Jump to content

Not sure I understand St. John


GEB74
 Share

Recommended Posts

In truth it almost seems like there is so much info that I am a bit confused. Been to St. Thomas once and enjoyed it. Did some shopping right at the dock, went to a shopping area then took a tour from there (just walked up got on a open air bus and they took around... had fun but whoa! drivers there definitely have nerves of steel!)

 

this time we would like to do beach with late lunch and shopping

 

Am I correct that St. Johns would /hit all three on the mark and it is better to do this on your own rather than through the cruise ship excursions?

 

Is the ferry to St. Johns there at the port (or walking distance) or do you travel to it (if so, I assume by taxi?)

we are in port 11:30 to 7. How soon should we start heading back to port from St. Thomas?

 

what beaches would have loungers, food and maybe even shopping?

 

Lastly, any restaurant suggestions while there?

 

thank you in advance :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

St. Johns is about 60% a protected national park with only about 4,000 permanent residents, and as such is only sparsely commercial. The beaches, however, are very nice. Although it is nearby it as about a 30 minute or so boat ride from St. Thomas. Although we rarely do ship tours, if it were me, I would probably stick with a ship sponsored tour with this one to be sure of your return. Especially with your rather short port time your would only have a few hours there and I would want to be on my way back to St. Thomas no later than 5:00.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Always take a 25 minute taxi ride to Red Hook. Ferry to St. John leaves every half hour and is only 15 minutes, plenty of taxis at Red Hook upon return. Cruz bay where ferry arrives has plenty of shops in several locations, skip the ships tour for this one.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Good update to mine- thanks for the ferry info. I will remember that next time we are there! As I mentioned, we prefer to do things our own and now we can with St. Johns.

Edited by leaveitallbehind
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Always take a 25 minute taxi ride to Red Hook. Ferry to St. John leaves every half hour and is only 15 minutes, plenty of taxis at Red Hook upon return. Cruz bay where ferry arrives has plenty of shops in several locations, skip the ships tour for this one.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I just checked and the ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay is currently running every hour. The website says to check for updates, so I'm assuming it will go back to every half hour eventually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am debating on doing this on our own in May. I am on the Allure of the Seas and we are docked in Charlotte Amalie 10-7. I think the suggestion would be to get a taxi to Red Hook, and then get the ferry to Cruz Bay? Is that correct?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am debating on doing this on our own in May. I am on the Allure of the Seas and we are docked in Charlotte Amalie 10-7. I think the suggestion would be to get a taxi to Red Hook, and then get the ferry to Cruz Bay? Is that correct?

 

That is correct and Allure docks in Crown bay. Make sure you give your self one hour to get to red hook. They wait till taxi’s are filled before leaving. We waited an extra 10mins while sitting in the taxi. Mad the dock with 5 mins to spare.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They advertise ferry every hour, but I am thinking some times they run every half hour as well. They just don't advertise it. I had the lady at the counter advise me of it running every half hour. I was concerned doing this trip on my own. But was so worth it. We took taxi on St John to Trunk Bay. Oh my a just beautiful beach with a snorkeling trail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They advertise ferry every hour, but I am thinking some times they run every half hour as well. They just don't advertise it. I had the lady at the counter advise me of it running every half hour. I was concerned doing this trip on my own. But was so worth it. We took taxi on St John to Trunk Bay. Oh my a just beautiful beach with a snorkeling trail.

 

They are doing Hourly because of the Hurricane, once they get in better shape though out the islands, I'm sure they will be back to every half hour. We were there on Valentines day and I asked about it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the feedback! Does anyone have any experience going to Maho Bay once they got to St John?
Yes, this is what we have done the past two cruises and plan to do on the next. If you plan to snorkel and do not have your own gear, I would recommend going to Low Key Watersports. They're in Cruz Bay, about a five minute walk from the ship. They're very professional, equipment is clean and updated, they fit you for your mask. We are usually in and out of there in under 15 minutes. (They also have a discount coupon on their website). From there walk back into town where you can grab a cab to Maho. If you happen to end up in one of the safari style "cabs", they often stop to drop off passengers to other beaches. I believe it takes us about a half hour. I hope this helps.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, this is what we have done the past two cruises and plan to do on the next. If you plan to snorkel and do not have your own gear, I would recommend going to Low Key Watersports. They're in Cruz Bay, about a five minute walk from the ship. They're very professional, equipment is clean and updated, they fit you for your mask. We are usually in and out of there in under 15 minutes. (They also have a discount coupon on their website). From there walk back into town where you can grab a cab to Maho. If you happen to end up in one of the safari style "cabs", they often stop to drop off passengers to other beaches. I believe it takes us about a half hour. I hope this helps.

