Virgin Islands
Explore the Virgin Islands on an Adventure Cruise
A Virgin Islands cruise is the ideal choice for travelers looking for a warm, tropical island where you can hike up lush forested mountains one day and lie in the sun on a white beach, occasionally getting up to go snorkel with the fish. The Virgin Islands are well known for their sparkling, clear warm waters as well as the wildlife and geography. The islands are composed of 52 square miles and have a population of 119,827; a blend of ethnicities of people from Africa, England, Holland, Denmark, Spain, France, India and the United States. The capital city of Charlotte Amalie is rich in both history and culture. The country uses the US Dollar as the currency and adheres to the US’s political system. The weather is pleasant year round making it an ideal destination anytime of the year. The mild weather is also allows a vast variety of flora and fauna to thrive on the islands. There are over 30 species of birds and over 800 types of plants on the islands. Overall, a trip to the islands has something for everyone, no matter what the age or interest!
back to top
The Cultural Side of a Virgin Islands Cruise
Visitors to the Virgin Islands will enjoy the mixture of Caribbean and American cultures demonstrated in everything from the islanders clothing to the music. Western style of dress is predominant including jeans, t-shirts, jerseys, and polo shirts. For music, salsa, blues, oldies, rock and roll, American pop, reggae and calypso can be heard in the radio waves across the islands. Basketball, football, and baseball are the local sports that are both played and watched.
The population’s ancestors were primarily Africans and Europeans. While the majority of the population is of Caribbean decent, today, people from all over the world have settled in the islands.
English is the main language on the island, but the local dialect can make it difficult to understand. As more people immigrated into the region, additional languages have been introduced into the islands. During a cruise to the Virgin Islands it is very common to hear Spanish, French-Patois and Creole in addition to English.
The majority of the population is Baptist (42%), Catholic (34%) or Episcopalian (17%). The islands also tend to have a strong superstitious culture, and stories based around these superstitions are common. Many of the stories are about jumbies, which are spirits that commonly interact with the living. Jumbie stories are used as teaching lessons to children.
A Geographical look at the Virgin Islands
Located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the Virgin Islands are about 40 to 50 miles east of Puerto Rico. There are 4 larger islands and over 50 smaller ones covering over 133 square miles that make up the United States Virgin Islands. The British Virgin Islands consist of 4 main islands and about 32 smaller ones for a total of 59 square miles. The British Virgin Islands are to the north east of the US Virgin Islands and closest to St. John.
The islands are made up of rugged mountains, beautiful coral reefs, and thick rainforests. The islands were made almost 100 millions years ago as a result of volcanoes erupting. Each island is a mountain peak off the ocean’s floor creating amazing seaside cliffs, mountains with lush forests. The highest point is on Britain’s Tortola’s Mount Sage at 1,710 feet above sea level. There are also plenty of white sandy beaches.
The island is very careful to take care of the beauty of the island but still allowing travelers to fully take in the beauty. For example, the residents implemented Reef Ranger Project, a programmed aimed at educating the people, as well as restoring and protecting the islands’ coral reefs, coastal grasslands, and wildlife.
St. Thomas island, at 13 miles long and four miles wide, is just a little over 31 square miles. Crown Mountain is the island’s highest point at 1,556 feet although it should be noted that little of the St. Thomas island is flat. St. Thomas touts the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean, making it home to many exotic creatures of the water. Coral reefs are world-renowned, especially Buck Island off of St. Croix where the water is crystal clear.
St. Croix is 22 miles long and 6 miles wide at the broadest point on the island. The east end is composed of cactus plants among the short grassy hillsides. On the west end, the lush mountains are dotted with ferns and large fruit trees. The center of St. Croix is mostly beaches and rolling pastures. At 1,088 feet, Mount Eagle is St. Croix’s highest peak.
A bit smaller is the island of St. John-- only 7 miles long and 3 miles wide for a total of 20 square miles. Bordeaux Mountain is 1,277 feet tall although the whole island is known for being hilly. Well over two thirds of St. John is protected by the National Park Service.
Virgin Islands Environment
The environment of the Virgin Islands is laid back yet very diverse. There are the amazing coral reefs to explore, mountains to hike, and villages to discover. The islanders understand the importance of protecting the natural beauty of the islands and have implemented various programs to educate, restore and protect the natural beauty of the islands such as the coral reefs, coastal grasslands, and the wildlife. The islands offer something for everyone---hiking, snorkeling, and acquainting oneself with a diverse culture.
Almost 3/5 of St. John is part of the Virgin Islands National Park as well as almost all of Hassel Island off of St. Thomas. The park protects the natural beauty of the coral reefs, white sandy beaches, and the tropical forests---home to over 800 species of plants. The park is also home to the islands’ rich history including remnants from the Pre-Colombian Amerindian Civilization, reminders of the Danish Colonial Sugar Plantations, and remains of African Slavery.
