recommended port adventures for Fantasy on Eastern Caribbean

halfmonkey

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
736
We're cruising on the Fantasy to the Eastern Caribbean and stopping over in Tortola, St. Thomas/Charlotte Amalie, and Castaway Cay. I know it's still a little ways off before we can start booking anything but I was hoping to start planning a little so that we can start discussing our plans as a family regarding the port adventures. We'll be a party of 6 with my mom, wife, and I and 3 kids. They'll be 9.9, 8, and 4 at the time of travel.

Does anybody have any recommended port adventures at any of the ports that you recommend? I saw the Sting Ray adventure on Castaway Cay and I think we'll do that. That seems like something the whole family can do. Anything else that you might recommend that I look into? Thanks.
 
Wow. The silence is deafening. Somebody asked a question about Coral World and there was no response there either. I'm in a similar situation with kids 12, 10, 8, 6 and my MiL. While we can do the beach, we wanted to do something more unique. We may end up staying on the ship since it's a great time to use the Aquaduck.
 
Having been to St. Thomas twice I can tell you what we did sans children.

One trip we went over to St John’s and went to trunk bay, Cinnamon bay and then to Anaburg Sugar Plantation. We took a ferry across from red hook and then rented a jeep on St John. I think we paid $70 for the jeep. We had a good time exploring on our own, took the route back through the center of the island back to Cruz Bay. This would be a good trip for kids as it involves beach, ruins and scenic views.

On another trip we took the tramway to paradise point and afterwards walked through the butterfly garden and then did some shopping. Both of those activities kept us close to the ship and also would be appropriate for kids.

Our last time to castaway cay we had a 4 year old and 18 month and just hit the beach and kids areas, both kept my kids entertained.

Hope this helps
 
Wow. The silence is deafening. Somebody asked a question about Coral World and there was no response there either. I'm in a similar situation with kids 12, 10, 8, 6 and my MiL. While we can do the beach, we wanted to do something more unique. We may end up staying on the ship since it's a great time to use the Aquaduck.

There is a whole thread about Coral World with both positive and negative comments.

We've been to St. Thomas four times. We did the island tour the first time (which we really liked); took the ferry to St. John and did a tour the second time; walked around the port and my DH and DD did the tram to the top of Mt. Robert (I think it's called) the third; and our last time we went to Coral World. I'd love to do the Butterfly Farm next time, or go back to St. John.
 

We did the Eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Fantasy in July. I traveled with my parents (40s), grandma (70), and sisters (11 and 16), so a little bit older than your group but I think the excursions we did would be great for any age.

In Tortola, we did Tour to Virgin Gorda (through Disney). It was the half-day trip to the Baths and a ton of fun. Our day started with a half-hour catamaran ride from Tortola to Virgin Gorda. From there, we got on open air safari-type vehicles for a brief tour of the island. Our guide gave us some history of the island and there was a photo stop. We were then transported to the top of the Baths. The walk from the drop-off area to the first beach is 350 yards, I believe the guide said. Based on what I had read, I was picturing a somewhat difficult hike. I didn't feel this was the case, however, as any steep areas generally had some stairs built into the sand. We had approximately 45 minutes at the first beach before the guides took anyone who wanted to go to the second beach through the caves. We all chose to go see the second beach. Again, I had read that going through the caves might be difficult for some but my grandma and very petite youngest sister had no problems. The second beach was even nicer than the first; we loved every minute of our time there. We did have a rather long hike back to the safari vehicles, however it was July in the Caribbean so we expected that part of the day to be warm. The catamaran ride back was pleasant and we were served water and punch.

In St. Thomas, we booked the Catamaran Sail, Snorkel, and Private Beach Club through Disney. When we got off the ship, we were greeted by one of our guides. He walked us down the pier to the catamaran, the Dancing Dolphin. Once onboard, we had a quick safety talk and then were free to move about the boat. The ride to Abi Beach was about 20 minutes. A note about this part of the day: there is no dock at Abi, the ship hands drop anchor a little ways off the beach. My sisters and I jumped into the water off the side of the boat, however they do have a set of stairs you can take into the water. My grandma and parents chose this option and the crew was more than happy to help with their bags so our camera didn't get wet. We had about two and a half hours to enjoy the beach, snorkel, etc. There was a sand volleyball court, sand toys, kayak/SUP rental, a bar (also served food I believe), bathrooms and a small gift shop. I can't rave about the crew highly enough. While snorkeling, I got a sea urchin stuck in my food (my fault, got too close to rocks they said to avoid). The crew was very attentive and made sure that I was okay/checked on me on the ride back to the dock. When our time at the beach was over, everyone boarded the catamaran and we took a harbor cruise. Water and rum punch were served and there was an opportunity to buy t-shirts. Despite the sea urchin incident, this excursion was my favorite part of our vacation.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any questions. I can try to post pictures later if you are interested!
 
We did the Eastern in May. It was me and my daughter (10). In Tortola, we did the Baths, which was fun. Enjoyed the beach and climbing through the "caves." They are more like rocks that have formed where you can squeeze between them than actual caves, but it was different and fun. Downside was getting to them, which was on a hydrojet thing and my daughter got motion sickness, despite dramamine. Due to the travel issue getting there, I probably wouldn't do it again. In St. Thomas, we did the pirate ship snorkel thing, which was fun. Got to see sea turtles and lots of fish. That was a good half day trip, but there isn't a beach there, so you would need to have good swimmers. They do have life vests and noodles, but it is all pretty strenuous. If I had more than 1 kid to deal with, it would've been hard.
 
