Life with Mrs C

Day 2 was our first day in a port , docking in Charlotte Amalie, part of the US Virgin Islands. In our first three ports we are visiting US territory’s so we needed an ESTA visa and to go through US immigration. A small tip I picked up was the book a ship planned excursion, as this would typically get the immigration element done super early, so when we saw an excursion to a pirate museum we knew we had to!

We booked this trip prior to flying out (around 2/3 months before hand). The night before we were left a leaflet explaining the immigration process, so we headed down as we were told for 7:00am to the show lounge to wait. We were called up first and first trip to leave, headed over to the Squid and Anchor and within 20 minutes we were through! Super easy, just presented passports and ESTA visas and then had our cruise cards punched to say we were ok to leave the ship.

We then headed for breakfast again at the buffet as we enjoyed this the first time round, and then had a wander and a chill before meeting our bus to leave for the excursion. We were headed to Drakes view point, Magens Bay and the Pirate treasure museum.

We were picked up from the dock area after gathering and being given our wristbands, and we all filed into a bus and taken on the initial small tour of the island up to Drakes Viewpoint. We stopped here for around ten minutes so we could all get the photo opportunity and honestly the views were like nothing had ever seen before!

Following this we went back down to Magens Bay. We were dropped here for around 2 hours, giving us plenty of time to sunbathe, wander the beach, take in the views and get some food and drink from the beach hut and bars. The beach was incredibly busy, however it was a Saturday but we found a table in the shade to sit for a little while then decided to go for a wander and a paddle in the sea.

We did walk all the way to one end of the beach, then to the other, before heading back to the middle and grabbing some pizza. I am normally good with food pictures however we were that hungry and it was that good it was gone before I remembered (oops). Once our time was up, we headed to where we were told to meet the bus, we all got back onboard and headed to our final stop, the History of Pirates in the Caribbean museum (the part the hubby was most excited about!)

Here we were left to our own devices following a short video, to wander around at our hearts content and then walk back to the ship when we were done.

We probably spent about an hour to an hour and a half in the museum, which was full of fascinating objects recovered from the seas, history about pirates, and the pirates around the Caribbean Islands. They also had a rover which had been used in deep sea dives to recover artefacts, as well as some interactive elements such as the tornado simulator!

Following this we headed out and to a local brewery – The Leatherback Brewing Company – which the hubby had searched and found prior to going. They have a large brewery on another island, however the small batch brewery was attached to a bar where you could try some of their craft beers!

We opted for a 4 flight, allowing us a quarter pint of 4 of their beers to try. This also gave us free WiFi to check in at home with the families. The bar itself was really welcoming and a super friendly environment. We opted for a variety of beers to try, and really enjoyed all 4, would highly recommend if you are ever there!

After this we headed back to the ship to get ready for the evening, where we decided to eat in the main dining room – 47 Degrees. We also wanted to try the smoked cocktails in Bar 11 up on deck 11, as these were a perk for us being included on our premium all inclusive (otherwise they are £3.95 each – still well worth it as a treat!) Mr C had a smoked old fashioned, and I opted for a Sweet and Smokey Margarita – both were delicious!

We also took the opportunity to watch the sail away as we missed it the evening before. Due to the immigration we were in port until 8:00pm, so we had plenty of time to get to deck to see us push off. The island in the evening was stunning! All the small lights around the island and the harbour were just magical.

I’m sure we’d visit again if St Thomas is on an itinerary we are looking at, and definitely look to book another trip to help with the immigration process.

Have you ever been to St Thomas before?

Our next stop is San Juan in Porto Rico – join us soon for our next port day!!

XOXO