Smileeface

I found this schedule online, but it states that the schedule has been cut in half, down from six scheduled rides to three. You should call them direct. That's too an important occassion to leave to chance! Congratulations on your vow renewals. You couldn't have chosen a more romantic setting. Have a lovely time! :)

taken from: VI Now website

From Charlotte Amalie:

Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures

Rates: One-way, $12.00/Adults and $3.50/Children ages 2-11. Seniors are $6.00 (VI Residents only, 62 years and up, proof of age must be shown). There is a charge of $2.50/piece for luggage/boxes.

Telephone: (340) 776-6282, (340) 776-6412

Time: 40 to 45 minutes

Leaving Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas at: 10:00am, 1:00pm, 5:30pm

Leaving Cruz Bay, St. John at: 8:45am, 11:15am, 3:45pm

IMPORTANT NOTE:[/b] December 16, 2009: The Charlotte Amalie ferry is currently running with a half schedule; 3 trips rather than 6 as shown above. For more information on the changes please contact the ferry operator directly.

Thanks Anne! Your posts helped me enormously! I'm so glad we went to Trunk Bay. I even bought a placemat with a picture of it just because it's a perfect large picture of it. I took it to work and showed my co-worker friends telling them "it's EXACTLY like this picture, no exaggeration". Of course, they all agreed it was beautiful :)!

There are trees and shrubbery behind the sand, but rather thick, so it doesn't actually hang over alot like palm trees would. I do remember seeing someone with a rainbow colored umbrella, but I don't know if that was a rental or someone who might be staying on the island and brought their own. Allure was the only ship in port that day, and although there are about 6,000 onboard it was not crowded at Trunk Bay. I heard from another passenger that Magen's Bay was very crowded. After we were at Trunk Bay for about an hour there was a snorkeling tour that arrived and they settled to the far right as you face the beach. We were more on the left which meant we swam out a little further for the snorkeling. You could always walk to the far right before putting on your gear. The left side was not crowded.

Hi everyone, we just got back yesterday from our Allure of The Seas sailing. Wonderful cruise on an amazing ship. We docked in St. Thomas on Wed, 6/15/11. Our experience with the STG3 Historic Walking Tour of St. John (the ship's excursion) went perfect as planned. Great weather and we got 3 full hours of actual beach time in Trunk Bay.

Here's how it went: The excursion is slated for 6.5 hrs at $40per person. We met out by the pier by 10am. It took a few extra minutes to round everyone up and walk us over to the boat that would take us over. They told us it would take 37mins over. The seas were a little rocky at times, but not terribly so and not at all times. There were young kids who were hooting and hollering when we hit a wave (usually from a passing vessel) and laughing it up. I personally gave my family a Bonine pill to chew in the morning just in case (since I've read the seas can be rough on this route) but I think we would have been fine on this day without it. I didn't see anyone else around us looking scared or uncomfortable.

I know we arrived in St. John/Cruz Bay about 11am. Large safari taxis were all waiting. We did not take the walking tour and the person in charge announced that it was not required, so we were off to Trunk Bay. First taxi up held 10 of us; second taxi on the return trip held 14 persons. Taxi rate was $6 per person, each way, so $12 roundtrip per person. We were at Trunk Bay, inside by 11:25am. Entrance into Trunk Bay was $4 per person. We rented snorkel equipment--mask, snorkel & fins for $5 per person (inflatable life vests would have been an additional $5). They require a $25 credit card deposit hold per equipment rental--so $250 for my family of 5, which was returned to us when we returned the equipment. What I found unusual was that they allowed me to pay for the snorkel equipment on my AMEX, but they only take cash at the food and drink bar--they do serve beer and a couple of island mixed drinks by the way. Food menu was burgers, hotdogs, tuna sandwhich, chicken fingers, another chicken sandwich, fries, chips...about $6 to $10 approximately per meal. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CASH for your meals! I did see chair rentals, but I don't remember seeing umbrellas...unsure if they rent them or the cost to rent chairs, sorry. There are showers and bathrooms. We took our own inflatable rafts, used them and left them behind. Forgot to take ship towels with us (ugh!) and bought towels there at about $15 each.

