We Almost Missed Our Ship at Trunk Bay — Here's What Happened
Source: Our analysis of the creator's lived experience, based on what they said in this video.
Creator's Key Takeaways
For the first time in over 20 years of cruising, we were genuinely worried we were going to be pier runners.
You pay a little more for a cruise line excursion, but that's the benefit they advertise. They will wait for you to return to the ship.
I consider myself a very strong swimmer, but Mother Nature is not something to be messed with.
Creator's Tips & Advice
🆕New to Cruising? This Creator Addresses:
Questions This Creator Answers
Topics Covered
Port Highlights
Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
About our Bacon Score methodologyYouTube Video Description↓
Heading to St. Thomas on your next cruise? Thinking about taking the ferry to St. John to visit Trunk Bay, one of the world's most beautiful beaches? In this video, we take you along on our shore excursion from St. Thomas to Trunk Bay — but things didn't go exactly as planned. From a rough ferry ride to red-flag surf conditions to a very close call getting back to the ship, here's the real deal on visiting Trunk Bay from St. Thomas. We are Kris and Melanie from Dockside Travel. We've been cruising for more than 20 years — dozens of sailings, nearly 300 nights at sea — across Celebrity, Princess, Royal Caribbean, and now Virgin Voyages. In this video, we cover: ✅ Arriving at Crown Bay cruise port in St. Thomas ✅ Taking the ferry from St. Thomas to St. John ✅ Trunk Bay beach day — red flag conditions and rough surf ✅ Mongoose Junction shopping and cafes on St. John ✅ Ferry delays and the stress of getting back to the ship on time ✅ Why booking a cruise line shore excursion saved us ✅ Dinner at Normandy restaurant on Celebrity Beyond ✅ Sunset Bar nightcap and pool deck at night It was supposed to be a relaxing beach day at one of the world's most stunning beaches. Instead, we got rough seas, a delayed ferry, and a genuine worry we might not make it back to the ship. We did — but it was closer than we'd like. Here's everything that happened, plus what we'd do differently next time. Chapters: 0:00 Hook & preview 0:30 Crown Bay, St Thomas arrival 1:00 Boarding the ferry to St John 1:30 Ferry captain's narration 2:15 The ferry ride gets rough 2:45 Arrival at St John, bus to Trunk Bay 3:15 Trunk Bay — one of the world's best beaches 3:45 Red flag — swimming not advised 4:30 Rough surf and low visibility 5:15 Trunk Bay facilities overview 5:45 Mongoose Junction, St John 6:30 Ferry delay — will we make it back? 7:15 Waiting and worrying about the ship 8:00 The ferry finally arrives 8:30 Rounding the corner — Celebrity Beyond is still there 9:00 Back on board, Craft Social 9:30 Dinner at Normandy 10:30 Sunset Bar nightcap 11:00 Pool deck at night 11:30 That's a wrap & next episode tease 12:00 Lucky Duck contest & thanks for watching Watch next: ➡️ Celebrity Beyond Cruise Series: https://www.youtube.com/@DocksideTravel ➡️ More Cruise Port Guides: https://www.youtube.com/@DocksideTravel Have you ever been on a shore excursion that didn't go as planned? Did you make it back to the ship on time? Let us know in the comments below! 👍 Like this video if it helped you plan your St Thomas day 🚢 Subscribe to Dockside Travel for more cruise vlogs and port guides 🔔 Hit that notification bell so you never miss an episode Stay Connected: 🌐 Website: https://www.docksidetravel.ca 📍 Facebook: facebook.com/docksidetravel 📷 Instagram: @docksidetravel #StThomas #StJohn #TrunkBay #CruisePort #CelebrityBeyond #DocksideTravel #CruiseTips #USVirginIslands #CaribbeanCruise #ShoreExcursion Please Note: While we share our opinions and personal experiences in this video, it is for your entertainment. You should contact your travel agent or the cruise line directly for detailed advice and information specific to your booking.