More excerpts from the guide book I made for my family on our cruise two years ago. Once again, probably way too much information.
St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. (Charlotte Amalie)
St. Thomas is known as an idyllic vacation spot today, but its history is not so peaceful. In the 18th century, the island was at the center of a bustling pirate culture, as swashbuckling pirates such as Blackbeard and Drake traded stolen wares in the port of Charlotte Amalie. This world-renowned Caribbean island is home to amazing beaches, gorgeous sea and landscapes and unbelievable duty-free shopping.
St. Thomas is 32-square-miles and is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Charlotte-Amalie was one of the major slave-trading centers in the Caribbean. Most native Virgin Islanders are the descendants of slaves brought from Africa. The Danes ruled St. Thomas with only a few short interruptions from 1666 to 1917. Charlotte-Amalie was named after a Danish queen. St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix were known as the Danish West Indies until the U.S. purchased the territory in 1917 during World War I, prompted by fears that Germany would establish a U-boat base in the western hemisphere. Charlotte-Amalie is considered one of the busiest cruise ports in the world.
While the beaches and ocean are beautiful, there is one thing that really sets St. Thomas apart - shopping. Browse through the shop-lined streets of Charlotte Amalie and find out why St. Thomas is called the "duty-free shopping capital of the world." Shop for duty-free trinkets and bargains on everything from liquor to imported china and crystal. Visitors can bring home $1,200 in merchandise without paying duty - twice the limit of most of the Caribbean. This is considered the best shopping in all of the Caribbean according to several guide books. Only Aruba rated as high as St. Thomas for shopping bargains in the Caribbean.
Other suggestions for St. Thomas include taking a ride on Skyline Drive and enjoy a breathtaking view of St. Thomas Harbor. You can also travel to Mountain Top, the highest point on St. Thomas, and see spectacular views of Magens Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Coral World Marine Park allows you to touch sea stars at the touch pool or explore the mystery of life in a mangrove lagoon off the Coastal Trail. You can sit back and enjoy a relaxing half-day sail to Buck Island aboard a large sailing yacht, then snorkel in Turtle Cove. St. Thomas also allows you to submerge yourself in a sci-fi adventure. Trek around coral reefs and get up close and personal with the marine life on the Atlantis Submarine. A helicopter adventure is offered allowing guest to experience a bird's-eye view of the beauty of St. Thomas. You can also travel 700 feet above the sea via skyride to The Paradise Point and see the most fantastic vistas in the Caribbean.
St. Thomas is the bargain-shopping bazaar of the Caribbean. There are over 400 shops along the Main Street area in Charlotte Amalie and some 50 more in Havensight Mall. Great bargains are found on precious gemstones, and on fine jewelry and watches from designers like C2K, Caribbean Hook, Chopard, Honora, House of Tanzanite, John Atencio, John Hardy, Kabana, La Nouvelle Bague, Roberto Coin, Starnight, White Diamonds, Alfex, Concord, Gucci, Maurice Lacroix, Michele, Movado, Wenger and more. St. Thomas also features excellent buys on luxury items like perfume, leather, imported linens, china and crystal. Cameras, electronic goods, and designer clothing are also available, as are a selection of island rums and liquors, with great bargains on your favorite spirits. Discounts are as much as 20 to 50% below U.S. prices. Suggested publications in St. Thomas to assist with finding the bargains are This Week and Best Buys.
The time zone is 4 hours ahead of California. The U.S. dollar (USD) is the official currency for all of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Traveler's checks and credit cards are also widely accepted. The official language in all of the U.S. Virgin Islands is English.
I made color booklets for everyone. I'm not sure they even read this stuff. The one thing they liked was my timeline of who will be where at what time. I included everything. Even the time that I would be hitting the first bar at the airport before my flight to Miami. It was funny because a lot of the joking predictions I made came true such as my youngest brother joining the "best legs" contest.
I made a reservation for a tour in St. Thomas...my parents haven't been there, so we decided that for the 5 of us...we would use Godfrey. It is only $25 pp and we will take Ally to Coral World.
If anyone is interested in joining us...please let me know and I can add numbers to the reservation.
Well for starters, I personally would prefer to do a ships tour since this involves going to another island, not that far away, but still another island. There is the St john Beach & Snorkel Tour. It is 4 hours and leaves at 8 30 a.m. That puts us back at the ship in plently of time. In fact enough time to go to Havensight Mall if one is so inclined or whatever. I prefer not to do a tour that will take all day. Have you looked at the excursions? Any ideas?
Anniee, I looked and I wasn't thrilled with anything offered. I really just want to get to St Johns and look around. I'm not sure if taking the ferry on our own is the best idea either.
You could probably do the ferry out of Red Hook without any problems, Hanna. I would like to go up to Mountain Top again. Loved the banana daquiries (and I don't even drink those drinks) and the view was fabulous. Here is the view of Megan's Bay from Mountain Top.
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