St. John with SEVEN ships in port?

[Janman]

If you are docked at Crown Bay consider taking the ferry from there over to Water Island. It is a 10 minute walk from the ferry landing to Honeymoon Beach.

[Walt fan]

I will add my two cents for what its worth and ask a question from Anne (please) - On our Oasis trip back in June we really wanted to brave it and do St. John on our own; we did the taxi from the port to the ferry; ferry to St. John; taxi to Cinnamon; taxi back to ferry; and taxi from ferry to port; whew; you ask, was it worth it? Yes, a million times, yes; but, traffic was very heavy, in the morning we missed the 9:00 ferry by about 10 minutes; and had to wait for the 10:00 ferry; and didn't have a lot of time at Cinnamon; but the snorkeling was amazing; we don't regret it; Anne - we did Cinnamon last June, and I am hesitant to go to Trunks Bay when we go again this June, I have heard that the snorkeling isn't what it used to be - I had Hawksnest and Waterlemon as possibilities - but I am afraid Waterlemon is too far - any suggestions? Great snorkeling is high up there on the list for the five of us; your help is appreciated.

[Host Anne]

Walt fan ~ the good thing about June is there are very few ships that sail the Caribbean in the summer so you won't have five or six ships to content wtih. But if you are on the Oasis, that can be enough. The tough thing is that Oasis docks at Crown Bay adding to your time to get to the ferry. I bet it won't be quite as bad in June and perhaps you can make the earlier ferry.

 

Trunk is still worth it on a clear day without a ton of people. I've been told Waterlemon Cay is the best spot for snorkeling. Here is a link to an incredibly hi-res snorkel trip of Waterlemon: http://www.seestjohn.com/beaches_leinster.html

 

If you can catch the 9:00 AM ferry you can probably do it. It's about 15 - 20 minutes beyond Cinnamon. See if you can get a taxi to take you out and arrange to pick you up. If you are comfortable driving there, renting a car is an option and something we do often. It just takes you a little time to pick up the jeep and drop it back off.

 

I've never snorkeled at Hawknest. It's a beautiful beach....just not sure about snorkeling. I'll have to do some research.

 

So glad you thought it was worth it. It is a truly special place. Let's hope we can always keep it that way!!!!

[Host Anne]

Walt ~ here's a link to info on snorkeling at Hawksnest. Scroll down towards the bottom: http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/hawksnest%20bay.htm

[Walt fan]

Host Anne: Wow - thank you so much for the helpful links; we were on the Oasis last June, this June we will be on the Enchantment; I really, really want to try Waterlemon but I checked our time for the port; 7:00 - 5:00 - that's cutting it kind of close on time - we would have to get the 2:00 ferry back - then again, I really want to experience the snorkeling there -oh well, Hawksnest, Waterlemon - either way it will be gorgeous - I don't know when we will back to St. Thomas/St. John so I am going to make something work! Like you said - if anyone out there is on the Oasis and decides to head to St. John try your best to get the 9:00 ferry and leave plenty of time for lots of traffic, both going and returning

[Host Anne]

Walt ~

 

I checked the cruise schedule for St. Thomas and Enchantment is docking at Havensight (WICO) right now. I'd bet it remains that way for the summer. If that's the case, it saves you 10 - 15 minutes in a taxi each way. That's a help right off the bat. If you dock at 7:00 AM, you should be able to make the 8:00 AM ferry. That will get you to St. John by 8:30. A taxi ride from Cruz Bay to Waterlemon is probably 35 - 40 minutes. Tell the taxi driver you do not want to stop at the scenic overlooks (that will save time, too). You could be at Waterlemon Cay before 9:30 AM. Good luck....hope it works out for you!

[Walt fan]

Anne - I am laughing so hard right now; "don't stop at the scenic overlooks"- those taxi drivers are crazy - when we were returning from Cinnamon to the ferry last time we running late (as usual with our bunch)- there were two guys sitting around Cinnamon with one taxi-the one that responded to my DH must have been at least 80 years old-he said "no problem, I will get you to ferry on time"-what a ride of my life, we were hanging on to whatever we could grab and praying the whole way-and yes, we had plenty of time to spare:p So, if we ask nicely to go straight to Waterlemon I bet we get there in plenty of time; I watched the video of the couple snorkling with DS15 of the link you gave me; he said "we have to go Mom", I think that seals the deal; and thank you a million times for all your help; BTW, which link did you find where Enchantment was docking? I googled and looked everywhere and could not find anything, I thought it might be Havensight-a big plus!

