Best snorkeling on the Eastern itinerary?

[kennancat]

I’ve been looking over the shore excursions and information about the ports for the Eastern, and I’m trying to choose a good snorkeling tour. I’ve gotten the impression that St. Thomas / St. John are better for natural beauty and snorkeling, while St. Maarten is more of the “see and do stuff” port. DH and I are beginners at snorkeling, so we don’t want anything too challenging. We’re also looking to not break the bank or have to get up too terribly early So, I’m trying to figure out which tour gives you the most beauty for your buck. We’re willing to go with non-Disney shore excursions, if that will save us money and/or give us more options. By the way, here are the tours I’ve pulled out so far. Prices are for two adults.

5-Star St. John Snorkel and Beach Adventure (but leaves early) $ 98.00
Captain Nautica's St. John Snorkeling Expedition $ 130.00
Doubloon Sail and Snorkel Tour $ 84.00
Buck Island Sail and Snorkel $ 100.00
Kayak Marine Sanctuary Tour $ 120.00

 

[cmehall]

I would really suggest Trunk Bay at St. John's. If you are a bit organized, it's easy to do the trip on your own and then you'll get a lot more beach and snorkel time. The snorkeling at St. Maarten is only so-so at best.

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I'd say Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay on St. John is the best snorkeling on the trip, but if you want to sleep in a bit and spend less time in transit, I'd recommend either Coki Beach or Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas. You can grab a cab from the ship to either of these places and move at your own pace during the day.

 

[musicgirl]

We went on the Capt. Nautica. If I went to St. Thomas again, I wouldn't have to waste a minute on deciding what to do again.

We took the morning one. There were I believe 17 people on our boat. Because it is a speed boat. We got to go to 3 different places. We had at least 2 hrs. snorkeling if not more.

We went to Turtle Cove first. We saw a bunch of turtles right away. We were in the water about an hour. Just as we were leaving the excursion that only goes to Turtle Cove, were just starting and it was getting crowded.

Then we went to The shipwreck cove, which again is one of the other excursions. We were here about 20-30 min. It was very crowded with the Shipwreck excursion and the BOB excursion.

Our last stop was St. James, it is a private island, but you can still snorkel because they don't own the water. It was amazing!!!!!
We were here around 1 hour.

They had snacks and drinks for us in between. They were very knowledgeable about the history.

The boat ride was also really fun. Fast!!!!!!


Well, worth the money!!!

Lorie

 

[Scratch42]

I highly recommend the Buck Island!

There are only six on the boat and you have your own private guide!

They also serve beverages and a snack!

It was the highlite of DD's trip since they allowed her to drive the boat!

Scratch

 

[castlegazer]

The Eco HIke was our choice over to St. John - you get to snorkel on Honeymoon beach which was gorgeous - but overall I am looking for something else as the snorkeling time was only an hour due to the hike time and ferry time.

 

[Jimbo]

Originally posted by Scratch42
I highly recommend the Buck Island!

There are only six on the boat and you have your own private guide!

They also serve beverages and a snack!

It was the highlite of DD's trip since they allowed her to drive the boat!

Scratch

We took this excursion on RCCL many years ago, around 20 years. DW got to drive the boat into the St. Thomas harbor, and it was such a highlight for her. But as I recall, the snorkeling wasn't that hot. How was the snorkeling when you went?

 

[Scratch42]

Originally posted by Jimbo
We took this excursion on RCCL many years ago, around 20 years. DW got to drive the boat into the St. Thomas harbor, and it was such a highlight for her. But as I recall, the snorkeling wasn't that hot. How was the snorkeling when you went?

I have not done much snorkeling but I found it to be worth it! We saw so many different creatures plus sea turtles! One came up for air close to DD and she screamed with delight!LOL Our guide, who I can't remember his name was awesome! He took us to areas that the others were not going to and he would go down to bring up the creatures so that we could get a better look at them without distrubing them. He would also take our camera down to take pictures in their natural habitat! It was a half day excursion but I could have stayed all day! Captn Karl was very informative and helpful! The Rum Punch wasn't so bad either!LOL

Scratch

 

[kennancat]

Thanks everybody for your advice - I talked to Dh about it, and he actually wants to get up early to go! So I guess I'll have to take the other tours into consideration now too!

 

[cruzings]

my DH41 and DD9 went on the snorkeling trip in st. thomas/st john trunk bay last september and did NOT enjoy it at all. they saw very little fish and corals. DH says he won't recommend it at all.