Thinking about St. John and how to go

[khm1]

Anne, I think this (long thread) confuses some because of the two separate towns the ships dock in St Thomas. For Havensight, taking a taxi to the ferry at Red Hook really is a great option. For Crown Bay, the Royal Caribbean excursion, which leaves right from where the ship docks and is cheap and prompt and gives you a maximum amount of time, is a great option.

 

You are right. It can be confusing judging from some of the responses that I have read. To recap for anyone still in the dark: Please jump in and correct me if I am wrong or miss anything....

 

-Smaller ships dock at Havensight which is closer to Red Hook.

 

-Larger ships (Allure, Oasis) and at least some Princess ships dock at Crown Bay which is on the other side of town, closer to the airport and a few miles further from Red Hook. Traffic can be more of a factor getting back through Charlotte Amalie from Red Hook.

 

Choices to get to St. John as follows:

 

1. Taxi to Red Hook, Ferry to Cruz Bay. (About $36 round trip) Ferries run every hour from RH. Takes about 20 minutes. Allow for at least 2 hours to begin journey back to St. Thomas on your return. Advantage: see a bit of St. Thomas and freedom to come and go at your own schedule.

 

2. Taxi to Charlotte Amalie ferry. It is a bit far to walk from either pier. There is a limited schedule, not as frequent, longer ride (45 minutes) Cost? Anyone?

 

3. Book private transportation through the cruise line. RCL and Celebrity offer these excursions. They are currently $40 per adult. (Am I missing any other lines?) they are named "Destination St. John" and include either a shopping or historical tour. Many choose to skip the "tour" portion and strike out to their individual St. John destinations on foot or by taxi. THIS IS NOT TO BE MISTAKEN FOR THE PUBLIC FERRIES!!!!!! It is a private ferry which collects you directly from the cruise dock, near the ship. It also returns you to the same place before sail-away. There are 4 separate excursions which share this transportation. SJ Coastal cruise is another of these. There is comfortable seating for all either outside on 2 decks, or inside. The general public cannot book this ferry as it is chartered by the cruise line and at least one hotel (Marriott). The advantage is avoiding street traffic and using taxis, decreased fear of missing the cruise ship, and a relatively long stay on St. John. Disadvantage? As far as I can see, the only disadvantage is that you can likely get to SJ on your own about one half to one hour sooner. This is cancelled out by being able to leave SJ later than those returning by Red Hook ferry. For me, there really was no feeling of being herded with a group. This excursion is available from both Havensight and Crown Bay.

[mrs. z]

We are going on a sailing excursion that leaves from the American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook (East End) at 9:00 am on Monday, May 13th. We will be docked at Havensight (I believe) and what is the best way to get there and what time should we get off the ship? From what I am reading I think our location where we get the excursion will be different where people get the ferry for St. John. Also, when we return will it be easy to get a taxi back to Havensight and do they pick you up where they drop you off? Also, what will the price be for the taxi? Thanks for the info.

[KatPem]

We are going on a sailing excursion that leaves from the American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook (East End) at 9:00 am on Monday, May 13th. We will be docked at Havensight (I believe) and what is the best way to get there and what time should we get off the ship? From what I am reading I think our location where we get the excursion will be different where people get the ferry for St. John. Also, when we return will it be easy to get a taxi back to Havensight and do they pick you up where they drop you off? Also, what will the price be for the taxi? Thanks for the info.

 

It is $10 per person each way for a cab to red hook from havensigh....it takes about 20 minutes. We set up a time with the driver whence dropped us off on when and where to meet but there should be cabs there I'm sure u will not be far from the ferry dock.

[blue_water]

We are going on a sailing excursion that leaves from the American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook (East End) at 9:00 am on Monday, May 13th. We will be docked at Havensight (I believe) and what is the best way to get there and what time should we get off the ship? From what I am reading I think our location where we get the excursion will be different where people get the ferry for St. John. Also, when we return will it be easy to get a taxi back to Havensight and do they pick you up where they drop you off? Also, what will the price be for the taxi? Thanks for the info.

 

You would want to leave Havensight by 8:15. You'll find safari taxis at the dock and you'll be directed to a taxi going to Red Hook. Taxi is $18 - 20pp roundtrip, 20 - 25 min there and a little longer for the return due to traffic.

