Transportation to Trunk Bay

[DisneyFanJanM]

We'll be taking the Eastern Cruise on June 15th and are interested in doing some excursions on our own at Trunk Bay on St. John's. Any suggestions on transportation would be greatly appreciated. The research I've done on my own makes it look expensive ($8 per person to Red Hook, the $3 for ferry, another taxi fee to Trunk Bay and $4 admission to the park). Could get expensive for a party of 8!
This is my first post. If you have any suggestions, please post. We're all so excited about this trip.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

You have the basic idea of how to get there on your own. An alternative idea... one that only the most adventurous might try... is to rent a car at St Thomas and take it on the car ferry over to St John. With a party of eight, you'd need to rent a van. Could still be a bit pricey, and the driver needs to be very confident (driving a van on narrow, steep, twisting roads with the driver on the left side of the road by the curb is not for the faint of heart).

If cost is an issue, your party might be equally happy with a trip to Magen's Bay on St Thomas. This beach is also gorgeous, and it's a LOT easier to get there and back than it is to get to Trunk Bay and back.

 

[jomayer]

I wouldn't rent a car in St. Thomas. The time it would take to pick up car and getting on the car ferry would be worth it. You pretty much have the prices right. The taxis on St. John (large trucks with benches and canopies) will hold a party of eight. The more people you have the less expensive the per person fare. My husband and I caught taxis regularly from the ferry doc in October when we were vacationing on St. John. You'll have no problem getting to Trunk and there is a taxi line there for your return trip. It was $4 each to taxi by ourselves to Trunk. With 8 it will be a lot less. You could also go to Cinnamon or Hawksnest which are both free on the way back to the ferry if you have time. Hawksnest is beautiful and much less crowded. It will probably cost about $30 rt for each person, but you'll have a blast and it's fun and less expensive to go on your own. St. John is very friendly (except for the workers at the Trunk snackbar!) If you have time before your ferry leaves back to St. Thomas have a drink at the Beach Bar. It is "on" the beach at Cruz Bay right by the ferry. Have fun!

 

[DisneyFanJanM]

Do you mean about $30 per person round trip to get to Trunk Bay? We were hoping to get there to "snuba" (not offered through Disney) which is around $60 per person. Which means with transportation around $90 each. We may be better off doing the 5 star Trunk Bay excursion offered through Disney. I read some of the other threads and they mentioned that was a great excursion. The other one I see mentioned a lot is the Golden Catamaran on St. Maarten. Any comments on either?

 

[Wonderwoman1982]

I strongly disagree with jomayer.. We did it ourselves, rented a car and took a car ferry. The price was right for us and there were 6 of us, PLUS a baby. I know it isn't the safest idea, but we were adventurous and all of us crammed into a full sized car, BUT there ARE vans available and for only like $50 for the day, and the ferry costed only $27 ROUND trip. If you figure how much taxi's per person and all that, you can conclude renting a car is WAY WAY cheapest, AND quickest. It took us an entire 5 minutes to get our car.No time at all. Avis is directly across the street form Havensight Mall where you dock. My hubby got the car and drove back over close to the ship and we loaded up. We went to Megans Bay AND Trunk Bay BOTH. Had PLENTY of time at BOTH places and saved a BUNDLE in cash. We found the roads narrow, but not scary at all. You just have to drive slowly around those sharp corners. It was easy to find our way around with a map. All in all, between 6 1/2 of us, we spent a GRAND total of like $75 for ALL of us, were you could easily spend over $150-200 doing taxis and ferries combined.. Keep in mind, you take a "people" ferry, you're paying PER person. Take a car ferry, you pay for the car and people included..

 

[my3kids]

Is Trunk Bay on St. John a US National Park? If yes, would the US Parks Pass get free admission for the family like it does at all national parks here? Just curious....if yes, we'll take it along.

 

[Gillian]

If you rent a car with 4 wheel drive, use it! Even if it's sunny


http://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm

Admission prices for Trunk Bay, in case anyone is interested:
Park entrance is free.

A same-day use fee is collected at Annaberg and Trunk Bay:
Children age 16 and under are admitted free;
adults, $4;
individual annual pass, $10;
family annual pass, $15;
Golden Age and Golden Access annual cardholders are admitted half price.

I don't think that the parks pass would cover this, because there is no actual admission fee for virgin islands national park. The fees above are for access to Trunk Bay & the facilities there.

