Suggestions for St Thomas/St John sailing/beach excursion

[peacefrogdog]

Interested in doing an excursion in St. Thomas/St John when doing our Eastern Caribbean cruise (Disney Fantasy) this December. We will have 3 kids (11, 9 and 9), and possibly a set of grandparents. Priorities are having a good amount of beach time and having some time to do a bit of snorkelling but also time to just relax. Also, kids seem to be hungry all the time so having access to food would be key. We have been to Megan's Bay before, and hear that St John is beautiful but not tied to that idea.

 

Currently debating between:

 

Full Day Caribbean Sail And Snorkel To Turtle Cove And Honeymoon Beach (6-6.5 h, $105 pp)

 

vs

 

St. John Champagne Catamaran Sail & Snorkel (4.5 - 5h, $85 pp)

 

vs

 

St. John Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel Tour (4-4.5 h, $62 pp)

 

vs

 

Sea Safari (4-4.5 h, $55 pp)

 

 

has anyone been on any of these and can provide their opinions and experiences?

[blue_water]

I like the ful-day sail but would prefer to go to STJ so we would choose the champagne cat as we enjoyed that before. You'll find countless (literally) threads on that subject if you want details. This gives you sailing time along the coast and beach time and maybe a little time to shop Cruz Bay. You may have a choice of not taking the coastal tour to get more time on land, can't remember.

 

We also like taking daysails on our own for the best snorkeling which is off the cays of STJ. Or taking the ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay and having the flexilility of spending time we want at the beach and in Cruz bay. If you are interested in daysail options we can provide recommendations. But the ship excursion is also great.

[RhondaC]

We just got back today. We did the day sail with New Horizons and it was wonderful!! It's $75 per person and includes muffins and juice in the morning, full lunch at noon, and unlimited drinks all day (alcoholic and non alcoholic). They brought us to a quiet bay in St John for the morning, then after lunch we went to another bay at a "uninhabited island". The water was warm and beautiful!

 

The boat is large with lots of places to sit, both for kids and grandparents! Plenty of shade too, so you don't have to be in the hot sun all day.

 

You just take a cab to Sapphire Marina, about 20 minutes from the ship. Board at 9:30, and you're back to the marina by 3:45 where your cab will take you back to the ship.

 

Let me know if you have questions! It's still fresh in my mind! Lol

[flcruiser3]

RhondaC,

 

How many people are on the trip? Also, my 17 year old son is in a wheelchair. He is small enough that he and the chair can be carried a few feet if necessary. Do you think he would be able to go on this boat trip?

Thanks!

[blue_water]

RhondaC,

 

How many people are on the trip? Also, my 17 year old son is in a wheelchair. He is small enough that he and the chair can be carried a few feet if necessary. Do you think he would be able to go on this boat trip?

Thanks!

 

This is a 65' monohull sloop and is US Coast Guard certified for up to 37 ppl but according to the captain and their site a typical "busy" day is 15 ppl (they have a 6 person min).

 

We enjoyed a great day with just 3 other couples while staying at the Sapphire resort as she sails right from the Sapphire Marina. Other days we saw between 8 and 16 as she sailed out of the marina. Very roomy ship and fun to sail.

 

Your son can definitely enjoy this sail! There is plenty of room for him in the shaded area of the boat, they put up a cover when you get to STJ. The only concern would be the bathroom which is down a short slightly-angled set of steps but I'm sure you could manage if someone went down first.

 

Usually you sail to a cay off Honeymoon Beach and moor there, then have lunch which is a fabulous Italian feast. They may dinghy you into Honeymoon Beach if the beach is ok, if in winter as when we were there there's not much beach there. Nooners and Painkillers with lunch (virgin versions are also available). We liked their bean salad so much we got their recipe and make it at home (along with the Nooners).

Then off to St James where you moor not far from Cowpet Bay and the town of Red Hook. Then back to Sapphire.

 

Excellent crew and boat, we all loved our day even though we had to endure a bitter rain storm on the way over to STJ. I would recommend a light poncho just in case.

If you book online (even the day before) the price is $75pp (including kids), very good price for this one.

