St Thomas/St John

[critcatny]

I've been to St Thomas 2x and once went to Magens Bay & Paradise Pt and the other time did shopping. Trying to think of something different to do. Was thinking of taking the Carnival Excursion to St John/Trunk Bay beach. How is that beach compared to Magens Bay? Is it expensive to do on your own b/c it is $69pp to do through Carnival. Thanks

[blue_water]

Excellent idea critcatny! The beaches of STJ are much nicer than Magens Bay. Actually the beaches on the East End of STT (Coki, Smith Bay, Sapphire, & Secret Harbor) are much nicer than Magens Bay in our opinion. But STJ is a very nice excursion for your stop in STT, Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay are definitely worth the trip.

 

To get there on your own you have 2 options - ferry from downtown or ferry from Red Hook. We recommend the Red Hook option for several reasons and most ppl who dock at Havensight will go that route. Some folks who dock at Crown Bay may use the downtown ferry but be aware it's a 45 min ferry ride and sea conditions are not always "friendly" in the open waters. But it is an option if it works for you and the cost and travel time is similar between both ferry options.

 

The 20 - 30 min taxi to Red Hook, 15 min ferry to Cruz Bay, and short taxi ride to the beach would cost about $46pp roundtrip and take about 2 hrs travel time from Havensight (WICO) dock give or take depending on wait times for taxis and ferries, both of which are very regular. Just give yourself a little more time for the return trip due to so many other people returning with you. But this is a very easy self-excursion and gives you a little more flexibility. We find we can generally make better time on our own too.

 

But the ship excursion is also a good way to go, and the champagne cruise excursion that sails along the STJ beaches before dropping you in Cruz Bay is nice if you like part of the day on the water.

Trunk is the prime spot but if it's terribly crowded the driver can take you a little further to Cinnamon. The taxi drivers also offer an island tour before dropping you at the beach if you want that.

 

Have a great day whatever option you choose! :)

[critcatny]

Thanks BlueWater. I am excited about going to St Johns and Trunk Bay. I think I might chicken out and do the ship excursion though since there's taxis & ferries involved, & I don't want to chance missing the boat. Of course, the down side of the ship excursions is we only have 1 1/2 hrs on the beach :(

Still, excited to see a new island and from what I've heard a gorgeous beach. So far, of all beaches I've visited, my favorite is Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda. (pink, soft sand, gorgeous clear blue water, soft sand underneath and beautiful scenery.) If you've been to that one, how does Trunk Bay compare to Horseshoe?

[blue_water]

Don't sweat it, the ship excursion is also a great option. Really, you will enjoy the ride there and back, and yes, Trunk is as nice as HB, but they are still different. Both are the main excursion destinations, as you know, and so get crowded. So keep Cinnamon in mind just in case. ;)

 

And we love Warwick Long Bay in BDA, just as gorgeous as HB but no crowds because there are no amenities except restrooms.

Enjoy!

[Skai]

Thanks BlueWater. I am excited about going to St Johns and Trunk Bay. I think I might chicken out and do the ship excursion though since there's taxis & ferries involved, & I don't want to chance missing the boat. Of course, the down side of the ship excursions is we only have 1 1/2 hrs on the beach :(

Still, excited to see a new island and from what I've heard a gorgeous beach. So far, of all beaches I've visited, my favorite is Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda. (pink, soft sand, gorgeous clear blue water, soft sand underneath and beautiful scenery.) If you've been to that one, how does Trunk Bay compare to Horseshoe?

 

Taking taxis/ferry to St. John is a really simple process....IIRC it was around $35 total per person (RT) when we were there.

 

There will be plenty of taxis/open-air shuttles waiting to take you to and fro the beach at Trunk Bay/Cruz bay.

 

If one heads out early enough, they can have a few (less crowded) hours at Trunk Bay (which is plenty of time to lay on the beach/swim/snorkel etc.) and then still get back to St. Thomas to have a couple more hours to walk around in the afternoon before heading back to the ship.

[blue_water]

Taking taxis/ferry to St. John is a really simple process....IIRC it was around $35 total per person (RT) when we were there.

 

There will be plenty of taxis/open-air shuttles waiting to take you to and fro the beach at Trunk Bay/Cruz bay.

 

If one heads out early enough, they can have a few (less crowded) hours at Trunk Bay (which is plenty of time to lay on the beach/swim/snorkel etc.) and then still get back to St. Thomas to have a couple more hours to walk around in the afternoon before heading back to the ship.

 

Skai, we too like the self-excursion for the freedom and speed that brings (don't mean to repeat myself), as well as the ease in this situation. But you would only arrive perhaps 1 hr before the ship group (if you can get an earlier ferry yourself), not 3 hrs. We can also understand going with the ship option, many return visitors prefer that because they don't have to worry about anything and that can be more relaxing to them.

 

But the beaches of STJ are gorgeous, and for someone who doesn't feel they're getting enough time to relax on the beach, Sapphire is an excellent alternative because it saves a couple extra hrs of travel time.