 

[jomayer]

I didn't mean to state that it was less expensive than renting a car I meant that it is cheaper to do it on your own than doing a basic Disney excursion to Trunk. Here is a breakdown on costs if all are adults:

Taxi to Red Hook for 8 = $112 rt
Ferry to Cruz Bay for 8 = $48.00 rt
Taxi from ferry to Trunk = $56 rt
Entrance (facility) fee to Trunk = $32 rt
TOTAL $248
$31 per person

OR

Car Rental $95 (You may be able to do it for less, but for an 8 passenger vehicle I would budget for this)
Car Ferry $25
Entrance to Trunk = $32
TOTAL $152
$19 per person

I've heard great things about Snuba! It would run about $91 per person to do it on your own with Snuba. Yes, it is less to rent a car but I wouldn't do it on this afternoon trip. I've read reports on usvi-on-line.com about renting in St. Thomas and then getting to St. John and having car problems or even accidents and you're an island away from help. If you're vacationing on the islands it isn't as much of a problem, but with just a day and having to get back to the ship...I wouldn't risk it. Just me. I'm sure you'd be fine. Just compare costs and go with the excusion you really want. Snuba people may even pick you up at the ferry doc in Cruz Bay which would cut out the taxi to Trunk.

 

[mikeymars]

Originally posted by jomayer
Hawksnest is beautiful and much less crowded

Hear, hear!!! I want to give this excellent point the "understatement of the century" award!!! Trunk should be renamed "Overrated Snorkeling Beaten Path Bay."

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

I met a lady today who had lived on St John for almost a year. She did a LOT of snorkeling while she was there. I asked her about Trunk Bay and she agreed with the opinions on this board that the reefs there have been ruined by overuse. She said Cinnamon Bay is wonderful. Much nicer and less crowded. Go over to the east end of the beach near the rocks for the best snorkeling, she said.

 

[DisneyFanJanM]

Thanks to everyone who has come to my aid in trying to secure transportation to Trunk Bay. We are traveling as 2 families of 4, 2 parents and 2 children per family. Kids ages are 8, 11, 16, 17. We want them to experience snorkeling to see the beauty of the marine life and coral, and figure this cruise is the time to do that, while we still can do it with them. But $90 per person for the excursion and transportation is more than we want to spend. If we book the Disney 5 star Trunk Bay excursion, do you think that would be the experience we're looking for? The little guy (8) hasn't had that much swim experience so we want to keep him close to us. This is so much help to us in our planning. Tomorrow is 60 days prior to our cruise, so we can pre-book excursions then. I'll be up bright and early to do that. Any suggestions you have with comments on excursions will be a great help.
My sincerest thanks to all. If anyone out there will be on board on June 15th - 22nd, I'd love to meet you.
A new cruise forum fan,

 

[nedleycan]

1) You don't have to go to Red Hook to get the ferry. There is one leaving right from the harbour. Yes, it is a long ferry ride, but then you don't have the cab fare.
2) Cinnamon Bay is wonderful. We stayed there for 10 days a few years ago, and it is so much nicer than Trunk Bay. I would never go to Trunk Bay again. St. John is the most beautiful island, and I would hate for people to think that Trunk Bay is what the island is all about. There are also many other lovely beaches on the island.
3) The roads on St. John are crazy. Only drive these roads if you love speed and corners. My husband loved it! But he has always been a wanna be race car driver.
4) The shopping on St. John is so nice. They are pretty buildings with nice "artsy" dresses, shirts, paintings, etc. There is nothing low class about St. John, and it is a great opportunity to go there.
5) Have a frozen drink in Cruz Bay. There are some kiosks that sell Margaritas, Pina Coladas, Beer, etc. and you can walk up the street drinking them while you shop.
6) Enjoy this "gift" to the American people. I am Canadian and asked myself one question... "why don't we own any islands like this?"

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Originally posted by nedleycan

1) You don't have to go to Red Hook to get the ferry. There is one leaving right from the harbour. Yes, it is a long ferry ride, but then you don't have the cab fare.

Actually, the ferry from Charlotte Amalie to St John leaves from the downtown Charlotte Amalie waterfront, so you still have a taxi ride to get there. Shorter taxi ride than to Red Hook, yes, but there's still a taxi ride. And this ferry runs considerably less frequently than the one from Red Hook.

www.st-thomas.com/week/ferries.html

 

[nedleycan]

You are right Dave. I guess the times that I was there, we were already in the downtown, so there was no taxi ride. In that case, I would go with your option #1, as the 45 minute (I think) ferry that we took was crazy and many people felt sick.

