I am torn between: Magen's, Sapphire and Honeymoon

[thehams]

We are a family of 3, our son is 5.

 

We will be in port from 8am -6pm.

 

We want a restroom, food, chair/umbrella rentals and some water toy rentals (maybe) and not crazy crowded!

 

Which beach would be best for us?

 

Magen's, Sapphire or Honeymoon (St. John)

[blue_water]

Of these three choices Sapphire, hands down. No umbrella rentals but there is natural shade, and water toys are limited to life vests, floats, kayaks, and snorkel gear, I believe. You can sit in a quieter area but still be close to the amenities and restrooms and get beach service.

[thehams]

Of these three choices Sapphire, hands down. No umbrella rentals but there is natural shade, and water toys are limited to life vests, floats, kayaks, and snorkel gear, I believe. You can sit in a quieter area but still be close to the amenities and restrooms and get beach service.

 

I cannot decide. It's almost too many post and reviews, it's overwhelming and then they start to blend in.

 

I have crossed out Magen's...seems like the most crowded, BUT I've added another option...Trunk Bay.

 

When I throw Trunk Bay in the mix, do you still prefer Sapphire? Some reviews I've read on Sapphire, is that the sand is very rocky. Do you know this to be true?

 

You mentioned Sapphire has a lot of trees for shade. I like the sun, while I will want my son under the trees while we are just hanging out in the sand, SO, can he sit in the shade, while I sit in the sun, next to him?

 

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to pick a really great place!

Edited January 26, 2017 by thehams

[blue_water]

Trunk is beautiful but also a busy beach. Add another 1.5 - 2 hrs in travel time and $28pp for a STJ beach but they are also nice, we'd choose Cinnamon if going to STJ. But yes we'd still choose Sapphire on a cruise stop only because it's our favorite. You can sit in the sun and shade together, there can be rocks when the sand shifts, the area by the sea grape trees is rocky, the sandier section is by the dive center.

Can't go wrong with any of these. You have a long port time so when you get there if the weather is really nice taxi to Red Hook and take the ferry over and a taxi to Cinnamon, there are amenities there. Figure about $48 - 52pp total. If you decide it's more than you want to do just go to Sapphire which is near Red Hook.

 

You need a few more opinions to confuse you more!

Edited January 27, 2017 by blue_water

[Flying-Rock]

Funny we are struggling with just about the same challenge. Which beach should we spend the day at?

 

We're on Allure meaning there will be about 5K of us, and we're docking at Crown Bay. Seems to be at least 2 other cruise ships in port on the same day so figure 10K total cruisers.

 

I'd love to go to St John. Honeymoon Beach seems awesome, but Cinnamon also sounds great. My biggest concern with St John is just getting there and getting back. We are a party of 6-8 depending on if the grandparents want to shop or swim. Seems like every transportation option charges per person, so we could easily be in the $300-$400 range for a St John beach visit.

 

One of the prime reasons to hit a St John beach is to try to reduce some of the crowd. With 10K cruisers there the same day, I assume most of the easily reachable beaches on St Thomas will be crowded (plus we arrive at 10am).

 

So here are my specific questions - whats the best way to get to St John from Crown Bay? Whats the cheapest way to get to St John from Crown Bay? Am I being silly and should we should just enjoy a beach on St Thomas and skip the logistics hassle of getting to another island?

 

Thanks!!

[skrufy]

Trunk Bay is the best of them all, The drawback is it takes up time to get there. We have snorkled off of Honeymoon Beach. Its a semi secluded beach with no comforts. Just a beach, but nice.. Megans can be very crowded. Cant help you with Sapphire, never been there.

 

Flying-Rock. Unless you take an excursion, this is the only way to get to St. John on your own. From Crown Bay you would take a cab to Red Hook , on the east end of St.Thomas. Then take the ferry to Cruz Bay, St. John. Next, a cab to which ever beach you want to go to. Reverse the trip back to Crown Bay. With a large group, I would probebly choose Sapphire or Megans. Just curious, are the 3 ship at Crown Bay or are any at Havensight. The larger ships dock at Crown Bay and the smaller at Havensight. There could be, and most likely are more than three ships in port with you. We have never been to St. Thomas, docking at Havensight with less than 3 ships.

