If you MUST go with the cruise line expedition, go with Trunk. It is a beautiful beach with great amenities and rewarding snorkeling.

HOWEVER, I see that Princess charges you $84 per person for an excursion you can do all on your own for about half of that. When you get off the boat in STT, take a cab to Red Hook. Then take the ferry over to STJ (they run hourly). Then a cab from Cruz Bay to Trunk. Pay your own admission fee and rent your gear there.

You can find ferry and cab fees as well as ferry schedules here on vinow.com

You will love STJ. It was a cruise line that brought us to it, too.

Thanks for the good info, as there are three in our group a newby, a restricted activity, and myself who hasn't snorked in 8 yrs, we better stick with a reputable tour company.

Uncle John

Honestly, with only one day in port I'd also go with one of the tour companies, not only because of the make-up of the three of you but also because Trunk Bay gets VERY crowded on days when cruise ships are in. It is indeed a beautiful beach but the crush of bodies on such days does detract! I'm only familiar with Captain Nautica out of those you mention and they do an excellent excursion which will take you to less crowded spots for great snorkeling, plus provide you with all the instruction you need. Enjoy!

Check the cruise ships in port the day you are in Charlotte. If the cruise ship docks are not full, I would suggest you go with the Trunk Bay excursion. The "crush of bodies" is really not all that bad by standards other than USVI standards. A crowd on by StJ standards is a very slow day on any Florida beach. You will enjoy it. Trunk is fantastic for a newbie snorkeler, the restricted person will find it as easily navigated beach as you can find and after 8 years away from snorkeling, you will wonder why you weren't back sooner.

Hello Uncle John,

The Turtle Cove trip is to Turtle Cove at Buck Island, a small island off of St. Thomas. If its a half day trip this is likely to be the only stop. If its a full day trip they likely have another stop in the area. Good snorkeling at Turtle Cove. Likely its on a sailboat with a group; size of group varies but some of the boats that operate this trip can carry 24 passengers for example. Some boats carry less and some more. If you know which boat it is you can look it up. You don't go on the island so its a sailing/snorkeling trip.

The St. John Trunk Bay trip is likely by ferry that caters to the cruise ship excursions, it takes you to Cruz Bay and then by taxi to Trunk Bay for snorkeling and beach time, and then everything in reverse. You can check the description in your excursion list to see if that is correct. Trunk Bay is a beautiful beach, there is an underwater snorkeling trail with signs that indicate types of coral, fish and other marine life. The beach has food/drink at a small place that sells burgers, sandwiches and quick bites; also has restrooms.

Pretty sure the Captain Nautica cruise ship excursion is also out to Turtle Cove/Buck Island. If its a full day trip they also stop at another snorkel site or a beach - usually Honeymoon Bay on Water Island. They use speedboats for their trip.

So for the newbie its the difference between snorkeling off a boat and snorkeling from the beach. And for the person with physical restrictions; do you think they would prefer being on a beach or on a boat in case they didn't feel up to snorkeling?

Hope that helps. Have a terrific time.

--Islander

Uncle John,

I am currently in St. John and my guides at the Florian Villa took me to Trunk Bay to do my first day of snorkeling because it is an easy area to snorkel. As mentioned above, on days when there are several cruise ships in the area, it can get rather crowded.

Based on your information, I would highly suggest Trunk Bay because it is an easy snorkel. Also, I enjoyed the underwater signs at Trunk Bay. Lastly, I would also imagine that someone with restricted activity would want access to full restrooms and showers, which Trunk Bay has.

Enjoy your trip.

We were at Trunk Bay last Tuesday when the cruise ship shuttles came rolling in. I had already snorkeled for over an hour before they arrived, and by the time everyone got their gear, there were approximately 50 people snorkeling the "trail". We left and went to Maho and it was awesome. The far eastern edge of Maho has a point that was the best snorkeling of anywhere I went. We saw a sea turtle, tarpon, rays, millions of smaller fish, etc. You won't see anything but parrot fish (and other assorted small fish) at Trunk when it's crowded. You can rent snorkeling gear at Mongoose Junction and catch a cab for less than $84.

Depending on how much time you've got in port might be a factor. If you go with one of the excursions from the ship, they guarantee to get you back before the ship sails. Said another way, the ship won't sail until all excursions have returned. If you go on your own and are late getting back to the ship, you risk them leaving without you.

Perhaps someone who has made the trip on their own could advise about the total time it takes to go each way (plus a little safety margin). I haven't done it myself, so don't want to mislead.

Have a great time!

WW

WW is right! You never know what can happen and for the few bucks you might save it is NOT worth missing the cruise ship or the "insurance" that the cruise ship excursions include.