 

Super helpful! I heard that it is a bit of a hike to get to the actual beach there? I guess you like that beach since you go there every time? Do you remember how much the cab is to get there?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our family spends a lot of time on St. John, both from cruise ships (which we are doing next week) and for weeklong vacations.

 

Here's some info I hope will be useful.

 

First, St. John was heavily damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria. However, she's turning green again quickly and the beaches look pretty good with the exception of Maho (my favorite). She was decimated and I wouldn't recommend anyone going to Maho at this point in time. The road is still under repair; the parking lot closed for repair and there is little shade here any longer.

 

If I were going to head to a beach on St. John right now, it would be Hawksnest or Trunk. In fact, it's the perfect time to do this as there are far less visitors right now. Both these beaches are in great shape and they are currently NOT charging admission at Trunk. It's a perfect time to see it. It's a 15 minute open air taxi ride from the Cruz Bay ferry dock.

 

The ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, St. John pretty much has only ever run every hour on the hour. They run some half hour ferries early in the morning but you'll see it's still hourly other than 7:30 & 8:00 AM. Google Red Hook to Cruz Bay Ferry Schedule and it will pull up the times for you.

 

Getting to Red Hook is easier from Havensight (the West Indies Dock) than Crown Bay because it's much closer to Red Hook and the taxi drivers don't like to leave Crown Bay until their taxi is full (and that can be quite a wait). The earlier you can get off your ship and head to Red Hook, the better.

 

When you get to St. John, you'll find taxis generally waiting as you exit the ferry. They'll take you to any beach you'd like or give you an island tour. Given what the island still looks like, I'd probably skip the tour and go to a beach and then some shopping at Mongoose Junction back in Cruz Bay. There are a lot of great restaurants open in Cruz Bay. Walking from the ferry to Mongoose (or Mongoose back to the ferry) is a short five minute walk.

 

If going it alone (you'll have the most time on St. John if you go on your own), I'd recommend taking a ferry back to St. Thomas three hours before your ship is scheduled to leave. So if you are to leave at 6:00 PM, I'd take the 3:00 PM ferry back. I recommend this type of schedule to all who haven't been there on your own before.

 

St. John is a VERY special place. The residents and business owners are VERY appreciative of cruise ship passengers starting to return. They need us to survive. These are genuinely kind and generous people. I can't believe how much they've done to help the recovery in a short five months. They are the best.

 

If you go, enjoy every moment. And keep going back....it will get better and better!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our family spends a lot of time on St. John, both from cruise ships (which we are doing next week) and for weeklong vacations.

 

Here's some info I hope will be useful.

 

First, St. John was heavily damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria. However, she's turning green again quickly and the beaches look pretty good with the exception of Maho (my favorite). She was decimated and I wouldn't recommend anyone going to Maho at this point in time. The road is still under repair; the parking lot closed for repair and there is little shade here any longer.

 

If I were going to head to a beach on St. John right now, it would be Hawksnest or Trunk. In fact, it's the perfect time to do this as there are far less visitors right now. Both these beaches are in great shape and they are currently NOT charging admission at Trunk. It's a perfect time to see it. It's a 15 minute open air taxi ride from the Cruz Bay ferry dock.

 

The ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, St. John pretty much has only ever run every hour on the hour. They run some half hour ferries early in the morning but you'll see it's still hourly other than 7:30 & 8:00 AM. Google Red Hook to Cruz Bay Ferry Schedule and it will pull up the times for you.

 

Getting to Red Hook is easier from Havensight (the West Indies Dock) than Crown Bay because it's much closer to Red Hook and the taxi drivers don't like to leave Crown Bay until their taxi is full (and that can be quite a wait). The earlier you can get off your ship and head to Red Hook, the better.

 

When you get to St. John, you'll find taxis generally waiting as you exit the ferry. They'll take you to any beach you'd like or give you an island tour. Given what the island still looks like, I'd probably skip the tour and go to a beach and then some shopping at Mongoose Junction back in Cruz Bay. There are a lot of great restaurants open in Cruz Bay. Walking from the ferry to Mongoose (or Mongoose back to the ferry) is a short five minute walk.

 

If going it alone (you'll have the most time on St. John if you go on your own), I'd recommend taking a ferry back to St. Thomas three hours before your ship is scheduled to leave. So if you are to leave at 6:00 PM, I'd take the 3:00 PM ferry back. I recommend this type of schedule to all who haven't been there on your own before.

