St. Thomas Excursions, Can it be done?

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aoscruiser

Guest
We have heard that Coral World is great and can be done in a couple of hours. We also have heard that the Snorkeling is great at Coki Beach and Magen's Bay is a gorgeous beach not to be missed.

We will be docking at 7am and leaving port at 5pm. Are we dreaming that we could fit all 3 of these excursions in one visit? If so, what should we leave off?

Thanks!
 
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bombero

Guest
We've not been to Coral World, but heard it was nice.. Been to Coki Beach for snorkeling, that is great (go to the right end where the rocks jut out). Magens Bay is pretty, but not much to do there except lay in the sun. If I were to drop one, I'd drop Magens Bay, unless you really love the beach.. If you want a great tour, you can book your own off ship for about half price.. Try, Godfrey@godfreytoursvi.com , he gives you an excellent tour and will drop you off at Coki and see that you get picked up in time to make your ship.. Bombero

=bigwave :FL =bigwave
 
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wile1170

Guest
I agree with bombero....skip Magens Bay...you'll see it from the mountain top as you drive to Coral World...which is probably the best way to see it....Magens Bay is really not that great of a beach when you are actually on it....the last couple times I've been there, it has been filled with locals bar-b-que crowds... the water is usually merky too...

I've snorkelled at Coral World...it's pretty good....they will give you dog food to feed the fish with...
 
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Camelia

Guest
The problem with getting into St. Thomas is that you have to go through immigrations, which is such a waste of time (even though I understand why it is necessary). Depending on when you actually get off the ship, you will see how much you can actually see. We went over to St. John, and found the island to be incredibly beautiful, much nicer than St. Thomas.
 
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bombero

Guest
We've been to St Thomas 4 times now and have never had to go through customs... It may be a particular cruise lines rule, but I've never had to... Bombero
 
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aoscruiser

Guest
My understanding is that if we go from one US port (San Juan) to another US port (St. Thomas) we won't have to go through immigrations. I think the problem arises when you've been to a non-US port and then reenter a US port. Can anyone confirm that?
 
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JeffFwa

Guest
Aoscruiser is correct. When you go from a US port to an international port (like St. Martin), and then back to a US port (like St. Thomas), you have to go through immigration, not customs. It's really very quick. You line up outside the dining room and just walk through. First the scan your seapass card, and then you show your passport to an immigration officer. It takes all of 10 minutes, depending on the size of the line. But the line should move quickly anyway.

Jeff
 
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JeffFwa

Guest
If all you want to do in St. Thomas is shop, you should definitely just head into town. It's a $3 cab fare, and the shopping is some of the best in the Caribbean. When you are ready to head back to the ship, there are more cabs or open air buses available then you'd find in any city in the US.
 
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Got2Cruise

Guest
We were on a recent sailing of the AOS and the line for immigration was not the usual ten minutes it was more like an hour and one half. The reason? The U.S. Immigrations and Customs (which are the same dept.) only sent two inspectors to clear the 3,000 American citizens. Usually they send six inspectors for the American citizens. You are really at the mercy of U.S. Immigrations.
 
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gfyjny

Guest
I'll be in St. Thomas next year via Carnival Cruise and this is how I planned out my stay there.
8:30am Coki Dive Club is picking me up from the port to Coki Beach for my Scub Diving Course (Free transportation, you can take a Snorkeling Tour with them for $30)
11:00am done with the tour and receive your $4 off coupon for Coral World (Right next to the dive club)
1:00pm done with Coral World and take a taxi to Magen's Bay.
4:00pm take a taxi back to the port

I hope this plan would help you with your trip.
 
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Camelia

Guest
When we got into St. Thomas in March, it poured. That, coupled with immigration, we got off the ship at about 11:30. Thank goodness the ship left at 10 pm, otherwise we wouldn't have had time for anything.
 
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Cruisin'Kim

Guest
We were at St. Thomas last August, and didn't have to go through immigration - our group loved Megan's Bay - water was very clear, beach was nice. (If you go down the beach a bit, away from the restaurant, it's not as crowded).

Coral World was great - it only took us a little over an hour to go through it.

Didn't go to Coki Beach.

Shopping is Great in Town - electronics and Jewellery.

Bon Voyage!

Kim.
 
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