Thread: Best Snorkeling: Eastern Caribbean

One of our stops on an upcoming trip is St Johns....what is the best way to utilize Trunk Bay, get to it, etc.?

Do all the cruise ships go to Charlotee Amalie? How difficult to find your way to Trunk Bay?

Never been on this itinerary before, so any CLF members help would be appreciated!

If your ship actually docks in St. John's, you should be able to hire a taxi to take you to Trunk Bay. It will be much easier to get to Trunk Bay if you actually dock at St. John's, no need for a ferry ride from St. Thomas. I'd live to dock there than in St. Thomas any day!

Originally Posted by localady

If your ship actually docks in St. John's, you should be able to hire a taxi to take you to Trunk Bay. It will be much easier to get to Trunk Bay if you actually dock at St. John's, no need for a ferry ride from St. Thomas. I'd live to dock there than in St. Thomas any day!

Hi, thanks for the help....I've not been there obviously, do cruise ships dock in both places? Our itin says Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas (Grandeur of the Seas Eastern Caribbean cruises this year); I think from what I've seen that you have to take a ferry to St Johns....how far from the dock is this....is it better to buy an excursion? (I guess that is what I'm really trying to determine, can you swag your way on your own (that being a super wild a__ guess!) or do you need local help?

My recommendation would be to go ahead and take the ships excursion to St. John's being that you've not been there before. Many cruises offer 2 types of tours, and you can decide based upon budget and preference.
The more common way to get to St. John's from St. Thomas and generally the less expensive, is to take the tour that buses you through St. Thomas to "Red Hook" where you wait for a ferry that takes you across, then they take you to Trunks Bay via tourist trucks or cabs.
Another way is to see if the ship has a Catamaran or Sailing trip to St. John's. They might be higher price, but they sure are an easier and fun way to get to Trunk Bay. The beauty of these is that they generally will board and the Ship's pier, thereby cutting the time it takes to get to St. John and you don't have to deal with ground transportation.
Whatever you chose, have a great cruise!

thankyou, very helpful!

In July we went to St Thomas; took a taxi to Sapphire Beach, really great. Taxi was $50 each way for 5 people. The beach was beautfiul. Snorkeling excellent, saw a stingray up close. Not crowded. The ride is kind of scary (lots of hills and drivers are crazy) but you see a lot of the island. We were going to go to Magyn's but taxi driver told us there was no snorkeling equip available at Magyn's, in fact he said there are no sports things at Magyn's. Anyone know if that is true or not?

I do recommend highly that you purchase your own snorkeling gear and take it with you. Between renting it at Sapphire and again at Labadee and again in Dom Republic we could have owned a real nice set and a money left over for beer.

My kids liked Sapphire as much as any beach they've ever been to.