Wanting to go to St John. 🏝

[dawnvan]

Really want to visit St John’s. We  Missed it last time because I was too nervous to venture out on the ferry. But Is 7 hours in port at St Thomas cutting it to close to ferry to and from ST John on our own?  We are their 11am to 6 pm   Royal Caribbean  doesn’t have this excursion available as of yet….. 

[TwinMamainMN]

We are going to St. John on the ferry when we are there in September. Our port hours are noon-8pm, so all aboard is 7pm. Yes, the travel time cuts into our beach/exploring time, but at least we can still go for several hours. From what I've seen online and heard from others, St. John's is stunning and I think it will be worth the effort. We are not a fan of cruise ship excursions. So much time on their schedule and not on ours, and no option to stay longer in the places we enjoy. We DIY everything.

[dawnvan]

18 minutes ago, TwinMamainMN said:

We are going to St. John on the ferry when we are there in September. Our port hours are noon-8pm, so all aboard is 7pm. Yes, the travel time cuts into our beach/exploring time, but at least we can still go for several hours. From what I've seen online and heard from others, St. John's is stunning and I think it will be worth the effort. We are not a fan of cruise ship excursions. So much time on their schedule and not on ours, and no option to stay longer in the places we enjoy. We DIY everything.

I surely agree. I usually do my own excursions too. Just going to do my research and go for it!

[dawnvan]

Please report back with how it goes for you! 

[blue_water]

You will be fine! Just look for a taxi heading to the Red Hook ferry. The ferry departs every hour on the hour each way. Many day visitors take advantage of the excellent and reliable taxi/ferry service here and do self-excursions. You add an extra 2+ hours with the transportation to a STJ beach, but if you are excited to see Trunk or Cinnamon Bay just do it…

If you can find a shared safari taxi that is going to Red Hook and not dropping folks at Coki first, should be able to easily make the 12PM ferry over. If you want to be ultra-safe I’d suggest the 3PM return, although we’d take the 4PM return with no worries…

Enjoy!
 

Taxi from Havensight —> Red Hook ferry = $10/pp (~$11/pp from Crown Bay);

 Red Hook ferry <—> Cruz Bay = $8.15/pp each way, taxi to Trunk =$6/pp, Cinnamon = $7/pp.

 

You can also take a nice island tour and then get dropped at a beach for ~$25/pp. That also eliminates the taxi cost to a beach, you just pay the return taxi to Cruz.

So the total cost from Havensight to a beach on STJ is ~$50/pp, ~$68 w/ the island tour…From Crown Bay add ~$2…

Edited August 25, 2022 by blue_water
Typos

[dawnvan]

Great information thanks @blue_waterso much!!  We have regretted not going to St. John in the past.  Definitely want to go this time around!!!  That makes me feel better!

Edited August 25, 2022 by dawnvan

[Ms411]

Taxi fares are scheduled to go up this month. They missed an earlier date for increase, but it will probably happen soon. Will post in a separate thread when/if fares increase.

[Joebucks]

While it's a little bit of effort to get there, it isn't as bad as it sounds. It was also well worth the time and cost. I can't wait to go back.

[paul28]

On 8/24/2022 at 10:24 PM, blue_water said:

You will be fine! Just look for a taxi heading to the Red Hook ferry. The ferry departs every hour on the hour each way. Many day visitors take advantage of the excellent and reliable taxi/ferry service here and do self-excursions. You add an extra 2+ hours with the transportation to a STJ beach, but if you are excited to see Trunk or Cinnamon Bay just do it…

If you can find a shared safari taxi that is going to Red Hook and not dropping folks at Coki first, should be able to easily make the 12PM ferry over. If you want to be ultra-safe I’d suggest the 3PM return, although we’d take the 4PM return with no worries…

Enjoy!
 

Taxi from Havensight —> Red Hook ferry = $10/pp (~$11/pp from Crown Bay);

 Red Hook ferry <—> Cruz Bay = $8.15/pp each way, taxi to Trunk =$6/pp, Cinnamon = $7/pp.

 

You can also take a nice island tour and then get dropped at a beach for ~$25/pp. That also eliminates the taxi cost to a beach, you just pay the return taxi to Cruz.

So the total cost from Havensight to a beach on STJ is ~$50/pp, ~$68 w/ the island tour…From Crown Bay add ~$2…

Where do we find information on the taxi tours?

[Ms411]

The taxis will be waiting when you get off the ferry on St John. They will ask if you want a group tour which usually is a 2 hour tour to various popular spots. It used to be $25 per person, but rates expected to increase "soon". You can ask to be dropped at a beach at the end of the tour and take another ferry back to the dock to return to St Thomas.

[blue_water]

Yes you will see the open-sided safari-type taxis lined-up waiting to whisk day visitors to beaches and other sights. As your taxi departs for a trunk and Cinnamon Bays, the driver will let you know that if you are interested in the tour you can just stay on the taxi as others get out at the beach.

When the tour is over you will be dropped at the beach, if you want, or back in Cruz Bay. Cruz is an excellent spot for shopping if time permits. St John Bracelet Company is a great place to buy a Hook bracelet.

 

Just allow a 1.5 - 2 hours from the Red Hook ferry terminal to your ship to be safe…

[JamesEM]

For this adventure I would book a tour with the cruise line, a tad more expensive but no stress.

[blue_water]

4 hours ago, JamesEM said:

For this adventure I would book a tour with the cruise line, a tad more expensive but no stress.

