On Shore Possibilities

[eightylbs]

I've just signed up and have done a few searches, but this community is very large and I'm not quite finding answers to the questions I have. So if you guys don't mind, I'll go ahead and ask away!

I will be going on Eastern route to St Thomas/St John, St Martin & Castaway Cay. We've never been on a Disney Cruise so we've never been to Castaway Cay, but we've been to St. Thomas and St Martin twice before. Since the last visit was 8 years ago, we're a little rusty, hence all the questions.

We're not all that interested in shopping ... more interested in the shore excursions or the possibility of do-it-yourself touring of the ports.

So, which shore excursions did you go on? Did you like them? What was the good and bad of them?

Who just toured the ports on their own .... no shore excursions? I know our group is large enough to fill one of those vans they use for taxis in the islands.

What's the going rate (one way) to take a "full" taxi load from the dock at St Thomas to the ferry landing that takes you to St John? How much for the ferry (one-way or round trip) over to St John? Then another full taxi load (one-way) from the ferry landing on St John to Trunk Bay? If we sign up for the Disney-sponsored shore excursion that basically does just what I've described, it would cost $228 for 4 adults and 2 children.

Couldn't I do this much cheaper on my own? Are there any risk? Shortage of taxis? Unfavorable ferry schedule? No room on the ferry?

The same basic question applies to St Martin. What are the good shore excursions for that port and what are the alternatives for the do-it-yourselfer?

Finally, Castaway Cay .... looks like you can do as much or little as you want ... still any suggestions for this stop would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for the advice

 

[magic cruiser]

If you have been to St Thomas before, I would recommend going to St John. Check out the possibility of renting a jeep. The island is beautiful, and you can be more flexible. Wish I could give you details.Check the websites for St Thomas and St John. Also, you will love Castaway Cay !! We've been on several cruise lines and Disney's private island can't be beat !! We did the Banana Boat and it was great fun but don't do it if the water is choppy ! You can snorkle, rent bikes,etc. You really don't have to sign up for anything on the island ahead of time. With one exception : the cabana massages ...they sell out within a few hours the day of embarkation. It's wonderful that the Magic can dock right at the island, unlike other ships. The food is better than other island picnics. I would advise you to get off early if you want a choice spot, but don't let me give you the wrong impression...you won't feel crowded.

 

[prymsu]

check out Dave's site. He gives lots of info on the different ports, and a review of beaches and other things that you can do on your own.

www.dcltribute.com

 

[eightylbs]

Thanks .... We have actually been to St John and it was the Trunk Bay shore excursion that we did on a Carnival cruise.

Since I've gotten these replies, I continued doing searches. I'm intrigued by taking a jeep on St John .... maybe to Cinnamon Bay instead of Trunk Bay.

Anybody rent a jeep? Who'd you rent from ? Going Rate?

Where did you take your jeep?

How long does it take to grab a taxi in St Thomas, get to the ferry landing, cross the channel on the ferry, get hooked up with a jeep and drive somewhere?

Does that burn 1/2 a day of is that just an hour or two?