7AM-3PM Can I do Trunk Bay & How

Years ago on our honeymoon cruise we took a ships excursion to Trunk Bay and it was by far the highlight. We always wanted to go back and spend more time at trunk bay.

We will be on the Crown in Sept. 7AM-3PM. Ship offers an excursion from 8-12 for $69. Given the short amount of time am I silly to consider doing this on my own. If it is worth it to do Trunk Bay on our own can someone give me step by step instructions as to how to accomplish this. We will be docking at Crown Bay.

Thank you very much for any assistance.

Years ago on our honeymoon cruise we took a ships excursion to Trunk Bay and it was by far the highlight. We always wanted to go back and spend more time at trunk bay.

We will be on the Crown in Sept. 7AM-3PM. Ship offers an excursion from 8-12 for $69. Given the short amount of time am I silly to consider doing this on my own. If it is worth it to do Trunk Bay on our own can someone give me step by step instructions as to how to accomplish this. We will be docking at Crown Bay.

 

Thank you very much for any assistance.

I don't believe in tellng other folks what to do, but eight hours should be enough time. Just ask yourself if doing it on your own with your port times is enough to make up for the price difference.

If you want to DIY, you'll find the ferry and taxi schedules and prices here (This web site won't allow a copy/paste for the Vinow web site).

Type in this url: www dot vinow dot com

The first fairy from Red Hook to Cruz Bay runs at 9am. It takes about 1/2 hr to get to the fairy from the ship....about 1.5 hrs from ship to beach. Total cost per person for transportation only (from the ship to Trunk Bay and back) is about $45 plus tips.

taxi to fairy dock = $10 per person (each way)

ferry = $5 per person (each way)

taxi from Cruz Bay to beach = $6 per person (each way)

admission to trunk Bay = $4 each

snorkel equip = $4 each person

chair = $8 per person (plus $100 security deposit on our credit card)

Think since you are docking at Crown Bay you will want the Charlotte Amile ferry...leaves at 9am. You should be there in plenty of time. I would take the 1:30 back, arriving at 2. Should be back at the ship by 2:30.

So I guess in the big picture you probably wont have more that 3 hrs at Trunk but will post likely save 40-50% from the ship.$69pp sounds really high.

In all my cruising this is by far at the top of my list of favs...go for it

5 days later and I just noticed my typo!!!

"fairy" should have been FERRY!:D

THere have been delays and "not running" with the fery from town lately. The Red Hook ferry runs from very early A.M. (7 or even 6) so be sure and check, but I'm not sure how? before you epend on it. Frankly I would take the ship's excursion just to be sure with the early sailing time from Crown Bay. The Red Hook ferry is now $5 per person one way, cab about $10 per person one way, Cruz bay to the beach $6 per person one way, and with admission to Trunk almost a wash and sure to be back on time with little hassel!

B.

Thanks for the help.

Sounds like the Ferry from Red Hook starts earlier (6:30AM) which would give us more time since we dock at 7 AM.

Does this sound correct? You can take a cab from Crown Bay to Red Hook to get a head start?

THere have been delays and "not running" with the fery from town lately. The Red Hook ferry runs from very early A.M. (7 or even 6) so be sure and check' date=' but I'm not sure how?[/b'] before you epend on it. Frankly I would take the ship's excursion just to be sure with the early sailing time from Crown Bay. The Red Hook ferry is now $5 per person one way, cab about $10 per person one way, Cruz bay to the beach $6 per person one way, and with admission to Trunk almost a wash and sure to be back on time with little hassel!

B.

Take a look at post #2 in this thread. The suggested web site (VINOW) contains all the ferry schedules as well as taxi fares. There's a ton of other info as well.

We just came back from 10 days on St. John and used the ferry from downtown to Cruz Bay and back. Wanted to warn you that although the ferry tries to follow its schedule that sometimes it doesn't.

On our day of departure, the ferry was way off and I had an unplanned stop in Red Hook in the morn which then put me into downtown late and the ferry my family took back was 45 minutes late causing us to almost miss our flight home.

I just wanted to throw that out there to you. Also, we have cruised into St Thomas numerous times and found that we never got off the ship as early as they reported it to be and they don't wait for you unless you are on one of their tours. You pay more but it's kinda like having insurance not to to be waving good-bye to the ship as it pulls out.

Good luck! LG

My main interest in not going with the ships excursion is that I would like to maximize my time at Trunk Bay. The ships one is only 4 hours total. We would like to not only do the snorkel trail, but explore the park a bit. I think though I would just worry over the logistics of doing this on my own and it wouldn't benefit me in the long run. I would be thinking like you said that the ferry would be late etc. and only want to do it if I gave myself plenty of extra time to get back. Then I might as well have gone with the ship.

The ships one would give us less time, but no worries.......... I guess it is my best bet. Wish we stayed longer there!

You can do it on your own without a concern. Here is our experience...

