St. John Trunk Bay

[cruisehopeful]

I'm not going until 2027, but I like to research as much as possible. After looking at all the current port adventures for St. Thomas, I think I will want to visit Trunk Bay on St. John. I see a beach option and a snorkeling option. I love to swim in the ocean and I love to snorkel. Can anyone share their experiences with either of those? Would you recommend a different plan for adults who have never been to the Virgin Islands before (we don't like shopping or riding in a bus for a long time,)?

 

[juliebee]

We've done the Secret Sands excursion twice and would absolutely do it again. It's been about 3 years since we last did that excursion, but it was so beautiful and wasn't crowded. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/...st-john-st-thomas-secret-sands-beach-getaway/
This is a picture I took there. There were people that brought snorkeling gear and maybe there were some snorkels available to borrow from the bus driver??

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We did Magens Bay on St. Thomas to save time on travel and have more beach time. I had my own equipment and snorkeled there. Fish and turtles. Facilities and food. I love, love St. John, but by the time you get there, it is almost time to turn around and head back to the ship. I also snorkeled at Jost Van Dyke. Turtles there as well.

 

[DCL58]

We did the champagne catamaran to St John. Recommend. The boat ride over was great and then you had time to snorkel and see the small beach.

 

[d3boyz]

We have taken excursions to Trunk Bay two or three times so far. It is by FAR our most favorite beach anywhere. We are excited to have another eastern Caribbean trip the the near future so our new daughters-in-law, and likely new grandchildren (by that time!), will be able to see and experience this gorgeous location!!

 

[RedHead0186]

We did the champagne catamaran to St John. Recommend. The boat ride over was great and then you had time to snorkel and see the small beach.

I've done this excursion as well and love it!

 

[mcd2745]

Be careful....once you go to Trunk Bay, it ruins every other beach for you.

 

[Mitura]

We have done Trunk Bay numerous times and highly, highly recommend it. It is 10x better than Magen’s Bay. The only issue is getting there. I have posted our itin on how to get there and costs. https://www.disboards.com/threads/st-john-trunk-bay-beach-getaway.3912230/#post-64662101 Note if you take the Disney excursion it is more expensive and you spend more time riding the water taxi, but it is easier. If you go like a local then you get more time on the beach.

Trunk Bay has great bathroom amenities. It has gear to rent (chairs, snorkel, etc) and it has food trucks and souvenir trucks as well. Very clean and we felt super safe. And the views were amazing.

Since its out of the way less people go there.

Of all of the times we went we only had 1 bad day and that was because it was super windy and it felt like we were being sand blasted. But we have gone since then and will continue if we ever get back to St Thomas.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I'm getting a little concerned that I won't like other beaches after this.

I appreciate all the feedback and information.

 

[GOOFY D]

We have done Trunk Bay numerous times and highly, highly recommend it. It is 10x better than Magen’s Bay. The only issue is getting there. I have posted our itin on how to get there and costs. https://www.disboards.com/threads/st-john-trunk-bay-beach-getaway.3912230/#post-64662101 Note if you take the Disney excursion it is more expensive and you spend more time riding the water taxi, but it is easier. If you go like a local then you get more time on the beach.

Trunk Bay has great bathroom amenities. It has gear to rent (chairs, snorkel, etc) and it has food trucks and souvenir trucks as well. Very clean and we felt super safe. And the views were amazing.

Since its out of the way less people go there.

Of all of the times we went we only had 1 bad day and that was because it was super windy and it felt like we were being sand blasted. But we have gone since then and will continue if we ever get back to St Thomas.

Cruising in June and trying to book the snorkel tour to Trunk Bay. However, only time available is 11am and it says it is 4-4.5 hours long. All aboard is 3:45. Seems like that cuts it super close to getting back on the ship before departure. Any experience with this? I previously thought that is you book through DCL that you were guaranteed to make it back before departure but have read recently that this is not always the case.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Cruising in June and trying to book the snorkel tour to Trunk Bay. However, only time available is 11am and it says it is 4-4.5 hours long. All aboard is 3:45. Seems like that cuts it super close to getting back on the ship before departure. Any experience with this? I previously thought that is you book through DCL that you were guaranteed to make it back before departure but have read recently that this is not always the case.

I've never heard of the ship not waiting for an excursion booked through them. You will probably have to go straight to the ship afterwards. You can always book it and then clarify it with port adventures when you get onboard.

 

[emmabelle]

I've been to Trunk Bay but on a land vacation to St. Thomas so we weren't rushed. It's really nice with good snorkeling, but you could feel like you don't have enough time there though. I have been to a lot of the St. Thomas beaches and Sapphire Beach has pretty good snorkeling from the shore. There will be plenty of taxi's to take you there so no real need for a ship excursion.

 

[emmabelle]

Cruising in June and trying to book the snorkel tour to Trunk Bay. However, only time available is 11am and it says it is 4-4.5 hours long. All aboard is 3:45. Seems like that cuts it super close to getting back on the ship before departure. Any experience with this? I previously thought that is you book through DCL that you were guaranteed to make it back before departure but have read recently that this is not always the case.

On the Fantasy we had a 12:30pm DCL excursion to Virgin Gorda from Tortola. After the excursion we didn't get back to the ship until the time it was set to depart. I knew they would wait but still a little stressful since we had early dinner and got back to the ship at 5:45pm.

 

[RedHead0186]

Cruising in June and trying to book the snorkel tour to Trunk Bay. However, only time available is 11am and it says it is 4-4.5 hours long. All aboard is 3:45. Seems like that cuts it super close to getting back on the ship before departure. Any experience with this? I previously thought that is you book through DCL that you were guaranteed to make it back before departure but have read recently that this is not always the case.

The excursion time should includes transportation back to the ship. So you'll be getting back just in time for all aboard.

If you book through DCL you're not guaranteed to make it back in time (of course that's pretty certain, but it's not 100%). If you don't make it back in time, the ship will wait for you if it can, and if not, DCL will help get you to the next port (on their dime).