Travel to US Virgin Islands: Fun Under and Above the Sea

As the first stop of a Caribbean cruise, we only had a day to see the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas. We made the most of our short time there, and had a lot of fun under and above the sea.

About US Virgin Islands

The US Virgin Islands consists of the islands of Saint Thomas, Saint Croix, and Saint John as well as about 50 smaller islands. They are considered part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles. Puerto Rico is to the west and Anguilla is to the east. When European settlers first arrived on the islands there were many disputes but eventually Denmark claimed it as their colony. In 1917 the US Virgin Islands were sold to the United States and it is now an organized, unincorporated US territory. Most of its 100,000 residents speak English although you may also hear some French Creole and Spanish.

The country’s economy relies heavily on tourism, although they do also produce rum, electronics and pharmaceuticals. Their largest employer however is the government. The most popular sports are baseball, basketball, cricket, and water sports.

What To Do

We had one full day in Charlotte Amalie, the capital city on the island of St. Thomas. We made sure to make the best use of our time. Luckily everything was very close to the cruise port.

BOSS Underwater Adventure was our first stop. It was one of the more unique excursions on our cruise and so much fun. BOSS stands for Breathing Observation Submersible Scooter. It is basically an underwater scooter with an electric motor and a SCUBA helmet. I admit to being a little nervous about getting into the scooter but it went very smoothly and I had no problems. Each scooter is attached to a buoy and goes down to 8 feet below the surface. Divers are with the group at all times. They lead you around the dive area and attract fish with food so you get a great view of all sorts of tropical fish. The group looked a lot like a bunch of minions bobbing around underwater. We also had some time for snorkeling while we were out on the water.

Skyride to Paradise Point – After our underwater adventure, we were ready for a completely different perspective. A short walk from the cruise port brought us to the gondola for the Skyride. It is about a ten minute ride up to the top where the view goes on for miles. There is a restaurant at the top, don’t miss the delicious Bailey’s Bushwacker. Since we were there they have also opened a Skywalk.

On our way back to the ship, we stumbled upon the cute little Rum Hut. With plenty of time left, we settled into the swinging chairs, and enjoyed a rum punch.

Next Time in US Virgin Islands

We packed a lot into our one day, but one place we didn’t have time for was the Pirates Treasure Museum. The US Virgin Islands was historically known as being a center for pirate activity. I also would like to see some of the other islands. In particular I think the JetCar Adventure on Saint Croix looks exciting. Nature watching appeals to me on Saint John, although going to the floating taco bar also sounds fun.