What is wrong with St. Thomas

elisa_nj · Post by **elisa_nj** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:30 am

I think it should stay just as it is! You have to fly into STT to get to STJ and there are always questions on rental cars, places to eat during arrival and departure, which ferry to take, etc. JMO

parafins · Post by **parafins** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:56 am

Our first visit to the Virgin Islands was on our honeymoon back in 1994.We had no internet then,so with what info we could get, we chose to spend one week on St.John and one week at St.Thomas.My gut told me that we would like St.John better.{I love nature}I was correct.I recall our second week staying at Saphire Beach Resort.The beach was beautiful and the view of St.John-priceless.But as we stared at that that little island,we longed to go back.We did one day before our trip was over and then made up our mind that we would stay on St.John everytime we would come down.As for St.Thomas,It has a lot to offer,history,beaches,shopping,ect.But it's just too busy for us.The traffic,noise,ect.We come to the island to get away from that.Don't get me wrong I like St.Thomas but St.John fits us better. Parafins

paulandtracie · Post by **paulandtracie** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 1:32 pm

I am a self professed St. John lover and am quite sure I will take heat for this, but seriously...what is wrong with St. Thomas? For us the answer is simple. With a high crime rate and a murder rate more than ten times the national average, it is simply a question of my family's safety. It is a sad and scary situation, regardless of how you feel about cruise ships, traffic, waffle irons or whatever. This is an important, relevant issue for the USVI and one that should be talked about. We were horrified last summer at the gang shooting death of a 14 year old girl from a cruise ship, and continue to follow the news of increased drugs, gangs and gun violence on St. Thomas and St. Croix. I respect anyone's right to choose where they vacation but for us St. Thomas is simply not an option. You can bash my opinion all you want but the fact remains that unfortunately for beautiful St. Thomas, there certainly is something wrong. I can only hope that they find a way to help turn things around. A good source of information is the USVI Police Department website: http://www.vipd.gov.vi/Home.aspx

This article is from the St. Thomas Source newspaper:

http://stthomassource.com/content/news/ ... icials-say

This is an excerpt from USA Today on June 15, 2010:

The shooting death of a cruise ship passenger this week in the U.S. Virgin Islands comes as the popular tourist destination grapples with an explosion of violence, an analysis of the territory's crime statistics shows.

Homicide statistics for the U.S. Virgin Islands updated regularly in the St. Thomas Source show there already have been 44 killings across the territory in 2010 -- a 33% increase from this time in 2009. The homicide total for the territory in 2009, in turn, was up sharply from the year before.

According to the crime data, there were a record 56 homicides in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2009, up from 40 killings in 2008 and 44 in 2007.

With a population of about 110,000, the U.S. Virgin Islands had a homicide rate in 2009 that was about 10 times the USA's national average of five killings per 100,000 people, and the territory now is on track for a record homicide rate in 2010 approaching 13 times the national average.

[/quote]

stjchica · Post by **stjchica** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:56 pm

"As long as you stay on the east end it is a wonderful place"

If all we did on this forum was encourage everyone to go to St. Thomas that would be fine by me...

CariBert · Post by **CariBert** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:59 pm

I am not going to bash your opinion, paulandtracie, but I am going to bash statistics. I hate em. those numbers that have been bandied around, about the murder rate and crime rate on St. Thomas do not even remotely apply to me. I do not live there. I only visit 1/52 out of the year. I probably have a better chance at winning the lottery here in Dallas than I do at being a crime statistic in the VI's. That's why I bash statistics. They only tend to support whatever cause you are backing.

We have been visiting the VI's - St. Thomas, St. Croix and St John since 1993, and I haven't even seen any crime let alone been a part of any. My first rental car on St. Thomas had a flat tire in a not so good part of the Island....I was met with nothing but helpfulness and friendliness.

My advice to all of you who think the statistics are stacked against you, and refuse to visit because of them, fine. Less crowds for me to contend with. Say, Exit Zero....how in the world do you keep alive there? I gotta admire someone who continues to beat the odds like that.

Nuff said.....BOO on statistics.....JMHO.

-Bert

bdkane · Post by **bdkane** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 3:23 pm

stjchica wrote:

"If all we did on this forum was encourage everyone to go to St. Thomas that would be fine by me... ":D

Classic!

I think a big issue is simply that STJ has more of a "dedicated" following so the site leans toward STJ, as was stated many travelers are looking for "one and done" answers, where do I eat, how to get from point a to point b, etc., they get their info and move on... I dont think either is right or wrong, there are many awesome places throughout the Caribbean its just who we are as individuals.

That being said... I have my trips booked for STJ this year! Thats who I Am...

STX lady · Post by **STX lady** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 3:46 pm

As usual, very little mention of the VI's BIG island. St Croix has more to offer than you can imagine, to any traveler. But I guess it's sorta like lovin' your hometown or state or country. Friendly rivalry amongst islanders!!

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 2:22 am

I go where and when I want in STT - no problem.

Boston Mike · Post by **Boston Mike** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:09 am

I do not see any need to go and change the “Virgin Island” forum. There are discussions and have been discussion about St. Thomas, St. Croix, and the BVI’s. It just so happens that the majority of the users on the forum favor St. John as their place to kick back and relax while escaping reality. The majority of newbies also seem to ask questions about St. John. It is what it is.

Why fix it if it isn’t broke?

pmk · Post by **pmk** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:21 am

If I were Anthony, I'd separate out the forums since it could expand the number of people who join his online communitities and it would give him the chance to get a wider array of advertisers. Right now, it seems like there aren't many options for an STT or STX online community. Go for it, Anthony!

From a personal standpoint, the reason I visit this forum is because it is about STJ. I doubt I'd come often if there was a ton of chatter about STT or STX (no offence meant). When I'm on TripAdvisor, I rarely click on anything STT-related unless it has a big juicy subject header!

pmk

cocosmom · Post by **cocosmom** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:34 am

I like the forum the way it is. I have vacationed on all three and STJ is def my favorite but I like info/questions about all three. We stayed on STT in a condo once because it was all we could afford. This forum gave me tons of STT info. We learned about renting cars on STT and taking the car ferry over and taking a New Horizons 2 trip. Our trip to STX was before I read this forum but hopefully I have shared some info with others....

sea-nile · Post by **sea-nile** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 8:25 am

There is nothing wrong with STT. Everyone should go there and not to STJ!

suzanna945 · Post by **suzanna945** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 8:47 am

We've stayed several times over the years on the east end of STT at Pavilions and Pools, and taking the ferry over STJ for day trips. Eventually we just realized we preferred staying on STJ and taking the ferry over to St. Thomas for the day trip! We just prefer the slower pace and quieter, looser vibe over on STJ for the majority of our vacation time, and having one day on St. Thomas for 'excitement.'

sea-nile · Post by **sea-nile** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:15 am

Oh and regarding the forum, I vote to keep it just like it is. I have visited forums that have a lot of sub-forums and it gets confusing.

STX lady · Post by **STX lady** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:31 am

I see that we all seem to agree to disagree, although the vote R stackin' up to separate.

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What is wrong with St. Thomas

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