St. John, US Virgin Islands

We berthed at Havensight Pier in St. Thomas. Our destination was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Despite what everyone at the pier will tell you (and they will lie to you), you can get local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John. Simply walk out of the Havensight pier main gate, cross the street, turn left and walk until you get to the Bus Stop (there is a pullover area) across from K-Mart and cross the street so that you are standing on the K-Mart side of the street. It is a leisurely 15-minute level walk. When you see an open-air taxi drive up, flag him down, tell him where you wish to go and enjoy the trip. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way depending upon traffic. The taxi will drop you off at the Red Hook ferry terminal. Pay upon exiting the taxi, go through the gates and hop on the ferry to St. John. We caught the 8:00am ferry and paid our $5.00/pp fare. Normally, you would pay at the booth prior to boarding. The very pretty ride across the bay runs about 15 minutes.

Upon arrival at Cruz Bay, St. John, we caught a 10-minute taxi ride ($6.00/pp) to Trunk Bay, stopping once along the way to take pictures of Trunk Bay from a picturesque spot along the road. We arrived at 8:30am which allowed us to get in free. Once the admission booth opens, it costs $4.00/pp to enter this beautiful white sand beach with clear waters, awesome views of islands and cays, nice facilities, and an underwater snorkeling trail. The snorkeling trail can be found on the right hand side of the beach. It begins on the far side of the little island and works its way around the island and ends on the closer side. The snorkeling is very good, with lots of fish and colorful coral. Including the four of us, there was a total of 7 people enjoying this beach from 8:30am to 10:15am when larger groups began arriving —– at which time we left and caught a $4/pp taxi for Cinnamon Bay. (Trunk Bay is now one of our top three Caribbean beaches).

Cinnamon Bay is part of a campground with good facilities, snorkeling equipment rentals, and kayak rentals. The beach is not as pretty as Trunk Bay but offers good snorkeling as well. Sea Turtles can be spotted here in the middle of the bay feeding on the sea grass, but we did not spot any this trip. We caught a taxi back to Cruz Bay ($7/pp) at 11:40am. We just missed the noon ferry so we ate lunch at High Tide Bar and Grill adjacent to the pier. We enjoyed the Virgin Island Pale Ale (a fruity beer made for distribution in St. John by a brewery in Maine), and especially liked the sweet mango salsa which accompanies the chips and salsa appetizer. We shopped until 1:45pm and bought tickets for the 2:00pm ferry, which was 30 minutes late arriving. A very large crowd anxiously waited in a long line in the hot sun on the pier. There was no problem getting everyone on the ferry. We arrived back in Red Hook at 2:40pm. Ignore the $7/pp taxis and wait for a $2.00 taxi again EXACTLY where it dropped you off. (Do not cross the street). We got dropped off a couple blocks closer to Havensight than the K-Mart where we picked up the taxi. St. Thomas is a major shopping destination. Havensight has a large number of shops convenient to the ship, however, the real shoppers head into Charlotte Amalie to do their shopping. It is very easy to get to St. John from the ship. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.

Here are more of our Secrets of the Caribbean!

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

These are our very detailed personal reviews, hints, and tips for ports of call that you will be visiting.

Thanks for the insight....... Very helpfull!!!!!!!

Here are my tentative plans based on all the information from these great boards. Thanks! Please post & comment on this as it is a true toss up for me.

#1 I have the Princess excursion booked with the hopes of still doing this on our own and cancelling this excursion within the cancellation period. It was now $79pp and is only 4 hours total in duration.

#2 Plan ($46pp)

From CROWN BAY-Take the $10 pp open air taxi to Red hook as it has a 8:00AM ferry.

Take the 8:00 AM Ferry for $6pp to St. John (15-20minutes)

Take an open air taxi $6pp (20 minutes) to Trunk Bay

Pay the $4 pp admission

Leave Trunk Bay 12:30 PM take open air taxi (20 min.) $6 pp to Cruz Bay

Question???

The ship leaves at 3:00PM! I've read that the Charlotte Amalle ferry is better in the afternoon to avoid traffic. However the only times are 11:15 , 1:15 & 2:15. If we took the 1:15 back would that be good. Or should we take the 1:00 Red Hook Ferry back????

Or of course stick with Plan #1 and loose time at Trunk Bay?

Play it safe and take the early ferry. They may run late. You can easily do without ship excursion, just watch time.

By early do you mean the 11:15 Charlotte Amalle or the 1:00 Red Hook?

By early do you mean the 11:15 Charlotte Amalle or the 1:00 Red Hook?

1:00 red hook. That gives you 2 hours to get to ship.

