That is the longest standard window in the network. It is also why people overreach here: beaches, an aerial tramway, a duty-free high street, colonial streets and a ferry to another island, all genuinely available and not all in one day.
Two berths, and which one you get changes the first decision.
St. Thomas, USVI
Beachcomber calls at St. Thomas, USVIThe clock
| Arrive | Depart | Calls | Hours alongside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | 6:00 PM | 5 | 10.0 |
Ten hours alongside. Take 45 to 60 minutes off for getting ashore and back aboard and you have roughly eight and a half usable hours.
All-aboard is normally about thirty minutes before departure, so around 5:30 PM, and your ship's posted time is the only binding figure.
Eight and a half hours is a real day. It is two things, not four.
Havensight or Crown Bay, and it matters
Havensight sits close to Charlotte Amalie — roughly ten to fifteen minutes on foot, or a short ride, to the shopping district. Crown Bay is farther west, roughly ten to fifteen minutes by taxi from downtown.
Those figures come from our own guide research rather than a published source, so build margin with them rather than cutting it. The ratio is what matters: from Havensight downtown is a walk, from Crown Bay it is a fare each way.
Confirm your berth in the ship's app or your sailing documents. The wharf can add five to ten minutes depending on where the ship sits.
Two things, and pick them in different directions
With eight and a half hours, the plan that works is one beach and one not-a-beach, with the transfer between them accounted for.
Magens Bay is the beach most people choose and it is a drive. The tramway and the old town are the other half, and from Havensight they are close enough to do on foot and a short ride.
What does not work is a beach, the tramway, the shopping and a ferry. That is a list, not a day, and the thing it costs you is the return buffer.
Shaping the day around who you are with
**Solo.** From Havensight, downtown and the tramway need nothing booked. Add a beach by taxi if you want the full day.
**Couples.** Beach in the morning while it is cool, town in the afternoon. The 10-hour window makes that genuinely comfortable here.
**Families.** One beach, all day, and use the length of the call rather than fighting it. Magens Bay with a taxi each way is a complete plan.
**Mixed-ability groups.** Havensight is materially easier than Crown Bay. The tramway and the beach each need their own questions; see below.
Accessibility is a route question per leg
Three different problems here — the berth, the vehicle and the attraction — and one label for all of them tells you nothing.
Ask, in writing and for your sailing: which berth, the surface and gradient from the gangway to the gate and then to the street, whether an accessible taxi can be arranged and with how much notice, boarding and securing for your device, the tramway's boarding arrangement specifically, the beach surface between the parking and the water, and restroom access at the destination rather than at the pier.
Where St Thomas catches people out
**Trying to do all of it.** Ten hours alongside is eight and a half ashore, and the island offers more than that.
**Assuming Havensight.** Crown Bay is a fare each way.
**Treating 6:00 PM as the deadline.** All-aboard is around 5:30 PM.
**The ferry to the next island.** It is real, and it is the whole day plus the risk.
Devil's advocate: one beach and nothing else
The most satisfied version of this port that we see is also the least ambitious: a taxi to one good beach at opening, a long day there, and a taxi back with two hours to spare.
No tramway, no shopping, no itinerary. On a ten-hour call that feels like waste, and it is the day people actually enjoyed. The high street will be there on the next sailing; a cool morning on an empty beach will not.
Verify before you pay
- Which **berth** — Havensight or Crown Bay.
- Your sailing's **all-aboard time**; departure is 6:00 PM on every call we
track.
- The **posted taxi rate** at the port, not a quoted one, and the return
arrangement.
- Whether any ferry booking finishes **well before all-aboard**.
- **Tramway and beach accessibility**, asked per leg.
What we checked, and what we would not
Checked against our own sailing capture on 2 October 2026: 5 tracked St Thomas calls, all aboard Beachcomber, all 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, departing Miami between 9 January 2027 and 3 April 2027, with fares from $529 to $999 and a median of $599 per person at double occupancy, all-in.
The walk and transfer times from each berth are our own research estimates and are labeled as such above. Deliberately absent: taxi fares, tramway and beach admissions, and ferry schedules and prices. Options carried from our earlier guide are below.
Options compared
Carried from our earlier guide for this port. Indicative prices and durations were accurate when checked and move; a guarantee column that says to verify at checkout means exactly that.
| Plan | Base area | Published time | Indicative price | Port-day assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Amalie walk and shopping | Havensight | Flexible | Local spending | Havensight: 10–15 minutes on foot or a short ride; Crown Bay: 10–15 minutes by taxi; allow 15–20 minutes on busier days |
| Magens Bay taxi day | Island road transfer | Flexible | Taxi fare per person; confirm locally | Havensight: 15–25 minutes; Crown Bay: 20–30 minutes; safer allowance 25–35 minutes each way |
| Jeep or private island tour | Charlotte Amalie | 4 hours | From $111 per booking | Comfortable timing if scheduled early |
| Food tour | Charlotte Amalie | 3 hours | From $145 per person | Good solo option; uneven streets and steps |
| Coral World admission | Red Hook | Openended | From $29 per person | Havensight: 25–35 minutes; Crown Bay: 35–45 minutes; safer allowance 45+ minutes; confirm berth |
| Coral World animal program | Red Hook | 1 hour 15 minutes | From $142–$182 per person | Program time excludes transfer; Crown Bay materially worsens timing |
| Beach-hopping tour | Charlotte Amalie | 5 hours | From $60 per person | Minimum group sizes may apply |
| St. John snorkel tour | Red Hook | 6 hours 30 minutes | From $160 per person | Near the ceiling after transfer |
| Lime Out snorkel | Red Hook | 7 hours 30 minutes | From $169 per person | At the practical ceiling |
| Jost Van Dyke | Red Hook plus ferry | 8 hours | From $319 per person | Do not treat as a standard port-day pick |
| Baths of Virgin Gorda | Red Hook plus ferry | 9 hours | From $349 per person | Does not fit an 8-hour call |
| Sunset or night products | Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook | Evening | From $59–$149 per person | Not suitable for a standard daytime call |
This guide describes the port. Every tracked St. Thomas sailing carries its own call times, all-aboard and hours ashore — which is the half that decides the day, and it changes from sailing to sailing.
Excursion prices, durations and operator terms are as drafted and change without notice — confirm on the day with the ship's app or the operator. Figures here are planning guidance, not a quote. Not affiliated with Margaritaville at Sea.