Which of 2 Trunk Bay trips?

[MarieCW]

I'm sailing on the Carnival Legend this August and plan to go to Trunk Bay (in particular for the snorkeling trail) when we dock at St Thomas. Carnival offers 2 excursions to Trunk Bay:

 

Five Star St. John & Trunk Bay: Start your day with a beautiful cruise aboard the comfortable, stable 115 ft. M/V Leylon Sneed, from St. Thomas to St. John.

- Anchor for an hour and a half at world famous Trunk Bay.

- Enjoy some fantastic snorkel opportunities with the equipment, instruction and in-water supervision provided.

- Sunbathe on the beach, swim in or go ashore by dinghy or watch a movie about the Virgin Islands in the air-conditioned theater.

- Enjoy the scenery, while sunbathing on the bow, or in the shade.

- Rinse off salt and sand under the fresh water shower.

- Sit back with a complimentary glass of rum or fruit punch from the bottomless punch bowls, or other beverages of your choice from the cash bar.

 

St. John Trunk Bay Beach & Snorkel:

- Take a scenic ferry ride across Pillsbury Sound to St. John.

- Drive past Cruz Bay, Hawksnest Bay and famous Caneel Bay to world-renowned Trunk Bay Beach.

- Enjoy the sunshine and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean as you relax and unwind.

- Explore the underwater trails of coral and tropical fish

 

The cost is the same ($59) and both are scheduled for 4 hours. I'd love to hear some pros and/or cons for these 2 trips. Taking the Sneed rather than the ferry seems a more relaxing trip, but would we be missing amazing sightseeing opportunities by not having the drive portion? The "Five Star" states 1 1/2 hours at Trunk Bay, any idea how long the other would have there?

 

Any help in choosing between these two would be very appreciated.

 

Thanks!

Marie

[johnrobert57]

We took the Leylon Sneed last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. As I recall....you give off the ship and the Sneed is right there to pick you up for your trip to St. John's. The trip takes about 45 minutes with great views of the island and commentary from the captain. You anchor right in Trunk Bay and can either swim/snorkel to shore or they will drive you by dinghy into shore. It was fun, easy and relaxing. Well worth the money.

 

I can't comment on the other trip but I can recommend these folks. You'll enjoy it regardless of the trip you take. Trunk is beautiful and any views of St. THomas and St. John from the water is spectacular.

 

JohnRobert

[kchesneylover]

It is the same cost (+/-) to do it yourself (Trunk Bay) and you get to spend more time there. Get off the ship, catch a cab to the ferry, take the ferry to St. John, take a cab to Trunk bay. Its around $100 round trip for two and you get to spend more time there. That is what we did. :p

 

I'm sailing on the Carnival Legend this August and plan to go to Trunk Bay (in particular for the snorkeling trail) when we dock at St Thomas. Carnival offers 2 excursions to Trunk Bay:

 

Five Star St. John & Trunk Bay: Start your day with a beautiful cruise aboard the comfortable, stable 115 ft. M/V Leylon Sneed, from St. Thomas to St. John.

- Anchor for an hour and a half at world famous Trunk Bay.

- Enjoy some fantastic snorkel opportunities with the equipment, instruction and in-water supervision provided.

- Sunbathe on the beach, swim in or go ashore by dinghy or watch a movie about the Virgin Islands in the air-conditioned theater.

- Enjoy the scenery, while sunbathing on the bow, or in the shade.

- Rinse off salt and sand under the fresh water shower.

- Sit back with a complimentary glass of rum or fruit punch from the bottomless punch bowls, or other beverages of your choice from the cash bar.

 

St. John Trunk Bay Beach & Snorkel:

- Take a scenic ferry ride across Pillsbury Sound to St. John.

- Drive past Cruz Bay, Hawksnest Bay and famous Caneel Bay to world-renowned Trunk Bay Beach.

- Enjoy the sunshine and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean as you relax and unwind.

- Explore the underwater trails of coral and tropical fish

 

The cost is the same ($59) and both are scheduled for 4 hours. I'd love to hear some pros and/or cons for these 2 trips. Taking the Sneed rather than the ferry seems a more relaxing trip, but would we be missing amazing sightseeing opportunities by not having the drive portion? The "Five Star" states 1 1/2 hours at Trunk Bay, any idea how long the other would have there?

 

Any help in choosing between these two would be very appreciated.

 

Thanks!

