After a snorkel excursion

[Cindyloowho2]

We have signed up for a snorkel excursion on St. Thomas. When we return, will it be possible to go back to the ship to change clothes, then back to see the sites or should we take a change of clothes with us? Anyone have experience with this?

Thanks,

[catl331]

That would depend on when and where the snorkel excursion ends. Also a factor is how many ships are there with you. On a busy day it can take 20 minutes to go the 3 miles from Crown Point where HAL ships normally dock over to Havensite, and the same to return.

 

To find out how many ships are in port that day check cruisetimetables.com and cruisett.com

[powderhorn]

We did a snorkle/sail excursion on St Thomas a few years ago. After the tour we drove through town and they gave us the option of getting off in town or proceeding to the boat where they dropped us off. No option to go to boat to get changed and then drive into town, and we were docked quite a way from the downtown...too far to walk.

 

Suggest you take a change of cloths and get dropped off down town and then take a cab back to the ship after.

 

Enjoy!

[BlackJack2]

We were just in St Thomas and took a snorkel/sail tour. We were docked at Crown Point, which is a couple miles from downtown, and the traffic was terrible. We were on a tour that left the ship at 8am, and we left on time. But - we did not get back to the ship at the time the tour was supposed to be over - the tour got us back to the ship about two hours after that time. Most everyone got dropped off in town after our tour; very few of us went back to the ship. Bottom line - throw a coverup over your swim suit or take a change of clothes. Do not go back to the ship - the traffic alone will hinder your time in St Thomas! Hope this helps and have a great cruise! We took the Champagne Snorkel tour to St John - wonderful!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We didn't go on a snorkel the last time we were in St Thomas.

 

But we did hear that some of the snorkel tours ran late getting back to the ship.

 

Take a change of clothes with you.

 

There are lots of Safari buses in town to get back to Crown Bay. Just make certain that you ask and don't get on the ones that go to Havensight -- opposite direction.

[Cindyloowho2]

Thanks so much for your replies. We are taking the champagne catamaran cruise with HAL. I will plan on taking my cover-up and not heading back to the ship. Will there be any chance of being able to stay at St. John, and taking the ferry back? I would rather be there than St. Thomas, since there will be 8 ships in port that day, yikes!

 

Also, I appreciate your advice on the traffic. I am sure it will be horrendous that day and will need to allow 30 minutes from ferry, if we get that opportunity.

[powderhorn]

Thanks so much for your replies. We are taking the champagne catamaran cruise with HAL. I will plan on taking my cover-up and not heading back to the ship. Will there be any chance of being able to stay at St. John, and taking the ferry back? I would rather be there than St. Thomas, since there will be 8 ships in port that day, yikes!

 

Also, I appreciate your advice on the traffic. I am sure it will be horrendous that day and will need to allow 30 minutes from ferry, if we get that opportunity.

 

When we sailed over to St John, we anchored off a small beach that seemed quite remote. Not sure how you would get from there to the ferry, but perhaps you can ask them once you get on board the catamaran. We enjoyed this excursion immensely. Some pics of that day, you can find if you click on the link below for our Eurodam cruise.:)

[birder22]

My family went on this excursion in December. The meeting time was 11:45 and we did not get back to the ship until after the 4:30 all aboard.

 

Our trip went to Honeymoon Beach on St. John. You could snorkel or swim to the beach. We would not have had time to get back from St. Johns on our own.

 

The snorkeling is only ok- but we did see a sea turtle in the eel grass. The better snorkeling is around the rocks in front of the park manager's house on the right facing the beach. Ultimate snorkeling at Grand Turk was better snorkeling.

 

We really enjoyed the excursion. The scenery was lovely, the beach was out of a travel magazine, the water was warm and the crew was engaging and worked hard to see that everyone had a good time. Be award that the only sailing is on the return to St. Thomas.

 

This trip was sold out before embarkation so you may want to book early.

[Cindyloowho2]

The snorkeling is only ok- but we did see a sea turtle in the eel grass. The better snorkeling is around the rocks in front of the park manager's house on the right facing the beach. Ultimate snorkeling at Grand Turk was better snorkeling.

 

 

This trip was sold out before embarkation so you may want to book early.

 

We have already booked, but thinking about cancelling. Since there isn't much to do on Grand Turk, from what I have read, maybe snorkling there would be better? Did you use HAL for your Grand Turk snorkel? If we do that, then we could spend the day at St. John exploring.

[birder22]

We took the HAL ultimate snorkel trip at Grand Turk. We went to a site along the wall and a shallow water site. This trip was better for seeing tropical fish but even so, there was not much live coral. The wall was impressive and we saw a nurse shark at the shallow water site. So if you are interested in seeing fish, this is the better trip.

 

The champagne sail and snorkel was a different experience. We had a very pleasant afternoon on the sailboat and the snorkeling was ok. If we go to St. Thomas again, I'd charter a private boat so we could do more sailing. I was concerned about traffic and getting back to the ship on time so we went with the HAL excursion.