St. Thomas excursions

[catshaw]

Hello everyone!
We are a family of 4 with 2 teens and would like to choose a port adventure for our stop in St. Thomas. We are interested in snorkelling and perhaps some time at the beach. There are so many choices listed on the website that I am overwhelmed! I would appreciate any suggestions and advice!
Thanks!

 

[dcassetta]

I would recommend visiting Trunk Bay on St. John's. It's beautiful and has nice snorkeling right off the beach. Disney does an excursion, but you can also easily do this on your own.

 

[JimmyV]

Take a taxi to Secret Harbor Resort. They allow day guests to use their beach without a fee. There is a terrific Beachside restaurant/bar there for burgers, wings and the like. If you use their facilities for the day, it would be polite to stop in for a bite, or at least drinks. Secret Harbor is one of the best snorkeling beaches on STT, and won't be overrun by people. There is really no reason to pay for an expensive excursion when you can get to a nice beach for the cost of a cab ride.

Here is n aerial view, where you can see how close the reef is:

And a view from the shore:

Here is a picture of the Cruzan Beach Club Restaurant/Bar with tables right along the water:

There is a dive shop (independently run) on the beach to rent gear if you need it, as well as chairs and umbrellas, though as you can see from the photo above, there is a lot of shade, and a beach towel right on the sand will do you just fine. Ask to go to Secret Harbor and any taxi driver will know where to go. You can pre-arrange a time to return, or, there is a cab stand right there at the resort so transportation back to the ship is not a problem.

 

[JimmyV]

I would recommend visiting Trunk Bay on St. John's. It's beautiful and has nice snorkeling right off the beach. Disney does an excursion, but you can also easily do this on your own.

Before you do that, check to see how many ships will be in port that day. Could be as many as 6, which could be 20,000+ people. Trunk Bay has been overrun by tourists and the coral is mostly dead. And the beach can get swarmed with cruise ship passengers. You don't really want to go there with 2,000 other people unless you are looking for a Jersey Shore kind of experience.

If you do choose to go to St. John on your own and not as part of an organized trip, have the taxi driver take you to Cinnamon Bay. It is pretty much right next door to Trunk Bay and not nearly as crowded or overused.

...compared to Trunk Bay...

 

[dcassetta]

My favorite place is Waterlemon, but Trunk is easier for first time visitors. I agree, it can get crowded.

 

[ImTempest]

As I'd never been snorkeling before, my family of three (me, husband, 14 year old son), did the Shipwreck Cove Snorkeling Adventure excursion, booked through Disney. I was definitely looking for someone to guide me as I took my first journey with fins on. It could not have been better! Loved the Castaway Girl catamaran and crew! They made learning to snorkel into one of the most amazing times of my life. Can't wait to go back!

 

[Aby]

We were just in St. Thomas in August, and we absolutely loved our snorkelling excursion with Captain Nautica (booked through Disney) - the boats were rigid hull inflatable motor boats, and by taking the first early morning excursion, we were at turtle cove before any of the other excursions. We had the place all to ourselves for about 30-40 minutes before anyone else arrived, so it was very peaceful and the turtles were easy to find and follow. Once the other boats started to come and more people were in the water, it was much more crowded and the turtles seemed to disappear for the most part. After about 50 minutes total at turtle cove, we went around to the other side of Buck Island to shipwreck cove, and although there were a few boats there it was still fairly quiet with tons of room to snorkel. Being in a small group felt very intimate and our crew was great. We definitely plan on going back next time we are in St. Thomas!

Aby