[guidercomet]

My family (six of us) is arriving in St. Thomas on March 2, 2011. There will be six ships in port. Are we stupid to think that we can rent a car (Avis has a van for $100) and drive to St. John (taking the ferry from Red Hook) and then come back after a few hours there and do the skyline drive around St. Thomas? Our ship says it docks at 11 and we have to be back for 7pm. Are we nuts?

[guidercomet]

I just called the car ferry people and they said that there are always at least one, sometimes two car ferries going from Red Hook to Cruz Bay. He said there isn't too long a wait... We're going to try it I think...

[Host Anne]

guidercomet ~ my only caution is that driving on St. Thomas can be challenging. There is a lot of traffic and a lot of small, winding roads. We wouldn't choose to drive on St. Thomas. St. John is a different story. It's much smaller, only two main roads on the island and traffic congestion is limited to Cruz Bay. Keep in mind that they drive on the other side of the road. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Smileeface]

Walt ~

 

I checked the cruise schedule for St. Thomas and Enchantment is docking at Havensight (WICO) right now. I'd bet it remains that way for the summer. If that's the case, it saves you 10 - 15 minutes in a taxi each way. That's a help right off the bat. If you dock at 7:00 AM, you should be able to make the 8:00 AM ferry. That will get you to St. John by 8:30. A taxi ride from Cruz Bay to Waterlemon is probably 35 - 40 minutes. Tell the taxi driver you do not want to stop at the scenic overlooks (that will save time, too). You could be at Waterlemon Cay before 9:30 AM. Good luck....hope it works out for you!

 

I'm laughing too, along with Walt! I'd need a drink after racing like that, lol! You're on vacation! You can't stop to take a scenic look!?? I'm laughing along with you, don't get me wrong. I realize Anne is just trying to explain how to get Walt to do what he wants to do in time. But I'd start sweating right about now...and, Anne, I thank you for all of the great info you have given here. It's helping me with my own decisions!

[Host Anne]

Smiley ~ Walt has already been on the island last year. He wanted to know the best way to get the most out of his day if he wanted to go to Waterlemon Cay for snorkeling...which is a bit of a drive. Skipping the scenic overlooks, which all the taxis do, can save him some time. That's why I suggested it. No racing involved. St. John is the last place you want to be harried. There is much beauty to be enjoyed. So I was specifically answering his question on whether or not he could do Waterlemon Cay. Nothing more ;)

[Smileeface]

Anne, I do understand, really, and I meant no harm. I was just in a quirky mood when I read it, and I guess my sense of humor was off :( ! I don't know the islands as you both seem to, except for one cruise visit to St. Thomas about 11 years ago. I count on the experience of the CC posters here like yourself tremendously, and the advice here has never failed to make my cruise vacations amazing!

I've already used some of the websites you and others posted here, and they are very helpful. I'm not sure about the cruise ship schedule though. We will be on Allure in St. Thomas in June. One website didn't give me a calendar for June. The other showed that we would be the only ship in port. I know the ship is gigantic, but could that be possible that we'd be the only ship in port?

Also, the ship's excursion to St. John is 4 hrs long, giving us about 1&1/2 hrs at Trunk Bay which seems such a short time, but we really want to visit Trunk Bay. The ship arrives on a Wednesday 9am and departs 5pm. Given all that, do you think we'd get more time doing it on our own, or would it be advisable to stay on the safe side and go with the ship's excursion?

[Walt fan]

Smileeface: Host Anne meant no harm, just gave me very helpful advice! One other thing to consider, we asked the taxi driver in St. John how many stops he was going to make on the way to our beach, keep that in mind; I can only say we were on the Oasis, same size, and only one other ship, a mid-size Carnival, was in port with us; but the port schedules did not show this and only showed us in port; you have a very small window of time in port, but it can be done; you would have to catch the 10:00 ferry and allow for traffic time; St. John's is so beautiful, I cannot wait to be back in June!

[Smileeface]

Hi again! Thank you for the reply...:o Okay, so I'm trying to remember all I've read and figure the time schedule I'm looking at if we do Trunk Bay on our own. We'll be on the Allure in June arriving on a Wednesday 9am, departing 5pm, but we'll be in Crown Bay, so that's also a little further from Red Hook Ferry than the other port.