Actually in this port (like a few others) the transportation system is so reliable there is zero stress. And more importantly, you enjoy the freedom and flexibility that the ship excursion does not offer. The ship-sponsored excursion limits your time on STJ. The self-excursion to STJ is really a no-brainer… thousands do this and I have never seen one report of a day visitor missing the boat! Of course you must be able to tell time (☺️) and take the appropriate return ferry. But you shouldn’t need a guide for that…

 

There are times I too would recommend a cruise line excursion over a self-excursion, but this is definitely not one of those. Many will do it and there is nothing wrong with that. We did that on our first cruise here, we just didn’t have the helpful guidance from cc members then to guide us! 😉

[nagsheadbeachbum]

We have done this 2x in the past 10 years and plan to do it again on the Rotterdam in February.

In the past the taxi driver on St. Thomas had a buddy on St. John waiting for us and he took us to Trunk Bay and picked us up. He then called his St. Thomas buddy and told him what ferry we were on. He was waiting for us at Red Hook If you are cognizant of the time, this is definitely the way to go, as you can twice as much time on St. John vs the cruise excursion.  It's really easier than you think, plus the ferry ride is usually quite calm and pretty.

 

[Derbie]

On 9/9/2022 at 12:56 PM, nagsheadbeachbum said:

We have done this 2x in the past 10 years and plan to do it again on the Rotterdam in February.

In the past the taxi driver on St. Thomas had a buddy on St. John waiting for us and he took us to Trunk Bay and picked us up. He then called his St. Thomas buddy and told him what ferry we were on. He was waiting for us at Red Hook If you are cognizant of the time, this is definitely the way to go, as you can twice as much time on St. John vs the cruise excursion.  It's really easier than you think, plus the ferry ride is usually quite calm and pretty.

 

I just went back and read the description of both excursions a second time, and I may just try to do the taxi to the ferry; per, your "detailed" instructions.  ;0) The reviews complained it was too limited on time.  One person said they only got 90 mins total on the island.  I would like a little longer than this.  I think I strongly consider your recommendation!  There seemed very little difference in the two tours; except, for (I believe) where they drop you off in St. John.  Thanks so very much!

[blue_water]

It really is a “no-brainer”, and taxis are all lined up waiting to whisk everyone to the beach or on a tour. 😉
 

I would heartily recommend the island tour (North Shore) before heading to the beach, costs and more details are in posts 5 & 11.

enjoy!

[junglecat]

How long does the ferry take from St. Thomas to St. John?  We are only there from 8 to 4 sadly.  This is my dream stop on our 8 day cruise and one reason we booked it was due to St. Thomas/St. John.  It's for sure on my bucket list of stops.  I'm welcome to any and all suggestions.  Thank you in advance. 

[Ms411]

The ferry ride from Red Hook is about 20 minutes each way. The taxi to Red Hook may be 30 minutes. You should try to get off the ship as early as possible, because if you miss the ferry, you may have to waste an hour waiting for the next one.

[blue_water]

7 hours ago, junglecat said:

How long does the ferry take from St. Thomas to St. John?  We are only there from 8 to 4 sadly.  This is my dream stop on our 8 day cruise and one reason we booked it was due to St. Thomas/St. John.  It's for sure on my bucket list of stops.  I'm welcome to any and all suggestions.  Thank you in advance. 

Is a visit to STJ your first choice? Transportation there and back can eat up ~1.5 - 2 hours of your time. But if you make the 9AM ferry you would have 3 - 4 hours there depending on the return ferry you take (1 or 2PM). You’d definitely want to go on your own…actually you would be joining many others DIY’s who do that every visit!
 

STT offers beautiful beaches as well if you want to spend more of your time at the beach!

 

 

 

[Duanerice1]

Out of around 15 cruises, this is the only place we have ever taken a ship excursion.  We had a lot of OBC and they had the 'St John on your own'....  Got the boat right at the ship and it dropped us off right back at the boat.  I do not exactly remember how long we had but they dropped us off and we had to get a taxi to and from the beach. 

 

Agree that this is the one place you don't need to do it but the cost was cheap and it was pretty convenient. 

[dawnvan]

1 hour ago, Duanerice1 said:

Out of around 15 cruises, this is the only place we have ever taken a ship excursion.  We had a lot of OBC and they had the 'St John on your own'....  Got the boat right at the ship and it dropped us off right back at the boat.  I do not exactly remember how long we had but they dropped us off and we had to get a taxi to and from the beach. 

 

Agree that this is the one place you don't need to do it but the cost was cheap and it was pretty convenient. 

It isn’t even offer on our cruise for an excursion 

[Ms411]

I don't think the St John on Your Own excursion has been offered for the last few years. Honeymoon Beach rentals and refreshments has also closed. Maho now has the amenities Honeymoon had so that beach has become extremely popular.

[jean87510]

3 hours ago, Ms411 said:

I don't think the St John on Your Own excursion has been offered for the last few years. Honeymoon Beach rentals and refreshments has also closed. Maho now has the amenities Honeymoon had so that beach has become extremely popular.

Its offered on my December 2022 cruise on RCCL.  We are in St. Thomas 8a to 6p and have it as a 4 hr afternoon excursion 115 to 515.  So we are doing Magens bay first as we want to do the hiking trail, then back to ship to grab our snorkeling gear, then off to our excursion.  

[Ms411]

I'm pretty sure that excursion used to be longer, because 4 hours includes travel time there and back so you don't get much time on St John. The travel time from the ship to St John is approximately 45+ minutes each way unless they are using a faster boat than before.

[blue_water]

6 hours ago, Ms411 said:

I don't think the St John on Your Own excursion has been offered for the last few years. Honeymoon Beach rentals and refreshments has also closed. Maho now has the amenities Honeymoon had so that beach has become extremely popular.

That is a shame what has happened to Maho…It’s getting more difficult for residents and land visitors (and cruisers) to avoid the crowds as the cruise industry continues to expand…