Lifelong_Dreamer
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2007
- Messages
- 15,138
All loaded up in our trucks we were about to pull out and head back to the ship when a lady came running yelling for them to wait. She was very lucky, they almost left without her. You don't want to mess with time on these excursions, when they tell you that the trucks will be leaving at such and such a time they really are leaving right at that time whether you are there are not. The excursion leader did give a 20 minute warning through the lifeguards bullhorn which I thought was very generous of him. So with the lady safely seated on the truck we were off.
The guide told us some more stories about the island on the way back. He told us all about how the military used to use the island as a naval base and how they sunk a bunch of ships outside the harbour once they decided to no longer use the area. He also told us there are a lot of sunken pirate boats and it is strictly forbidden for people to scavenge the wrecks so there is a bunch of sunken treasure down on the ocean floor that nobody can touch.
Also the owner of the house pictured below had that pirate ship and tug boat built for his grandson to play with. Talk about having a bit too much money on your hands!
The excursion dropped us off right next to the Magic sometime between 12:30 and 1. The all aboard time was 4:30 so Mom and I decided to stroll through the open-air mall near the ship and go up to Paradise Point.
We had to get rid of our wet towels first though as we did not want to carry them around with us. Unlike Tortola they did not have a spot outside the ship where you could leave your towels. A crew member kindly offered to take the towels off our hands so that we would not have to board the ship to get rid of them.
Walking through the shopping area you would not know you were in the Caribbean. It looked just like an outdoor mall in the States with familiar stores like Subway, Sunglass Hut, etc.
There were taxis driving around the area and would honk to get our attention and see if we wanted a ride. We turned them down though as Paradise Point was not a long walk.
To get to Paradise Point you have to take the St Thomas skyride. It costs $21 per person, pretty pricey but you get amazing views of the island on the ride up and of course once you get up there.
So you are probably wondering what is up at Paradise Point. Well there are several shops that sell your typical tourist ware and also fake designer handbags. There is a bar/restaurant which overlooks the Charlotte Amalie harbour. There is also a bird show that is conducted three times a day (we did not get to see it). And there is a wedding gazebo and short nature trail.
Mom and I browsed the gift shops but made no purchases, we then made our way down to the restaurant to take a picture of the beautiful view.
It was very hot and humid out so we decided to order the house specialty, a Baileys Bushwhacker, and sit at one of the tables and relax.
OMG! This drink was sooooo good, tasted like a chocolate milkshake, couldn't even taste the alcohol at all which was surprising considering how much goes in it.
The drink was so good, I could have had several more but at $8 a pop decided against it.
We did not explore the nature trail as the humidity was really starting to bother Mom. She has MS and the heat and humidity can really make her nerves hurt and ache.
Having seen everything there was to see up there we caught the skyride back down.
The walk back to the ship took maybe 10-15 minutes max. I had to take a picture of the license plates, they are so pretty!
Our cards scanned we were welcomed back into the sweet sweet air conditioning of the Disney Magic.
My impressions on St Thomas/St. John and our Trunk Bay excursion:
Trunk Bay - So so beautiful. I had seen pictures of it beforehand and was impressed but nothing can compare to seeing the beauty of this wonderful place in person. The beach is pristine, the water the most beautiful blue and crystal clear. The snorkeling was excellent and the trail was well marked. It was also nice that park staff were on hand to give lessons free of charge to beginner snorkelers such as myself. The public facilities were large and looked clean, always important.
The excursion - I was very impressed with the company that Disney booked our excursion with. They were very orderly and explained how everything was going to work so that there was no confusion. Our guide was friendly and personable and gave us some great stories about the island and its history. The boat that took as to and from St John was comfortable and spacious, they sold water bottles on board for a reasonable price compared to what was charged on island. The only downfall of the excursion was how short it was. I felt that I had very little time to enjoy the beach after snorkeling.
St John - Beautiful island! I love the fact that it is preserved as a National Park so that people can enjoy the untarnished beauty of the Caribbean, I would love to stay at The Westin located here in the future. I feel that St John is definitely worth a visit if your cruise docks in St Thomas.
St Thomas - From what a saw it is a beautiful island. Much more developed than Tortola was but that was not a surprise. St Thomas is a major tourist destination whereas Tortola is just starting to enter the scene. It was nice seeing familiar stores as it felt like home but the area we explored was lacking a unique Caribbean/local flair because as I wrote earlier it felt just like we were on mainland USA.
Paradise Point - Views were fantastic, the Bushwhacker was delicious, not sure it was worth $21 per person though. I am glad we went up once to see the view but not sure we would do it again simply because of the expense. I guess for this one you would have to decide how important getting that view is to you, I can see for a larger family how it might not be worth it because $21 pp can add up fast!
Overall I can't wait to visit St Thomas again whether it be on a cruise ship or on a land vacation. It would be the perfect place to stay as it has its own wonderful beaches and water activities but also provides easy transport to the other surrounding islands.
