U.S. Virgin Islands (Charlotte Amalie)
Trip Summary
One of the most common stops on a cruise ship itinerary is the U.S. Virgin Islands, and having been here on three separate occasions during the summer, you can bet that I have some great suggestions for you if you ever have the chance to visit this paradise of a vacation destination! The first time my husband and I ever visited was on our honeymoon, and we have visited twice more since then and have loved the place each time!
The best way to enjoy the island is on your own. It’s easy to navigate, is very safe, and with it being a U.S. territory, you don’t have to worry about any language barriers. The island is quite ritzy and can be very expensive, but one of the added bonuses of doing things on your own is that you can cut down expenses considerably by taking your own transportation and going to the beaches and snorkel spots yourself.
I’ll start with St. Thomas as that is where we have spent the most time (and this is where cruise ships dock and flights land). This is also the more popular island as it has more shopping, restaurants, nightlife, and opportunities for sailing/boating.
Granted, there are a TON of beautiful beaches to go to and it can get a bit overwhelming to choose one, but when we went beach-hopping, we knew we wanted a quiet beach with good snorkeling. We found that at Sapphire Beach!
We had the absolute best luck of having just about the entire beach to ourselves. Only one cruise ship was in port on the day we went, so the beach was largely deserted, so the sand, the water, and the sea life was all ours! The cool thing about this beach, too, is that it is free to use, and there are a lot of trees which provide much-needed shade, so it was all we could hope for in a beach!
Even better than the beach, though, was the snorkeling! What an amazing world there is under the sea. We saw all sorts of coral, fish, sea turtles, squid, sting rays, and even barracuda! The view was just spectacular, and we spent the entire day just marveling at all the things we saw. So much beauty!
All the wildlife didn’t stop there! As we came back up on the beach and dried off, we noticed that iguanas were everywhere–big ones, too! They can be pretty territorial (two kept getting into fights as we watched from afar!) and we tried to keep our distance, but my goodness, they are beautiful! So much life, so if you visit this beach, be prepared to see so much–on land and under the water!
So for its beautiful beach and amazing underwater sea life, this place gets wonderfully high marks! Highly recommend this destination for a perfect day!
Sapphire Beach, St. Thomas: A
However, notice that I didn’t give it an A+! That is because an even better spot was up ahead! The most recent time we were in U.S. Virgin Islands, we decided to venture out a bit more. So many friends had recommended St. John, so after looking up the ferry schedule, we decided that we would have enough time to get there and back before our ship left.
The ferry is cheap and an absolutely gorgeous journey, so be sure to ride it if you want some great pictures of the shoreline! With the sun out, the water clear, and the wind calm, the ride was so relaxing as we took pictures, basked in the sun, and admired the views.
Cruz Bay, where the ferry docks, is beautiful, but we knew that Trunk Bay was famous for its snorkeling trail, so we set off for that! And it did not disappoint!
The water was even clearer here and while we thought the waters of St. Thomas were abundant with sea life–St. John blows that away! While you may have seen one fish or one stingray at St. Thomas, you saw entire schools of fish and big groups of squid and so on. It was absolutely incredible!
Also, while the snorkeling trail is marked and only covers a portion of the sea bed, you can actually snorkel all the way around the island offshore (though, be sure that you wear a life jacket and/or are a strong swimmer). The sea life only got more and more amazing as we swam, so if you like to snorkel, go to Trunk Bay! You will not regret it–if anything, it will be one of the most memorable snorkeling experiences of your life!
So for it’s mind-blowing sea life, clear waters, and absolutely beautiful scenery, Trunk Bay gets a top score!
Trunk Bay, St. John: A+
I would easily go back to St. John–it was that amazing! You really can’t go wrong with the U.S. Virgin Islands, but my goodness, if you only have time for one place, go to Trunk Bay.
Favorite Experiences
Hands down, Trunk Bay. It does charge a small entry fee (but Active Duty Military get in free), but the beach is gorgeous, and you would be hard-pressed to find snorkeling like this on any other beach.
It unbelievable that it wasn’t until my THIRD trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands that I discovered this place, but oh, well, better late than never! What a place!
What I Wish I Knew
While we went to St. Thomas and St. John during the same time frame, St. John felt incredibly hotter than St. Thomas. It might have been because Trunk Bay didn’t have the same tree cover as Sapphire Beach, but my goodness–if you go, wear a ton of sunscreen and stay in the water the whole time. On Sapphire Beach, I stayed on the beach for a bit, but it was too hot to enjoy the beach much in St. John. Luckily, I wanted to be in the water the whole time with such epic snorkeling right there to see, but if you go and are one to just lay out on the beach–just plan for the heat.
Oh, and I figured that like many companies, the ferries would have change…nope. The ferry operator was quite rude, too, when we asked for change, and he didn’t have it. So now, every time we go somewhere on vacation, we bring a lot of smaller bills just in case operators don’t have change–lesson learned!
If I have the chance to go back, I would see some of the other beaches the islands have to offer, among them Honeymoon Bay Beach, Coki Beach, and Magan’s Bay Beach. Paradise Point looks like it has some amazing views. St. Croix would also be fun to visit, too, and there is a ferry to go there, but the journey is longer, and we were afraid we wouldn’t make it back in time to meet our ship, so we haven’t seen that island yet. The British Virgin Islands are also close, but they are also a longer journey that would be hard to make in a day, but they are on my “to see” list!
Regardless of what you do, be sure to read up on the travel forums! There is a helpful one here, and it is a wealth of information! I am sure I haven’t seen the last of these islands, so when I visit again, I will be sure to update these suggestions! Of course, if I have missed anything or need to check something out, drop me a line!
I also post reels and TikToks regularly of all the places I’ve reviewed on here, so if you want to see some videos of what to expect, check out my social media here:
TikTok: @touristyteacher
Instagram: @touristyteacher
Facebook: @touristyteacher
Happy travels!
