St Thomas - Magens Bay

[LisaRN97]

We are headed on the Fantasy next weekend and have Megans Bay booked through DCL. $55 for 4 people is a bit pricey for a day at the beach, no? We've been to St. Thomas before and zip-lined the last time - we thought a relaxing day would be nice. My question for you all - have you gone to Megans Bay on your own via taxi? What was the average cab fare? It's $5 to enter per person, plus the cab fare - I'm guessing $100 or less if we do it on our own? Any advise would be great!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Should run you $25-30pp doing it on your own. Taxi rate will be per person, $8-10. So RT should run you $16-20pp. Entry fee of $5. Up to you if you want to rent chairs or similar at the beach - I think a chair is $5-8. Kids are free entry to the beach, so the $5 per head should be figured for adults only.

Licensed taxi vehicles are labeled with placards, license plates and the driver should have a taxi license.

 

[KMack]

There is a bus that goes from the port to Magan’s Bay. It is only a few dollars (3$?). And you will have to pay the park entrance fee for the beach but it is also only a few dollars. I recommend doing a quick internet search to check prices because we haven’t been there for 5 years and things might have changed.

 

[KashasMom]

We've done it on our own but it's been a few years. It will definitely be less expensive to go on your own and you'll have more flexibility as to how long you want to stay.

 

[mycutiepatooties]

We did it on our own last summer. Very easy to find an open air vehicle that holds lots of families. I think the taxi was $20 plus tip. There were picnic tables at the beach that I used and we didn't rent chairs. The teens did stand up paddle boards and the water was as calm as a lake. Very quiet and peaceful and we had the beach almost exclusively to ourselves for a good hour before the cruise excursion folks got there. We left when we wanted and there are taxis parked in the parking lot waiting to take you back to the ship. We asked to be dropped off in town and did some shopping. Very easy.

 

[ambula603]

Bumping this up...
We have Magens Bay Beach Break (ST27) booked through DCL and had planned to drop it, but now I am seeing that there are THREE other ships docked the day we are going.
I know it will be crowded, so in your opinion, should I keep the DCL for that reason or drop it and go on our own a different time of the day? Our excursion leaves at 9:30 but the cruise arrives at 7:45.

Having never done a cruise before I don't know what is more important, having it planned out for me but be with the masses or go it alone and stress about the details!

Thanks!

 

[LizGirl]

Do you know if Fantasy is the first ship in port? We got to Maegan's well before the Carnival crowd showed up - they docked after us. Once they got there, it got very crowded and we didn't stay too much longer.

If you go on your own, you have the freedom to move farther down the beach - away from the snack bar and away from the crowds. I'm not sure if the excursion offers you that freedom? One of the variables to consider.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

We are headed on the Fantasy next weekend and have Megans Bay booked through DCL. $55 for 4 people is a bit pricey for a day at the beach, no? We've been to St. Thomas before and zip-lined the last time - we thought a relaxing day would be nice. My question for you all - have you gone to Megans Bay on your own via taxi? What was the average cab fare? It's $5 to enter per person, plus the cab fare - I'm guessing $100 or less if we do it on our own? Any advise would be great!

Yes, we went to Megan's Bay on our own and it was easy. After disembarking, you walk just a few yards over to the taxi dispatch area. You tell a dispatcher you'd like to go to Megan's Bay. They will put you in a shared, open-air taxi that are exactly like the vehicles excursion groups use. You pay the driver in cash. Upon arrival at Megan's Bay, you give the driver cash for the beach entry fee. You swim on your own schedule, and when you're ready to return, you go to the taxi dispatch area at Megan's Bay, and tell them which ship you're on. They'll get you to the port. Again, be prepared to pay in cash. It's all U.S. dollars, so it's easy.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

Having never done a cruise before I don't know what is more important, having it planned out for me but be with the masses or go it alone and stress about the details!

Imo it's less stressful to go on your own. You avoid the lines, the waiting and the rigid schedule of the ship excursion.

Getting to & from Megan's Bay is very easy (see my detailed post above). The main thing to remember is to bring cash in small denominations for the taxis & beach entrance, and to keep your KTTW card & drivers license with you, so you can reboard the ship (passport stays onboard).

 

[lklgoodman]

Imo it's less stressful to go on your own. You avoid the lines, the waiting and the rigid schedule of the ship excursion.

Getting to & from Megan's Bay is very easy (see my detailed post above). The main thing to remember is to bring cash in small denominations for the taxis & beach entrance, and to keep your KTTW card & drivers license with you, so you can reboard the ship (passport stays onboard).