Okay, Trunk Bay....the water is just absolutely breathtaking. I still have not seen another beach anywhere where the sand is so white and soft and the water is just so crystal clear (and we live in Florida, have been to beaches in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Croix, Puerto Rico). The water in Trunk Bay.... it looks like you are in a swimming pool. Barely a ripple, flat and tranquil, cool and refreshing, just gorgeous, so picturesque. We've been there once before and we were with another family who had never been. We were all in heaven. The snorkeling was nice...now that I've snorkeled a few times I realize that there is better snorkeling in other areas. We saw parrot fish, brain coral...it was all fun to explore, pretty and interesting enough for me. We all had alot of fun doing it, but if you are an experienced snorkeler and that's your main interest, then maybe you would want to go somewhere else. My main desire was not the snorkeling. I wanted the most beautiful beach, and that's what I got! We got to Trunk Bay at 11:25am and left at 2.35pm, giving us a solid 3 hrs. We were to meet the group at 3:00pm back at Cruz Bay; the boat set out at about 3:15pm or so. The trip back was smoother and they gave us rum punch drinks, as many as you cared for. The boat's name was the Independent Seas (not very nice looking but functional) and our captain was Capt. Jack. Captain Jack did an EXCELLENT job of narrating the ride on the way over to Trunk Bay, telling us the history of the islands, the pirate and explorer stories, pointing out homes owned by Michael Jordan, Barbara Streisand, David Letterman, Kenny Chesney other celebrities and notorious figures; stories about covert government operations and experiments there. He was excellent, and I told him I would give him a shout-out here on CC ;)

Since we were docked in Crown Bay (the furthest port and furthest ferry ride over to St. John) this tour was the safest option for me. For a day's excursion, it felt like a good amount of time, and we had a wonderful day.

Just take along plenty of cash and sunscreen if you go! Hope this helps in your decision making :)

Cruiseoholic000,

Hi! We are scheduled to leave this Sunday on our Allure cruise, so we'll be doing that excursion "Destination St. John: Historic Walking Tour and Personal Leisure Time - STG3" next week. I am sooo excited! I will report back with details. I would have planned to go on our own if it weren't for the time constraints. Even if we were docking at Havensight instead of Crown Bay I would have tried it. This will just let me breathe easier. I have read other posts where people have done these tours and have been happy with the time they got on St. John. I promise to report back the week of June 20th once we are back ;)

You can bring your own coolers, but no bottles allowed on beaches in National Park which includes Trunk Bay and other beaches on STJ.

Thanks, do they allow us to bring in our own beer/alcholic drinks in cans?

Anne, I've read that they sell beer and drinks at Trunk Bay. Do you know if they allow you to bring in beer on your own in a cooler? I always pack a soft sided collapsible cooler, and I thought we could buy some beer/drinks in Cruz Bay before heading into Trunk Bay. I just want to be sure it's allowed, and if they do, do they allow glass bottles? I would probably take cans if unsure, just in case...

Gorgeous pictures augie! What kind of underwater camera did you use?

Anne, welcome back! Which ship and were you docked in Havensight?

Wow, the gas prices, yes...I was wondering if the cruises will start charging the gas surcharge soon. What a pain.

I have to thank you again for everything you post. I have friends who are cruising in two weeks on Carnival Glory. They will dock in Havensight, and I forwarded all of the information I have glued together from your posts, and I am really encouraging them to do it on their own. None of them have ever seen Trunk Bay or been on St. John. Can't wait to hear about their experience when they come back!

You can check this site for the cruise ship schedule in the two ports in St. Thomas, but they only have the schedule one month at a time. It says they update it at the end of each month, so only March is up now.

**********/general_usvi/cruiseship/ship_schedule.php

Just hit a search for St. Thomas Port Schedule or Virgin Islands Cruise Ship Schedule if the link doesn't show properly.

The "vinow" in the link stands for "virgin islands now". This particular link shows specifically the two docks in St. Thomas and also if the ship is tendered instead.

From what it says for March, The Norwegian Epic is docking in WICO (West Indian Company Dock) which is Havensight, but who knows if that will change in other months. Hope this helps.

Cruisegirl1, go to the first page of this same thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1196166

and look out for posts by HostAnne and augie. HostAnne gives a great wealth of information on going to Trunk Bay on your own. If you are docked at Havensight you will have time galore; a little less time if you are docked at Crown Bay, but still enough time. Just read on. Their posts really, really helped me in my own decision making.

Oh, good Meredy!