Edited January 27, 2017 by skrufy

[blue_water]

>> whats the best way to get to St John from Crown Bay? Whats the cheapest way to get to St John from Crown Bay? Am I being silly and should we should just enjoy a beach on St Thomas and skip the logistics hassle of getting to another island? <<

 

The best method depends on the experience you want. You can go through the cruise line and take a 45 minute ferry to St John through rougher water, or just hop a taxi to the Red Hook ferry on the East End and ferry to Cruz Bay. Our choice would always be the latter because it affords a bit more freedom and flexibility, and the ferry ride is smoother. And no queue waiting for others on the cruise line excursion.

 

When you arrive in Cruz Bay you will find several taxis lined-up waiting to transport folks to the beaches and on tours. We would bypass Trunk Bay and taxi to Cinnamon Bay for a nicer beach experience. You can also take an island tour and get dropped at the beach after. The taxi that you get on for the beach will drop folks off at Trunk or Cinnamon and then take those that opted for a tour up the coast.

 

The price for this self-excursion is about $52pp round trip, and with the island tour about $70pp total. Figure a 30 minute taxi to RH, 20 - 30 minute ferry with any wait time (15 - 20 minute crossing), and 10 - 15 minutes to the beach.

If you want to save $28pp and 1.5 - 2 hrs in travel time to STJ, Sapphire is a gorgeous beach near Red Hook and has all the amenities you want plus natural shade. Just has more character than most beaches IMHO, and is typically much less crowded than Magens, Coki, and even Trunk on STJ.

Webcam and drone video -

http://www.sapphireinthesun.com

 

But a day trip to STJ is definitely a nice day when you have enough time to enjoy, and the ferry ride is nice in nice weather. Cruz bay is a great place to shop and have lunch. Ferries depart every hour on the hour between STT and STJ, plan on a return ferry 3 hours (or at least 2 hours) before your ship departure time, traffic can be heavier on the way back to the ship.

 

 

>> Trunk Bay is the best of them all, The drawback is it takes up time to get there. <<

That's one opinion of course...Cinnamon is also gorgeous, as are Sapphire and Lindqvist on STT :)

 

 

[EDIT]

If you are in port August 1 you are scheduled to be docked at Havensight along with the CCL Magic (8k passengers total) so if that is correct you are closer to the East End.

Edited January 27, 2017 by blue_water

[Ms411]

There are now amenities at Honeymoon Beach on St John.

 

Cinnamon can get rough - more so than most other beaches on St John.

 

If you go all the way to the left at Magens it will be less crowded and there are signs that encourage parents to do things with their kids. There is less shade at that end, though.

 

Trunk can be just as crowded as Magens so it is not the place to go to avoid crowds.

[Flying-Rock]

Blue_water thank you so much for the tips. Basically comes down to time and money! Need more time and money to get to STJ!

 

I used the "VInow" website to look at the ships in St Thomas for the day we are there. Just Allure in Crown Bay, and Carnival Splendor and Disney Fantasy at the other port.

 

Anyone know how accurate that site is? I assume short of major weather disruptions, the cruise ship schedules are set more than a year in advance.

 

Thanks!

[cloudy21]

I was about to start a new thread but discovered the discussion here is close to my topic of concern.

 

I’ll be docked at Crown Bay on a Celebrity ship (8am-5pm) in mid February. The Allure will be there too. Docking at Havensight will be a Carnival and Disney Ship. Total at the two ports: 13,800 passengers.

 

I’ve considered my options for St. John – either on my own (taxi-ferry-taxi) or via cruise excursion (still need taxi to beach on St. John). Because of the longer taxi to Red Hook from Crown Bay, I’m leaning towards the ship excursion or sticking to a St. Thomas beach. (Even if I depart my ship at 8:00am, I may not reach Red Hook in time for the 9:00am ferry. At Havensight, this would not be a concern.)

 

If I remain on St. Thomas, I want to avoid a huge crowd. With four ships in ports that day it may be a challenge:

 

Magens: decent amenities, likely to be very crowded

Sapphire: ok amenities, less crowded, $11/pp taxi each way

Lindqvist: no amenities (chair rentals?), much less crowded, >$11/pp taxi

Coki: decent amenties, could be crowded, >$11/pp taxi

 

Eliminated from consideration:

Secret Harbor

Cowpet Bay

Lindbergh / Emerald (even though this is the closest to Crown Bay)

Honeymoon on Water Island

 

Questions/Concerns:

Are the amenities (restroom, chairs, food) at Sapphire limited to the dive shop?

Is the $2/pp local safari bus available at Crown Point to reach Sapphire?

Are chairs available at Lindqvist?

How difficult is it to find a return taxi from Lindqvist?