Advice on Trip to St. John with Wheelchair

[azkcruizers]

Hi! My family of 10 will be in St. Thomas in February from 7am to 6pm. Having visited here quite a few times in the past I'm hoping for some advice. Seeing we are in port for quite some time we would like to take the cab to Red Hook and the ferry to St. John. My only hesitation is we are travelling with my Mom. She can walk short distances, but on vacation she travels with a wheelchair. She can definitely get out and board the cabs and ferries by foot and can walk very short distances in sand, but would have trouble if it is very deep and soft.

I would like to do a short tour and visit a beach....figuring on Trunk Bay because of amenities, but not sure if I have other choices. My Mom would not be able to walk too far to get there, and she would need to rent a chair and shade. Food, drink and restroom availability are also probably necessities with her.

Can anyone tell me if this is possible or have any suggestions of have to do or see here? I hate to get us in a situation with her that may not be doable or comfortable for her.

Tourwise, do you see much on the way to the beach and will all cab drivers stop at spots along the way for the cab fee or are there extra charge tours?

Thanks so much for any help you can give me!

Karen

[Ms411]

Cinnamon has amenities, but I think the walk to get to the beach is a bit further than at Trunk. Similar situation at Caneel. None of the other beaches have food/drinks/chair rentals.

 

The taxi drivers make a stop or two at the lookouts so people can take photos. HOWEVER, if you're sitting on the inside of the vehicle (by inside I mean to the driver's right instead of on the side behind the driver), it can be difficult to get a good shot if you don't get out. It may not be an issue if only your family is in the taxi, but if it's shared, not everybody wants to stop for long. They want to get to the beach as quickly as possible.

[azkcruizers]

Anyone else that's been there to offer other suggestions?

[ibcnusoon]

There are 6 of us in our group, my Dad is 81 and can walk a short distance with a cane but not long walks. We are bringing along a foldable wheelchair and will take it everywhere we go, whether he needs it or not.

 

DH and I and our daughters really want to go to Trunk Bay in St. John. I looked a the Carnival excursions and found that the Trunk Bay Snorkel excursion and the St. John Island tour both leave from the ship. Once we get to Cruz Bay, those that want to go to Trunk Bay are taken one way, the others are taken on an island tour, and meeting up again at the end of the tours for a ferry back to St. Thomas. That's what we are doing, this way everyone gets a chance to see St. John.

 

This is another option for you if you feel like you want to get to the beach but difficult for your mom.

 

On St. Lucia, we are taking my Dad on a snorkel trip on the beach to the Pitons but we figured he would come along with us, bring along his foldable wheelchair, and while we are snorkeling he can in the wheelchair and people watch (chairs on this beach are few and far between, so there is no guarantee).

 

Having a foldable wheelchair whereever you go is ideal if you think your Mom is going to want to come along and will need a place to sit and rest.

[cherylroslyn]

Hi! My family of 10 will be in St. Thomas in February from 7am to 6pm. Having visited here quite a few times in the past I'm hoping for some advice. Seeing we are in port for quite some time we would like to take the cab to Red Hook and the ferry to St. John. My only hesitation is we are travelling with my Mom. She can walk short distances, but on vacation she travels with a wheelchair. She can definitely get out and board the cabs and ferries by foot and can walk very short distances in sand, but would have trouble if it is very deep and soft.

I would like to do a short tour and visit a beach....figuring on Trunk Bay because of amenities, but not sure if I have other choices. My Mom would not be able to walk too far to get there, and she would need to rent a chair and shade. Food, drink and restroom availability are also probably necessities with her.

Can anyone tell me if this is possible or have any suggestions of have to do or see here? I hate to get us in a situation with her that may not be doable or comfortable for her.

Tourwise, do you see much on the way to the beach and will all cab drivers stop at spots along the way for the cab fee or are there extra charge tours?

Thanks so much for any help you can give me!

Karen

First of all if I were doing this with a person like your mother I would do the ship tour. The ship tour (I assume Carnival does it like Celebrity and Roayl) ferry should pull right up to the ship.

 

Once in St. John your mother needs to climb into an open air safari type truck, those are the cabs.

 

Once at Trunk it is a long walk to the beach. There are walkways, but once in the sand you would need to stay right near the walkway. The food and rentals are far from the beach as are the bathrooms.

 

You pass the bathrooms on the right as you walk down to the beach. Stop at the bathrooms before you go to the beach. Your husband can go over to rent a chair for your mother as the rest of you keep moving towards the beach. There are picnic tables under an enclosure on the left right before you get to the beach, so you can go there for some shade if necessary. The chairs are very low to the ground, so she will probably need help getting up and down.

 

The food is nothing to write home about...... simple sandwiches.