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The wife and I just took a Caribbean cruise down to St. Thomas recently (among other stops). We took the excursion to St. John and Trunk Bay, too. It was very, very beautiful. Definitely worth the time and money, and I DEFINITELY recommend doing the snorkeling there. The reef and the fish are beautiful. There's also food/drinks/bathrooms no more than 100 yards back from the beach, too. Very beautiful, lots of fun, I highly recommend it.

Thanks for your comments, Snakey. In my opinion, if there's a tropical paradise among tropical paradises, it's St. John. It is SO beautiful. The water is so clear, and the snorkling is perfect right off the white sand beach you're lounging on. If you wade out to the reef on some bay beaches, you may see thousands of brilliantly-colored fish even without a snorkel.

You can take the ferry or a cab to any beach (I like Cinnamon Bay and Trunk Bay) and swim, sun or snorkel there for a couple hours. I like to sit on the sand and just look, look, look around......the panoramas in St. John are THAT breathtaking. A treat for the eyes and balm for the soul.

There's a great shore excursion you can sign up for at the Holland America tour kiosk on board. You'll be taken to St. John by ferry from where we dock in St. Thomas. Air-conditioned buses are waiting. You'll pass the white sands of Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Caneel Bay, see incredible foliage, a National Forest, plantation ruins and other sights. This is a four hour tour (part land, part sea) and costs $49. The tour ends up at the quaint village of Cruz Bay where you'll have time to look around, shop, grab a bite before the ferry takes you back to St. Thomas and the Zuiderdam.

There are other shore excursions you can book for both St. Thomas and St. John. Or you can explore on your own. If you want to sign up for tours in any of our ports, I recommend doing as soon as possible after you get on board and settle in. Some tours, such as this St. John ferry/bus spectacular are very popular and fill up fast.

You'll find detailed information on all shore excursions and where and how to sign up for them in your cabin on embarkation day.

Leni