Santa trades the sleigh for a catamaran on the 24th. It is a two hour sunset sail out of Margaritaville, it runs once a year, and seats are limited. Here is everything you need to decide whether it belongs in your Christmas.

The short version

• Date: Thursday 24 December 2026, one departure only
• Time: 5:00 PM, two hours on the water
• Departs: Margaritaville Resort, 6080 Estate Smith Bay, St. Thomas
• Adults, 13 and up: $130
• Children, 3 to 12: $95
• Toddlers, 2 and under: free
• Cancellation: 48 hours

There is one sailing a year. When the seats are gone, they are gone until next December.

What happens on board

Santa is on the boat for the whole two hours, in his island best. Not a ten minute appearance, the full sail. There is time for photos without anyone queuing.

Included in the ticket:

• Santa onboard for the whole cruise, for photos with the kids
• Open bar for adults, plus soft drinks and juice for kids
• Light snacks and holiday treats served during the cruise
• Festive music on deck

Gratuity is not included, so bring a little cash for the crew.

When the sun actually sets on Christmas Eve

This catches most visitors out. St. Thomas sits far enough east in its time zone that the sun goes down early all winter. The earliest sunset of the whole year here falls on 23 November, at 5:42 PM. By Christmas Eve it has crept back to roughly 5:50 PM.

So a 5:00 PM departure is not a sail that happens to end near sunset. You push off in daylight, you are out on open water with a drink in hand when the sky turns, and you come back in under a dark Caribbean sky. Sunset lands about fifty minutes into the two hours, which is close to the middle of the trip.

It also means you are back on the dock around 7:00 PM. Christmas Eve dinner, midnight service, a quiet night with family, none of it is off the table. The sail does not eat your evening.

Who it suits

The pricing tells you who this was built for. Toddlers under two sail free, children three to twelve are $95, and the adult rate starts at thirteen. It is a family boat on a family night.

It is not only a kids’ trip, though. There is an open bar for the adults, and plenty of couples and groups book it because a sunset sail on Christmas Eve beats another restaurant table. If you want the quieter, more formal version of the same idea, the Christmas Day dinner cruise on the 25th is the one to look at instead.

What Christmas Eve looks like on the island

Charlotte Amalie is busy that week. As the published December 2026 port schedule stands, St. Thomas is down for 83 cruise calls across the month, and the stretch around Christmas is heavy: roughly 25,000 passengers and crew in port on the 23rd and around 20,000 on Christmas Eve itself.

Downtown, that is a lot of people. On the water it is a different island. Most of those visitors are ashore for a few hours, within walking distance of the piers, and off again. If you are looking for the version of Christmas Eve that does not involve a crowded Main Street, a boat is the simplest way to find it.

If your own trip includes a port day, our St. Thomas cruise port guide covers which dock you are arriving at, taxi rates from both piers, and what fits inside an all-aboard window.

Christmas Day, if the 24th does not work

There is a second holiday sailing. The Christmas Sunset and Dinner Cruise runs on Friday 25 December at 3:30 PM, three hours aboard the luxury yacht, with a Christmas Caribbean style dinner, unlimited open bar, desserts, and the sunset somewhere in the middle of it. Adults are $199, children three to twelve are $150, and toddlers sail free. It takes a smaller group than the Christmas Eve sail.

Worth knowing: Christmas Day is one of the quietest days of the month in town, with only about 5,300 cruise passengers and crew scheduled in port, against around 30,000 on New Year’s Eve. If you want the island at its calmest, the 25th is the day.

Practical notes before you sail

• Arrive early. Boarding is at 5:00 PM and the boat leaves on time. Give yourself a buffer for parking at Margaritaville.
• Dress for evening on the water. It is warm, but it cools once the sun is down and you are moving. A light layer is enough.
• Get your photos early. The good light goes quickly once the sun is down.
• Book before December. One sailing a year, and the holiday week fills first.

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