Please Register / Login to take part in discussions about the Virgin Islands.
I will be arriving on a cruise ship in June. I had considered doing one of the ship's excursions to Trunk Bay but someone said that I should do it on my own because it would be much cheaper.
It appears that if my wife and I do this on our own, we have to:
1) take a taxi from the ship to Red hook – how much is that per person each way?
2) Take the ferry from red hook (St. Thomas) to Cruz Bay (St. John) which costs $3 per person each way
3) Then the entrance fee into Trunk Bay is $4 per person
Do we just walk from Cruz Bay (where the ferry drops us off) to Trunk Bay, or do we need another taxi?
So, it appears that my total cost will be $8 (entrance into beach for 2 people) plus $12 (ferry for 2 people for both directions). So that is $20, plus whatever the taxi cost is.
Does anyone know what the total taxi cost is for 2 people?
I apologize if this info is already posted somewhere, and if so, just provide a link. Please don’t bash me because I couldn’t find it.
I am trying to figure out any troubles in doing this myself. If it really is easy, then I will. I heard about problems with rush hour and to not stay at trunk bay too long in the afternoon.
Do they have snorkel gear to rent at Trunk bay? if yes, how much?Also, do they make me pay extra to sit on the beach or does the $4 per person cover that?
All of the hidden charges add up, so I need to know them all to decide if it is worth it to do it myself.
Snorkleman...you will love Trunk Bay. It's about a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the ferry dock. I have done the cruise ship tour of Trunk Bay about 6 times. The only thing I hate about it is you only get about 90 minutes on the beach. Then your tour guide is rounding everyone up. A couple years ago, we wondered off and did Trunk Bay by ourselves and had the best time. We spend 8 hours on that beach....could have spend 8 more. All day we watched the groups come and go. I say you give it a try on your own...when you see the beach...you'll be glad you did!!!!!!!
Another option is to take the ferry directly from Charlotte Amalie to ST John rather than from Red Hook. Go to the top of this page find Select Topic and click on St Thomas or St John to find ferry schedules and taxi rates.
You will need to get a taxi from the STJ ferry dock to Trunk. I don't know if they rent gear at Trunk. If not you could do that in Cruz Bay.
They rent gear at Trunk.
Hello,
Havensight to Red Hook - $8 per person one way taxi fare.
You have to take a taxi to Trunk Bay from Cruz Bay. Taxi is $9 for two people one way.
Lots of cruisers do this trip on their own. Its easy.
The traffic gets bottle necked when returning to Havensight in the mid-afternoon (3:30-4:30 or thereabouts) when folks are all trying to get back to the ship. So yes you don't want to stay on St. John and catch say the last possiable ferry you could catch to get back... unless you like the idea of getting stuck in the VI - not so bad eh?
Yes there is snorkel gear at Trunk Bay. I don't remember the price, I think $7 a set plus $25 deposit which is returned when the gear is returned.
The $4 admission is to go to the beach, so no extra for sitting on the beach. If you meant for a chair on the beach - then yes you have to rent the chairs.
Hope that helps.
--Islander
Definitely go on your own! You will be amazed at how much more relaxed this trip is when you do it yourself. My wife and I did this exact same thing about 2 years ago and loved it. Details:
1. We left the ship at about 8:00 (may have been a little earlier, but not much).
2. Took a taxi to Red Hook. Cost was probably $5 per person.
3. Took ferry to Cruz Bay (check the schedules on this site for times).
4. Took one of the many open air taxis to Trunk. This was the best part of the trip. We stopped at all of the overlooks and were blown away with the views.
5. Got to Trunk at about 9:30. Had it pretty much to ourselves for the first couple of hours (we went in June when the cruise ship schedules are less hectic).
6. Ate lunch at the little shack by the beach - loved it.
7. Took a taxi back to Cruz Bay at about 1:00.
8. Took the ferry back to Charlotte Amalie (it left earlier and went straight into town.) Longer ferry ride, but nice.
9. Took a taxi back to the ship and were back on board by about 3:30.
We loved St. John so much that we went back for a 10 day stay this past Feb. and we are returning again in Nov. It was nice to do this on our own as we felt that we were in a much more peaceful setting without riding around with the "ship crew." Don't get me wrong - we had a great time on the cruise - but it was nice to do this excursion on our own.
Ken
