WHAT I LOVED IN ST. THOMAS, U.S.V.I.

The first port stop on our recent cruise was St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. We were excited because it was our first visit to the Virgin Islands. The ship departed San Juan at 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night, and since the Virgin Islands are just a hop, skip and a jump from Puerto Rico, by 8:00 a.m the next morning we were docked in St. Thomas.

We did not to book a shore excursion; for our first visit we took advantage of the inexpensive taxis/trolleys ($4/person) that travel between the cruise ship terminal to visit the town of Charlotte Amalie. Having never been to St. Thomas, I didn't know what to expect, but here are four of my memories of our visit...

First: the view from our cabin balcony...this is one of the reasons a balcony cabin on a cruise is a must. We just opened the door and saw this gorgeous scene...look at that water filled with sailboats and the green hills dotted with houses!

Second: The picturesque, cobblestone alleys between the old pirate warehouses that sit between Dronnigens Gade, the main shopping street, and the waterfront.

These buildings are made from ship ballast, stone and molasses. You can see that in the texture of the walls of the buildings in the photo below.

Instead of pirate booty, these warehouses now contain duty-free stores and outdoor restaurants.

Third: The colors: I just love the brilliant colors you see everywhere in the Caribbean. Even on dilapidated buildings, the colors present so many photo opportunities.

Fourth: The white and dark chocolate from the Belgian Chocolate Factory. I am a dark chocolate fanatic! When I researched St. Thomas for the upcoming trip and read about the Belgian Chocolate Factory, it became the #1 shopping destination in this port stop. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. P.S. the white chocolate was for husband.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by me during our visit to St. Thomas in April, 2015.

FIRST PORT STOP: CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S.V.I.

On our upcoming cruise, Carnival Liberty doesn't depart the San Juan port until 10:00 at night. This is a first for us as we are used to departing port in the late afternoon. We arrive in our first port stop just the next morning at 7:00 a.m., a hop, skip and a jump from San Juan: the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This will be our first trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of course being a part of the United States, U.S. dollars are accepted everywhere, U.S. visitors usually don’t pay roaming charges for cell-phone use, and English is spoken everywhere. Since we are docked in Charlotte Amalie until 5:00 p.m., we would have enough time for a shore excursion plus shopping time back in town.

One possible shore excursion would take us to the island of St. John and the Trunk Bay Beach.

© www.St.John-USVI-Information.com

© www.stjohnusvi.thebeach.vi

You can see from these photos why Trunk Bay is considered one of the world's most beautiful beaches. 

There is a 225-yard long snorkel trail...
© www.seestjohn.com

with signs with arrows to point you in the right direction...
© www.seestjohn.com

and give information about what the sealife you may see...
© www.seestjohn.com

Since the excursion is only 4½ hours, we'll have time for some duty-free shopping. Remember: U.S. residents enjoy a $1,600 duty-free allowance here...twice the allowance of other islands. Not that I'll be spending even close to that amount of money!!

A frequent cruiser will be familiar with those stores that seem to be in every port: Diamonds International, Del Sol, Little Switzerland, etc. However there are some other places I have read about that I think we'll visit instead:

Within walking distance from the dock are the Shops of Yacht Haven Grande. With upscale retailers such as Louis Vuitton, BCBG Maxazria, Gucci, fun-sounding stores such as How ‘Bout Your Pet, 1 Eyed Jack’s, Flip-Flop Shops and Pirates of Red Hook, clothing stores such as Aqua Beachwear and Bella Vera and eateries named Da Lime in Da Coconut and Fat Turtle, this mall sounds like a great place to visit. Of course there are also gorgeous waterfront views with the magnificent megayachts docked in the harbor.
© www.yachthavengrande.com




© www.shopsatyhg.com)

A 5-minute taxi ride away is downtown Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Here is where you find the usual cruise port shops like Diamonds International. However my research has discovered a store which sells much better, and more delicious, merchandise: The Belgian Chocolate Factory! This is a must-see store!
© www.thebelgianchocolatefactory.com

Now as much as I love Belgian chocolate, one cannot live (realistically) on sweets alone. I have discovered a couple of other restaurants nearby that are possibilities for a late lunch:

Directly across the plaza from The Belgian Chocolate Factory is Greengos Caribbean Cantina:
© www.foodidude.com

They look like they serve up some delicious tacos... 
© www.greengoscantina.com

Directly on the waterfront of Charlotte Amalie is Big Kahuna Rum Shack.
© www.bigkahunausvi.com

Whereas Greengos Caribbean Cantina is a Mexican-style restaurant, Big Kahuna has a variety of burgers, club sandwiches and flatbreads. Check out their menu here. 

We are really looking forward to our first visit to the U.S. Virgin Islands. After a day at sea, our second port stop is Barbados, an island I have always wanted to visit. I'll talk about our possible plans for our visit in Barbados in my next post. 

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner