Oasis St. John excursions - any feedback?

[mets07]

Hi - I put this on the St. Thomas / St. John board, but thought someone here might know better....

 

We have been to St. Thomas before and have visited and enjoyed Magen's and Sapphire...

 

Want to go to St. John's on our upcoming cruise (this month) and would appreciate knowing if anyone did any of the following and any feedback.

 

We know we can do St. John's on our own, but might decide to go with one of the RCI excursions:

 

#1

St. John Sea Safari by PowerCat - STF1 - 4 hours - $59

The complete excursion to St. John! Board "Bimini Breeze" - cruise along St. Thomas' Southshore to a fabulous St. John Beach for snorkeling. Then a second stop at Christmas Cove for more snorkeling adventure and swimming. Equipment is provided, along with sodas, beers & rum drinks. FUN! No Traffic! No Ferries!

 

#2

St. John Beach and Snorkel Tour - STE8 - 4 hours $67

Your narrated excursion departs in a large comfortable tour boat. Enjoy sightseeing along the southern coast line of St. Thomas as you pass Pillsbury Sound and reach Cruz Bay St John. The island of St. John is an unspoiled paradise of white sand beaches and lush tropical scenery. Along the way to Trunk Bay, you will stop at the overlooks of Cruz Bay, Hawksnest Bay and Caneel Bay Plantation.The highlight of this excursion is the world famous Trunk Bay. Home to a one of a kind underwater trail, you will see tropical fish and colorful corals on the marked trail. Enjoy 90 minutes to swim, snorkel the trail or relax in the shade of a palm tree. Snorkel equipment and instructions are provided as well as all entrance fees.

 

#3

Jost Van Dyke - Best of the British Virgin Islands - STF2 - 7.5 hours

$99

Travel by MotorCat for a stop to swim at Christmas Cove before arriving in quaint Jost Van Dyke for a day of swimming and beach snorkeling. Enjoy lunch on White Bay at a local beach bar (not included) while basking in the beauty of this idyllic paradise.

 

Please let me know if you have done any of these and any comments....

[Grand Prix Racer]

My wife and I have done the St Johns Trunk Bay and the trip over to Trunk Bay is amazing. The snorkling is good for beginners because the water is very calm.

 

We took a similar boat over to BVI on our own and over the past 25 years we have snorkled in over 30 spots and the BVIs were the best ever. The water is so clear and calm you will be amazed.

 

We are going on the same excursion on the Oasis on August 14th.

[hubofhockey]

You should consider going to St John on your own and enjoying the beach at Trunk Bay (or other beaches). You can snorkle right off the beach and have a relaxing day. We did this with much more limited time on our Crown Princess cruise. Since the Allure is docked in St Thomas for a while, it's a great opportunity to spend time at what could be the nicest beach in the Caribbean. The transportation to Trunk Bay from St Thomas is easier than it sounds. The taxis wait at the port in St Thomas and just grab one and go to one of the ferry ports. After you get off the ferry, there are taxis waiting to take you to the beaches. Whatever you decide, St John is a great choice and we'll always go there when we get the chance.

[bravostar]

My DH and I did the St John's by Powecat tour on the Bimini Breeze.

We enjoyed it very much. I like having a platform on the back of the boat to enter the water. We went to two snorkel sites , one being Christmas Cove I do not recall the name of the other before going to a beach on St John's for an hour. It was adjacent to I believe the Marriott hotel.

The boat anchored a little way from shore and everyone swam in but if you did not want to swim they took you in a dinghy. Most of us took the dinghy back because we were too tired especially after a couple of "painkillers" The drinks flowed freely both alcohol and non-alcoholic.

The crew was great.