If you had extra time Sapphire Beach is right there and is one of the nicest beaches on the island.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://newhorizons.daysails.com/index.php?l=t&pageStewardLink=2876

[RhondaC]

RhondaC,

 

How many people are on the trip? Also, my 17 year old son is in a wheelchair. He is small enough that he and the chair can be carried a few feet if necessary. Do you think he would be able to go on this boat trip?

Thanks!

 

That's a good question! My first thought would be no. It's a 40-year-old sailboat, and I don't know how safe it would be for a wheelchair. But, I could be wrong! Go to their web site for the email and ask them. They are very good about answering right away. Here's the link: New Horizons

 

Edited: Blue Water beat me to it! They know more about the boat than I do, so don't listen to me. LOL

[blue_water]

Sorry Rhonda, we just stay there and are familiar with the NH and the Breakaway. And you are absolutely correct - flcruiser should ask them this question directly before booking the daysail - great advice! And glad to hear you enjoyed your day!

[girlscruise2011]

Thanks for the suggestion. I just sent them an email about availability for my January 14 cruise. I am looking for an affordable excursion to get to St. Johns and this sounds perfect.

[RhondaC]

Sorry Rhonda, we just stay there and are familiar with the NH and the Breakaway. And you are absolutely correct - flcruiser should ask them this question directly before booking the daysail - great advice! And glad to hear you enjoyed your day!

 

Thank you for your advice before we went! It was an awesome day!

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I just sent them an email about availability for my January 14 cruise. I am looking for an affordable excursion to get to St. Johns and this sounds perfect.

 

Just to clarify: you will not get off the boat ON St John. You jump off the boat into the water to snorkel, off the coast of St John. You're not on a beach. :)

[girlscruise2011]

Thank you for your advice before we went! It was an awesome day!

 

 

 

 

Just to clarify: you will not get off the boat ON St John. You jump off the boat into the water to snorkel, off the coast of St John. You're not on a beach. :)

 

really? It says something about a dingy bringing you to the beach if you don't want to get wet. What beach do they take you to?

[RhondaC]

really? It says something about a dingy bringing you to the beach if you don't want to get wet. What beach do they take you to?

 

Oh then maybe they will. Nobody asked for that, so I wasn't aware of it.

[blue_water]

really? It says something about a dingy bringing you to the beach if you don't want to get wet. What beach do they take you to?

 

If you're looking at the New Horizon you moor off Honeymoon Beach (Caneel Bay) and if weather/sea conditions are right they will take you to HB in the dink. But you may not get the opportunity if conditions are not right.

At St James there is no beach.

 

For guaranteed beach time look at the champagne cat, or taxi to Red Hook and ferry to STJ on your own.

[flcruiser3]

Thanks so much for your replies! I will email them directly with my questions!

[girlscruise2011]

Oh then maybe they will. Nobody asked for that, so I wasn't aware of it.

 

If you're looking at the New Horizon you moor off Honeymoon Beach (Caneel Bay) and if weather/sea conditions are right they will take you to HB in the dink. But you may not get the opportunity if conditions are not right.

At St James there is no beach.

 

For guaranteed beach time look at the champagne cat, or taxi to Red Hook and ferry to STJ on your own.

 

They did verify that they do go to Honeymoon Beach. I'm good with taking my chances. Going to STJ on the ferry sounds easy but I'd rather do an excursion that includes snorkling, sailing, food & drinks. The Champagne Cat sounds nice but its more expensive for less.

 

I am waiting for a few more answers regarding the timing and transport but so far it looks like I'm going to book them. Another group on my rollcall already has.

 

Thank you both for the info.

[OrlandoGirl57]

We will only be in port from 11a-7p which means probably noon to 5:30.

Are there options for the same type of trip for a short amount of time? I really want to go to St. John by sail/cat and also have time to shop. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[girlscruise2011]

They did verify that they do go to Honeymoon Beach. I'm good with taking my chances. Going to STJ on the ferry sounds easy but I'd rather do an excursion that includes snorkling, sailing, food & drinks. The Champagne Cat sounds nice but its more expensive for less.

 

I am waiting for a few more answers regarding the timing and transport but so far it looks like I'm going to book them. Another group on my rollcall already has.

 

Thank you both for the info.

