Megans Bay disappointment

[bluehenfan]

I was just looking at a posting about Megans Bay and it reminded me how disappointed I was when I visited here for 2nd time on my last cruise. !st cruise to St. Thomas we just fell in love with it and couldn't wait to return. Last cruise we were surprised by all the cigarette butts and big pcs. of glass in the sand, filthy restrooms, and dirty picnic tables and rental lounge chairs. The natural beauty of the place hadn't changed but it was really run down. The driver who took us tried to talk us into going to another beach but we insisted on Magen's Bay. I hope someone who has been there in the past 6 months since I was there will post and tell me it's back like it use to be.

[golfadj]

It was about a year ago that we visited and did not notice lots of trash.

 

Try posting on port of call pages.

[okgirl]

That's very disappointing to read.........I haven't been there in years, but was planning on going in February......I hope you stir up some more recent and better experiences........

[firefly333]

We went to Koki, but our taxi stopped by Megan's and the driver said Koki Beach was a lot better for seeing fish since my friend wanted to snorkle. Too bad Koki has a bad rep after that incident, which was not even at the beach, but out on the main road, which could have happened anywhere.

 

We loved Koki. The fish were huge. People who went to Megan's didnt even see any fish.

[hubofhockey]

Best thing about St Thomas is ferry to St John and spending a day at the best beach I have found in the Caribbean at Trunk Bay.

[Soxpeat]

We want to try going to St Johns this January but after reading how much it costs to get over there, we might just settle for one of the St Thomas beaches again. Might try Saphire this time.

[hubofhockey]

We want to try going to St Johns this January but after reading how much it costs to get over there, we might just settle for one of the St Thomas beaches again. Might try Saphire this time.

 

It's not that expensive. I think taxi round trip from ship to ferry is $20, from ferry to Trunk Bay is $12. $32 per person plus another $4 for admission to a great beach is a great way to go. I have been to Sapphire and it is not in the same league as Trunk Bay. For an extra $15, St John is the way to go.

[H82seaUgo]

we chose to go there instead of trunk bay on our last visit. talk about disappointment!

[makeup face]

Best thing about St Thomas is ferry to St John and spending a day at the best beach I have found in the Caribbean at Trunk Bay.

 

I agree!!;)

[WISH84]

Best thing about St Thomas is ferry to St John and spending a day at the best beach I have found in the Caribbean at Trunk Bay.

 

The Mrs. and I are re-newing our wedding vows next December and based on our first visit to Megan's Bay had planned to have the ceremony there. Does anyone know or can recommend a beach on St. John's that would be better for this?

 

Thanks.

[simkoreb]

I have been to almost every beach on St. John, and loved them all!!! (we did a land based vacation there.) I would be happy on any of them, but would suggest a more secluded beach/area for vow renewal. Have you looked into Caneel Bay?? OMG, it is beautiful!!!! The beaches on St. John blew me away compared to St. Thomas, but everyone has their own opinion. Hawksnest will always be my favorite!!!

[mbet]

Magen's Bay had some problems from storms in July and September. The July storm caused a mangrove swamp to overflow into the bay and it was closed to swimmers for a week. (article in USA Today). Hopefully it will be as beautiful as ever next time we're there.

[rcrx]

The Mrs. and I are re-newing our wedding vows next December and based on our first visit to Megan's Bay had planned to have the ceremony there. Does anyone know or can recommend a beach on St. John's that would be better for this?

 

Thanks.

 

St. John- Caneel...understated elegance. The hotel and beach are awesome. Hawksnest is to. Have done 3 land based vacations there and St. John is awesome!

[Froufie]

I can only say that St. John's beaches are the closest to paradise I have ever seen - literally brought tears to my eyes! I would defintely choose to go there if possible!

[Soxpeat]

The other concern is the travel time, the cab is over half an hour right? The ferry leaves Red Hook on the hour and is about 20 minutes then it is a short walk to Trunk?

[Donh44]

St. John- Caneel...understated elegance. The hotel and beach are awesome. Hawksnest is to. Have done 3 land based vacations there and St. John is awesome!

I had a cousin who went to Caneel Bay and said it was the most beautiful place she had ever seen and she had been all over the world. She told the family that when she died she wanted her ashes dropped into Caneel Bay as she did that with her husband back in 1989. She passed away in 2002 and her ashes rest on the bottom of Caneel Bay. What a beautiful place.