 

You are correct in that you will not be going to the ferry terminal like everyone else, the driver will drop you at the pier where your excursion is docked, just give them the name of the operator.

 

Noneed to aska driver to return, there are taxis stationed right there next to Fish Tails by the ferry terminal (everything is within walking distance in Red Hook).

 

Have a great sail!

[miss_rach]

Great Info in this thread! Thanx!

[cheerldrmom]

We were thinking of doing SJ also.. I am just afraid of the 45 min ferry ride being rough??? what are your experience on this???

[Hogladyrider]

We were thinking of doing SJ also.. I am just afraid of the 45 min ferry ride being rough??? what are your experience on this???

 

Have made this ferry ride numerous times from Red Hook to St John NEVER a rough ferry ride - not to mention it is not a long ride at all.

 

I hear that the longer ferry ride from in town often can be rough.

 

Heck the ride in the taxi from the port to Red Hook was wilder than the ferry ride, they drive very aggressively in St. Thomas.

[khm1]

We were thinking of doing SJ also.. I am just afraid of the 45 min ferry ride being rough??? what are your experience on this???

 

It was absolutely fine for me.I have also taken the Charlotte Amalie ferry with no problems. I do occasionally get seasick, but had no problems on this excursion. It is a pretty big boat. The ride was fairly smooth. The captain narrated during the ride over. It was very interesting information.

[Host Anne]

Cheer ~ the ferry ride from Red Hook is only 15 minutes and is normally a fairly smooth ride as you are in a channel between St. Thomas and St. John. The 45 minute ferry ride that is often rough is the ferry from downtown Charlotte Amalie. It's in open seas. I've also found that the Red Hook ferry is more reliable. Runs every hour on the hour consistently. It's a longer taxi ride to Red Hook but the ferry is normally fast and smooth.

 

ENJOY!

[miss_rach]

All you with experience doing this heres my question: We get in port on Carnival Sunshine @ 11AM and depart @ 7PM. Is the cab/ferry doable? We'd rather do St Johns than St Thomas. If not someone mentioned something about a ship excursion that goes to St Johns for "shopping" but we could go snorkeling rather than shop. I'd rather do the cab/ferry trip but I'll have to defer to you all if we can do it in that time frame.

[CaribbeanBound]

Smooth both ways when we went. Very pleasant ride.

[Host Anne]

Miss Rach ~ you could definitely do a visit to St. John. You could make the noon ferry and be on the island by 12:15. I'd recommend taking the 5:00 PM ferry back to St. Thomas. That gives you about five hours on the island. That's enough time for me to visit but you'll have to decide if that's enough time for you. Enjoy if you go!

[geauxgirlgeaux]

You could definitely do this on your own. Our family of 5 had no problems and we spent 2 hours at Trunk Bay and it was enough time. We could have stayed longer and enjoyed it but we were fine to head back to Cruz Bay and grab a smoothly and walk around before getting on the ferry. Just check the timetables and plan a little extra time in for the way back. We also bought round trip tickets at Red Hook so we didn't have to worry about that on the way back.

[gometros]

I'm a little late in posting this, but we went in September and following all the suggestions here, had no problem getting to St. John. Got off the ship early, caught a cab to Red Hook for the 8:00 ferry and we were settled in to Trunk Bay by 9:00. Despite three ships in port in St. Thomas, the beach was relatively empty. I'm assuming that with the early arrival and early departure, people who don't know, are afraid to chance it.

[Host Anne]

Sandy ~ you're correct. If you plan your timing and get off the ship as soon as you dock, doing a day in St. John is easy and worth the trip. Glad you had a good time. We were there last week during a stop on our Reflection cruise and had a most enjoyable day on St. John.

[Host Anne]

Here's a quick update on what it cost us to go to St. John on our own last week:

 

 

 

Roundtrip taxi from ship to Red Hook ferry: $20

Roundtrip ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay: $14

Roundtrip taxi from ferry to Trunk Bay: $12

Trunk Bay entrance fee $ 4

TOTAL $50

 

 

You can save the entrance fee at Trunk by visiting Hawks Nest, Cinnamon or Maho Bay instead. All have restroom facilities; Cinnamon has chair and snorkel gear rental and a snack bar.

[Hogladyrider]

For us, arriving early at Trunk Bay, and having the beach almost to ourselves for a few hours is like a slice of heaven on earth!