Quick question about the ship's excursion please. I checked Princess website and it has the 2 catamaran excursions with snorkeling. We don't want to snorkel, just go to Trunk Bay and swim and relax on the beach. I KNOW my DH will want to do a ship excursion vs. doing it on our own. Is there just a "basic" excursion (aka bus/ferry) taking you to TB? Also, do they have food/drinks at Trunk Bay? And can you walk to Cinammon Bay from TB? Have been to St. Tom a few times, but never St. John and it's time to give it a try! :cool: Thanks for any info. Also, they don't list the prices. Where did you come up with $79/pp? :confused:

Quick question about the ship's excursion please. I checked Princess website and it has the 2 catamaran excursions with snorkeling. We don't want to snorkel, just go to Trunk Bay and swim and relax on the beach. I KNOW my DH will want to do a ship excursion vs. doing it on our own. Is there just a "basic" excursion (aka bus/ferry) taking you to TB? Also, do they have food/drinks at Trunk Bay? And can you walk to Cinammon Bay from TB? Have been to St. Tom a few times, but never St. John and it's time to give it a try! :cool: Thanks for any info. Also, they don't list the prices. Where did you come up with $79/pp? :confused:

We are on the 9-06-07 Crown Princess Sailing so I am able to book online and the prices are listed in the cruise personalizer.

The one I am referring to is called "St. John Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel" $79 (you can opt not to snorkel as it is done off the beach)

There are also these

St. John Eco-Hike & Beach $79

Champagne Cat. sailaway to St. John $89

Full- Day Sail to St. John w/ Lunch $109

Hope this helps. Let me know if you want the descriptions.

Hi CMM,

I am on the same cruise as you and I think I am going to do the same thing! I really want to beat the crowds over to St. John, so we may go as soon as we can.

When I am reading everyone's instructions on how to get over there in enough time, I can't help but picture my husband and I running around "Amazing Race"-style from the taxi to the ferry to the taxi to the beach and so on... At least I am having fun sweating the details!

-Spicey

Spicey, I am picturing us doing the same thing! That is why I KNOW DH will want to book a ship excursion. CMM, thanks for that info. That is what I saw, but the prices weren't listed. Just had $$ signs. OT while I have your attention!! I am not receiving em'es to posted threads. Checked my user CP and I have checked that I choose that option. Anyone else having the same problem? :confused: Spicey and CMM, looking forward to your review when you get back! :D

Karen,

It is crazy, I know, but that is the kind of stuff that gets our juices flowing. Note, I could never win a season of The Amazing Race!!

As for the threads, I just get them automatically sent, as I am posting this, the additional options box below has a pull-down menu that says instant email notification. Try adjusting that...

Not getting the email notifications, even tho I have in the past. :( :mad: Might have something to do with aol.com. :confused:

As the OP I wanted to thank everyone for the information and report back to others how things went.

We docked at 7AM and were the 2nd people off the ship. Another nice couple were already waiting for a cab to fill and we joined them, waited a few moments while the cab driver tried to get some more customers and we were off. The cab to Red Hook took longer(about 50 minutes?) and is now $11 pp. I think it was do to rush hour and possibly a fender bender. Anyway we caught the 8 AM ferry to Cruz Bay, then took an open air taxi to trunk bay. We arrived before they officially opened so we did not need to pay admission.

We were literally the first people on this beautiful beach!

Rentals opened at 9AM so we had to wait to get our snorkel vest for $5 each. We had our own mask & snorkel (I think they were $8 set).

My husband felt ill so we didn't snorkel as long as planned. Bought $10 burger/fries/soda from the snack bar in hopes of him feeling better.

We then took an open air taxi back to Cruz Bay and took the ferry to Charlotte Amalie. We shopped for a about 2 hours. No need to worry about being able to catch a taxi back to the ship as literally every 2 minutes a driver was shouting out his window that he wanted to take us back to the Crown Princess ship. It got a bit annoying.

Again thanks for all those who helped out! Yes this is possible, gives you more flexibility, and saves you about $25 pp compared to the ships excursion.

CMM...

Good job!

Secrets of the Caribbean!

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

As the OP I wanted to thank everyone for the information and report back to others how things went.

 

We docked at 7AM and were the 2nd people off the ship. Another nice couple were already waiting for a cab to fill and we joined them, waited a few moments while the cab driver tried to get some more customers and we were off. The cab to Red Hook took longer(about 50 minutes?) and is now $11 pp. I think it was do to rush hour and possibly a fender bender. Anyway we caught the 8 AM ferry to Cruz Bay, then took an open air taxi to trunk bay. We arrived before they officially opened so we did not need to pay admission.

We were literally the first people on this beautiful beach!

Rentals opened at 9AM so we had to wait to get our snorkel vest for $5 each. We had our own mask & snorkel (I think they were $8 set).

My husband felt ill so we didn't snorkel as long as planned. Bought $10 burger/fries/soda from the snack bar in hopes of him feeling better.

We then took an open air taxi back to Cruz Bay and took the ferry to Charlotte Amalie. We shopped for a about 2 hours. No need to worry about being able to catch a taxi back to the ship as literally every 2 minutes a driver was shouting out his window that he wanted to take us back to the Crown Princess ship. It got a bit annoying.

Again thanks for all those who helped out! Yes this is possible, gives you more flexibility, and saves you about $25 pp compared to the ships excursion.

Does the snack bar have beer/wine type drinks? Thanks for coming back and giving us an update!