St. Thomas & St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

January 2024

Our Norwegian Cruise arrived at Charlotte Amalie Harbor on the island of St. Thomas and took a small boat to St. John. On the way we passed several uninhabited small islands as well as resorts and mansions with famous owners. From there we took an open air taxi bus along the winding steep roads to the gorgeous Trunk Bay Beach. The only place in the U.S. where you drive on the left side of the road! We saw Kenny Chesney's mansion nestled in the hills. If we ever win the lottery, I would like to be his neighbor.

Trunk Bay is rated one of the top beaches in the world and it is easy to see why. It feels like absolute paradise. The turquoise water and powder-soft sand are perfection. We got our snorkel gear didn't waste a minute before we ran into the water and started to follow the underwater snorkeling trail, maintained by the National Park Service. We followed the markers and saw coral and brightly colored fish. When we finished the trail, Dan and Caden continued swimming. I'm not a person that is good at relaxing. I'm always doing something, usually a few things at once. I took a few pictures then made myself sit in the sand with my legs in the water and tried to soak in the moment. It was one of those special places that felt so breathtakingly beautiful, I tried to slow down time. I took deep breaths and felt the sun, sand, and water on my skin as I watched my family laughing and splashing in water that was so blue it didn't seem real. Then it was time to pack up and head back to the bus, the little boat, then our cruise ship.

Pros

Jupiter was our bus driver on St. John. He did a great job getting us safely around the island. I appreciated that he stopped at the lookout point and gave us a few minutes to take pictures and enjoy the view.

Cons

Most of the other staff on the excursion were not very friendly or helpful. We were told to arrive 15 minutes early then were reprimanded for getting there "too early". We waited over an hour to board the small boat from St. Thomas to St. John. The man that passed out the snorkel equipment seemed irritated with the group also. Several people stopped to use the restroom and he refused to speak or pass out anything until everyone was ready. This felt like a waste of time.

We would have liked more time. This was the least amount of time at a port and also our most expensive excursion so that's a bad combo.

Tips

It was worth the cost and other hassles to get to see that beach. If we ever get to do it again, I think I would try to save money by finding our own transportation from the port to the beach and this may also give us a little more time to spend enjoying the beach. Since this was our first time, paying a little more was worth the peace of mind that they would get us to where we needed to be and make it back to the ship in time.