My Big Fat Happy Life

celebrating our everyday life

A Day at Coral World on St. Thomas, USVI

By: mybigfathappylife

Disclosure: I was provided admission to Coral World in exchange for my review.  All opinions, as always, are my own.A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com

S loves animals and marine life, so when I saw that Coral World, an ocean park, was located on St. Thomas I knew that S would love to spend some time there.  Coral World was awesome!  All of us thought it was the best excursion we had the whole cruise.  We spent about 5 hours at Coral World and the  attached beach and did not see the whole facility.  

Getting There

Coral World is about a 20 minute taxi drive from the cruise pier.  We took one of the safari truck taxis where multiple families going to the same destination get into the same vehicle.  The taxi was $9 per person each way.  There were plenty of taxis waiting to take us back to the cruise ship, however we prearranged for the same driver to come back and get us.
 

Touch Pool

Our first stop was the touch pool which is S’s favorite at any aquarium.  She loves to touch the creatures and Eddie, a Coral World staff member, talked to S about each animals and their different characteristics.  
A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com

Shark Shallows

The sharks in the shark shallows are taken from the local waters when they are young in order to give the sharks a chance to become adults.  In the ocean the nurse, lemon, blacktip and reef sharks would become prey for larger predators.  Once the sharks are large enough, they are returned to the ocean.
 Coral World3

Turtle Pool

We saw two green sea turtles swimming around their pools located on the edge of the sea amongst the rocks.  Such a beautiful setting for such beautiful creatures.  
A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com
 

Undersea Observatory Tower

When I was researching Coral World, their undersea observatory tower really caught my attention.  It is an air conditioned three story tower, that allows you to observe the natural coral reef and non-captive marine life 15 feet under the surface of the ocean without getting wet!
A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com
 A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com

Caribbean Reef Encounter

At this exhibit, you are surround by an aquarium that is open to the elements so that the animals receive natural daylight, moonlight and rain.  How awesome is that!
 

Stingray Lagoon

You are allowed to touch the stingrays in their lagoon.  S, of course, was in heaven!  We gently tapped our hands against the surface of the water and watched as the stingrays glided through the water towards us.
 A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com

Coki Point Beach

Next to Coral World is Coki Point Beach.  You are free to go back and forth between the two as often as you want.  Coral World has bathrooms with changing room and showers.  They also offer lockers for rent to store your personal items.  The beach is small but beautiful with crystal clear water.  Several guests said the snorkeling was great, especially near the rocks.  We even saw fish in the water up close to the shoreline.
A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com
 

Additional Activities

Coral World provides a variety of  animal feedings and talks.  I recommend you attend some of the feedings and/or shows to gain information and ask questions about the animals at Coral World.   To see Coral World’s current feeding and show times schedule, click here.

Coral World offers several activities at an additional cost including a Sea Lion Encounter, Sea Lion Swim, Shark Encounter, and Turtle Encounter, where you get up close and personal with the animal.  Some other activities include Sea Trek and Snuba.  

Conclusion

I really loved that most of Coral World was outside and in such a beautiful setting!  We had an awesome day and I would highly recommend a trip to Coral World when you visit St. Thomas.  It is the perfect excursion for the whole family!

A day at Coral World in St. Thomas, USVI #caribbean #usvirginisland | mybigfathappylife.com

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Comments

  2. Reginia Cordell says

    Coral World looks absolutely amazing. St. Thomas is a beautiful destination but to add the opportunity to interact with the sea animals makes it special. Your daughter is brave, I think I would have been a little afraid of some of the animals.

    • mybigfathappylife says

      She loves marine life! This was the first time that she touched a stingray. She has wanted to before but then decided against it when it was time to put her hand in the water. St. Thomas was beautiful and the water was crystal clear!

  3. Kim says

    Being an island girl, these pics stir up found memories. I am glad your family is able to experience this piece of paradise.

  4. Natalie says

    I’ve always loved marine life, so I would be in heaven here! Whenever we head back to St. Thomas (hopefully, soon!), I’m definitely planning this as an excursion. Pinning! 🙂

  5. Nadeen says

    this looks so beautiful and I love that so much is outdoors! I stopped in St.Thomas years ago on a cruise as well but didn’t know about. Great info to share!

  7. Keitha says

    What a great place to visit! Love your pictures. I took a trip to St. Thomas and never knew this was there. Next time I go, I will have to check it out. It is such a beautiful island.

    • mybigfathappylife says

      Thanks Keitha! It was a great trip and I highly recommend it for the day at St. Thomas.

  8. Coombemill says

    I love the touch pool, things become so much more real when you can touch them. Wonderful blue colours and lovely sunshine as ever, I do like my weekly visit to the sun here! Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids

    • mybigfathappylife says

      Thank you Fiona! The touch pools and stingray pool were great. We kept going back to them throughout the day.

Trackbacks

  1. […] Coral World is about a 20 minute taxi drive from the cruise pier.  We took one of the safari truck taxis where multiple families going to the same destination get into the same vehicle.  The taxi was $9 per person each way.  There were plenty of taxis waiting to take us back to the cruise ship, however we prearranged for the same driver to come back and get us. Read the full story […]