We Broke Our Own Rule: St. Thomas

When you book with us or talk about cruises with us we always will suggest booking excursions through the cruise line for safety and peace of mind that you won't get stuck on a random island if you don’t make it back to the ship on time. On our most recent cruise on the Celebrity Equinox, we broke this rule when we went to the beautiful island of St. Thomas.

You are probably wondering how we got to the point of breaking our own rule. Let me rewind to embarkation day when we met friends within the first 3 hours of being on board. We booked two excursions through Celebrity for two of the other ports but all four of us really wanted a beach day in St. Thomas. We decided together we would get a taxi and venture to Magen’s Bay and boy, we do not regret it at all!

When we got off our ship we found Issac, a lovely taxi driver (with mediocre air conditioning) willing to take us to our destination. Isaac more or less found us. We looked like lost puppies figuring out where to go and he asked if we needed a taxi. We said we did and we wanted to go to Magen’s Bay. He smiled and told us that was on his way. The drive was up the mountains of St. Thomas. These aren’t straight roads either. Make sure you hold on to anything you can otherwise you may get tossed around. In St. Thomas they also drive on the left side of the road so that was trippy. Before Isaac dropped us off at the Bay, he took us to a surprise stop at Drake’s Seat. Drake’s Seat overlooks Magen’s Bay and is absolutely stunning. Pictures do not do it justice. The stop was unexpected and we were more than thrilled that we stopped here.

After Drake’s Seat, Issac dropped us off at the Bay and promised to be ready to pick us back up at 2:00 pm on the dot. We ventured to the sand to find rental chairs and umbrellas. For two chairs and an umbrella it would be $40-60 depending on the vendor you were using. Luckily during our quick bathroom break we spotted some free picnic tables close to the beach and in the shade that we were able to claim as our own for the next 3 hours.

Once settled and sunscreen on, we were ready to hit the ocean and take in the views. Magen’s Bay is surrounded by the mountains of St. Thomas. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen. We can see why it’s rated as one of the top most beautiful beaches in the world. For the next 3 hours we floated, took in the views, saw some ocean life including a sea turtle swimming nearby and visited (the pricey) bar for a cold drink. During the last hour of our time at the beach, the tide changed and the waves became stronger making the entrance and exit of the water quite challenging.

At 2:00, Issac was right where he told us he would be and we were able to make it back to port with no issues and plenty of time to shop around before getting back on board.

Overall, this was our favorite day while on board. The calmness of the water, the breathtaking views and experience we had with Issac made the whole day great for all of us. We would 100% recommend Magen’s Bay to all of our clients but we would highly suggest booking through the cruise line if you have any anxiety about getting a private taxi (although they are all over the island).

Other details of our trip:

• A taxi ride to Magens Bay was $15 per person (we spent $70 in taxi rides which included a tip).

• Prepare for extra time to get back to the ship.

• The roads are curvy and driving is intense (be prepared for motion sickness).

• We did not dock in the center of St. Thomas which has a lot of shopping/entertainment. that we opted to go back to the smaller port and shop vendors there.

• We did not eat at Magen’s bay but there is a place to eat if you would like (bring extra cash, meals were pricey).