St John from Crown Bay on Princess

[cs]

We're docking at Crown Bay and have booked the "Full-Day sail to St John W/Lunch" through Princess.

 

I've read conflicting information and I'm not really sure where the catamaran will leave from. Will it pick us up at Crown Bay? Or will we be taken by taxi/bus to Red Hook to sail from there?

 

If Red Hook, is the ride there really that bad? I've read that it's pretty scarey.

[The Islander]

The drive between Crown Bay and Red Hook; paved roads, stop signs, street lights, from Crown Bay through town its flat and then its pretty much up and over... St. Thomas is mountainous so not many flat roads and there are lots of turns and curves. Takes about 30-40 minutes in low/moderate traffic.

 

--Islander

[irishone127]

We're docking at Crown Bay and have booked the "Full-Day sail to St John W/Lunch" through Princess.

 

I've read conflicting information and I'm not really sure where the catamaran will leave from. Will it pick us up at Crown Bay? Or will we be taken by taxi/bus to Red Hook to sail from there?

 

If Red Hook, is the ride there really that bad? I've read that it's pretty scarey.

Let me know how it is. We will be there on the Caribbean Princess 2 weeks after you and I tried several private tours and they were booked. I love to sail!!

[cs]

Let me know how it is. We will be there on the Caribbean Princess 2 weeks after you and I tried several private tours and they were booked. I love to sail!!

 

Will definately let you know. Have a great time!

[MICMAN]

Looking forward to your review on this sail to St John's as I have booked it for myself and two sons also. Have a great vacation.

[cs]

We just got back yesterday so I'm stopping by to let you know how it went.

 

It was AWESOME!!! I think it was the very best shore excursion we've ever done.

 

First, you catch the catamaran right there at Crown Bay port. There was no drive involved which made me very relieved.

 

This is a barefoot sailing so be prepared to take your shoes off. You might want to have those piggys pedicured ahead of time if you need to. A couple of men on this excursion must not have been prepared to be barefoot - if you know what I mean. ;)

 

The Princess description says that it is drinks, lunch, and alcohol on the way back. So we were surprised that they were passing out rum punch on the way there. Basically, it was an open bar the whole time. If you drink, that's a pretty good deal (considering the open bar) for the price of the excursion.

 

The staff was great. The captain is young, which at first made me nervous, but he was very professional and has a good sense of humor. Very nice people who work on the boat.

 

There was an area inside that you could go to for shade and lots of space outside to sit in the sun. It's pretty breezy when you're sailing so it never felt hot outside. But remember to reapply your sunscreen - you don't really feel yourself burning because of the breeze.

 

This is a smoking sail. The was courtesy by both the smokers and non-smokers so it wasn't an issue at all.

 

Our sail both over and back was pretty smooth. The staff said that we got lucky with the smooth sailing so I'd say if you're prone to seasickness to take something ahead of time.

 

We went to Honeymoon Bay Beach in St John. When we got there we had the option of going to shore with the dingy or swimming to shore. We took the dingy over because we wanted to carry some dry stuff with us.

 

We were given snorkel equipment to use. The captain offered snorkeling lessons to first time snorkelers (which I didn't take and should have - lol). I ended up with a mask full of water more than once and couldn't get the hang of keeping my lips closed so I'd get a mouth full of water - lol.

 

What little snorkeling I did, I saw some pretty fish there. Some other people had seen Sea Turtles and a Barracuda too. The water there was perfect and clear. St John is georgous.

 

During the time we were on the beach they had put out a lunch buffet. We waited until we returned to eat but others swam back, ate, and then played some more. They had sandwich stuff, cold salads, and chips. They also had really good homemade cookies and brownies.

 

The sail back was great, we relaxed and listened to caribbean music and enjoyed the trip.

 

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

[MICMAN]

Cs,

Sounds Like You Had A Great Time. I Can't Wait To Do This In July. Finally I Found A Review. Is It A Fairly Long Distance From Catamaran To The Beach In St. John. I'll Be With My Eight Year Old And He Has Never Snorkeled Before?

[cs]

Cs,

Sounds Like You Had A Great Time. I Can't Wait To Do This In July. Finally I Found A Review. Is It A Fairly Long Distance From Catamaran To The Beach In St. John. I'll Be With My Eight Year Old And He Has Never Snorkeled Before?

 

It's a pretty long ride. I think it was supposed to be two hours there and an hour and a half back (because of the tail winds). But we ended up making better time than expected. I couldn't tell you how long it took because I wasn't wearing a watch and really didn't care what time it was. Besides the captain blows a conch shell to tell us all aboard - lol - and he was pretty good at it too!

 

There weren't any children on this excursion but then again there were hardly any children on our cruise either.

 

Oh - I just realized you meant the swimming distance from the catamarn. I would recommend that you take the snorkeling lesson and then take the dingy over instead of snorkeling to shore. Your son can practice in more shallow water to get the hang of things. It is a bit of a distance to the beach for an inexperienced swimmer or snorkeler.

[bren51]

CS

 

I am thinking of doing this catamarn excusion as well but question...do you have to climb down from the catamarn using the rail into the dingy or does this cat have stairs. We were in one of the islands one time and we had to climb down the rail into the dingy and then once we got to the ship we had to us the rail to get up into the boat. I am not as young as I use to be. Also how much time is allowed at the beach?

 

Thanks.

 

Bren

[cs]

CS

 

I am thinking of doing this catamarn excusion as well but question...do you have to climb down from the catamarn using the rail into the dingy or does this cat have stairs. We were in one of the islands one time and we had to climb down the rail into the dingy and then once we got to the ship we had to us the rail to get up into the boat. I am not as young as I use to be. Also how much time is allowed at the beach?

 

Thanks.

 

Bren

 

You climb down a small ramp but the person who drives the dingy assists you the entire time until you are seated.

 

We had a little over 2 hours on the beach.

[GalleyWench]

Thanks for the review, CS! How many people were on the excursion with you? Did you feel crowded?

[cs]

Thanks for the review, CS! How many people were on the excursion with you? Did you feel crowded?

 

I believe there were 25 people. It didn't feel crowded to us because there was always a seat either inside or outside depending on where we wanted to sit.

 

The only place it was snug was when you were walking the side of the boat to get to the front or back. If somebody was sitting there or standing, then it was a bit narrow to pass by them. Otherwise all the other areas were fine.

[irishone127]

I've schedule this excusion thru Princess for next week. Thanks so much for your review. My boyfriend wears a hearing aid and wasn't certain if he could make it to shore. It certainly sounds so to me!! I'll post when we get back 7/1.:p :)

[cs]

I've schedule this excusion thru Princess for next week. Thanks so much for your review. My boyfriend wears a hearing aid and wasn't certain if he could make it to shore. It certainly sounds so to me!! I'll post when we get back 7/1.:p :)

 

Enjoy your trip - I'm sure you will!

 

Your boyfriend shouldn't have any problems taking the dingy. We didn't get wet at all.

 

I'll look for your post when you get back. Remember to take seasickness meds if you need them because it can be very rocky. And remember the sunscreen - that's a MUST.

 

HAVE FUN!!!!

[StayC0216]

Hi CS - Thanks for the great review and answering all of the questions. We booked this excursion and can't wait! I'll let you know how it turns out! Thanks again for the helpful information. :)

[cs]

Hi CS - Thanks for the great review and answering all of the questions. We booked this excursion and can't wait! I'll let you know how it turns out! Thanks again for the helpful information. :)

 

Enjoy your trip!!! :)