Hi all - I am thinking of a cruise through Eastern Caribbean (St Thomas, St. Martin) - but my husband and I like to spend many hours at the beach (snorkeling, etc.) Do you really get much time to do this while cruising? Or will we feel too rushed to get back to the ship?
Also, can you walk to the nice beaches from the ports or will it cost much to take a taxi? I don't want to take the "cruise snorkel trip". We try to stay away from that.
Thanks!!!

If you are not into shopping in St. Thomas or St. Martin you will have plenty of time to spend at the beach. There are no nice beaches within walking distance at either of those ports, so you will need to take taxis. Cost of the taxis is by far cheaper than any of the cruise shore excursions. In St. Thomas my favorite is Sapphire Beach (personally I prefer it over Magen's Bay), or take the ferry to St. John's. Snorkel equipment is easy to rent, if you do not bring your own. In St. Martin I loved Orient Beach (be aware, however,there is a portion of the beach that is nude).
Nancy

We went to coki beach,and had a great time just sitting in the sun relaxing, snorkling was good, the mango drinks were great. There are lounges and umbrellas to rent there, very reasonable. Our taxi guy actually stayed there until we were ready and we were there for about 3-4 hours. Must have been a slow day.
Marjorie

We spent a long time shopping, more time touring the island, and only a couple of hours at Coki Beach. Next time we go, we'll shop for a very short time, skip the tour, and spend all the rest of our time on one of the other beautiful beaches.

Here's a link to some of our St. Thomas pictures:

http://community.webshots.com/user/judyjbest

Happy Cruising!