augie

They carried paying customers yesterday. Friends of mine who do not work for government were on it.

I can verify that!

AND... there is progress on the Centerline Road fix from the Tropical Storm Otto washout from 2010 - it must be an election year! :D

They're faster so transit s/b 10 minutes instead of 20!

If that's true they will probably hire slower ticket takers! :)

I hope you're right, but my money would be on the "over" for whatever date you'd care to choose!

:cool:

Are there lockers at Cinnamon beach close to the beach?

I don't remember there being lockers at Cinnamon - only Trunk!

The ferries leave every hour, on the hour.

If you come over on the ferry, Wharfside, as Ms411 said, will be right where you get off. If you take an excursion you will likely be dropped off very close to Mongoose Junction, another popular shopping/eating center. You can walk from Wharfside to Mongoose in less than five minutes.

There are a ton of taxis right there on the waterfront in Cruz Bay. A lot of them will be going down the north shore road past Caneel and all of their beaches, then Hawksnest, Gibney/Oppenheimer, Jumbie, Trunk, and Cinnamon.

Some may continue on to Maho, and perhaps to the Annaberg ruins above Leinster Bay. I doubt that many of them go to Francis as it's a small parking lot and not a great view from the road.

Bluewater is correct - your best bet for the combination of things you're looking for are one of the STT beaches.

The best snorkeling beaches on STJ have no facilities and are off of/beyond the routes where taxis are plentiful and regular.

You'd need to either prearrange land transportation on STJ or rent a jeep on STT and bring it over on the car barge. The fact that it will be a busy day and that you're coming from Crown Bay rather than WICO (Havensight) only adds to the issues.

FWIW my favorite off the beach snorkel spots on STJ are, in no particular order;

Leinster Bay/Waterlemon Cay

Haulover Bay North

Hansen/Long Bay/Pelican Rock

Maho Bay

Francis Bay

Klein Bay

There are a number of beaches on St. John where I prefer the snorkeling to that of Coki or Sapphire, but most of them are tricky to get to without renting a car, and don't have the facilities that those two do.

Since you have your own gear and state that snorkeling is a priority, you may find some of the beaches that beginning snorkelers rave about to be less than "all that". That's how I view Sapphire and Coki, as well as the two most popular beaches on St. John - Trunk and Cinnamon.

If you're willing to go the "extra mile" to maximize your snorkeling experience I'd be glad to give you my recommendations.

Yes - I can't think of any place that services the cruise ship visitors that closes on Sunday.

Consider bringing a soft sided collapsible cooler with you. When you first get off of the boat in Cruz Bay do any shopping/wandering the town that you plan to do, then buy some drinks and sandwiches to put into the cooler. While you are doing all of this, more and more of the early leaving beach people will be doing just that. As soon as you're ready grab a taxi to take you to your beach of choice.

Remember to note how long it takes the taxi to take you to the beach from Cruz Bay so that you can allow the same amount of time, plus a little extra "just in case" , to get back in time to catch your boat back to the ship.

You have an array of options in the town of Cruz Bay. What are your preferences?

Sandwiches, burgers, fish, "authentic" West Indian food, deli, pub food, etc?

Indoor, outdoor, take out, table service?

Do you want somewhere that you can see the water, or will you already have had your fill of that? ;)

Really, there are a lot of places suitable to get something to eat, but not everyone desires the same kind of experience.

For pub food, cold a/c and local craft beers I'd go to The Tap Room in Mongoose Junction. In that same shopping complex, Sun Dog cafe makes some great meals served in an outdoor setting, and Deli Grotto is downstairs there as well - you can get food to go or sit inside.

A little closer to the ferry dock is the Lumberyard Complex, a multi-story commerce center set back a little from the main street. The most popular eating spots there are Driftwood David's and Barefoot Cowboy, which are stacked on top of each other. There's a little local stand just across the street called Hercules pate which specialize in meat patties (pate) and roti.

Continuing down the road towards the ferry dock, Joes BBQ is on the corner. Wharfside, just next to the ferry dock offers Joe's Rum Hut and The Beach bar, both with waterfront views.

If you venture a block from the water some of the more popular spots are Woody's Seafood Saloon and their sister place, Across The Street, which is located...across the street from Woody's. The local's answer to fast food is Joe's Diner where you can get a burger, fish fingers, fried chicken, etc.

If you want some local eats at a mom and pop place, wander down to Sogo's. They usually have a couple of daily specials in addition to their regular menu that features West Indian as well as mainland offerings.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but should be enough to get you started!

Are taxis readily available at Trunk Bay to return to Cruz Bay or should we pre-arrange a pick up to return us to Cruz Bay?

 

Thanks.

They are readily available at Trunk, no worries about that!

Will be in St. Thomas on a cruise next week, and would LOVE to be able to watch Champions League games on Wednesday. Is there a soccer bar/pub that I can watch the game at somewhere close to where the ship docks? Any input would be great!!!

Possibly Shipwreck Tavern - they show a lot of sports. May be worth contacting them ahead of time about the UCL matches.

http://www.shipwreckstthomas.com/shipwreck-tavern/

There are a lot of great beaches on St. John where you could enjoy spending an hour or two, but not all of them have the facilities and amenities that you had access to at Trunk.

What are the things you need to have available to you?

Augie, where would you suggest for snorkeling?

