St.John excursion STT830 cruise/snorkel ?

[kruzin']

If you have taken this excursion please tell me everything...Is the snorkel gear included? I cant find this info anywhere including the princess web site,,thanks to all who answer

[tgwabd]

Snorkel gear is included, in fact they prefer that you do not use your own.

[kruzin']

:)thank you for prompt reply... did they allow you any time to shop or stroll around in St John or was it off the ferry and on to snorkel ...then back to the ferry and back to st thomas...?. by the way did you enjoy the excursion ...please give me your feedback?

[Lineaway]

Why would they care if you used your own Snorkel gear?

[kendon]

Just did this excursion several days ago. Wow...it was the most rushed excursion ever! We took a boat from Crown Bay to Cruz Bay (St. John), then an open air "thingy" to Trunk Bay. We had 1 1/2 hours to snorkel and headed back with three hours to spend in St. Thomas. IMO, there was no reason to spend so little time in St. John. Spending more time in Cruz Bay for a refreshment would have been nice.

 

Now regarding the snorkeling experience, it was disappointing. There was not much to see since the underwater trail was in rough shape from abuse by the snorkelers...many who were standing on the coral with their fins! I have snorkeled all over the Caribbean, looked forward to Trunk Bay, and was let down. Wish I had a better review for you.

[chrysalis]

Just did this excursion several days ago. Wow...it was the most rushed excursion ever! We took a boat from Crown Bay to Cruz Bay (St. John), then an open air "thingy" to Trunk Bay. We had 1 1/2 hours to snorkel and headed back with three hours to spend in St. Thomas. IMO, there was no reason to spend so little time in St. John. Spending more time in Cruz Bay for a refreshment would have been nice.

 

Now regarding the snorkeling experience, it was disappointing. There was not much to see since the underwater trail was in rough shape from abuse by the snorkelers...many who were standing on the coral with their fins! I have snorkeled all over the Caribbean, looked forward to Trunk Bay, and was let down. Wish I had a better review for you.

 

 

I agree completely....was one of the most disappointing excursions that we have ever taken. Plus, we felt "herded" and treated like school children. The snorkelling was not as we had expected. The snorkelling has always been much better ever time we have gone to Coki Beach.

[bluemorninglory]

Personally, I would not recommend this excursion. We spent so much time traveling to the island, only to be at St. John's for less than 2 hours. Trunk Bay is nice, but the snorkeling was just okay. If you want to really snorkel at some great spots...book a snorkeling tour in the Grand Turks the following day.

[Times Prince]

Princess snorkeling excursions in the Caribbean always include fins, snorkel, mask, and vest. Some venues will not use fins to protect the animals (e.g. sting ray city in St. Thomas).

 

We have never had any problem using our own gear, and when going to St. John's we were in the water 15 minutes or more before the rest of the tour, as they had to be fitted first then receive a safety briefing.

 

Our first visit to Trunk Bay was enchanting. Our next visit several years later was disappointing, as a hurricane had wiped out much of the beauty.

 

The excursion leaves little/no time on St. John at the National Park beach and not much time after in St. Thomas. Usually we return to the ship and stay on board.

[kruzin']

:( thanks to all...we will cancel this excursion and look into rcl's excursion when we cruise later with them in 2012,,

[Palmist]

We do it every time we cruise and it goes to st Thomas. That said, we do it on our own. I usually make a few friends at the Meet and Greet and we all hang together. It is a trip to get there but worth it. The underwater park is marked for all the kinds of fish you see. There is guard rail to follow and swim next to to if you think it is too far out. We love it! I would cancel thru the ship because they herd their people and rush everyone.

Myrna

[Stevesan]

:( thanks to all...we will cancel this excursion and look into rcl's excursion when we cruise later with them in 2012' date=',[/quote']

 

Boat snorkeling at St John is very good to excellent. Your ship offers a few, including the "Champagne Reef".

There are a number of very good independent snorkel operators.

You can cab it to Red Hook to hook up with them. It's about a 20-30 minute ride. Buses are available, too.

 

Visit both the St Thomas ports of call and snorkel boards.

 

Go to the www vinow com web site for everything you ever wanted to know about the USVI. It includes transportation schedules/prices and info about beaches and snorkeling.

[JimmyVWine]

Stevesan has the right idea. Take a cab to Red Hook, then hop on a ferry to Cruz Bay. Then, meet up with a water sports company that you have pre-arranged and spend the day snorkeling and visiting awesome beaches. When you eliminate the time that the ship's excusion dedicates to shopping in Charlotte Amalie, you actually will have plenty of time to enjoy the day. The ferry from RH to Cruz is 15-20 minutes. Add that to the cab ride as Stevesan mentioned above, and you can be in Cruz bay in 60-90 minutes. Figure the same on the way back. And the rest of the day is yours. A simple internet search will turn up dozens of companies in Cruz Bay that will let you set your own agenda. St. John has many, many beautiful beaches and easy to reach reefs. It would be a shame to miss them just because Trunk Bay is such a letdown.

 

www. vinow .com has a link to the ferry schedule to get you started. (Look for the "Travel Info" drop down list, and select "Ferry Schedules"...I tried to post the link, but the site won't let me.) After that, just search for some water sport companies and contact them. Call or email and tell them that you want to do some world class snorkeling away from the masses and away from Trunk Bay. They will hook you up.

[cruisetraveller2011]

Would any one knows where to buy the snorkel vest on the island. My wife and I was at Trunk bay on Christmas and I went snorkel and they provide the vest that I find it good to have buy could find it.

 

Thanks.