Wildside of the Virgin Islands
The island of St. John is a place to find beautiful and exotic animals, coral, and plants. Frogs, gecko, anole and iguana lizards are among some of the animals on the various islands. There are over 30 varieties of birds on the islands including the bananaquit, the ani (a black, parrot-like, smooth billed bird), and two species of Caribbean hummingbirds. Many birds seen in the continental US during the summer months are found in the forests in the winter.
Of the mammals on the Virgin Islands, the bat is the only native mammal. Bats are important to the island because of their ability to pollinate many of the island’s flowers and disperse seeds from fruit trees and shrubs. Insect control, including mosquitoes, is another important function bats serve on the islands.
Deer, sheep, donkeys, goats, cats, dogs, pigs and mongoose are not native to the islands. Their presence has altered the island including erosion, vegetation patterns, and has reduced the size of the natural species on the islands.
With over 800 plant types, there are plenty of diverse species of flora including the bay rum tree, the Teyer palm, and rare orchids. The bay rum trees’ fragrant leaves provided the oil for the manufacturing of bay rum cologne. The Teyer palm is the only native tree on the island of St. John.
Another important wildlife refuge for the islands are the coral reefs, which include fish such as parrot fish, tands, grunts, snappers, butterfly fish, angles, damsels, squirrel fish and wasses. Other animals such as sponges, starfish, urchins, worms, crabs, lobsters and anemones also inhibit the warm tropical waters around the islands.
While on the islands, a visitor might just run into dwarf herrings, great barracudas, mangrove crabs, snowy egrets, spotted eagle rays, and jellyfish. Only in certain areas is finless snorkeling allowed to protect the marine life. Off the island of St. Thomas, whales can be found breeding off the north end of the island from January to April.
Cuisine on the Virgin Islands
The restaurants in the islands are a combination of American and traditional Caribbean forms of serving food. For example, you might see a Subway or McDonalds next door to more local restaurants serving pates and boiled fish. Large grocery stores are westernized, selling items from Campbell’s Soup to Sara Lee pound cakes. Then, just down the street from such a grocery store, it is entirely possible to see a fisherman selling his fresh catch of fish from the back of his truck.
European settlers brought recipes that include items such as beef, onions, garlic, and wheat, but they also developed recipes for local produce such as limes, mango, and sugar cane. When the African slaves were imported, they brought with them okra and new ways to cook traditional foods. The Americans brought beans, corn, potatoes and various types of peppers. With the Indian migration to the islands, curry spice became a new favorite seasoning. Curry dishes are still popular in the islands.
Callaloo soup is a popular dish made of leaves from the daheen plant mixed with okra, various herbs and meats or seafood. Beef, goat, chicken and stewed oxtail are popular meats to be served with other dishes. Side dishes include rice, peas, yams, fried plantains, dasheen, sweet potatoes, cassava, beans and lentils. On some islands, fish soup is so popular that it is served for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Every island in the Caribbean has its variety of rum and the Virgin Islands are no different. Rum is made from sugar cane or molasses and traditionally was distilled right alongside the manufacturing of sugar on sugar plantations. In the Virgin Islands, Cruzan rum, which is manufactured on St. Croix, is the most popular.
Island Weather
The weather on the islands is moderate and mild; the difference between the average hottest month and the coldest month is 18 degrees. The warmest months tend to be June, July and August with averages in the mid 80s; the coolest months are December through February, averaging 70-degree temperatures. The hottest temperature recorded was 99 degrees and the coldest was 52 degrees.
The water temperatures typically stay within a 4 or 5-degree range varying from 83 degrees in the summer to 79 degrees in the winter months.
The Virgin Islands typically receives the majority of its rain in November, October, September, August, and May. Rain showers are short and are normally at night or in the mornings. The driest months are February and March.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic is from June 1st to November 30th although most occur in August and September. The last time a major hurricane hit the island chain was Hurricane Marilyn in 1995.
Virgin Islands Politics
As part of the United States, the US Virgin Islands are an organized, but unincorporated territory of the US. The islanders are considered US citizens, but they cannot vote in the US Presidential elections. The Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands, the Independent Citizens Movement (ICM) and the Republican Party of the Virgin Islands are the main political parties on the islands. All other candidates run as independents in the races.
The US Virgin Islands elect a delegate to Congress but this delegate cannot participate in floor votes but they are able to vote in committee.
For the islands, at a more territorial level, elect 15 senators for a two-year term to the unicameral Virgin Islands Legislature. The selection of the senators is by district; seven senators are elected from the St. Croix district, seven from St. Thomas and St. John and then one senator at-large who must be a resident of St. John.
The islands also elect a territorial governor every four years. Prior to 1970, the President of the US appointed the governor. The islands also have both a District Court as well as a Superior Court. The judges are appointed by the both the President and the governor.
The US Congress has offered a choice to the citizens of the islands to be independent, status quo, or statehood. None of these have attracted enough interest or voter turnouts so the islands will stay at their current status of territory to the US. It has been suggested that the possible future Puerto Rican statehood might set the ball in motion for other territories to increase their political interest in their status.