St Johns 101

[ja940]

Can someone please give us step by step instructions for getting to St Johns from the port in St Thomas. We'll there Wednesday 12/7/11. We've been to St Thomas many times but never St Johns. We'd like to see the sites, relax at a beach and maybe snorkel.

[Ms411]

1. Go to the taxi dispatch area at the port and tell the dispatcher you want to go to Red Hook. Fare s/b approx $10 per person each way.

2. The taxi will stop at the Red Hook ferry terminal.

3. Go to the St John ferry ticket booth and buy a ROUND TRIP ticket to St John (so you won't have to stand in line to get a return ticket). Fare is $6 per person each way.

4. Ferries leave every hour on the hour.

5. There will be taxis waiting at the St John ferry dock offering to take you on a tour or to a beach. Fare is set by government so they should all charge the same price for standard trips. Fare to Trunk is approx $6-8 per person each way. You can hike to Honeymoon Beach for free.

6. There are usually taxis at Trunk and Cinnamon. You may need to arrange for pick up if you go to a more remote beach.

7. Reverse the order of these steps to get back to the ship.

[blue_water]

Great help there, I would just add that I would avoid Trunk Bay and head for another beach, there are several within reach if you are spending most of your day on this trip.

[ja940]

Ms411 & cool_water, thanks this is exactly what i was looking for.

[ja940]

I've been reading that it might be easier to get to St John's via the ships excursion that departs directly from the pier. We don't like the excursions but wanted to know if it makes sense. Also is 2 1/4 hours enough in St John's. I've copied the excursion description from HAL's site:

 

 

An informative narrated journey that departs pier-side will transfer you to the unspoiled island paradise of St. John. It’s a narrated boat trip that is both comfortable and informative. Upon arrival in St. John you’ll have approximately 2 1/4 hours of free time to do as you please—explore the picture-perfect village of Cruz Bay at your leisure, shop, relax on one of the many beaches within the St. John National Park, or visit the spectacular Westin Hotel. Taxis are readily available on St. John, should you need one (at your own expense). The transfer boat docks in the heart of Cruz Bay and departs promptly at the announced time for the journey back to St. Thomas and the ship. It is your responsibility to be present on the ferry dock at the correct time.

 

Departure Times: 11:00 AM

 

Duration: Approximately 4-4½ Hours

[Ms411]

It depends on when your ship docks. If it comes in before 9, you can probably make the 10 am ferry which would give you more time on St John. It's a fairly long boat ride, so you may spend 2 hours on the water. I know more people are choosing this tour to St John, because they know the ship will wait for them if there's a delay.

[blue_water]

If I were just doing Cruz Bay the 2.25 hrs would be fine but not for the beach, and the beach and a short tour are the reasons for going to St John. Cruz Bay is a neat spot to shop as part of the trip though.

 

The taxi to Red Hook and ferry roundtrip combined will be 2hrs (+ any wait time for the ferry but that leaves every hour). So I would go with that. There is no reason you would be late getting back to the ship. In fact this is one of those excursions that are perfectly safe to do on ypur own and you get more out of it.

[twinkletoes4445]

I know there's a ferry that leaves from the cruise ship area. We were on the ferry that leaves from Red Hook and we were passed by this ferry. I remember it having "Girl" in the name. A lady that was on the ferry told us that her brother used to work on that ferry.

 

I don't know if this ferry is used only for ship excursions or if anyone can catch this ferry to St. John.

[Mom.to.2]

Great help there, I would just add that I would avoid Trunk Bay and head for another beach, there are several within reach if you are spending most of your day on this trip.

 

Why avoid Trunk Bay??? Forgive my ignorance.

[Ms411]

Island Girl is probably the boat. I think it works primarily with the ships. It's not a public ferry.

[twinkletoes4445]

Island Girl is probably the boat. I think it works primarily with the ships. It's not a public ferry.

 

That's the name. It was certainly a lot faster than the ferry we were on. Thanks for the info. :)

[LarCourt]

Nothing wrong with Trunk Bay.....Its the best beach I have seen in the Caribbean.......

[topcop]

A couple of things we learned about going to St. John.

 

When you are getting on a taxi make sure they are going DIRECTLY to Red Hook. They may tell you they are going to Red Hook but often they take passenger who are going to the beaches and then you are the last off.

 

The van taxis are cheaper than the town car taxis.

 

One year we took a cruise booked catamaran that was SUPPOSED to go to St. Johns for snorkeling and a beach.

 

After we were underway the Captain says..."Oh, by the way, it is two rough to go to St. Johns so I will take you to another NICE beach. He anchors in some cove where the beach consisted mostly of rock and coral.

 

I went snorkeling and saw ONE fish. Yes, ONE fish. And I was in the water for over a half an hour. The rest of our party went on this excursion to go to the beach. Needless to say, they were NOT happy campers.

 

If you want a great beach and great snorkeling, go to the U.S. National Park on St. Johns. I think it is Trunk Bay. Take the Red Hook ferry and a taxi to get there. They have changing and shower facilities, shade under the trees, chair rentals & a snack bar.

[blue_water]

I have to disagree with topcop and others, I would definitely avoid Trunk and the other popular bays on STJ as they will be very crowded with other cruisers. Go to Sapphire or Cowpet in your own taxi for $16 - 20 roundtrip taxi pp.

 

Regarding the taxi to Red Hook, they have one route that hits Coki and Sapphire beaches first, then Red Hook.

You can drive there much faster in a rental and take the car to STJ and drive to a less crowded beach. But for a cruise excursion with limited time I would choose Sapphire. We spent a week there in April and it is gorgeous. Great snorkeling and never got that crowded even with 15000 cruisers on ilan'.

 

And yes the tour captain will use his/her discretion on where to go in rough seas. Unfortunately during swells snorkeling is not good anywhere.

[D&N LUV 2 TRAVEL]

Which of the beaches is best for snorkelling ? and which ones would you avoid for snorkelling ?

[Snorkel Dawg]

We will be on Allure & want to visit Trunk Bay to snorkel. But is being docked at Crown Bay too time consuming getting to & from SJ?

 

I think the ferry ride will be great with great vistas, but question if taking a really long cab ride each way is something my family will regret doing???

[Starrgazer50]

It depends on when your ship docks. If it comes in before 9, you can probably make the 10 am ferry which would give you more time on St John. It's a fairly long boat ride, so you may spend 2 hours on the water. I know more people are choosing this tour to St John, because they know the ship will wait for them if there's a delay.

Unless the Red Hook Ferry is now making detours, it shouldn't take 2 hours on the water. It was only approximately 30 min or less ride to and fro when I was there in Jan 2011.

[Snorkel Dawg]

Does anyone know if there are snorkel fins for rent on Trunk Bay?

Hoping to leave ours at home & avoid the extra weight in our suitcases