Click here to continue
The guide told us some more stories about the island on the way back. He told us all about how the military used to use the island as a naval base and how they sunk a bunch of ships outside the harbour once they decided to no longer use the area. He also told us there are a lot of sunken pirate boats and it is strictly forbidden for people to scavenge the wrecks so there is a bunch of sunken treasure down on the ocean floor that nobody can touch.
Also the owner of the house pictured below had that pirate ship and tug boat built for his grandson to play with. Talk about having a bit too much money on your hands!
The excursion dropped us off right next to the Magic sometime between 12:30 and 1. The all aboard time was 4:30 so Mom and I decided to stroll through the open-air mall near the ship and go up to Paradise Point.
We had to get rid of our wet towels first though as we did not want to carry them around with us. Unlike Tortola they did not have a spot outside the ship where you could leave your towels. A crew member kindly offered to take the towels off our hands so that we would not have to board the ship to get rid of them.
Walking through the shopping area you would not know you were in the Caribbean. It looked just like an outdoor mall in the States with familiar stores like Subway, Sunglass Hut, etc.
There were taxis driving around the area and would honk to get our attention and see if we wanted a ride. We turned them down though as Paradise Point was not a long walk.
To get to Paradise Point you have to take the St Thomas skyride. It costs $21 per person, pretty pricey but you get amazing views of the island on the ride up and of course once you get up there.
So you are probably wondering what is up at Paradise Point. Well there are several shops that sell your typical tourist ware and also fake designer handbags. There is a bar/restaurant which overlooks the Charlotte Amalie harbour. There is also a bird show that is conducted three times a day (we did not get to see it). And there is a wedding gazebo and short nature trail.
Mom and I browsed the gift shops but made no purchases, we then made our way down to the restaurant to take a picture of the beautiful view.
It was very hot and humid out so we decided to order the house specialty, a Baileys Bushwhacker, and sit at one of the tables and relax.
OMG! This drink was sooooo good, tasted like a chocolate milkshake, couldn't even taste the alcohol at all which was surprising considering how much goes in it.
- Baileys
- Amaretto
- Kahlua
- Vodka
- Coconut Rum
The drink was so good, I could have had several more but at $8 a pop decided against it.
We did not explore the nature trail as the humidity was really starting to bother Mom. She has MS and the heat and humidity can really make her nerves hurt and ache.
Having seen everything there was to see up there we caught the skyride back down.
The walk back to the ship took maybe 10-15 minutes max. I had to take a picture of the license plates, they are so pretty!
Our cards scanned we were welcomed back into the sweet sweet air conditioning of the Disney Magic.
My impressions on St Thomas/St. John and our Trunk Bay excursion:
Trunk Bay - So so beautiful. I had seen pictures of it beforehand and was impressed but nothing can compare to seeing the beauty of this wonderful place in person. The beach is pristine, the water the most beautiful blue and crystal clear. The snorkeling was excellent and the trail was well marked. It was also nice that park staff were on hand to give lessons free of charge to beginner snorkelers such as myself. The public facilities were large and looked clean, always important.
The excursion - I was very impressed with the company that Disney booked our excursion with. They were very orderly and explained how everything was going to work so that there was no confusion. Our guide was friendly and personable and gave us some great stories about the island and its history. The boat that took as to and from St John was comfortable and spacious, they sold water bottles on board for a reasonable price compared to what was charged on island. The only downfall of the excursion was how short it was. I felt that I had very little time to enjoy the beach after snorkeling.
St John - Beautiful island! I love the fact that it is preserved as a National Park so that people can enjoy the untarnished beauty of the Caribbean, I would love to stay at The Westin located here in the future. I feel that St John is definitely worth a visit if your cruise docks in St Thomas.
St Thomas - From what a saw it is a beautiful island. Much more developed than Tortola was but that was not a surprise. St Thomas is a major tourist destination whereas Tortola is just starting to enter the scene. It was nice seeing familiar stores as it felt like home but the area we explored was lacking a unique Caribbean/local flair because as I wrote earlier it felt just like we were on mainland USA.
Paradise Point - Views were fantastic, the Bushwhacker was delicious, not sure it was worth $21 per person though. I am glad we went up once to see the view but not sure we would do it again simply because of the expense. I guess for this one you would have to decide how important getting that view is to you, I can see for a larger family how it might not be worth it because $21 pp can add up fast!
Overall I can't wait to visit St Thomas again whether it be on a cruise ship or on a land vacation. It would be the perfect place to stay as it has its own wonderful beaches and water activities but also provides easy transport to the other surrounding islands.
Click here to continue
Thanks Lessa!
My photobucket account has reset for the month and all the pictures that were blocked are now showing again! 
Let's just say I was not lucky with my health and physical comfort this trip. 
I still had a good time though!
