St. Croix Excursion Recommendations?

[SPS]

Our Jewel OTS cruise stops at St. Croix on January 20th and we have never been there.

Currently, we have "Snorkeling with Sea Turtles" booked, but now we're not sure we are ready for that level of activity (Listed as Strenuous by RC). Also, we're not sure the value is there for the money.''''

Does anyone have any recommendations for excursions from RC, Third-party, or "on our own"?

Thanks in advance!'''

(Thanks to the admins for moving this to "Shore Excursions" from "Other Travel" for me!)

[ChessE4]

Our snorkeling excursion there for Feb was cancelled by Royal, so we are just walking to the beach to rent chairs/umbrella. We may also flag a cab for an island tour.

[Dan Curtis]

We are there the first week of February,  this is the only stop we have nothing planned, just didnt see anything of interest to us as we do not snorkle, i know there is 2 beaches very close and probably just make it a beach day, this is the one island we have not been to yet.

[Ryan79]

I did a jungle hike excursion there in January. The first part of the hike was a bit of a butt kicker, but after that and you got into the trees it was a lot of fun and a very nice overall hike. There is very little to do right off the ship to do on your own. The town can be explored in about 30 minutes. This was my family’s least favorite island overall, BUT the hike was fun. 

[need2cruz]

We've been there once and absolutely loved it.  When we docked in St. Croix and stepped out on the ship's balcony I was surprised how I could see the sea turtles swimming right from the balcony and swimming up to the pier.  When you walk of the ship, the beach is right there.  I brought my snorkel equipment and could see so many different types of fish right there.  None of the sea turtles swam. up to me there, though.  The beach had chairs to rent (it was more than I wanted to spend) about $70 for 2 chairs and one umbrella.  We walked further down and just laid our towels out for free.   We later walked around town and into stores along the road. We really enjoyed St. Croix for free without an excursion.  

[anna.brull]

On 11/26/2025 at 4:42 PM, Ryan79 said:

I did a jungle hike excursion there in January. The first part of the hike was a bit of a butt kicker, but after that and you got into the trees it was a lot of fun and a very nice overall hike. There is very little to do right off the ship to do on your own. The town can be explored in about 30 minutes. This was my family’s least favorite island overall, BUT the hike was fun. 

I am looking at doing this excursion through royal! Glad to hear you enjoyed it. About how long was the hike? Did it end in the tide pools? I have been trying to research it online.

[Ryan79]

@anna.brull The hike was about 2 miles and took about 2.5 hours due to the terrain. There were stops at various points where the guide would point things out that would slow down the pace.  It did not end at the tide pools. It ended at a spot off some jungle road that took us back to the beach next to where the ship docks. This is where we dropped off our stuff prior to the hike. 

[asquared17]

st. croix is stunning and actually my favorite port to visit -- the local beaches are within walking distance and you can see the ship from shore.

it's well worth taking a walk around and just enjoying the beauty of the island if you're looking for a cost-conscious "excursion."