 

For any of you who have been on either Oasis or Allure, I'm wondering how quickly getting off the ship will happen. I'll have two 15 year olds and a 19 year old, all girls with us (daughters and a friend). I'm thinking that I very possibly could miss the 10am ferry at Red Hook, depending on how crazy deboarding, and traffic is. So we would definitely make the 11am ferry, be on the island by 11:20, be at Trunk Bay--when? How long is the ride from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay? I'm mentally saying we'll be on the beach by 12:00.

 

(Another question, taxi's are minivans there? They can seat five of us, right?)

 

But Anne's advice is sticking in my head that we should leave St. John

3 hrs before ship departure time which is 5pm. So that means we should be leaving the beach in a taxi by 1:30 to get to Cruz Bay Ferry by 2:00, to be on that 2:00pm ferry back. So doing it this way I'm still only about 1 &1/2 hrs at Trunk Bay--Could we possibly get two hours on the beach?

 

How does this sound? I don't want to count on us making the 10am ferry at Red Hook. If we do--GREAT! But in my conservatism I can really imagine we wouldn't make it in time somehow, and end up on the 11am.

 

HELP--What do you think of this timeline??

[Host Anne]

Smileeface & Walt ~ no harm taken here! I was just trying to give an explanation because sometimes it does seem like a mad rush....but it's really not (except for me to get off the ship once we dock there). :)

 

I think you should post your question about how long it takes to get off Oasis/Allure on the main Royal Caribbean boards. The chances of someone stopping by this thread to answer your question is probably limited. You'll get a quick answer on the main boards.

 

There's a possibility if you are docked at 9:00 and get off the ship quickly that you could make the 10:00 AM ferry. If you are the only ship in port (in June that is likely). And if you are the only ship in port, you could take the 3:00 PM ferry back to St. Thomas and likely have enough time. But I'm always a bit hesitant because you just don't know what traffic is going to be like. I would estimate 35-40 minutes from Crown Bay to Red Hook and the same or a little longer on the way back. The ferries do run on schedule so they are pretty dependable.

 

Taxis are open air safaris and yes, they all hold five or more. It's about a 15 - 20 minute ride from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay.

 

Your thoughts about if you make the 10:00 AM GREAT and if you don't you'll take the 11:00 AM is a good one. Even if you take the 11:00 AM ferry you can be at Trunk Bay by 11:45.

 

You could still get close to 2 hours at Trunk even if you take the 11:00 AM ferry and decide to take the 2:00 PM ferry back. You'll have a great time.

[Smileeface]

Thanks Anne! I am going to ask the RCI board about the time it takes to debark. I just checked their shore excursion to Trunk Bay. They are stating that you leave port (Crown Bay I guess) in a private tour boat:

 

"Your narrated excursion departs in a large comfortable tour boat. Enjoy sightseeing along the southern coast line of St. Thomas as you pass Pillsbury Sound and reach Cruz Bay St John. Along the way to Trunk Bay, you will stop at the overlooks of Cruz Bay, Hawksnest Bay and Caneel Bay Plantation for breathtaking photo opportunities."

 

So I guess it's the rougher seas-? And the photo stops cut into the beach time too I guess. They only stay at Trunk Bay 90mins, the tour is

4 hrs total departing at 10:30am (ship departs at 5:00), so they are following your 3 hour departure rule :). Price is $67 per adult, which is about $20 more pp than doing it on our own--they do include the snorkel equipment which we will need (and I'll be bringing disinfectant wipes in a ziplock baggie with me:p) So I have to weigh it out and see if an extra half hour or more beach time on my own will be worth it.

 

I read through the entire other St. John board with all of your posts. You and Augie have done a great job giving out so much wonderful info. My head is spinning right now, I've been on this for hours yesterday and today, but I know the research will be well worth it. Any more feedback?

I'd appreciate it! Thanks again :D

[Host Anne]

Smilee ~ first....take a deep breath! There is a bunch of info we've posted on these threads. :) We don't mean to overwhelm. We (Augie and I) just truly love St. John so we love to share the info.

 

If you are leaving from Crown Bay on a boat to St. John, it will likely be a more bumpy ride to St. John because you are in the open seas as you sail along the south coast of St. Thomas. If you are concerned rough seas could bother you, that may play into your final decision.

 

Take a few days to digest all the info (you have plenty of time to make some decisions) then come back and ask more questions. If your real goal is to go to Trunk Bay, I'd recommend you do it on your own. But that's just me.

[MiaS13]

How early does traffic start to build up and beaches start getting crowded? 8am? 9?