Wake2port, if you see yourself snorkeling more in the future, purchasing is a great idea. But if it's only going to happen 'once in a blue moon' renting may be the better option, and you won't have to pack it and carry it around.

I did find the websites two shopping areas on Cruz Bay near the ferry dock: Wharfside Village (wharfsidevillage.com); and Mongoose Junction (mongoosejunctionstjohn.com/index.php) -- they have Hurricane Alley Active Wear and Snorkel Rental--seems they sell equipment also.

And as Host Anne has posted here, several of the beaches rent onsite as well and you can most likely get a better price shopping it online.

We don't snorkel often enough; my husband used to dive and snorkel quite a bit when he was younger. He doesn't even want to pack his gear now--he doesn't go for the dives anymore, just snorkeling with me and our girls. So we just rent, but I pack a few disinfectant wipes in a baggie and use them with the rentals. Who knows if it even makes a difference (disinfectant needs at least 10 or 20 mins contact time to actually disinfect), but it just makes me feel better, lol :D

Meredy338, I looked on RCI's website and the only thing I see as far as restrictions goes is for STG3 they gave it a "strenuous" symbol, maybe for steep walking during the tour-? The STG4 shopping tour has a "mild" symbol; both say 280lb limit, but it doesn't specify age. Maybe because of the boat ride over being possibly rough??? I cruise after you in June, sorry. You may want to contact them.

TravelerThom, yes, thanks for the Crown Point port name--I couldn't remember! I just knew it was the furthest one from Red Hook Ferry.

I will tell you all something I found strange. I actually went ahead and booked the STG3 tour last night. I kept trying repeatedly...got through all the steps, and it asks, "Do you weigh less than or equal to 280lbs?" I clicked YES, thinking, "yes, we do weigh less than or equal to 280lbs..." and it kept saying we had a height or weight issue and could not reserve. After going back to it over several hours and frustrated I thought, what the heck, I'll click "NO" not really thinking it would make a difference, and bamm! The reservation went through! It's worded rather strange, tricky. I wonder if others will be having a problem too...

Thanks to you all! I think I'm going to play it safe and take a ship's excursion. We'll be on the Allure at the furthest port, Charlotte Amalie(think that's the name), and we are there from 9am to 5pm. I'm just too afraid to chance it on our own--our time is tighter than what you've posted--and in the end have no more than 2 hours on the beach anyway.

BUT, I have found an improvement to my whole situation! For those of you on Allure or Royal Caribbean, check out the differences between these three St. John tours: STG3, STG4, STE8. The first two

STG3-Destination St. John: Historic Walking Tour & Personal Leisure Time and STG4 Destination St. John: Guided Shopping and Leisure Time ferry over straight from charlotte amalie port (a 45min ride, and yes, maybe a little rougher ride), but they are both 6hr&30min excursions. Once you are in St. John, one of the two gives you a guided shopping tour, the other gives you a walking tour, both share the same boat ride back and forth, and both say you have over 3 &1/2 hours to do as you please (after their guided tours on St. John). HOWEVER, I've read on these boards that there are people taking these excursions and ditching the guided tours, just getting there and getting a taxi straight over to Trunk Bay, allowing much more time on the beach. The cost for STG3 & STG4 is $40 per adult / $30 per child.

The STE8-St John Beach and Snorkel Tour is a tour to Trunk Bay alone, 45 min boat ride over, only 1&1/2 hours on the beach, includes park entrance & snorkel equipment--this tour is $67 per adult / $39 per child but it's only 4 hours total excursion time.

If I choose one of the top two excursions STG3 or STG4 that last

6 &1/2 hours at $40, and I add $12pp taxi ride roundtrip from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay, $4 for Trunk Bay entrance, about $12 for snorkel and vest rental....I'm at $68, but I'm getting much more beach/snorkel time at Trunk Bay, which is all I want. And I'm still getting a rum drink on the way back which is not included in STE8, lol :D

I know you could do it on your own for about $25-$30 cheaper, but for those of you in my same situation, same furthest port, same time constraint, this isn't a bad option to consider...

Hi MindTheGap, thanks for your post. Can you tell me a few more things please.

1. Which port was your ship docked at--the furthest port from Red Hook?

2. What time was your ship there from-dock/sail times?

3. If you snorkeled and rented equipment, how much to rent it?

4. How long did you actually stay at Trunk Bay, the beach itself?

5. When you took the ferry back out of St. John, how many hours did you allow at that point from the time the ferry picked you up on the way back to sail time?

