Ferry from St Thomas to St John question

[aquaclass]

Has anyone ever taken the water shuttle (ferry) from St Thomas to St John (20 min). We will be in St Thomas next week on Reflection along with 6 other ships. My concern is that there is only one ferry which leaves every hour on the hour back and forth from the island. I don’t want to be in St John at 4pm with 1000 other people wanting to get on a ferry boat which holds 250 people and “miss the boat”

 

Maybe I am overthinking this ?

[texkan]

Has anyone ever taken the water shuttle (ferry) from St Thomas to St John (20 min). We will be in St Thomas next week on Reflection along with 6 other ships. My concern is that there is only one ferry which leaves every hour on the hour back and forth from the island. I don’t want to be in St John at 4pm with 1000 other people wanting to get on a ferry boat which holds 250 people and “miss the boat”

 

Maybe I am overthinking this ?

 

Yes, I have taken the Red Hook Ferry to Cruz Bay. We always try to leave ship as soon as it docks. Many cabs are available at the dock. Bring cash to purchase Round Trip tickets. We always leave St John on the 3pm Ferry. We also pre arrange with our cab driver to pick us up at Red Hook when the 3pm Ferry arrives. We have never had any issues.

 

I do have to say that with 6 ships in port, the Islands will be busy.

 

You might also post your question on the St Thomas Board . Have a great cruise.

Edited January 20, 2015 by texkan

[gdpups]

When we went we booked the "St. John on your own" excursion through Celebrity. Ferry picked us up right at the dock and I think the total excursion was 6 1/2 hours. Once there we took the shuttle to the beach and back. Just thought is was easier than the hassle with getting to Red Hook, etc.

[cruzeluver]

We too did the "St John On You Own" excursion and it was a piece of cake. Did not have to worry about transportation to the ferry, had plenty of time on St. John and knew X would be made aware if there was any kind of delay.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

That was one of the times I voted for a Celebrity excursion. Pickup is right at the dock, no need to take a cab to and from Red Hook. It cost a little bit more, but for me, the convenience was worth it. And no worry about the return and the number of people--set time of return with the same people you went to St. John with.

 

Edited January 20, 2015 by Happy Cruiser 6143

[vickykay]

Another vote for the ships excursion. Have done it both ways and much less hassle plus enjoyed the ride over ( beautiful scenery) as well as the commentary.

[chamima]

We NEVER do ship's excursions so I don't even look at them anymore (since they stopped sending the excursion brochure with the beautiful colored pictures) .

I didn't know this excursion existed but I would do it in a heartbeat.

We love St. John (even stayed there once) but the whole taxi to the ferry thing is such a pain.

[cherylroslyn]

Has anyone ever taken the water shuttle (ferry) from St Thomas to St John (20 min). We will be in St Thomas next week on Reflection along with 6 other ships. My concern is that there is only one ferry which leaves every hour on the hour back and forth from the island. I don’t want to be in St John at 4pm with 1000 other people wanting to get on a ferry boat which holds 250 people and “miss the boat”

 

Maybe I am overthinking this ?

With that many ships in port, I wouldn't even think of risking it. The St. John on your own tour is sooooo easy and basically about 35 bucks......

 

The difference between schlepping around and being picked up and dropped at the port is priceless.......

[Duanerice1]

Yep, this is one ship excursion that we'd do especially since we'd pay for it via OBC. We've never purchased a ship excursion before but will do this next time in St Thomas.

 

Now there is just my wife and I. If I had 4 or more people I'd be thinking the ferry is a much cheaper option.

[blueteam]

We cabbed to Red Hook on the way to St. John, but ferried straight back to Charlotte Amalie on the way back. I had fun seeing the sights both ways, but we barely missed the ferry in Red Hook and had to drink Margaritas on the beach for an hour. :)

 

If you're rushing, try for a "private cab" instead of the big safari-truck that waits until it's full. Costs more but puts you ahead of the crowd.

[New Hampshire]

We no longer do ship excursions, but we did do this one last March. It certainly is a more convenient way to get there and back for a comparable cost of DIY. We did have less time on St. John than described in the excursion. We got there later than what was written. This was disappointing.

 

One time that we did the trip on our own via Red Hook Ferry, we planned to be on the 4 PM ferry, got there early and were among the first people to board. No problem for us. By the time the ferry left the dock, there were about 25 people left behind who couldn't fit. I don't know what happened to them because the next ferry was at 5 PM and there was no way they could have made it to the ship on time if they were on it. That was the last time we ever took the 4 PM ferry, too risky.

 

We cruised in Europe in October and will be cruising to Bermuda in June, so no winter cruise for us this year. Instead we have rented a villa on St John in Apeil when cruise ships are re-positioning and will be spending 8 nights on our favorite island in all of the Caribbean. We have been doing this every other year since 2006. If you've never been there in the evening, you have never really experienced the wonderful vibe that St John has. My idea of PARADISE!!!!

[aquaclass]

Excellent, thank you

 

I will book a simple excursion and enjoy my day

[texkan]

We no longer do ship excursions, but we did do this one last March. It certainly is a more convenient way to get there and back for a comparable cost of DIY. We did have less time on St. John than described in the excursion. We got there later than what was written. This was disappointing.

 

One time that we did the trip on our own via Red Hook Ferry, we planned to be on the 4 PM ferry, got there early and were among the first people to board. No problem for us. By the time the ferry left the dock, there were about 25 people left behind who couldn't fit. I don't know what happened to them because the next ferry was at 5 PM and there was no way they could have made it to the ship on time if they were on it. That was the last time we ever took the 4 PM ferry, too risky.