[cruizeblues]

We did the #2 tour in November. Like you, we have been to many of the famous beaches on St. Thomas and wanted to see Trunk Bay w/out the hassels of catching taxis/ferries/etc. This excursion was a no-brainer, just relax and go with the flow. Worked out great for us as we were traveling with our teens and did not want any worries. However, we would have loved to have more time at the beach. They say 90 minutes at the beach, but it sure felt like less than that to us! Next time we go to St. Thomas we will be braver and do it on our own so that we can have more time to enjoy the beach. Trunk Bay is definitely not to be missed! :)

[kroozaholic]

We did the Trunk Bay excursion a couple of years ago, and it was one of our favorites. Snorkling is very good, and the views on the ride over are incredible.

[Duke95]

We haven't done this Jost van Dyke tour listed here, but we have been to the island and to the Soggy Dollar before (the "local beach bar" referenced in the description).

 

Let me say first that Jost van Dyke is one of my favorite places in the Caribbean. I have very fond memories of my little boy (then 2) running naked down one of the beaches near that area on a family vacation to St. John's back in '07. We had perfect weather that day and the area was not crowded with cruise tourists so keep that in mind when you read this.

 

Since boats are not allowed to dock in the bay, you either get to take a dinghy to shore or you swim - which makes your wallet wet and your dollars soggy. It's a very fun place but not necessarily a family atmosphere. Great if you want to drink a lot - the painkillers are particularly fun since they were invented there. There is a ring game there which is lots of fun and gets even more fun after a few drinks. My assumption is that this particular offering would definitely be considered a "party" tour, but I do not know that for sure.

 

I think Foxy's at Great Harbour is better as far as atmosphere goes, but you can't go wrong with either place.

[ChiMimi69]

You should consider going to St John on your own and enjoying the beach at Trunk Bay (or other beaches). You can snorkle right off the beach and have a relaxing day. We did this with much more limited time on our Crown Princess cruise. Since the Allure is docked in St Thomas for a while, it's a great opportunity to spend time at what could be the nicest beach in the Caribbean. The transportation to Trunk Bay from St Thomas is easier than it sounds. The taxis wait at the port in St Thomas and just grab one and go to one of the ferry ports. After you get off the ferry, there are taxis waiting to take you to the beaches. Whatever you decide, St John is a great choice and we'll always go there when we get the chance.

 

 

I will be traveling with my DS's 2.5 & 8 and Trunk Bay is where I want to take them because of the calm waters. Since I want to spend as much time as I can there, I will be going on my own. However, it's been 10+ yrs since I went anywhere from St. Thomas. I've spent many a year shopping and going to Megan's Bay. So, now I don't recall how far the ferrys are from the ship. Can you recall how long of a taxi ride it was? And how long the ferry ride was? :confused:

 

Thanks!

[CariBear]

I will be traveling with my DS's 2.5 & 8 and Trunk Bay is where I want to take them because of the calm waters. Since I want to spend as much time as I can there, I will be going on my own. However, it's been 10+ yrs since I went anywhere from St. Thomas. I've spent many a year shopping and going to Megan's Bay. So, now I don't recall how far the ferrys are from the ship. Can you recall how long of a taxi ride it was? And how long the ferry ride was? :confused:

 

Thanks!

 

 

I have been researching this also as I will be cruising with my DS3 and my DD8 in November. Looks like the total time to Trunk Bay is around 1 1/2 hours each way....so you are looking at 3 hours of travel time. I prefer to book a catamaran, but cannot find a ship sponsored tour that will allow my DS3 to come along (looks like the youngest they allow is 4 years old). My ideal day would be a catamaran to Honeymoon Beach......

[willysgrandma]

I did your number 2 choice on Freedom of the Seas. We thoroughly enjoyed the excursion. We were picked up right next to the ship by the boat that took us over to St. John. I highly recommend that excursion.

[mets07]

Thanks to all for your comments. Just off the June 19th Oasis of the Seas and we did #2 in my list - Trunk Bay excursion. We really enjoyed it and Trunk Bay is beautiful. Only downside is the 90 minute limit at Trunk Bay as so much time in travel, but still were very happy with our decision.