We did the eastern in July as well with 4 kids 14, 11, 8 and 5. We did the tour to Virgin Gorda as described above in Tortola. We enjoyed it. We had read the second beach was much nicer so we went through the caves on our own and spent the whole time at the second beach. It was lovely.

In St Thomas we did the Champagne catamaran to St John. This was our favorite excursion we have ever done. We had a bus tour to the other side of St Thomas and then boarded the catamaran. There were only about 40 on the boat so it was great, crew super nice, views gorgeous. We sailed to Honeymoon beach on St. John which was beautiful. DH and kids snorkeled and saw lots. Little one and I took the dingy boat to the beach. He had about 90 min and then on the sail back had cheeses, fruit,bread and sodas,rum punch and champagne as well as music. If we go back I would do this one again in a heartbeat!

Castaway cay day goes so fast so we never do any excursions besides renting some floats.
 
Just realized you said your youngest is 4. I think both of these we did were 5 and up. It's tough to do things through disney with an under 5.
 
In Tortola, we did Tour to Virgin Gorda (through Disney).

This is the one I have been looking at doing when we go next year...DD and DS are going to be 15 and 12 so finding an excursion that they both will enjoy will be interesting!

In St Thomas we did the Champagne catamaran to St John. This was our favorite excursion we have ever done.
Definitely going to have to check this one out, I keep seeing great reviews on it! I was having difficulty finding anything that looked appealing to us excursion wise for St. Thomas!
 
Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into those recommendations.

A quick question for anybody that has done the Sting Ray Adventure on Castaway Cay. I noticed the website says that it's 5 and up. My daughter will be a little over 4 at the time. Are they really strict about the age for this particular activity since it's nothing more than just petting and feeding? Can I book it when my window opens and cancel onboard if it turns out that they are really strict about the age?
 
In St. Thomas, we got off the ship and grabbed a cab (tons are waiting). We went to Magen's Bay on our own. It was a perfect day. We got there nice and early. Swam lots, walked the beach, played in the sand. Then we got lunch from the little restaurant and grabbed a taxi back. It was perfect for us because we went back just as it was getting busier and just as we were ready to cool down. We all have fond memories of that day.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the feedback. I'll look into those recommendations.

A quick question for anybody that has done the Sting Ray Adventure on Castaway Cay. I noticed the website says that it's 5 and up. My daughter will be a little over 4 at the time. Are they really strict about the age for this particular activity since it's nothing more than just petting and feeding? Can I book it when my window opens and cancel onboard if it turns out that they are really strict about the age?
They are very strict. You can't even book if your child doesn't meet the age.
 
In St. Thomas, we got off the ship and grabbed a cab (tons are waiting). We went to Magen's Bay on our own. It was a perfect day. We got there nice and early. Swam lots, walked the beach, played in the sand. Then we got lunch from the little restaurant and grabbed a taxi back. It was perfect for us because we went back just as it was getting busier and just as we were ready to cool down. We all have fond memories of that day.
My friend and I are going to Magen's Bay through Disney. How long a ride was it to the beach and what should I expect to pay for a taxi if we decide to do it on our own? Is there a charge to get on Magen's Bay Beach? Thanks for any insight you can provide!
 
In Tortola, we did Tour to Virgin Gorda (through Disney). It was the half-day trip to the Baths and a ton of fun. Our day started with a half-hour catamaran ride from Tortola to Virgin Gorda. From there, we got on open air safari-type vehicles for a brief tour of the island. Our guide gave us some history of the island and there was a photo stop. We were then transported to the top of the Baths. The walk from the drop-off area to the first beach is 350 yards, I believe the guide said. Based on what I had read, I was picturing a somewhat difficult hike. I didn't feel this was the case, however, as any steep areas generally had some stairs built into the sand. We had approximately 45 minutes at the first beach before the guides took anyone who wanted to go to the second beach through the caves. We all chose to go see the second beach. Again, I had read that going through the caves might be difficult for some but my grandma and very petite youngest sister had no problems. The second beach was even nicer than the first; we loved every minute of our time there. We did have a rather long hike back to the safari vehicles, however it was July in the Caribbean so we expected that part of the day to be warm. The catamaran ride back was pleasant and we were served water and punch.

We never do excursions through the cruise line but I'm thinking about this one. Don't want to deal with the logistics. I have a nice DSLR camera and I was wondering if it is not a good idea to bring it. I don't want it to get wet. Can I have it in a backpack through the caves?
 
We never do excursions through the cruise line but I'm thinking about this one. Don't want to deal with the logistics. I have a nice DSLR camera and I was wondering if it is not a good idea to bring it. I don't want it to get wet. Can I have it in a backpack through the caves?

Yes! We brought our DSLR camera on the excursion. We took both our backpack and a separate beach bag through the caves and had no issues with it.
 
My friend and I are going to Magen's Bay through Disney. How long a ride was it to the beach and what should I expect to pay for a taxi if we decide to do it on our own? Is there a charge to get on Magen's Bay Beach? Thanks for any insight you can provide!

It's $8/pp each way to Magen's, about a 20-25 minute ride. It's $5 per person to get onto the beach and free for kids under a certain age. They have a website with the information on what you can find there. It's so much cheaper to do this yourself.
 

GET UP TO A $1000 SHIPBOARD CREDIT AND AN EXCLUSIVE GIFT!

If you make your Disney Cruise Line reservation with Dreams Unlimited Travel you’ll receive these incredible shipboard credits to spend on your cruise!

























DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top