5 Star St. John Snorkel & Beach Adventure

[canadagal]

I've posted this on the ports of call board but have yet to get a reply from anyone answering my specific question. All that has been posted is....it was great! So sorry if I'm posting it here again.

 

The above title, is what Hal is now calling this shore excursion but it was previously called something else as I discovered from a search on the net. But it's definately the same boat that was previously named the Leylon Sneed, a 115 ft. replica of a Chesapeake Bay Oyster Boat.

For those of you that have taken the Hal excursion or been on the Leylon Sneed to Trunk Bay how difficult was it to get off the boat once it was anchored offshore at the beach. I have read reports that you have 3 choices, jump off the back of the boat into the water, climb down a ladder into the water or they will take you in a dinghy to the beach if you do not care to get wet. My friend is not that agile and after looking at pictures of the boat it looks really high from the water line and the ladders look really steep. I wanted to know how one would get into the dinghy.......surely not by climbing down the same ladders. That would mean that really young kids and seniors might not get on shore or in the water. Any info on this shore excursion and boat would be really appreciated as no where does it mention how to get off of the boat once it is moored.

[Stevesan]

No need to book a ship's (or any other) excursion to go to St John's beaches. There are frequent ferries (@ every two hours) from either Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie.

 

http://www.*****/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/#St.%20John%20Passenger%20Ferry:%20%20Red%20Hook%20to%20Cruz%20Bay

 

There are shuttles that run around St John. You can board at the ferry dock and hop off at Trunk Bay as well as most of the other beaches.

 

If you must use the Red Hook Ferry, the taxi fare from Charlotte Amalie is $10 p/p ($13 for a solo fare).

 

http://www.*****/stthomas/getting_around_stt/taxi_stt/

 

There are great beaches on St Thomas. Coki is good for snorkeling, and there is a snorkel/dive shop there. Coral World is adjacent to Coki.

 

http://www.*****/stthomas/beaches_stt/

 

http://www.coralworldvi.com/

 

http://www.cokidive.com/

[nikkin]

A few years back on Carnival.. there is a steep ladder down to dingy...(to Trunks Bay).and of course you have then climb back up that.. It would be hard if not in okay shape.. Umm.. you can snorkle instead ..but real unsure how they got off the boat..

[boxer2]

I had signed up for this tour before we left on the Volendam 12/3/06. When we got to our cabin, along with our other excursion tickets, we were notified that this tour was cancelled. Not enough people signed up. I really was not that upset about it since we have been to St. John before. Ended up just sitting around the pool all day. Not very many people around, since most went out on excursions that day.

[ocsuzie]

We did this excursion in November when we were on the Maasdam. You are correct about the three ways to get into the water and to the beach. It is very difficult for anyone who wants to climb down the ladder. It is a long way down to the water and was not a pleasant experience. The water was rough the day we went, and the snorkling was not good. The crew stood at the end of the ramp when we boarded the boat and never gave a hand to anyone. I fell and skinned my knee boarding the boat right in front of their faces and they never even asked if I was ok. I was really not hurt badly, but I could have been and they seemed to not even notice. It was a fun ride over to St. John, and the scenery was beautiful, even in the rain. There was a family on the excursion from another ship that had two very young children with them. There was no way they could have gone into the water or gotten to the beach, and they felt they were not informed about the difficulty entering the water and getting to the beach. They could never get into those little inflatable boats with two babies.

 

While we had a good time, because I pretty much have a good time doing most anything on a cruise, I wouldn't recommend this excursion especially if there was any thought of having a difficult time entering the water.

[canadagal]

Thank-you everyone! ocsuzie: that's what I was afraid of..... that it would be difficult for some to get on and off the boat. That's terrible about you falling and no one came to see if you were okay? That's unprofessional and unforgiveable. We definately are going to cancel this excursion now and go to St. John on our own. I've done that several times before and liked how we were in control of the time and what to do. Besides, if the weather turns out to not be good that day, I'd as soon as spend the time shopping in port. Choppy waters make for murky snorkeling.

I really appreciate the reponse cruisers!

Pat

[tkwbear]

I've done this excursion 3 times with a variety of people. It is a bit awkward walking down that ladder with fins on, but I've not had any issues, nor have I seen anyone have any. After snorkeling, they lower a basket for gear so you don't have to wear it while climbing up the ladder.

 

One of my friends did jump off the back, but I carry a camera, and didn't feel comfortable with doing that. As for the crew, they have always been very nice, and offer free rum punch on the return trip.

 

I'm scheduled to do it again next month, which will be the first time under the new name. Everyone I've gone with thought it was great.

[HapiFeet]

We did this excursion in November when we were on the Maasdam. You are correct about the three ways to get into the water and to the beach. It is very difficult for anyone who wants to climb down the ladder. It is a long way down to the water and was not a pleasant experience. The water was rough the day we went, and the snorkling was not good. The crew stood at the end of the ramp when we boarded the boat and never gave a hand to anyone. I fell and skinned my knee boarding the boat right in front of their faces and they never even asked if I was ok. I was really not hurt badly, but I could have been and they seemed to not even notice. It was a fun ride over to St. John, and the scenery was beautiful, even in the rain. There was a family on the excursion from another ship that had two very young children with them. There was no way they could have gone into the water or gotten to the beach, and they felt they were not informed about the difficulty entering the water and getting to the beach. They could never get into those little inflatable boats with two babies.

 

While we had a good time, because I pretty much have a good time doing most anything on a cruise, I wouldn't recommend this excursion especially if there was any thought of having a difficult time entering the water.

 

I am sooo glad I found this post. First of all, the crew was terrible not to help people up and not to attend to you after you were hurt. I have booked this excursion and will now cancel it and make other arrangements for snorkeling. My husband and I had a similar experience in Puerto Vallarta. We took a sailing ship, which loaded us into a bobbing dingy (next to the diesel exhaust), which we then needed to slide off the side into the water, not easily done because the side was slip-proofed with what felt like sandpaper. When it was time to get back in the dingy, the ladder kept going under it. We had the worst time. And after all that, it was jellyfish season and we never really found a good place to snorkel. We were warned but decided to take our chances. Bad decision.:(

[piratelooksat45]

We have taken this excursion 2 times through other cruise lines, and both the time the crew has been fabulous! Very helpful getting people on and off. The ladder is steep, but my 80 year old aunt (who is in very good shape) was able to climb up and down and take the dinghy to the beach. My mother stayed on the boat enjoying the gorgeous scenery:) and was very impressed with the crew -- very friendly, always checking to see if she needed anything.

[HapiFeet]

I've been hunting down pictures of the Leylon Sneed and have found a picture that shows the ladders and the dinghys. How far down in the water do the ladders extend? It looks like they have handrails and are more stable and easier to use than the rope and metal rod ladder that we've had on other boats. As soon as we stepped on the bottom rung of those ladders, they would float under the boat! Funny at the time, but very awkward. We're both 60 and not in the best of shape. I've had a lower back fusion and have a little rotator cuff problem in my shoulder so my flexibility is limited, but I could probably climb the ladder with combined leg and arm power if it extends into the water low enough.

 

I found a great picture of the boat on another website courtesy of Steve. I'll edit and post the link to his album so you can see pictures of the beautiful beach and dinghy on the beach:

http://img.clubphoto.com/jerboa/9471063/hi/null/image.jpg.