[arpie05]

I had picked Sapphire without knowing Magan's was supposed to be the best. Sapphire was small but pretty. It seemed like it was part of a resort. A couple from our roll call enjoyed the ferry to St, John to snorkle.

[Froufie]

The other concern is the travel time, the cab is over half an hour right? The ferry leaves Red Hook on the hour and is about 20 minutes then it is a short walk to Trunk?

 

If you are in port 'all day' there should be no problem getting to and from St. John. Take the ferry out from Red Hook - but you can take another/different ferry back to downtown Charlotte Amalie which saves you the taxi ride (you can walk back to the ship and shop along the way) and avoids some of the traffic going back to the ship!

[Tralynn]

Just got back from a cruise Thanksgiving week and went to St. Johns. Definitely the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen on 12 Caribbean cruises.

 

For a beach day, I like Trunk Bay, but for a ceremony Hawknest or Caneel would be more intimate.

[cruise4six]

I was just looking at a posting about Megans Bay and it reminded me how disappointed I was when I visited here for 2nd time on my last cruise. !st cruise to St. Thomas we just fell in love with it and couldn't wait to return. Last cruise we were surprised by all the cigarette butts and big pcs. of glass in the sand, filthy restrooms, and dirty picnic tables and rental lounge chairs. The natural beauty of the place hadn't changed but it was really run down. The driver who took us tried to talk us into going to another beach but we insisted on Magen's Bay. I hope someone who has been there in the past 6 months since I was there will post and tell me it's back like it use to be.

I just got back from my cruise on the Dream this morning. We went to Magen's Bay (due to the fact that it is supposed to be one of the top 10 beaches in the world). I was very disappointed. The water was not clear at all. We didn't see any cigarette butts or glass in the sand. I just didn't see anything to be impressed with.

[robsvacation]

The other concern is the travel time, the cab is over half an hour right? The ferry leaves Red Hook on the hour and is about 20 minutes then it is a short walk to Trunk?

 

Sorry, you ain't walking to Truck Bay from the ferry, it's a longish cab ride through the hills to get there. Shuttles are plentiful and waiting at the pier when you arrive.

 

Spent a week on Saint John for a friend's wedding, they had the ceremony on Hawksnest which was about as perfect as it gets. Almost all the beaches in Saint John are breathtaking. Trunk is good for cruise passengers since they have good facilities, plenty of shuttles and you can rent or buy anything you need. However if you have your own gear and transport there were lots of even more beautiful beaches to choose from.

 

Oh, one other thing, it's Saint John. If you add an "s" at the end it really erks the people that live there. I think it's bad enough we blind the locals with our shinny white legs, we should probably not butcher the name of their island too!

[nrdsb4]

 

Oh, one other thing, it's Saint John. If you add an "s" at the end it really erks the people that live there. I think it's bad enough we blind the locals with our shinny white legs, we should probably not butcher the name of their island too!

 

I was thinking the same thing as I read through the thread. Saying the name wrong does "irk" the locals. There actually is a place called "St. John's." I believe it is in Newfoundland.:)

[Beej29]

I have to say that I agree with the OP. When we went we had heard how beautiful it was and we didn't think it was any big deal. In fact we thought it was dirty. We thought maybe it was because we are from Florida and many of the cruisers were from the North. They all seemed to love it so I was happy for them. We didn't have a terrible time; we just weren't over impressed with it. Can't have a bad time on a cruise as far as I am concerned.

[billie5]

I agree with the posters who have named a number of beaches in St. John as ideal. Trunk is the best known, and what is special is the view as you approach in the taxi -- on a pass which is the perfect angle to view it from above with all its colors, have the taxi stop for a moment. (And, yes, you do absolutely need a taxi for the short ride). However, as to the beach itself, some of the others (I would add Cinnamon) are as good or perhaps even better.

 

St. John's is in Newfoundland. However, it is also the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, which in the USVI can really cause confusion. Do you think anyone ever got on a boat marked St. John's and ended up in Antigua? :)

 

Bill

PS: In Italy, Munich is called Monaco (actually, full name: Monaco di Bavaria). One has to wonder how many tourists take the train to Monaco from Milan, say, and end up in Bavaria, rather than the Principality near Nice.