St. Barths does not encourage cruise ships to visit, so you won't see it as a port of call on a large ship. At one time, the shopkeepers all closed their stores when they heard that a hoard of cruise passengers was going to come ashore! The 100 of us from the small SeaDream I easily blended in with the other tourists. We window shopped and actually found some good bargains in some of the shops.
St. Barths has more than 20 beautiful beaches and is the vacation home to many rich and famous people. I took the snorkeling trip from Gustavia ($29 for 2 hours) to a small reef nearby. The snorkeling was interesting and we saw many colorful fish lurking around the rocks. The coral wasn't as pretty as at Buck Island near St. Croix, but the fish seemed more varied and larger.
Some of the SeaDream passengers opted to rent a car for the day ($99) or circumnavigate the island on a very speedy boat ($99).
The SeaDream I arrived at St. Barths in the early evening and anchored overnight in the harbor, allowing passengers the opportunity to go ashore and dine in one of the fabulous St. Barths' restaurants. However, most of us chose to stay onboard and enjoy the wonderful gourmet cuisine on our ship.
