Queen Mary 2,
Virgin Islands US
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
St Thomas: We were supposed to anchor at this port but instead we docked at the commercial pier. At this port, EVERYONE had to go through U.S. Immigration to receive a card that would allow you to leave the ship. Also, the day we arrived, three other ships were in port at the cruise ship dock, Carnival Freedom (4000 pax), Carnival Triumph (3500 pax), Royal Caribbean (2500 pax), plus QM2, over 12,000 tourists. Our group was advised to do our shopping first before heading to the beaches if we wanted to beat the crowds from the other ships. They didn't get in until about 11:00 AM, so we had a couple of hours head start. We spent our day at Megan's Bay and went swimming (a bit cool) and enjoyed the area. Because so many ships were in port that day, it was more crowded than usual at Megan's Bay, but there were never any long lines at the snack bar, cocktail bar or the shop...service was excellent.
Because we held Immigration at St Thomas, it took no time in NY to clear the ship for disembarkation.
