5-Star St. John Snorkel and Beach Adventure

[donaldsgal]

We (DSis and I) have this excursion booked. Anyone done this? What did you think of it? It seems that we'll take the Leylon Sneed for a 1.5 hour trip to Trunk Bay, have 1.5 hours on Trunk Bay, and then 1.5 hours back to St. Thomas. What did you think of it? Was 1.5 hours at TB worth it?

Also, do you think we could get to Coral World after we return? This excursion lasts 4-4.5 hours, so we'd get back around 11:45-12:15. Is that enough time to make a trip to Coral World and enjoy that?

Feedback on the excursion and thoughts on making it to Coral World would be great!

 

[TiggerStac]

We did this in 2/04 on our trip. We were late departing due to customs and we were late coming back. So, you may not be able to make both. I had heard that this is common...to be late getting off the boat. Our reason was that the agents were late boarding the ship. I want to say we were like 2 hours late. Luckily they still took us and had another trip booked in the afternoon. It was definately a long ride to trunk bay. Going over wasn't as long as coming back...but isn't that the way it always feels

 

[donaldsgal]

Doing all that, was it enjoyable? Would you do it again/recommend it to others?

 

[krhardy]

DH and I did this excursion last July...we LOVED it!!!! I really liked that we just anchored at Trunk Bay, and didn't have to transfer from ferry to van once on the island, although if you've never seen the island, it really is something to see-very beautiful.
Anyway, we loved the excursion, and highly recommend it!

 

[TiggerStac]

I enjoyed it, but I love snorkeling anywhere. I may try a different one on our next cruise...as I like to try different places.

 

[cruzings]

DH and DD9 this this last September but did NOT enjoy it. They said is was too rough and the water was murky. Hardly saw any fish. We're not sure if the upcoming Hurricane Jeanne had something to do with that. Just be prepared for possible weather effects on your snorkeling experience.

 

[TootyJane]

Jenny,

Our family did this excursion back in June 2002 and loved it!!! We booked the early excursion so we got back in time for lunch. Weather was great as was the snorkeling in Trunk Bay. Even our middle ds (who didn't want to go asked if he could borrow my mask and snorkel and went snorkeling!) My brother and his family wanted to spend more time at TB so they caught the ferry and went over that way. Yes, it is a long time getting there and back but we found that 1.5 hours was just the right amount of time at TB. With all the sun, fresh air and snorkeling, there were a lot of sleepy people (especially kids) on the ride back. Be sure to bring some $$ as they do sell snacks on board or bring something from the ship. They also sell digital pictures which they will email to your email address. I think it was $10 for 3 photos. I didn't bring any $$ but the guy let me buy them and when I got home they were in my mailbox along with an address to send a check. The photos are a nice reminder of our excursion. I definitely recommend this excursion. HTH

 

[umich cruiser]

We have been on 3 DCL cruises and just got back last week from a Southern RCL cruise. We absolutely love Trunk Bay. It is BEAUTIFUL. We have always gone on our own. Get off the ship take a waiting open air taxi to Red Hook from there take a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John then a short ride to Trunk Bay. Reverse it for the return. Take the 3:00pm ferry back to give yourself plenty of time. We were at Trunk Bay at about 10:00am, spent lots of time snorkling, swimming, lying on beach. Water was crystal clear, warm, sand was white and sugary. We always get room service the night before, get ice from room steward and take our lunches in soft sided coolers in ziploc baggies. There's a picnic pavillion right off the beach. The only problem we had was that you needed a picture i.d. to get on the ferry (this came about since the London bombings) no one told us this and one person in our group did not have it with him. We debated what to do, he finally went all the way back to the ship for i.d. and met us at the beach. If you have questions, please ask.

 

[donaldsgal]

We have been on 3 DCL cruises and just got back last week from a Southern RCL cruise. We absolutely love Trunk Bay. It is BEAUTIFUL. We have always gone on our own. Get off the ship take a waiting open air taxi to Red Hook from there take a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John then a short ride to Trunk Bay. Reverse it for the return. Take the 3:00pm ferry back to give yourself plenty of time. We were at Trunk Bay at about 10:00am, spent lots of time snorkling, swimming, lying on beach. Water was crystal clear, warm, sand was white and sugary. We always get room service the night before, get ice from room steward and take our lunches in soft sided coolers in ziploc baggies. There's a picnic pavillion right off the beach. The only problem we had was that you needed a picture i.d. to get on the ferry (this came about since the London bombings) no one told us this and one person in our group did not have it with him. We debated what to do, he finally went all the way back to the ship for i.d. and met us at the beach. If you have questions, please ask.

umich, I'm sending you a PM. Anyone else go to Trunk Bay on their own? My DSis is VERY hesitant to do things on our own that could result in us missing the ship. I've read that the traffic is pretty crummy trying to get back to the ship when you go on your own. The 5-Star excursion is supposed to take us about 1.5 hours to get to Trunk Bay. Is it the same commute when you do it on your own?

 

[umich cruiser]

We left the ship early and we got a taxi right away, there are lots right next to the ship waiting, no problem there at all. It didn't take us long to get to Red Hook, maybe 20 mins. maybe not that long, they drive fast). Red Hook is crummy area, the people who work there weren't helpful, one lady had to eat while she talked to us! But we made the 10:00 ferry, check out the ferry scheudles before you go. You can do that on line and be sure everyone has a photo i.d., assumming we are still on high alert security status. The ferry ride is about 20 mins. at Cruz Bay there are again lots of taxis. Tell your driver to pick you up at 2:30 to get the 3:00 ferry back. You will have lots of time then. We've done it twice and never had a problem with time. On our own we had about 4 hours of beach time and it was cheaper.

 

[Jamashp]

We took this tour last October. For us, it was far too much travel for such a short time at Trunk Bay (which was beautiful though). The Leylon Sneed just seemed to plod along at a slow pace. It was especially noticable that we never passed a single boat, but many boats went right by us!

I would not do this tour again.

Scott

 

[TiggerStac]

I have to agree with JAMASHIP. We, also, noticed that the boat seemed slow and tons (and I mean tons) of other boats were passing us like we were walking...