Magen's Bay Excursion ?

[rtjcbrown]

I see that the Magen's Bay excursion is priced over $40. It just seems like a lot for a ride to the beach. Has anyone just taken a taxi over there on their own? What was the cost? Is anything else included in the Disney shore excursion?

 

[wide awake]

We did this on our own...$6 per person each way taxi, $3 for admission to Megan's Bay...had a great time, left the ship and came back when we wanted. I really hate the lining up and waiting that happens with the DCL excursions...if I wanted to be ready at a certain time I'd stay home and go to work !!! Whatever you choose, have fun.

 

[disneyfan73]

We took this excursion back in early Dec. They do give you a bottle of water , a chaperone and lounge chairs (that are reserved for excursion only).

 

[jweiss]

It is VERY easy to do on your own. I didn't even know they HAD excursions to Megan's Bay. I've done it twice now, on my own, alone with children. No problems whatsoever

 

[maminnie]

disneyfan73:

You mentioned that DCL provides you with lounge chairs. Are the chairs already on a specific area of the beach so that the DCL excursion people have somewhat of a reserved section on the beach or are you just given a chair and you personally have to search for a spot on the beach?

I have read that this beach is beautiful but not that big especially considering all the ships that can be in port on a particular day. Did you find that it was too crowded? Was it as beautiful as all the books say? Were you glad that you went to this beach? In April we did Trunk Bay in St. John and although it is absolutely beautiful, we were really surprised at how small (especially narrow) this beach was. It is truly a large cove type beach. Fortunately it did not get overcrowded but there were a lot of people.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[tksbaskets]

We did this on our own on Christmas Day. You can rent beach chairs or lounge chairs. There were plenty of people at the beach but we were able to find a nice stretch that was open. Our family of 4 saved over $100 from the excursion price and as mentioned above were able to come and go as we pleased. That was very nice. (details on part II of my trip report)

 

[disneyfan73]

disneyfan73:

You mentioned that DCL provides you with lounge chairs. Are the chairs already on a specific area of the beach so that the DCL excursion people have somewhat of a reserved section on the beach or are you just given a chair and you personally have to search for a spot on the beach?

I have read that this beach is beautiful but not that big especially considering all the ships that can be in port on a particular day. Did you find that it was too crowded? Was it as beautiful as all the books say? Were you glad that you went to this beach? In April we did Trunk Bay in St. John and although it is absolutely beautiful, we were really surprised at how small (especially narrow) this beach was. It is truly a large cove type beach. Fortunately it did not get overcrowded but there were a lot of people.

Thanks in advance for your help.

The lounge chairs are already set up and reserved for you, no needed to carry chairs half down beach as we saw many do. The location is between the snack/souvenir shop and restrooms (about mid beach, see photo). It is a very nice beach and did get busy but we never felt crowded. Also they set the lounge chairs two deep. I posted a few of our photos here of Magen's Bay( few more in photo albums). We had never been on a cruise before and did feel comfortable doing it on our own. …..HTH

Here is one photo I took on the way back to ship

 

[maminnie]

Disneyfan73:

Thank you so much for sharing the great pictures and the info. How I wish we were there right now!!

As I mentioned, we went to St. John on our DCL cruise in April which was wonderful but a very busy, extended day. Next trip we plan on staying on St. Thomas and want to do an island tour and beach day.

Looks like you had a wonderful vacation. Thanks again for your help.

 

[disneyfan73]

maminnie:

yeah ... wish we were there right now!! Getting ice and snow here right now

We looked at going to st john based on all the great reveiws, but felt with 7 of us going..... opted for Magens bay. Next time we will try St John

 

[maminnie]

disneyfan73:

Actually Meagans Bay reminds me a lot of Trunk Bay although bigger. I am glad we went to St. John but the time at the beach was limited to around 1 and a half to two hours. As I recall the ferry ride over was about 45 minutes too. By the time you settle in at the beach, it seems like it is time to pack up and leave. The day was also overcast, never saw the sun. I'm sure the day would have been even better if it had been a sunny day. It looks like you had a beautiful day. The challenge with St. John is the Disney ship leaves at 4:30. I wish it stayed in port longer so that the excursions were not so rushed to St. John. It would be nice if the excursion also included a tour of the island and then some beach time but there simply is not enough time. I have friends who did their own excursion to St. John and did fine. I was just so concerned that I would be standing on the dock watching the Magic pull away without me and my family!!

 

[macbasset]

We too, are doing Magen's Bay this time in March. Twice before we did Trunk Bay on St. John, and although beautiful, we really got tired of that long boat ride to the beach. Like the previous poster said, by the time you got there, it seemed like it was time to go back. We spent way more time traveling there than being there. Also, the last time we went, the seas were too rough and they wouldn't allow us into Trunk Bay because it would disturb the coral, etc. since it is a protected area. That excursion didn't turn out so well. But, I would go back again to Trunk Bay on a summer cruise.