 

St. John is a VERY special place. The residents and business owners are VERY appreciative of cruise ship passengers starting to return. They need us to survive. These are genuinely kind and generous people. I can't believe how much they've done to help the recovery in a short five months. They are the best.

 

If you go, enjoy every moment. And keep going back....it will get better and better!

 

 

 

Host Anne,

 

We’ve been to Trunk Bay twice and loved it. We were thinking about going to Salomon and Honeymoon next month. Will we regret missing Trunk Bay, especially with its low crowds?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Our family spends a lot of time on St. John, both from cruise ships (which we are doing next week) and for weeklong vacations.

 

Here's some info I hope will be useful.

 

First, St. John was heavily damaged by hurricanes Irma and Maria. However, she's turning green again quickly and the beaches look pretty good with the exception of Maho (my favorite). She was decimated and I wouldn't recommend anyone going to Maho at this point in time. The road is still under repair; the parking lot closed for repair and there is little shade here any longer.

 

If I were going to head to a beach on St. John right now, it would be Hawksnest or Trunk. In fact, it's the perfect time to do this as there are far less visitors right now. Both these beaches are in great shape and they are currently NOT charging admission at Trunk. It's a perfect time to see it. It's a 15 minute open air taxi ride from the Cruz Bay ferry dock.

 

The ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, St. John pretty much has only ever run every hour on the hour. They run some half hour ferries early in the morning but you'll see it's still hourly other than 7:30 & 8:00 AM. Google Red Hook to Cruz Bay Ferry Schedule and it will pull up the times for you.

 

Getting to Red Hook is easier from Havensight (the West Indies Dock) than Crown Bay because it's much closer to Red Hook and the taxi drivers don't like to leave Crown Bay until their taxi is full (and that can be quite a wait). The earlier you can get off your ship and head to Red Hook, the better.

 

When you get to St. John, you'll find taxis generally waiting as you exit the ferry. They'll take you to any beach you'd like or give you an island tour. Given what the island still looks like, I'd probably skip the tour and go to a beach and then some shopping at Mongoose Junction back in Cruz Bay. There are a lot of great restaurants open in Cruz Bay. Walking from the ferry to Mongoose (or Mongoose back to the ferry) is a short five minute walk.

 

If going it alone (you'll have the most time on St. John if you go on your own), I'd recommend taking a ferry back to St. Thomas three hours before your ship is scheduled to leave. So if you are to leave at 6:00 PM, I'd take the 3:00 PM ferry back. I recommend this type of schedule to all who haven't been there on your own before.

 

St. John is a VERY special place. The residents and business owners are VERY appreciative of cruise ship passengers starting to return. They need us to survive. These are genuinely kind and generous people. I can't believe how much they've done to help the recovery in a short five months. They are the best.

 

If you go, enjoy every moment. And keep going back....it will get better and better!

 

Thank you for sharing. I have read so much and seen so much about the destruction and absolute devastation. We are not returning to St. John until late October. I had a friend that was just there a few weeks ago and he did visit Maho and share many pics, it is just surreal how different it is. My question to you, as you seem to be an expert on this lovely place, would you return to Maho in late October? I have never been to Trunk as i've always read about avoiding it on days when there are ships in port. However, i've only been to St. John while on a cruise! Are there turtles at Trunk Bay? Or Hawksnest? I am going with a group and several have never been to St. John and are really looking forward to snorkeling and seeing the turtles. Any recommendations you can offer are greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Host Anne,

 

We’ve been to Trunk Bay twice and loved it. We were thinking about going to Salomon and Honeymoon next month. Will we regret missing Trunk Bay, especially with its low crowds?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Hi Kelsey ~ I was on island for a day last week during our cruise. Trunk looks pretty good from the overlook where we stopped and there were people on Trunk but it didn't look crowded. I didn't see Honeymoon or Solomon but have read the Lind Point trail to Honeymoon is cleared and open. You could also check out VI Eco Tours who is offering dingy service to Honeymoon. They run the rental/food concessions on Honeymoon. You can not access Honeymoon through Caneel at this point so know that is not an option. The entrance at Caneel is very sad to see.

 

If it were me, I might choose Trunk while the crowds are not there. Plus, I think there is no entrance fee at the moment for Trunk.

 

Enjoy your day whatever you do!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for sharing. I have read so much and seen so much about the destruction and absolute devastation. We are not returning to St. John until late October. I had a friend that was just there a few weeks ago and he did visit Maho and share many pics, it is just surreal how different it is. My question to you, as you seem to be an expert on this lovely place, would you return to Maho in late October? I have never been to Trunk as i've always read about avoiding it on days when there are ships in port. However, i've only been to St. John while on a cruise! Are there turtles at Trunk Bay? Or Hawksnest? I am going with a group and several have never been to St. John and are really looking forward to snorkeling and seeing the turtles. Any recommendations you can offer are greatly appreciated! Thanks!!