 

Next year when we cruise in October we may try one of the other beaches Host Anne speaks of just for something different.

 

Susan

 

I could use a few hours on Trunk Bay today!

[Host Anne]

Susan ~ I'm with you! I just told someone I need a vacation and I've only been home a few days. Try Cinnamon next time. If you like to walk, it's the longest north shore beach along this stretch of the road. Has the same amenities as Trunk but no fee (although I'm strange and like supporting Trunk by paying the fee).

[Hogladyrider]

We don't mind the fee for Trunk, it is an excellent cause.

 

I have memories of our times on St. John all year long as I make a Shutterfly calendar out of our cruises, I get more questions/compliments on my photos from St. John.

 

In 2012 we took and island tour, so worth it! Best leaving the driving to others based on the time we had on the island and the wealth of information we obtained on this thread.

 

Susan

[gometros]

Sandy ~ you're correct. If you plan your timing and get off the ship as soon as you dock, doing a day in St. John is easy and worth the trip. Glad you had a good time. We were there last week during a stop on our Reflection cruise and had a most enjoyable day on St. John.

 

And I have to thank you, Anne, because it was mostly your advice that helped us. Ironically, a good friend of mine just moved there, but we missed him by about two weeks. I am so jealous.

[Host Anne]

Sandy ~ so glad the info was helpful. We have a friend that just moved there too and were lucky enough to catch up with him when we stopped on our cruise. Such a great place. Hope you can get back soon!

[mdxter]

We will be arriving via Carnival sunshine for April 23 2014 from Noon to 8 PM. We have rented from Avis (across from havensight) in the past but this time they told us that they will not allow us to return the car after hour. Does anyone know if there are other car rentals near port that will let me do this? I know that dependable car rental does not rent to cruisers.

Our plans are to rent a car and take the car ferry over to st john and visit Maho bay. It is our favorite beach with the little ones (8, 6, & 4).

 

Thanks.

[Hogladyrider]

We will be arriving via Carnival sunshine for April 23 2014 from Noon to 8 PM. We have rented from Avis (across from havensight) in the past but this time they told us that they will not allow us to return the car after hour. Does anyone know if there are other car rentals near port that will let me do this? I know that dependable car rental does not rent to cruisers.

Our plans are to rent a car and take the car ferry over to st john and visit Maho bay. It is our favorite beach with the little ones (8, 6, & 4).

 

Thanks.

 

Not quite sure why you would want to go to the added expense of renting a car, driving on the opposite side of the road, stress of returning the vehicle, gas etc when cabs are available reasonably.

 

St. John on your own via cab on St. Thomas and when you get to the island is VERY doable and reliable......just my two cents worth.

[mdxter]

Not quite sure why you would want to go to the added expense of renting a car, driving on the opposite side of the road, stress of returning the vehicle, gas etc when cabs are available reasonably.

 

St. John on your own via cab on St. Thomas and when you get to the island is VERY doable and reliable......just my two cents worth.

 

There will be 8 of us (FIL, MIL, and SIL) plus us 5. By the time you add all the individual cost, it will total up to more than 150.00. which is the price of the Van rental and Car ferry.

 

We have been coming to St Thomas every year for the past 10 years as we own a condo on Sapphire Beach. We know both islands very well. We wanted to take our in laws to St john as they have never been there. We wanted to take them to Maho, Francis bay, and Hawksnest. the last time we cruised to St thomas, we rented a van from Avis (right across the street from havensight right by the entrance where you drive up to get to Paradise point). They do not do that anymore and i am bummed!

Edited December 18, 2013 by mdxter

[Host Anne]

mdxter ~ I understand your desires but I have to tell you, with very few exceptions have I seen vans on St. John. Plus, the car ferry brings you in south of Cruz Bay. I think you'd loose a lot of time renting the vehicle, waiting for the car ferry, coming in further away from Cruz Bay, having to drive a van very slowly. I don't know of any companies that rent vans that will allow you to take them to St. John.

 

I'm guessing you could take the people ferry and negotiate with a safari taxi driver on St. John to drive you around to the spots you want to visit and not pay much more than you would for the van rental, gas, insurance. For about $25 per person, you can get a private safari driver to take you just about anywhere you'd like on St. John for three hours or so.

 

Just a thought.