How to Spend A Day in St. Thomas, USVI (From Cruise Ship)

The tropical island of St. Thomas, located in the US Virgin Islands, is known for stunning beaches, crystal clear water, and a good mix of relaxation and adventure. It is also one of the busiest cruise ports in all of the Caribbean, which means if you're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise any time soon, you'll probably find it on your itinerary. The Globetrotting Giant contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you

There's no shortage of options on how to spend a day in St. Thomas. There's something for everyone. From restaurants and shops, to parasailing and snorkeling with the turtles, to just soaking up the sun on one of the many white sand beaches. You can't go wrong with anything you choose, but here is how we decided to spend our port day in St. Thomas aboard the NCL Escape.

Once we arrived in the Havensight port of St. Thomas, we slid open our balcony door to warm sunshine and the beautiful, screensaver worthy turquoise water dotted with sailboats and yachts.

We grabbed a quick eggs benny for breakfast on the ship (because what cruise is complete without stuffing your face), then we grabbed towels from the towel cart, and headed off the ship. Right when you walk out of the security gate of the port, it can be overwhelming. There are a lot of taxis and people trying to sell you tours. We walked through the crowd though to do our own thing. First up: Paradise Point. It is hard to miss, which is great if you're directionally challenged like me. Just look for the tram cables going up the side of a mountain and head in that direction. We walked about 10-15min to get there. At the bottom is a ticket booth, which as of August 2023, it was $24.95 per person for the ride up.

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Since we went as soon as we docked, we almost had the whole place to ourselves. At the top there is a restaurant, shops, and fun yard games like corn hole and jenga. As of August 2023, cocktails were $12, but they make it STRONG, which of course we love. They are known for the bushwhacker drink, which is what my sister got. I got a fruity little drink (cause I can't shoot whisky), which hit the spot. Can't go wrong with drink and a view.

Following this, we headed back down and took a taxi to one of the most popular beaches on the island, Magen's Bay. We had no issues catching a taxi by Paradise Point and it was nice because the fare is regulated, so you won't get hosed like some tourist areas tend to do. As of August 2023, It cost us $12 per person and was a 15-20min drive on winding roads.

There is a $5 per person entrance fee to Magen's Bay, which gives you access to the beach and the bathroom/showers. You can, however, pay extra to rent paddle boards, kayaks, and chairs if you want to!

The area where the chairs are was very crowded since it is right when you walk in. So we decided to skip the chair rentals and walk further to the left where there were less people. 10/10 recommend. We spread our towels on the sand and the whole experience was much more enjoyable and peaceful without the masses of people.

We enjoyed the beautiful, sunny day and took a dip in the crystal clear water. It's nice how the waves are practically non-existent so you can just plop down to cool off without fighting for your life in the waves.

If you get hungry or thirsty, they have a bar and quick grab food place there. They both had long lines, but they move pretty quickly. Drinks were between $9-12 and they made a delicious painkiller. For food, they had things like pizza, burgers, and sandwiches. A bit pricey. For reference in August 2023, it was $16.50 for a kids chicken fingers and fries. But, what are you going to do?! The options are limited and if you're hungry, you're hungry!

We spent a few hours relaxing, and then knew it was time to go when we started to resemble 2 bright red lobsters. It was very easy to get back to the ship. There are plenty of taxis ready, or what we did is take a shared open air shuttle to the cruise port. Both are the same price, just make sure if you're taking the shared one, that you are going to your correct cruise port. There are 2 ports in St. Thomas. Confirm it is the correct one.

Overall, we had a great, relaxing day in St. Thomas, USVI. It was easy to explore on your own, and there is no need to pay the hefty cruise shore excursion prices.