St. Croix, formal plan vs winging it?

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BrackaFish

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Location
Port Orange Fl
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Well we are one week out from a trip to Saint Croix and I am taking a break from packing when I thought I would pick the brains of fellow SBers. Question for those of you that have been to Saint Croix......did you find it worked out better to plan everything before hand such as restaurant reservations, dive trips, rum tours etc or did you prefer to take things day by day? We are going to just take it easy and do a bit of touring mixed in with some shore diving, but I was curious as how others saw it? Thoughts?
Now back to packing and hoping that everyone passes their pre trip Covid test. Be safe
 
St. Croix is a pretty laid back place. We never made reservations for restaurants when we were there. I didn't make any dive reservations until we got there. I like to look over the shop and the boat before I book a trip with them and there were enough open spots for me to book what I wanted to dive. Booking closer to your dive day allows you to anticipate the weather and possible cancellation due to rough conditions.
 
I'd book diving in advance and try to get a multi-day package rate if boat diving. Last minute scheduling may mean getting other people's left-overs, depending on how busy providers are. If you are really confident that unguided shore diving is all you want to do, that may not be a problem.

Restaurants? No. Unless you're after some special high end place on a particular day (I wouldn't know about that).

Topside tour options, like Tan Tan jeep tours, I like to at least research in advance, and preferably book in advance if I'm pretty sure what I want and when.

That said, I'm a planner, and I like to efficiently wring value out of a trip - I view it as return-on-investment. Whatever you do, have a good time!
 
Thoughts?

I like to plan and have gone places where we had all of our excursions booked in advance. St. Croix, IMO, is not the type of place you need to do that.

You might plan ahead for diving, but if you're thinking only shore dives, a dive op, like Nep2une which is by the Frederiksted Pier or Cane Bay Dive Shop at Cane Bay Beach, will rent you tanks (and any other gear needed.) Be sure to dive the pier - I recommend it for a daytime and nighttime dive. Most touristy things you do are the type you just show up to, including the rum factory. Gecko's Island Adventure in Frederiksted has an ATV tour that, although might be on the expensive side for some, is a great way to see some scenic ocean views and the "rain forest." Driving can be tricky, not just because of driving on the left, but roads aren't all marked and GPS may or may not show some roads. Restaurants do not need reservations - there are several beach bars and the Lost Dog Pub in Frederiksted and many good restaurants along the boardwalk in Christiansted - just be aware island time is in effect and service will be slow (as my friend who just returned a few weeks ago kept telling me.)

Things like the ATV's or Jeep Tours could generally be scheduled a day out - same with a Buck Island trip, from Christiansted, which has a snorkel tour.

Report back how things went and have a great time!
 
I live on St. Croix. Typically, except for peak season in the winter, you can play it by ear and wait in regards to reservations, diving, and excursions. However, we've been experiencing a an EXTREMELY busy offseason in tourism. Restaurants that we normally could walk up to and get a table months ago now are booked several days out. Casual dining places (e.g. Shupes, the Mill for Pizza, Brew STX) are still available to walkup, but more formal places like Hamiltons, Savant, and Duggans will require advance reservations.

I've also seen popular excursions such as Buck Island have been booked out up to a week or more in advance leaving people who waited to get here to make reservations disappointed. Same with rental cars being difficult to find without advance reservations. For the rum tours, the Cruzan distillery is still closed to tours I believe, but have heard that Capt. Morgan reopened, but only with advance reservations and it has limited availability. However, our local vodka distillery and brewery - Mutiny Vodka and Leatherback Brewery - are both great spots and don't require reservations.

If there are things you really want to do here, I'd make reservations in advance. I'd also check with the dive shops you're using to see if their schedules are filling up and at least reserve some of your dives. You don't need to plan out and make reservations for every moment of your trip, but I'd plan out and make reservations for your "can't miss" places. Then there are plenty of other things you can do that don't require reservations or planning to fill in the gaps in your schedule (e.g. visit several of the many beaches around the island, day trips to Frederiksted or Christiansted to visit the shops and historical buildings, hikes, etc.).

Enjoy your trip and let us know if you have any other questions.
 
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