Discover St. Thomas

🇻🇮 Harbor town

Charlotte Amalie

Duty-free Main Street, Fort Christian, the 99 Steps, and Blackbeard’s Castle on the hill above the shops.

🇻🇮 Beach day

Magens Bay

Calm, crescent beach with chairs and snacks. Coki and Sapphire are better if you care more about snorkeling than facilities.

🇻🇮 Easy from Havensight

Paradise Point

Walk from the WICO dock to the Skyride. Seven minutes up for the ship-in-the-harbor photo, then back aboard with time to spare.

Two docks, one harbor

Ships use Havensight (the WICO dock) on the east side of Charlotte Amalie harbor or Crown Bay on the west. Havensight is the busier pier and walks into town. Crown Bay is a short safari-taxi ride.

A U.S. island with a Danish town

Denmark ruled St. Thomas from 1672 until 1917, when the United States bought the Virgin Islands. Charlotte Amalie still shows it: Danish-red roofs, Danish street names, and Fort Christian on the waterfront.

Drive on the left

The U.S. Virgin Islands drive on the left — a leftover from Danish rule. If you rent a car or watch taxis, stay alert. There is no rideshare service on the island.

Named for a Danish queen

Charlotte Amalie was named for Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, queen consort of Denmark. It is the only town on St. Thomas and one of the best-preserved historic harbors in the Caribbean.

The 99 Steps are not quite 99

The famous staircase was built in the 1700s from brick used as ship ballast. Counts vary, but the climb from Government Hill toward Skytsborg Tower is the classic walk through old town.

Blackbeard’s Castle is a watchtower

Skytsborg Tower dates to 1679. It is one of only five National Historic Landmarks in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Pirate lore is attached to the hill; the documented story is a Danish lookout over the harbor.

Magens Bay is the postcard

The mile-long, heart-shaped bay on the north shore is the island’s signature beach: calm water, soft sand, chairs, and food stands. It is about 15–20 minutes by taxi from either pier.

Skyride from the ship’s doorstep

The Skyride to Paradise Point is a short walk from Havensight. Gondolas climb about 700 feet in a few minutes for a harbor view back down to the ships.

Duty-free with a bigger allowance

St. Thomas is one of the Caribbean’s classic jewelry-and-watch ports. U.S. residents returning from the USVI often get a higher duty-free allowance than from most foreign Caribbean islands — confirm current CBP rules before you shop.

A crater harbor

Charlotte Amalie Harbor sits in the bowl of an old volcanic crater. That amphitheater of green hills is why the red-roof town looks so dramatic from the ship’s deck.

U.S. citizens, U.S. dollar

The currency is the U.S. dollar. English is official. U.S. citizens on a closed-loop cruise usually do not need a passport to go ashore, but they still need valid ID and should confirm current embarkation rules.

St. John is next door

A ferry from Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie reaches St. John, much of it Virgin Islands National Park. It is beautiful and tight on a standard port day — only attempt it with a timed excursion and a real buffer before all aboard.

🇧🇸 Weekend sail

The Bahamas

Nassau and private-island beach days.

🇯🇲 Island pulse

Jamaica

Ocho Rios, Montego Bay, and Dunn’s River.

🇲🇽 Reef day

Cozumel

Palancar Reef, El Cielo, and San Gervasio.