Does the entrance fee include the use of a chair and umbrella? If not, about how much extra were they?

 

[cdoc29]

We rented a car from Budget last time we were in St. Thomas. They have an office just steps from the ship in the Havensight Dock Area. Looking up on their website for next week a full size car is $55 for the day plus gas. A car also allows you freedom to do more than just Megans Bay.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

We rented a car from Budget last time we were in St. Thomas. They have an office just steps from the ship in the Havensight Dock Area. Looking up on their website for next week a full size car is $55 for the day plus gas. A car also allows you freedom to do more than just Megans Bay.

What a great idea. Did you reserve the car ahead of time, or just show up and ask to rent? Is it easy or challenging to drive around St. Thomas?

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

Does the entrance fee include the use of a chair and umbrella? If not, about how much extra were they?

I don't remember chairs and umbrellas, so I can't answer that.

 

[wombat_5606]

Does the entrance fee include the use of a chair and umbrella? If not, about how much extra were they?

It does not include those things. I found some information that says a low beach chair is $5 and a lounge chair is $7. Each of those items will need a $5 refundable deposit. I don't believe they rent umbrellas, but if you get there early enough you will be able to position your chairs with some shade.

Also, if it hasn't been mentioned, there is no entrance fee required for children under 12.

 

[Bettyscruise]

The only thing we can add to this discussion is that our experience going to the beach on our own involved a regular taxi, a Ford SUV of some type, for our party of four. Not the open air truck talked about. The dispatcher at the pier arranged it within a few minutes. Dispatchers are waiting right at the exit gate on the pier. This was nicer, IMHO, than a open air ride. The driver arranged to meet us for the return trip at a specified time. Very easy and uncomplicated. We paid $8 plus tip per person each way. Taxi fares are fixed, depending on your destination on St Thomas.

Going on your own allows you to head to M.B. before the crowds. We arrived at least a full hour ahead of the crowds. Being the only people on the beach is so cool. Only our ship was in port that day so the beach was never really crowded. We enjoyed the day there very much.

As mentioned you will need to carry your KTTW and a photo ID to re-enter the pier. U.S. Customs agents vet each person returning

 

[Mitura]

We did it on our own and we were glad we did. We got to the beach early before the crowds and lines. There were really long lines for food, chair rentals and the merch stand. So getting your deposit back on the chairs was a wait in a long line. But when we saw how crowded the lines were we were done we left on our own. We didn't have to wait for the rest of our tour. Then we got back to the ship and had it all to ourselves.

 

[Calantha]

What a great idea. Did you reserve the car ahead of time, or just show up and ask to rent? Is it easy or challenging to drive around St. Thomas?

I would not drive there unless you are comfortable on the other side of the road. Also roads are narrow and windy.

 

[cdoc29]

What a great idea. Did you reserve the car ahead of time, or just show up and ask to rent? Is it easy or challenging to drive around St. Thomas?

We reserved beforehand, they have a policy if your ship doesn't dock you don't get charged. Just let them know which ship you are coming in. It was super easy driving around the island and we were able to stop at whatever took our fancy.

 

[cdoc29]

I would not drive there unless you are comfortable on the other side of the road. Also roads are narrow and windy.

To each their own. We did not find it difficult to get around, roads were in good shape and wind was never a problem for us. We managed to drive to Coral World, then when it started to get crowded from the Cruis Ship Excursions we went to Linquist Beach after stopping for provisions for lunch (Highly Recommend and it's not on any cruise ship excursions that I saw), Stopped at both Charlotte Amalie Overlook and Drake Seat before driving back to town for some shopping and then back to the port. All in All the freedom allowed us to see and experience a lot of things for much less than any excursion would have.

 

[lklgoodman]

To each their own. We did not find it difficult to get around, roads were in good shape and wind was never a problem for us. We managed to drive to Coral World, then when it started to get crowded from the Cruis Ship Excursions we went to Linquist Beach after stopping for provisions for lunch (Highly Recommend and it's not on any cruise ship excursions that I saw), Stopped at both Charlotte Amalie Overlook and Drake Seat before driving back to town for some shopping and then back to the port. All in All the freedom allowed us to see and experience a lot of things for much less than any excursion would have.

When did you go to Linquist Beach? Reason I ask is I think it is now called Secret Sands Beach which is an excursion with DCL. We went there earlier this year. When I was doing research I remember reading that Secret Sands had once had a different name, Linquist Beach sounds familiar and can't remember if that's what it was called or not. If it was, I agree, it was really nice. Secret Sands is a nature reserve no bars/restaurants but has covered picnic tables and clean bathrooms with showers.