Saint Thomas

​Saint Thomas and Saint John Virgin Islands

 

   We set sail out of Fort Lauderdale late Sunday afternoon. The next day we were scheduled to visit a small island owned by princess cruises called, Princess Cay. Because of strong winds and 6 to 8 foot swells, the captain decided to push on to Saint Thomas for the safety of his passengers. Princess Cay has no port, so the ship would need to anchor, offshore and passengers be tendered to the island using smaller boats.  The high swells and strong winds would create a hazard for loading and unloading passengers.

   It was about eight in the morning on Wednesday when we docked in Saint Thomas. The sun was shining, the seas were calm, and it was a beautiful, warm day. All on-shore Princess-directed excursions had been filled weeks ago. However, we found a source for local excursions. Saint Thomas is geared for tourism, and there were plenty of sightseeing taxis available for a good price.

   First step, we opted for an island tour. We were soon on board a 12 passenger van and touring a portion of the island. Saint Thomas is beautiful with volcanic mountains and 

    scenic overlooks. We had great vistas of the city as well as places like Megan’s Bay.  We stopped at several placeS along the way to take photos, go  shopping and buy drinks. Our tour lasted about 2 1/2 hours. Our driver dropped us off near our ship.

   From St. Thomas, we took a ferry boat ride to visit the nearby smaller island of St. John. The sign said tickets were $25 and $6 for those over 70.  We liked that price much better. Unfortunately, another sign said the $6 was for local residents only. Bummer!  

   Our son, Matt, said St. John had very beautiful beaches. The ferry docked near what seemed to be downtown and we entered a bustling community of shops, shoppers and sellers.  Mostly we were hungry and our thoughts turned to lunch. We sat down in an outdoor café and ate delicious food while chickens and roosters walked around our table and between our feet as we ate. Very interesting.  

   After lunch, we caught a taxi. The driver took us to a beautiful place called  Trunk Bay. This area was inside another US National Park. At least we would get in for free because I still carried my National Park pass, or so I thought.  I showed my pass at the entrance gate and the lady said my entrance fee would be half-price, but everyone in my party had to pay five dollars each.   As we had no choice, we forked over the money and walked down to the beach. Matt said this was one of his favorite beaches. Indeed, it was beautiful! Pristine turquoise water and white sandy beaches, a rare and beautiful combination! we did not bring swimming gear with us, but we could get our toes wet. The water was comfortable, clean and clear! This would be a beautiful place to sit and simply look upon its  beauty. The tide was coming in and people with lounge chairs kept moving them back to higher ground.  

   For our excursion to Trunk Bay, our taxi driver could best be described as a fearless maniac behind the wheel . He drove so fast on these narrow, winding roads that we had to hang on for dear life. He passed by a couple of scenic overlooks with no thought of stopping or slowing down. if someone wasn’t driving fast enough, he would find a slot and speed around them. It’s a good thing the gas pedal could go no farther than the floor!

   We found a different taxi for our return trip to the ferry. I told him about the other driver. He asked me what color the taxi. I told him red. Somewhere along the way back. He asked me if he was driving as fast as the other guy. I said, “Not even close!”

   After returning to the St. John’s port, we didn’t have to wait long for our ferry ride to St. Thomas. We spent a little time shopping but headed back to our ship earlier than we had planned. It would be 9:00 P.M. before we set sail.