That would depend on a few things;

Your level of experience/comfort in the water,

How much time you have on island and,

The conditions (wind and swell) the day you are here.

For most cruisers I would suggest, in the following order and for the following reasons;

1 - Cinnamon Bay. Full facilities, rental gear, and if you're comfortable in water over your head and the wind, waves, and current aren't bad the snorkel out to and around the cay is among the most underrated on the island. Taxis to and from easy to catch.

2 - Maho Bay. Protected from wind and waves, and the snorkeling begins in water shallow enough to stand in (but please, only stand in the sand!). Out to and around the point to Little Maho you can see a lot of marine life and the grass beds just off of the beach usually have turtles munching there. Bathrooms but no showers or rental gear available. Taxis getting there should not be a problem but you may want to make arrangements to be picked up for your return. There are more taxis that drive by than there used to be, but you won't see big numbers of them waiting there like you will at Trunk and Cinnamon.

3 - Honeymoon Beach. This is on the property at the Caneel Bay resort, but taxi drivers will drop you off at the Caneel parking lot, From there it's a relatively short and flat hike to this beautiful beach. The snorkeling is especially good at the point to the far left end of the beach.

4 - Hawksnest Bay. Closest public beach to town. Taxis are plentiful and the reef is very close to shore, but it's not as vibrant and alive as the others mentioned above.

My husband and I will be in St Thomas in April and plan on taking the taxi to Red Hook, ferry to Cruz Bay and taxi to Trunk Bay for the day. We are in port from 7:00am - 4:00pm. Since my husband does not snorkle we did not want to book the cruise excursion. Will there be enough time to do a snorkle excusion from Trunk Bay and do the excursions begin at Trunk Bay?

The snorkeling is done on your own, off of the beach at Trunk Bay (the same on both islands for snorkeling from shore, as opposed to off of a boat). Personally I don't think the snorkeling at Trunk is among the best (nor is Sapphire, IMO) but if you haven't done a great deal of snorkeling you are likely to find it to be very fun. One advantage that Trunk has over most of the other beaches is the fact that they have lifeguards on duty. Since your husband wants to stay on the beach this could make you more comfortable.

St. Croix? ;)

Seriously, even with that many people on the island there may be some places that aren't too crowded, but it depends a lot on what you want to do while in port.

I would imagine that the "marquee" spots will be pretty packed, and the downtown shopping district will be bustling, but you won't be there on a record setting day, by a long shot!

Hi. We are going over to trunk bay while in port. We are traveling on the Valor and will be in port from 7-5. The only other ship in port will be the adventure of the seas (8-5:30). My question is how early should we try to leave the ship? I am a morning person so I would have no problem being off the ship as soon as we get cleared but I don't want to get to the ferry and have to wait until it opens. Is there a certain time to not bother leaving by? My family is used to me dragging them places an hour before they open but I don't want to push them too far :)

 

Thanks!

 

Christine

You won't be able to get to Red Hook before the ferries start running for the day, so if I were you I would get off of the ship and to Red Hook as early as possible.

No, it will be a little too deep for you to wade. You could have a taxi take you to Gibney, then, if you have trouble hailing one for the return trip (you probably won't - you'll have a ton of them coming from Trunk, Cinnamon, etc. and they won't all be full) you could walk the short distance to Hawksnest, where you can easily find one.

You can also snorkel/swim to Gibney from Hawksnest, where taxis are plentiful.

Thanks! Great info... Do you know how far away Caneel Bay is if it take a cab?

Caneel's beaches are the closest north shore beaches to Cruz Bay/the ferry dock.

Honeymoon Beach (the one on St. John, not the one on Water Island) is a beautiful beach. I don't believe that technically, it's a public beach (I think it may be part of the Caneel Resort's holdings) but you can walk in from a relatively short trail from the Caneel parking lot, or via a 20-25 minute hike on the Lind Point Trail from Cruz Bay. If you are driving, Caneel will charge you $20 to park, which you can "work off" by spending that amount on drinks/gifts there. They used to allow folks that arrived via taxis to walk in for free, but I honestly don't know if they still do or not.

It used to be one of the "quieter" beaches along the north shore, but it is a popular stop for snorkel tours that originate on St. Thomas and a fairly new watersports stand has increased the head count as well. The upside to that is that it's no longer a "wilderness" (read: bring everything you need) beach, but I don't know if they rent lounge chairs and umbrellas in addition to paddleboards and kayaks.

Thanks for the info, Augie--also, how far is Cinnamon from Cruz Bay (is it much farther than Trunk?) and approx. how much is a taxi for 2? Thanks in advance!

Cinnamon is basically the next "big" beach past Trunk - another 5-10 minutes on the taxi. I don't recall the rates, but I believe it's $6 pp each way to Trunk and if that's correct it's probably $7 or $8 to Cinnamon.

I believe that Cinnamon is the only other public beach where you can rent lounge chairs. It will be the second busiest beach on the island, after Trunk, but it is a longer beach so it may not feel as crowded.

If snorkeling is the key, and lounge chairs aren't a must, then Maho and Francis would be less crowded options, with potentially better snorkeling, although you'd need to bring everything you need with you.

The taxis will not miss the chance to service cruise ship passengers, believe me!

As far as Trunk, I can't imagine you being able to get there before they open, but if you do - no entry fee!