Jost Van Dyke Beach Day vs. Beach Transfer?

[Hegemon]

Hi everyone! I wasn't able to book the Jost Van Dyke Beach day before all of the slots were taken, so I booked the transfer instead for my upcoming Eastern Caribbean cruise. I'm not really thrilled about the half day and early hours of the transfer (and was particularly excited about the "Beach Day" version). Has anyone had any experience with the transfer, or even both of them as a comparison? Is the JVD Beach Transfer worth it? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We did the beach transfer. It was early, too short. But we still had a good time. Not crowded-had the whole area to ourselves for awhule, which was nice. If I remember correctly, the transfer on the way back had the Painkillers following-lol. it wasn't ideal-we got closed out of the beach day too, but we made the best of it and don't regret that excursion.

 

[Marc D]

The way this is setup is that guests on the half-day tour get taken there, then the boat goes back to get the full-day guests, bring them to the beach and take back the first guests. The full-day guests replace the first ones on the long chairs reserved for both tours, start with the lunch that the half-day guests got to see (and smell) get prepared then enjoy the rest of the day there.

For us, the half day was just enough beach time, plus, seeing the meal get prepared, we were glad to have lunch at Cabanas...

 

[Hegemon]

Thanks y'all! I think your experiences sort of match what I was expecting. I guess I'll be happy that we at least got the Beach Transfer and I'll keep on the lookout for a Beach Day opening. Part of me is wondering if booking a private charter would be worth it to give us more time at White Bay, but that's pretty pricey. I'll say that I certainly DO NOT want the lunch that they offer; I just want want the extra time to walk around, eat the food, and drink the rum.

 

[squirk]

I'll say that I certainly DO NOT want the lunch that they offer;

You do not. That lunch is crap.

It seems you’ve already come to this conclusion, but for others who may be reading: take the lunch out of the equation when thinking about the cost-to-value of the Beach Day.

The excursion is worth the extra money for the extra time on the beach. It is, in no part whatsoever, worth the extra money for the included lunch.