St. Thomas Port Excursions - Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel OR St. John Champagne Catamaran Sail

[lsutigger2]

My husband and I are scheduled to participate in the Catamaran port adventure. We are not real interested in the snorkeling {but that could change!}. How do we get to the beach area? I was interested in this because we have never been on a catamaran and were looking for a new adventure.

All suggestions and tips welcomed!!!

 

[Crystal O_o]

We are doing trunk bay on St john, we will be taking a taxi to the ferry then the ferry to St John. Then a taxi to Trunk Bay. To us, 90 minutes of beach time was not enough so we aren't booking Disney's excursion.

 

[TAK]

My husband and I are scheduled to participate in the Catamaran port adventure. We are not real interested in the snorkeling {but that could change!}. How do we get to the beach area? I was interested in this because we have never been on a catamaran and were looking for a new adventure.

All suggestions and tips welcomed!!!

Did you book the excursion through Disney? If so they'll take care of transportation for you. You'll be told somewhere on ship to meet up with the group, and after that you're in their hands. (If it wasn't through Disney I'm sorry to say I don't know.)

 

[lsutigger2]

Okay, my bad! LOL!! I was curious about once we get to the snorkeling spot at St. John, If my DH and I are not too interested in snorkeling, do they transport folks to the beach?

Anyone have any information on this????

Thanks!!

 

[TAK]

Okay, my bad! LOL!! I was curious about once we get to the snorkeling spot at St. John, If my DH and I are not too interested in snorkeling, do they transport folks to the beach?

Anyone have any information on this????

Thanks!!

Yes -- again, if it's the Disney Champagne Catamaran excursion. We took this, and I didn't have any interest in snorkeling. There's a little dinghy, and they'll run you to the beach in it. I'd say 5 or 6 people in our group took it. I sat and played in the waves, it was great. Other people sat on the beach, etc. Then, they'll come and get you and take you back to the boat -- and actually, a lot of the snorkelers had made their way to the beach and were too tired to swim back, so the dinghy made a few trips to bring everyone back to the boat.

I had the same exact concern before I took the excursion, btw -- it was totally fine.

 

[lucas]

I've never been on a catamaran. Is there a lot of motion? I'm worried I will get sea sick. And, do they have a restroom?

I'm not sure if we want the hassle of getting to a beach for another beach day. Maybe save it for Castaway Cay? (We live in South Florida and are 2 miles from the ocean, so we can go to the beach anytime we want - but never do!)

 

[JEJ]

We had a great time on the Champagne Catamaran--not a party atmosphere at all. Our 3 kids were 11, 8, and 6 at the time, and snorkeled at all the stops without any problems.

 

[EdmondD]

Couple weeks ago we took a taxi to the Red Hook ferry and then once on St. John took a cab to Cinnamon Bay. No charge for beach access, there are cheap snorkel rentals on the beach, and the snorkeling is decent (though a lot of dead coral these days ) Cinnamon Bay is lovely and very, very sparsely populated. It is the beach just past Trunk Bay.

Cost for the whole thing was somewhere around $200 and we had about three hours at the beach. Caught the 2pm ferry back to St. Thomas and we were fine on time.

 

[ScrappinGran]

How difficult is it to get into the dinghy from the Catamaran? Climbing down steps? And getting back on the Catamaran? I am fairly mobile, but have a bad knee I am careful with, and a shoulder issue, so I can't put much stress on it. It's the climbing in and out of the dinghy I am worried about. Do the crew members assist? Not interested in the snorkeling, just the beach.

 

[Ariel484]

I did the Champagne Catamaran excursion in October. You take a 20 minute bus ride to where the boat is docked and then sail over to a small beach in St. John - the ride is about 40 minutes. Then you have an hour and a half to snorkel, lay on the beach, or stay on the catamaran. The snorkeling wasn't too thrilling, but I did see lots of fish and a sting ray (no turtles). I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and the sand on the beach was as soft as powder. I wish the time on the beach was longer, but the time we had and the money we spent on the excursion was absolutely worth it.

I didn't find the ride back to St. Thomas to be an overly-party atmosphere. There were lots of families (I was there with my cousin) and it was actually kind of relaxing. Most people were pretty wiped from the snorkeling. The crew is really welcoming and they do bring out the rum punch and champagne and nibbles and encourage everyone to have a good time. Most people were sipping their drinks and enjoying the view. Nobody was wasted or anything. I think they knew that the excursion was from a disney ship so it would be a little more tame, rather than say a group of twenty-somethings off Carnival.

