Taxi in St. Thomas

[TKH]

We are looking at excursions for our Eastern Caribbean this fall and have a few questions! My boys (6 years, 4 years, and 12 months) want to go to Coral World. DH wants to golf at Mahogany Run. If I do Coral World on my own with 3 little ones (generally well-behaved) would you think that's safe? How about the taxi rides? Do they allow/recommend car seats? Would we each (even the baby) be charged a fare? Is it better to just book through Disney? Thanks for any help!

 

[MarkRG]

The *only* reason I recommend doing the Disney excursion over a taxi to Coral World if you're concerned, is it is on the far side of the island from the port and it is common to have events on the island that totally mess up the roads. The tour operators are always in contact with DCL and there's less risk of unanticipated problems. The taxis are quite safe, though I have no info on how they are with kids.

 

[cathyalby]

You will be just fine on your own. Coral World is really cool, but you could just go across the street to Coki Beach and see TONS of fish on your own for free. Lots of cruisers go there. Or, if your husband golfs, you could continue on to Magens Bay Beach which isn't far from the golf course. It's beautiful- bathrooms, restaurant... my kids loved it when we went. They were 8, 6, and 5 at the time.

 

[kcashner]

Taxis are safe and plentiful. I can't tell you whether they would charge for the baby or charge lower rates for the kids. Coral World is very easy to do on your own, and Coki Beach is right across the parking lot. You'll get wrist bands when you go to Coral World that will allow you to go in and out, giving you access to their rest rooms, etc. if you go to the beach. DD really enjoyed the "touch tanks" at Coral World.

There are sometimes discount coupons available on line and in the tourist magazine available at the tourist info booth at the port. Frankly, another reason to do it on your own is that if one of the kids is decompensating, you can leave!

 

[smoof]

There is a taxi stand where only "licensed" taxis can pick you up. The taxis are perfectly safe. As a poster said earlier, traffic can be worse than you can imagine, so leave early and plan on getting back early. I am not sure about getting to Coral World, but when I tried to get to the airport from the port I ran into a little hassel because a lot of people didn't want to go there. Basically, the taxis will fill up with up to 12 people and since I was going off the beaten track it took a little more time than if I was just going to a heavilyt traveled tourist site.

 

[DISNEYGATOR]

Taxi fares by licensed cabs in the US Virgin islands are regulated with set prices. I always felt safe. Just factor in time and traffic and leave plenty of time to make it back to port.

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

We took a taxi to a beach the Passporter guide recommended on the other side of the Island and arranged for him to come get us at a pre-arranged time and give us a short tour of the Island. The guy was friendlier and I felt safer than in any North American cab.

 

[tvguy]

Caribbean taxis may, or may not have seat belts, so a car seat could be useless. Seat belts are not required.
Many taxis are U.S. brand pickups with sections of the side cut out of the pickup bed, and bench seats bolted in, or a similar type setup.

 

[HappyPeach]

I used taxis in St. Thomas in February. My 4 y/o was the same fare as an adult. We rode in a closed van-type taxi over and an open-air type (as in the pp's photos) going back to the ship. Neither would have accommodated a carseat and the open-air type didn't have seatbelts at all.

 

[capitalmom]

We took a taxi (van) in St. Thomas with our 11 month old and there was a seatbelt so we could attach the carseat - I just didn't feel safe travelling without one... when we got off the ship, we just asked the dispatcher to get us a van rather than one of the open air taxis and it was not a problem. We went to Magen's Bay beach and just arranged a time to be picked up by the same driver who took us back to the ship.

 

[disfreaks]

About how much was the taxi from the port to Magen's Bay? Just trying to get an idea of the cost. Thanks!

 

[threebeesatdisney]

If you go to Megan's Bay beach and don't arrange a time for a cab to come back and get you...are there cabs sitting there waiting for fares? or do you suggest DEFINITELY setting up a return time? I just wondered because if we were having a blast at the beach I wouldn't want to cut our time short but then again maybe we would want to leave soon after we arrived at the beach. I don't know because I have never been to Megan's Bay beach.

 

[capitalmom]

disfreaks - the taxi cost $10 per person one-way (can't remember if they charged for the baby or not). A few years ago when we went, it was $8 - we may have paid more this time since we had a large van just for the 6 of us. Admission to the beach is an additional $3 or $4 per person, plus the cost of renting chairs if you so choose.

threebees - there are lots of taxis at Magen's Bay if you don't want to arrange a set pick up time. There have large vans and the open air buses that run constantly. It's not like a private taxi service - since pretty much everyone is heading back to the port, they just fill them up and send you back in groups. Price is the same.

 

[williamson_ja]

The price was $10 for a taxi to Coki beach in Jan. The ride took 45 min. first thing in the morning because they were dropping people off at other beaches before we went to coki (next to Coral world). Allow plenty of time for travel if you go there. It was a lovely beach. I didn't spend the extra money to get into coral world because there were so many fish to see at the beach itself. It was just lovely. Hope you have a good cruise!

 

[threebeesatdisney]

Thanks CapitalMom!