anyone do the catamarran from st. thomas to st. john?

[macbasset]

hello, we are considering the catamarran excursion from st. thomas to st. john and were wondering if there is an opportunity to snorkel on that excursion? we have done the golden eagle on st. maarten, but are interested in this one to honeymoon beach. can anyone describe what this excursion was like, what the beach and luncheon is like, etc. we would greatly appreciate it. barb

 

[RellingTwin]

If you are talking about the "Barefoot, Sail and Snorkel" I can tell you a little. We booked it last year, and were looking forward to it. I had read some GREAT reviews on it and just so happen to meet a women here in Charleston who's granddaughter was one of the co-owners! Small world!
On the night before the Magic got to St Thomas I was called by guest services and told not enough people booked, so it was being cancelled! I was very dissapointed. I thought they did not do a good job with the discribtion of the excursion (I found out myself that beverages are included) and since the price was a few dollars more then the other catamaran trip, this might have made the difference to some people.
I saw "Honeymoon Beach" on the way to Trunk Bay and it looked REALLY nice!
This was my only dissapointment of the whole cruise.
If you do go, please tell us about it when you return.
BTW the granddaughters name is Claire, her DH is Jamie. They own and run the Catamaran "Allura".

 

[DisneyKids]

I think you are talking about the Champagne Catamaran from St. Thomas to St. John (Honeymoon Beach). We did this in Januanry and LOVED it. It's a nice long excursion (6+ hours) - 2 hours to get there, 2 hours at the beach, 2 hours return. The catamaran and crew were excellent. The food and drink were also very good and we did have a chance to snorkel, swim, play on the beach, etc. It was one of the highlights of our cruise.

 

[jds]

Yes, there are several different catamaran excursions from St. Thomas to St. John!

My DD13 did the St. John Barefoot Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (with other family members and friends) in July and had a fantastic time. She enjoyed the sail to St. John, snorkeling from the beach at Honeymoon Bay (where DH & I had snorkeled on our own about 15 years ago!), and the "bouncy" sail back to St. Thomas. The snorkeling was great--clear water, lots of fish and even rays. They had soft drinks available throughout the trip and rum punch (for the adults!) and snacks on the way back. There was even a resident dog on board, who kept the kids entertained.

One note of warning--DD did mention that they swam a short way from the catamaran to the beach (wearing life vests and snorkel gear, all of which were provided) at St. John--so this trip might not be appropriate for younger kids who wouldn't be comfortable doing that...

 

[Debbie H]

If you are talking about the Champagne catamaran, it was fun. The only compaint we had was that some take small children with them and expect them to have fun when clearly the kids hated it. We had some smaller ones that screamed all the way to St. John's, a few got sick and when we started snorkeling, some parents got angry and yelled at their children because the kids were terrified to go in.
But for the most part, after we overlooked the fact that some parents didn't really consider if their kids were up to the task or not, it was a good time.

 

[DisneyKids]

I guess it depends on your kids. We had a 5 and 9 year old. They loved the boat ride, the swimming...everything. I did have to swim along with my youngest to the beach but they just wanted me there for reassurance. It wasn't very far. If your kids would be bothered by this, it is certainly a consideration. From what I think I've heard, many, if not all of the catamaran's do this.

Have fun!

 

[highflyer747b]

We did the the Champagne Catamaran last year - Honeymoon Bay is stunning, we did some snorkeling for a while which was great and then swam the short distance to the beach - they have a small boat to take you to shore it you don't want to swim. It really is beautiful and we could have stayed all day. The only disappointment was the " delicious champagne buffet lunch ". Maybe we were expecting too much , but for the price of the excursion ( $90 I think) we thought there might be seafood offerings and something a bit more special, not your standard cold meat, salad and bread. They weren't very forthcoming with the "champagne" either ( it was actually sparkling wine ) and seemed to steer you in the direction of other drinks. Still it was there for the asking even though the crew made comments about running out , when people asked. Personally I don't think it was worth the extra bucks and would probably consider the the Barefoot Catamaran Sail and Snorkel next time.

 

[macbasset]

Yes, I was referring to the champagne catamarran excursion; there is no mention of snorkeling gear on that one; is it provided?Where on St. John is this Honeymoon Beach? I've looked at maps and see no sign of it. I know where Cruz Bay and Trunk Bay are, but just was curious where this beach is since you mentioned it takes 2 hrs. to get there. Or, is the catamarran just sailing around to show you the sights? barb