CP Jan 29 - Meagans Bay or Trunk Bay

[matthewL]

Counting down the days to departure and one last decision to make......

 

Looking for some help in deciding where to head when we dock in St. Thomas. We are deciding between heading back to the reliable Meagans Bay which weve been too twice already or to venture out to Trunk Bay.

 

My question is, is it really worth the extra hassle to get to Trunk Bay compared to Meagans Bay. We absolutely love going to the beach and frankly the beaches make the cruise for my 6 year old and I. (especially Orient in St Martin....well so he tells me)

 

Would appreciate the views of those who have been to both and what the main differences are. From what Ive read, it sounds like the beach to be at is Trunk Bay but am somewhat leary as last year we headed off to the beaches in Martineque at Pont du Bout which was quite the adventure to get to.

 

Many thanks in advance....

[Howlev34]

Trunk bay was recommended to us. It was no hassle getting there as the excursion was booked through the cruise line. Everything was well organized.45 minute (approx.) ferry to St. John and open-air bus to Trunk Bay. Spent about 2 hours on the beach.One word of warning- 3 boats were in St. Thomas and the beach was crowded. Very, very beautiful but crowded. We just moved further along the shore and had a great time. Concession stand and a chair rental if you wish. Many people were snorkelling. We had never been there so we were looking forward to it and we had a wonderful time. Have a wonderful cruise.

[Mbouck1]

Magan's Bay will be very much more crowded than Trunk Bay. As stated above Trunk Bay is just a short ferry ride to St. Johns and then you get a shuttle to the beach very quick. They have shops on the pier of the ferry that you could shop and eat.

We always go to Trunk Bay when we are in St. Thomas. The snorkeling isn't the greatest but it is much more quiet than Megans.

[Colo Cruiser]

I say do Trunk Bay. :)

[Casey12]

We did the Trunk Bay tour through Princess and we would not do it again. It seemed like a hassle to get over there and we only spent at most 30 to 40 minutes at Trunk Bay. The tour office said that they receive several complaints every week about this. We were told we were running late and should have had 20 more minutes at the beach but we are not sure what caused us to run late. The beach is nice but we felt like it was a waste of an afternoon and we wished we would have gone to a local beach in St. Thomas instead. If you can do Trunk Bay on your own I think you will enjoy it more. It would be nice if the cruise line had an all day trip over there which included a tour plus the beach.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes it is a rip if you go through the cruise line. We will do it on our own.

[matthewL]

Many thanks to all......

 

We will go to Trunk Bay and catch the ferry from Charlotte Amaille

[chamima]

Make sure you leave plenty of time to get to the ferry. (Actually Red Hook is a shorter ride than Charlotte Amalie. For ferry schedules go to the ports of call-St. Thomas board) We couldn't find any private taxis when we got off the ship, only wagon-type things that hold 20-30 people. We knew it was a 20 minute drive to Red hook so we were off the ship at about 8:30 in order to make the 9:00 ferry. The driver (as they all do) refused to leave until the vehicle was full so we missed the 9:00 and waited about 45 minutes of what should have been a beautiful beach day and took the 10:00. It was a very aggravating way to start a day.

[Genessa]

You could do what we did on our last cruise that stopped in St. Thomas. We were originally planning to go to Trunk Bay.

However, it was quite overcast and threatening to rain, so we decided at that moment to go to Magen's Bay instead of spending so much time travelling.

 

Your six year old might enjoy the ferry ride over to Trunk. We like to ride on the upper deck. So, if it seems it's going to be a beautiful day, go to Trunk, if not, stick with Magen.

[debbue19511972]

I say Trunk Bay. Get your own taxi ...it's cheaper.

[mlbcruiser]

By all means, Trunk Bay! Magen's Bay is o.k., but Trunk Bay is so much more pristine and the snorkeling is better. (Maybe not what it used to be, but . . ?) Personally, I think Magen's Bay is overhyped. You can catch a ferry easily on your own from either Charlotte Amalie - a total 45 min. ride and it is $7 ea. way. The views along the way are super! (The ride from Red Hook is, too. You just don't see as much.) I think the ferries from Char. Am. run at 9 and ll a.m. Then get a cab for a few bucks to Trunk Bay. They have snorkeling stuff for rent and showers, etc. It's a park.) Or you can catch a cab to Red Hook on St. Thos. for a few dollars and then catch the ferry there - a couple of EARLY ones, then on the hr. starting at 8 a.m. The cost is $3 ea. way or you just pay $6 once. I believe there are a couple of ferry companies and buying one way allows you to buy a ticket on whichever one you want coming back.) The ride is 20 min. between Red Hook and Cruz Bay, St. John. In addition, there is a little shopping area that is very nice called Moongose Junction near downtown Cruz Bay and if you have your cabbie drop you off there after your trip to Trunk Bay, you might have time to shop there, or just wander around Cruz Bay. Make sure you watch the ferry schedules coming back and allow time for the traffic jam on your way back from Red Hook to Char. Am. that might be in progress shortly before the ship leaves. You can avoid this coming straight back to Charlotte Amalie, but the ferry doesn't run that way quite as frequently. If you have good weather, you are in for a treat!

[matthewL]

Thanks to all for the great advice....

 

2 days to go and we head for FLL for a day of relaxation and dinner at CF on Los Olas. Will be quite the change in weather for us, its been minus 25 here in Toronto for the last week.

 

I will post upon my return how it turned out......

 

Thx Again...

[sassycat]

We love Magen's Bay. I would go on your own