Magens bay or Trunk Bay????

[charminnie]

Please help me decide! they both sound and look beautiful! Is there a bar and food options available at both beaches? Restrooms? Chair rental?

 

[MUN]

Magens Bay. It is closer and easier to get to. At Magens Bay there is a bar with beach service and food available, as well as chair rentals. The restrooms are relatively nice.

 

[starousse]

Following

 

[tlynk]

I'm curious about Magens Bay. The boat ride to Trunk's Bay was long and we didn't spend much time there, but it is absolutely beautiful.

 

[wanderlust7]

I've been to both but on a land based trip. If I were to choose on a cruise stop with my kids, I'd choose Magens Bay for convenience. But purely comparing the two, I much prefer Trunk Bay, it's just gorgeous. It feels more secluded to me, not that there are no people, but you have to walk through a wooded area to the beach. There is a snorkeling trail around the rock formation, though conditions weren't great when we went.

Here's a great article with information about what facilities are available:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1636

 

[mcd2745]

Magen's Bay is absolutely gorgeous...and Trunk Bay is even nicer. Problem is, the Fantasy usually isn't in port at St Thomas long enough to make it worth the trip over. You simply do not get enough time on the beach in Trunk Bay. We did it while on a RCCL cruise where we were in port a couple of hours longer than DCL normally stays. So, if you realistically will only get 90-120 minutes on the beach at Trunk, I would just go to Magen's Bay.

 

[Kaizen]

I absolutely fell in LOVE with Trunk Bay - without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to! Agree that it takes some time to get there but that is part of the experience. The ferry ride is nice, the ride through the rain forest to get to Trunk Bay is great and once you walk through the ivy covered arch to get to the beach it is a feast for the eyes! Absolute paradise!

 

[jtba]

Magen's Bay is absolutely gorgeous...and Trunk Bay is even nicer. Problem is, the Fantasy usually isn't in port at St Thomas long enough to make it worth the trip over. You simply do not get enough time on the beach in Trunk Bay. We did it while on a RCCL cruise where we were in port a couple of hours longer than DCL normally stays. So, if you realistically will only get 90-120 minutes on the beach at Trunk, I would just go to Magen's Bay.

am really torn between the two. we've done excursions on our own previously, but because this is our first time to the carribean, hubby prefers that we take DCL's excursion to trunk bay instead of going to magen's bay on our own. he's concerned something might happen to us on the way back to the ship from magen's bay (taxi breaks down, the driver takes us for a ride, $ disputes, etc.). we will have two young ones with us, hence his concern.

is it pretty straightforward to take a taxi to magen's bay? how long would the ride be typically?

 

[CleveRocks]

If you're just looking for a beach experience, Magens Bay will be great. But if you're looking for a beach AND snorkeling, Trunk Bay is worth the extra travel time.