 

Has anyone taken this excursion that arrived on the Carnival Valor? I am concerned on the timing of the return. We are in port until 5pm and their website says they return at 4pm so that gives me 30 mins to get back to the ship and that concerns me.

 

I have emailed them, called them and even sent a facebook message and I have not heard back from them yet. I'm sure they are busy with excursions but I would think someone would respond back during the evening hours.

 

I know I have time to book since I'm not sailing until January but that shouldn't matter when it comes to good customer service.

[blue_water]

Not sure why no immediate reply, but could just be 1 person busy.

 

Others have said they made sure they were back in plenty of time for their taxi back, try searching for New Horizons, etc using the Search function.

[RhondaC]

Has anyone taken this excursion that arrived on the Carnival Valor? I am concerned on the timing of the return. We are in port until 5pm and their website says they return at 4pm so that gives me 30 mins to get back to the ship and that concerns me.

 

I have emailed them, called them and even sent a facebook message and I have not heard back from them yet. I'm sure they are busy with excursions but I would think someone would respond back during the evening hours.

 

I know I have time to book since I'm not sailing until January but that shouldn't matter when it comes to good customer service.

 

We were on the Valor. When there are people on the boat from the Valor, they get back at 3:45 sharp. And there are cabs waiting to take you back to the ship. We were back on board the ship at 4:10.

 

They follow regular business hours with phone calls and emails. They will respond during the day. :)

[girlscruise2011]

We were on the Valor. When there are people on the boat from the Valor, they get back at 3:45 sharp. And there are cabs waiting to take you back to the ship. We were back on board the ship at 4:10.

 

They follow regular business hours with phone calls and emails. They will respond during the day. :)

 

Thank you for the info. I just got off the phone with Jodi and she did answer my questions about the transport and getting back for 3:45 sharp. It still sounds to me that its cutting it close but I love the sound of the excursion. This is going to be a tough decision.

[girlscruise2011]

We were on the Valor. When there are people on the boat from the Valor, they get back at 3:45 sharp. And there are cabs waiting to take you back to the ship. We were back on board the ship at 4:10.

 

They follow regular business hours with phone calls and emails. They will respond during the day. :)

 

RhondaC, how long was the cab ride back to the ship? I'm just afraid of the "what ifs" and my nephew is coming with me and he admitted, he has a big, black cloud over his head :)

[RhondaC]

RhondaC, how long was the cab ride back to the ship? I'm just afraid of the "what ifs" and my nephew is coming with me and he admitted, he has a big, black cloud over his head :)

 

That was my biggest worry all day. But, like I said, the boat got back at 3:45. There was a cab waiting, and we were back on the ship by 4:10. So the cab ride itself was only 15-20 minutes. You will have no problem!

[blue_water]

No worries, the drivers do this everyday and as Rhonda said it's 20 min, maybe more with traffic but there are 3 routes I know and I'm betting the drivers know more!

Great day with a fun crew and watch out for those Nooners and Painkillers!

 

They gave us the recipe for the bean salad and the Nooners so if write to thank them for your great day they'll share if you ask.

[girlscruise2011]

That was my biggest worry all day. But, like I said, the boat got back at 3:45. There was a cab waiting, and we were back on the ship by 4:10. So the cab ride itself was only 15-20 minutes. You will have no problem!

 

No worries, the drivers do this everyday and as Rhonda said it's 20 min, maybe more with traffic but there are 3 routes I know and I'm betting the drivers know more!

Great day with a fun crew and watch out for those Nooners and Painkillers!

 

They gave us the recipe for the bean salad and the Nooners so if write to thank them for your great day they'll share if you ask.

 

Thank you both. I'm starting to feel a little better about booking with them. I know I can do the Champagne Cat with Carnival but with 5 people, I'm looking for any savings so why pay the same (I'm including taxi fare) for less and I think my kids will enjoy New Horizons more.

 

I will pass the info on to my Black Cloud Nephew and my DH but they usually let me do the planning so they end up agreeing with what ever I want to do. Smart guys aren't they ;)

[blue_water]

Yes they are! :p

The kids (and adults) will also find the sailing part more interesting than on a cat, and maybe they can steer!