 

[DARWIN91]

DISNEYFANJANM - I DID THE 5 START EXCURSION TO TRUNK BAY WITH MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER (4). THE BOAT TRIP OVER TO ST. JOHN IS NICE. WHEN YOU ARRIVE YOU HAVE THE OPTION OF SNORKELING RIGHT OFF THE BOAT IN DEEPER WATER OR TAKING A LITTLE "DINGHY" (SPELLING?) BOAT TO SHORE WHERE YOU CAN EITHER HANG OUT ON BEACH OR SNORKEL IN COVE. I THOUGHT THE BEACH WAS BEAUTIFUL. MY ONLY REGRET IS I WISH WE WERE THERE LONGER. I THINK ONCE YOU GET TO BEACH YOU HAVE ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS AT TRUNK BAY. I THINK THE BOAT RIDE EACH WAY IS ABOUT 30-45 MIN PER WAY (BUT SCENIC).

 

[aalan]

i agree with darwin91, we were just on the 3/23 cruise, and we did the 5 star trunk bay excursion. it is about a 45 minute ride on a replica of an oyster boat to get to the bay. the crew is very friendly and helpful. very reasonably priced snacks and drinks are available (i bought a granola bar for .50!) a free punch is available after spending time at trunk bay. i have only snorkeled once before in the keys, and i enjoyed my time at this area. i saw a lot of fish and coral, and was surrounded by a large school of some 6"-8" bright blue fish. what a site! maybe i was just lucky. dang, i knew i should of bought that underwater disposable camera...
you can enter the water by jumping off the back of the boat (which i did, since it was fastest, about a four foot drop), climb down a ladder into the water, or take a dinghy to the beach, and swim from there.
it was our lst cruise, so we did this excursion since it covered all the details. we didnt feel herded like cattle, although it was frustrating to have only a little over an hour and a half at the area. if we were to go again, we would take the ferry from red hook and go to hawknest and enjoy being able to have more time on site. but overall we felt this excursion was worth it, and enjoyed it a great deal. the beach and water were beautiful, just what you think of as the carribean being like. 45 minutes sounds like a long time, but a decent and laid-back narration is provided by the crew as they discuss pirate history, the condos, nice homes, island history, etc. it is a well-run trip, just wish you had more time at trunk bay, but the trade-off is all the details are taken care of versus not as much time on site.

 

[mikeymars]

Originally posted by DARWIN91
I DID THE 5 START EXCURSION TO TRUNK BAY WITH MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER (4)...... MY ONLY REGRET IS I WISH WE WERE THERE LONGER. I THINK ONCE YOU GET TO BEACH YOU HAVE ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS AT TRUNK BAY

This is a VERY important downside to the 5 star, and the primary reason we cancelled our reservation on it and did St. John on our own on the 3/23 Magic cruise.

The beaches on St. John are so nice it is a crime to only have 1.5 hours there. We went to Hawksnest (which is less crowded than Trunk, just as pretty and has much better snorkeling) and had almost 3.5 hours there. Also did that spending less than the 5 star would have cost for our party of four.

Bottom line: the do-it-yourself experience on St. John is the best way to go if you (a) want to access to the truly nicest beaches on the island, (b) don't want to share them with a crowd, and (c) want more than just a "brief snapshot' experience at the beach (i.e., the old-fashioned "If-it's-Tuesday-this-must-be-Belgium" type packaged, rushed tourist experience, which is what the 5 Star is).

 

[tlt]

Why not skip out on St. John's all together and take a $7 per person cab ride to Coki or Sapphire Beach on St. Thomas...both are great with wonderful snorkeling.

 

[DisneyFanJanM]

You all have given me so much to think about. We did book the 5 star to St. John for now. Though I certainly am considering canceling it and venturing out on our own. The kids in our group are 8, 11, 16 and 17. One and a half hours on the beach may not be enough time for them. If we go to one of the other beaches suggested will we be able to rent snorkel equipment? Our concern is that it won't be available. And, will there be a vest available for the 8 year old, who's not a confident swimmer yet? I appreciate everyone's replies.

 

[tlt]

I highly recommend doing your own excursion to a beach...it is a lot cheaper, plus you can get off the ship as early as possible, take a cab to the beach of your choice (this board has several recommended beaches for the different ports) and the same cab will pick you back up and take you back to the ship if you set up a time with him. Most of the beaches do have snorkel equipment to rent, but if you plan on snorkeling in St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay, you may save money by getting your own equipment...I have seen great stuff at Costco, Sams, and Sports Authority.