 

We cruised in Europe in October and will be cruising to Bermuda in June, so no winter cruise for us this year. Instead we have rented a villa on St John in Apeil when cruise ships are re-positioning and will be spending 8 nights on our favorite island in all of the Caribbean. We have been doing this every other year since 2006. If you've never been there in the evening, you have never really experienced the wonderful vibe that St John has. My idea of PARADISE!!!!

 

AquaClass :::Our first visit to St John we did the Ship Excursion and think you might be wise with 6 ships in port to book with ship. Am sure that Trunk Bay will be very busy but enjoy. Know you will fall in love with the island and beach returning sometime when not so many ships are in port.

 

New Hampshire::::We have always talked about renting a place on St John for a few days (Paradise).

Edited January 20, 2015 by texkan

[phoenix_dream]

A few things to keep in mind:

 

- six cruise ships seems like a lot (and it is) but that is not unusual for St. Thomas. They often have 5 or 6 ships in port so they can handle many more than most islands. Their transportation options account for that capacity (allowing that of course with 6-7 ships in town traffic can be affected a bit)

 

- the cruise ship ferry follows a longer route to the island and the seas are known to be rocky on occasion. If you are prone to seasickness, you may want to consider Red Hook

 

- the ferries themselves are very, very large. I do not know their capacity, but they hold a lot of people. I may not risk taking the last one back without doing some research, but as a general rule space is not a problem. Most people cruising automatically take the ship's ferry without doing the research to know that taking Red Hook is much easier than you would think. So I doubt there would be hoards of people.

[dodger1964]

We are on cruise with u. We always go on our own, rent a car and take car ferry to St. John ( for two people close to break even on cost, with 4 people much cheaper.

 

 

This trip we tender, and with that many ships in port are probably just staying on ship. We were there in November with only 3 ships and it seemed pretty crowded. With over 22,000 passengers this trip it is prob not worth the hustle to us.

 

Any chance the "St. John on your own" excursion will leave directly from the tendered ship??

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

 

Any chance the "St. John on your own" excursion will leave directly from the tendered ship??

 

I doubt it. We had booked that excursion one time when the Eclipse was forced to tender. The excursion was cancelled.

 

[chamima]

We are on cruise with u. We always go on our own, rent a car and take car ferry to St. John ( for two people close to break even on cost, with 4 people much cheaper.

 

 

This trip we tender, and with that many ships in port are probably just staying on ship. We were there in November with only 3 ships and it seemed pretty crowded. With over 22,000 passengers this trip it is prob not worth the hustle to us.

 

Any chance the "St. John on your own" excursion will leave directly from the tendered ship??

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

If you're tendering you could just take the Charlotte Amalie ferry to St. John.

The tender will leave you off in downtown, right next to the ferry dock.

You wouldn't need a taxi on St. Thomas at all!

[Nanatravel]

We have done both: Ship tour which was delayed leaving dock as they were waiting for another group from another Celebrity ship. Last time we took the ferry from Red Hook. We just missed the 9 AM (or close to it) and had to wait until the next one going over. No big deal. Coming back we planned on the 2PM ferry, which we boarded. However, half way across the body of water we could smell smoke! The engine shut off and the captain announced we were going back to St. John. Now we actually could see Red Hook. Needless to say I'll never take the ferry again. We did get back and boarded another boat but I was a wreck till we were back on the ship and proceeded to the first bar for a strong drink!

 

If you have never been, I'd vote for a ship Tour to St. John.

[JFontaine]

If all goes well, how much time do you have on St. John with the ship's excursion? Thanks

[gfkcruiser]

Having previously done this on my own and using Celebrity excursion last month - I recommend Celebrity. We had plenty of time and no problem with seas. Picks you up at pier and no taxi needed.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Host Jazzbeau]

We have done both: Ship tour which was delayed leaving dock as they were waiting for another group from another Celebrity ship. Last time we took the ferry from Red Hook. We just missed the 9 AM (or close to it) and had to wait until the next one going over. No big deal. Coming back we planned on the 2PM ferry, which we boarded. However, half way across the body of water we could smell smoke! The engine shut off and the captain announced we were going back to St. John. Now we actually could see Red Hook. Needless to say I'll never take the ferry again. We did get back and boarded another boat but I was a wreck till we were back on the ship and proceeded to the first bar for a strong drink!

 

If you have never been, I'd vote for a ship Tour to St. John.

 

Chico Marx: the plane got 3/4 of the way across the Atlantic when we ran out of fuel and had to turn back!

[Seabourn Pearls]

We tried to do it on our own earlier this month. The cab kept us waiting 15 minutes for additional passengers. The trip to Red Hook was 25-30 minutes instead of 10-15. As we got close to RH or cabbie veered off to drop passengers at Secret Harbor. By now it was after 10am so we just got out and enjoyed beach time at Secret Harbor. The snorkeling was very good and the rum bar/restaurant was terrific but we wanted to see Cinnamon Bay.

 

Moral of the story: take the Celebrity tour.

[cherylroslyn]

If all goes well, how much time do you have on St. John with the ship's excursion? Thanks

At least 4 -4.5 Hours. It is plenty of time, I have done the St. john on your own about six times in three years. They got a contract with a new ferry last year and that ferry is faster, and not as rocky. They use the original ferry to do the coastal tour. but for those on here that have done that ferry multiple times, the coastal tour recording gets very tiring and so does the diesel smell. The new ferry, and remarkable cheaper cost now makes the choice easier than ever.

[jenjes3]

How long did the ferry take to St. John when you use the Celebrity excursion -? Does the ferry actually pick you up right at the dock? We are sailing the Summit on 4/11/15 for the 3rd time - have taken the Red Hook - but getting picked up at the dock sounds more convenient. Thank you!

[New Hampshire]

You have about a ten minute walk to the ferry. We got a late start due to the slowness of some people in our group. Some people with mobility issues were totally unprepared for the walk.