 

Starfishee ~ if you want to see turtles, Maho is definitely the place to go. I'm not one to "guarantee" anything but I'd almost guarantee you will see turtles at Maho. I've read many things that the turtles are in Maho Bay like they always were. I opted not to visit Maho last week when I was on island. It's my favorite spot in the world but I just wasn't ready to see it. We are however going back in May and we will definitely spend time at Maho.

 

I haven't snorkeled Trunk or Hawksnest in years. I think your chances of seeing turtles is better at Hawksnest than Trunk but Maho is still your best bet for turtles.

 

Both Trunk and Hawksnest are beautiful beaches and look in good condition. If staying on island, I'd definitely give both a shot at least to walk. I love walking Trunk early in the morning when no one is around!

 

ENJOY!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been going to the VI for 30 years and if I were on a cruise ship I’d skip St John. To much time is wasted in traveling back and forth and way to little beach time.

I’d spend the day on one of the many beautiful St Thomas beaches instead of in taxis and ferries

 

Many people choose to stay on St. Thomas for the day off a cruise ship and that's just fine. We did it many times. However, after staying on St. John for years, I still have to do the ferry/taxi thing to get there even for a day. If you are off your ship early (say 8:00 AM), you can catch the 9:00 AM ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay. That gives you at least five hours on St. John (six depending what time your ship departs). That's enough time for me to get my St. John fix for the day. If you've never been to St. John, it's worth the trip in my opinion. You still have to take a taxi to get to the St. Thomas beaches and the ferry ride to St. John is 15 - 20 minutes depending on which ferry (old or new) that you end up on.

 

Just my thoughts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Host Ann,

 

My mom and I are going to St. Thomas in April. We've both been there so St. John sounds attractive. My concern is that the ship is only arriving in the afternoon (1h30pm). It staying late (until 10pm). Just not sure, if all the travel would gave us enough beach time in St. John. Also need to check when the last ferry is. Maybe we should wait for our following trip and stick with St. Thomas this time. Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple of points: The ferry between Red Hook and Cruz Bay leaves on the hour both ways- except for a 6:30 am ferry, which you aren't going to make if you are on a cruise.;)

 

The people of St Thomas and St John are happy to have you help with the economic recovery of both islands. Only you can decide if you want to spend the time you will spend in transit. If you want lounge chairs, stay on St Thomas. The only place on St John with lounge chairs is Honeymoon.

 

If you have never been to the VI, you will find the beaches beautiful. If you have been before, you will find them different, but beautiful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I live on St John - the ferry has NEVER been every 30 minutes only ever on the hour (except for the first 2 ferries in the morning which are on the half hour) both pre and post Irmaria

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Host Ann,

 

My mom and I are going to St. Thomas in April. We've both been there so St. John sounds attractive. My concern is that the ship is only arriving in the afternoon (1h30pm). It staying late (until 10pm). Just not sure, if all the travel would gave us enough beach time in St. John. Also need to check when the last ferry is. Maybe we should wait for our following trip and stick with St. Thomas this time. Thoughts?

 

TravelGirl... You could be on a St. John beach by roughly 3:30. The sunset is between 6:30 - 6:40 in April so that would give you 3 hours on a beach. If you went to Honeymoon, you'd likely get a nice sunset. The challenge is that there are often no-see-ums at sunset on the beaches. I actually get in the water with my underwater camera to take photos and the nasty little bugs leave me alone.

 

You could be back in Cruz Bay by 7:00 PM and enjoy a very nice dinner at a number of wonderful restaurants within a close walk to the ferry. I'd recommend catching the 8:00 PM ferry so you'd be back to your ship by 9:00 PM. The ferry runs much later so that wouldn't be a problem.

 

I have not done this at night so if you've never been to St. John, it might be easier to spend the day on St. Thomas this time around. I'd say no matter when you go to St. John from a cruise ship that 3 hours is about the maximum time you'd get to spend on a beach.

 

Let me know if you have other questions. Have a wonderful time regardless of what you decide to do!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Travelgirl, another option would be to go to St John and take a 2 hour island tour instead of going to a beach. You'll get a chance to see how beautiful St John is, and have plenty of time to walk around the area near the ferry before heading back to St Thomas.

 

The taxi drivers at the St John ferry dock will take you on a tour for $25 per person.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...