids. We took the kids on our 12-27-03 Eastern. They seemed to like it, but not positive we would go back. We wanted the Atlantis submarine, but it was already sold out 60 days before our cruise (almost to the hour). We did eat lunch there, they have a small hamburger stand, and, even as cheap as I am, I didn't find it expensive, and the food was good.
Problem for my wife and I is, we have been to St Thomas 5 times now. We got burned out on the shopping after the first two trips, the next two we used the St. Thomas day to sleep in. Unfortunately, on Disney, you CAN'T sleep in because everyone HAS to report for an immigration inspection BEFORE 7 am on board.
So we got up early, had breakfast, rode the Skytram first thing, and did Coral World in the afternoon.
Yes, the transportation is interesting in St. Thomas now. Everything 15 years ago was an air conditioned van. Now, they use full size long bed Ford/Chevy/Dodge pickups. They mount bench seats in the pickup bed, and cut the right side of the bed off so people can get in and out.