(I'm not asking actual times because there is so much talk here about converting ship time to island time, that it confuses me :o)

We went to and participated in The Quest game show in 7/09 on Adventure of The Seas. It was a blast! Not for young children. If you have mature pre-teens and you are not easily offended, I would treat it as PG-13, otherwise older. That's a reason they make it later at night I'm sure. The whole audience is involved, broken into teams with a captain, and they ask the audience/teams to come up with some crazy things, sometimes a little naughty. Alot of fun :D

No, Allure is sailing out at 5pm, so no problem then. It should be easy to keep track of, yaaay :D

travelpeon ~ your post made me smile. The key thing is just make sure you know what time is ships' time and whether it's the same as local time. You'll be fine. Sending you some island vibes!!!! :)

Hi Anne! As it relates to taking the Red Hook ferry over to St. John...

As long as the ship time and the island time are only a whole hour different (as opposed to a half-hour portion difference) it should be easy to keep track of anyways, right? The Red Hook ferry comes and goes on the hour every hour, right? Though, I forget how late the last ferry leaves St. John...that's where you'd have to be super careful, not to miss the last ferry back because you had your time mixed up, lol! :eek:

We have just decided to return to St. John for a weeklong trip next year to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. I can't think of any place I'd rather spend it. We'll be back there in February on a cruise as well. For me, I can't get there often enough. Just starting to look at places to stay makes me want to hop on a ship today and go visit :)

Hi Anne, searching through the boards I found this post of yours. The reason for our June Allure trip is also to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and to celebrate our youngest daughter's 15th birthday (her "quince"). You have provided such wonderful information. I'm continuing to read. Hope you are still planning to celebrate your 25th at St. John. It really seems a magical place. Thanks for all the info and tips!

:) Helen "Smileeface"

We booked the 1/2 day excursion to Buck Island through Royal Caribbean. We were going to go independent but sense you have to go to the other side of the island, we didn't want to mess around with getting our own transportation. Besides, booking through RCCL will not cost you much more and for those of you who are worried about getting back to the ship on time you don't have to worry because the ship will not leave you. They picked us up right on the dock and drove the 40 min across the island to Christiansted where the other harbor is. There really is not much to see in the interior like you can on St. Lucia or Barbados. When we got to Christiansted, we boarded the boat and took another 40 min ride to get out to Buck Island. Buck Island is not your typical tropical paradise island. It acually has no trees to speak of and has a lot of cactus. Almost looks like a desert. The reef though is unbelievable. You will see coral formations that you will not see in too many places. Since it takes so long to get there and out to the island, we only had about an hour and a half to snorkel. Even after an hour we were all pretty tired. If you take the full day excursion you will obviously have more time and I think they have a cookout on one side of the island. Christiansted looks like a cool town and we wish we could have spent some time there. Fredricksted is not really much to speak of. Just a few shops around the pier. If you want to know about any of the other islands just feel free to ask while it is still not even a week old in my mind. Barbodos, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Martin, and St. I hope this helps.

Hi again, Kbertsch! Does RCI provide any lunch on this Buck Island excursion or was it available to buy?

What did you do in St. Lucia???

We booked Big Beards snorkling -the all dayer- they remind me a lot of Triology a fantistic company we used on maui in 07 and again in 08:cool:

The excursion is out to Buck Island -were really looking foward to this to finish off our cruise on Adventure next month:D

Hi mex25. I looked at the Big Beard website and the full day sounds wonderful. My only concern is that our AOS trip in July says we're in St. Croix from 7am departing 5:30pm. Big Beards excursion is 9:30am to 3:30pm but that's starting and stopping in Cristiansted. I'm worried about getting there and back on time, from and back to Fredericksted. How are you handling transportation, and do you know how much that will be yet?We will be there on a Saturday, so I wonder how much traffic there is and how long the drive. Thanks!

Hi KBertsch! I was just looking at that Buck Island Snorkel excursion on RCCL. How long did you get to snorkel and did you get to go on the beach there at Buck Island? Also, it doesn't mention that lunch is included, so do you have time to get something to eat or do they sell anything on the boat? Any more details on the bus ride and the snorkel part would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!