I would not hesitate to book this excursion again if I ever went back. The boat is clean, the crew is really friendly, and the gear is well maintained. The food and drink on the way back was a welcome sight - I forgot how much snorkeling can work up an appetite. Don't be fooled by "champagne" in the title though... It is not a luxury yacht

Whichever you choose, I hope you have a great time!

We did this last week and had a similar experience - really liked it. Not a party atmosphere at all (there were some kids there - they were hilarious and seemed to enjoy themselves) and we were one of two boats so we had lots of room. Everyone had to wear life jackets and they had noodles people could use to float if they wanted.

I've never been on a catamaran. Is there a lot of motion? I'm worried I will get sea sick. And, do they have a restroom?

I'm not sure if we want the hassle of getting to a beach for another beach day. Maybe save it for Castaway Cay? (We live in South Florida and are 2 miles from the ocean, so we can go to the beach anytime we want - but never do!)

They did have a restroom - but no flushing paper and having to "pump" something to get *everything* down due to the sensitive plumbing on the ship. I didn't use it, seemed like too much work.

As for the motion - they say it's ultra-stable but for us, it wasn't. Most everyone was okay except for one poor guy who looked like he wanted to die. He didn't even get off the catamaran when we arrived at the beach. For me, the ride over was a little dicey but I felt fine coming back. Really, the open-air taxi ride was tougher on me.

I live in Ohio and have never snorkeled before, so getting to do that in crystal clear water was pretty thrilling for me - worth the price in my case.

 

[HotToTrot]

For the truly adventurous, the best snorkeling I've seen on St. John can only be reached by renting a car. Completely on the far side of the island from the ferry, that goes to Cruz Bay. The snorkeling is close to Coral Bay, where Skinny Legs is for lunch, drinks, & some shopping for souvenirs. Best spot is Haulover Bay, where you'd have to park on the street & maybe walk a 100 yards thru the trees. People at Skinnys could give you exact way to find it. Hurricane Hole is also pretty good. These places don't have sandy beaches, more like stones or rocky. Have to find a sandy opening where you can jump in to the water, where there aren't sea urchins. This is good stuff, but you should be a good swimmer (although once you're in the water, everything is extremely close) with a bit of adventure. Usually you'd be the only people at either location. Places like Trunk Bay or Honeymoon Bay aren't in the same league, but they are easy to reach & have Sandy beaches.

Where is a good place to rent a car or Jeep once you get off the Ferry in St. John? Approximately how much? There will be 4 adults and 2 kids (8 & 10). We want to some nice snorkeling and beach spots.

 

[perdidobay]

How difficult is it to get into the dinghy from the Catamaran? Climbing down steps? And getting back on the Catamaran? I am fairly mobile, but have a bad knee I am careful with, and a shoulder issue, so I can't put much stress on it. It's the climbing in and out of the dinghy I am worried about. Do the crew members assist? Not interested in the snorkeling, just the beach.

I have arthritis in my knees, and had no problems getting into the dingy and back onto the catamaran. A crew member will help you, she even told us to hug her if we needed to to support ourselves while getting into and out of the dingy.

 

[melissajx3]

We did the Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel excursion & loved it!

 

[Spart02]

For those of you that have done the Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel, you are snorkeling from the beach, correct? If so, are life vests provided for kids that aren't great swimmers? Would this be difficult for a mom and 6 year old to do on their own if the 6 year old isn't a strong swimmer? For example, are the currents really strong or waves too large to really be able to maneuver around while dragging the 6 year old along? Also, are there lockers available, or what do you do with your stuff? Thanks!

 

[kaysmommie]

I'd like to know too. I have booked this excursion. We haven't been to St John in over 14 years.

 

[Iowastate21]

We are traveling with a 2.5 year old and 5 year old. We want to snorkel with our 5 year old and will switch off and on the beach with our 2.5 year old. Looks like a DIY trip over to trunk bay is the best idea! Any big tips specific to traveling with little ones?

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

For those of you that have done the Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel, you are snorkeling from the beach, correct? If so, are life vests provided for kids that aren't great swimmers? Would this be difficult for a mom and 6 year old to do on their own if the 6 year old isn't a strong swimmer? For example, are the currents really strong or waves too large to really be able to maneuver around while dragging the 6 year old along? Also, are there lockers available, or what do you do with your stuff? Thanks!

Life vests are supplied to everyone who will be snorkeling. I don't remember there being lockers. We just left our stuff on the beach without a problem. It is quite a remote area and not at all like the other beaches I've been to. Also, the water is quite deep, but I didn't notice really any current to speak of as it is a very protected bay.