Marie

[cpcruiser]

It is the same cost (+/-) to do it yourself (Trunk Bay) and you get to spend more time there. Get off the ship, catch a cab to the ferry, take the ferry to St. John, take a cab to Trunk bay. Its around $100 round trip for two and you get to spend more time there. That is what we did. :p

 

 

I have read there are two places to catch a ferry. Which one did you take? I was planning on going to red hook? I believe that is the name of it?? this is our first cruise but I have read how easy it is to do this on your own so we are thinking about doing it on our own as well. As you stated above...to give ourselves more beach time.

 

I hope we get back to our ship on time! Our ship leaves at 6pm. What time would you suggest we leave trunk bay to get back in time? I have no idea how much time to give ourselves. Also, what did you do with your belongings while in the water? Thank you for any advise you can offer. Us "cruise rookies" appreciate all the help we can get. You guys are great and full of information. My husband laughs at the list of things to do, not do, take with us, etc. etc. My latest addition to my list is the zip lock bags for packing! lol

[early_iron]

Hi,

 

As I recall the ferry ride to St. John and Trunk Bay is about 45 minutes. I would leave Trunk Bay about an hour and a half before the ship is due to sail. That will give you a saftey net. Don't be lat as the ship won't wait for you.

 

The ferry we took was right from the dock where the ship was moored.

 

Smooth sailing.

[mrsneurotic]

Don't worry about all the hassle...walk off the ship take a right on the pier, hop on the Leylon Sneed and ENJOY!

 

We did this last week with our group and it was the highlight of the cruise.

 

Excellent excursion with no worries about getting back on time. Great crew, beautiful scenery, relaxing ride, no hassles.

[Sheffie]

I have read there are two places to catch a ferry. Which one did you take? I was planning on going to red hook? I believe that is the name of it?? this is our first cruise but I have read how easy it is to do this on your own so we are thinking about doing it on our own as well. As you stated above...to give ourselves more beach time.

 

I hope we get back to our ship on time! Our ship leaves at 6pm. What time would you suggest we leave trunk bay to get back in time? I have no idea how much time to give ourselves. Also, what did you do with your belongings while in the water? Thank you for any advise you can offer. Us "cruise rookies" appreciate all the help we can get. You guys are great and full of information. My husband laughs at the list of things to do, not do, take with us, etc. etc. My latest addition to my list is the zip lock bags for packing! lol

 

We went to Cinnamon Beach, which is the next beach after Trunk Bay. Our ship sailed at 5:30. At 2 p.m. we started to pack up to go. We showered off the saltwater (they have showers at Trunk Bay, too) and got on the taxi to go back to Red Hook. We EASILY caught the 3 p.m. ferry (we were probably there about 2:30) and in 15-20 minutes the ferry had us back at Red Hook. We followed the locals off the ferry to the bus (it looks just like the taxis) that goes back into town. (You could take the $10 taxi if you want.) For $2 each we were taken back to within a couple of blocks of the entrance to the pier.

 

We each have waterwallets for our IDs, and money. We wear these tucked into our swimsuits while snorkeling. The rest of our stuff is in our beachbag and backpack on the beach. We take disposable cameras while on excursions on our own so that we don't have to worry about our good camera being taken.

 

Have fun planning! Your DH just doesn't understand CC, does he. Poor man. ;)

[sunshine3360]

We are going in Jan. Is the snorkeling good at Cinnamon Bay?We went to Trunk before and were a little dissappointed with the snorkeling .

but what a beautiful beach. How much was the cab from the ferry to the bay and did you have any trouble getting one back?I have to agree with taking the ferry on your own. Have done this several times and love the freedom. It really is easy.Did you have to use a kayac to get out to the best sites? Has anyone rented a dingy from Cruz Bay for the day? Looks like fun.Questions Questions. Thanks

[Sheffie]

I was also disappointed with Trunk Bay's snorkeling, which is why we tried Cinnamon. We saw things we had never seen before, such as a cuddlefish. Also, there were 10s of thousands of minnows! I felt like I was swimming in a Disney movie! The current between the beach and the island got a little strong after about 10 a.m. (probably had to do with tides) and that slowed down the number of people going out to the island. It was just $1 more to get to Cinnamon on the taxi, but you don't have to pay an entrance fee like you do at Trunk. There was a taxi sitting there when we were ready to go.

 

I didn't see anyone kayaking, but did see those Zodiacs right by the ferry pier. I don't know how much they are to rent. They could be really fun and get you to different beaches, I guess.

 

Have fun figuring out what you are going to do!

[sunshine3360]

Thanks. Exactly what I wanted to know.