Best way to Trunk Bay?

[katleigh3]

Hi all...we will be docking in St. Thomas next week and since we have both been there twice before, we've decided to go to Trunk Bay. We were wondering the best way to get to Trunk Bay without taking a ship excursion. Basically I'm trying to figure out where to go when we get off the ship and how much should we expect to pay?

 

As always...thanks for your responses cruise criticers...:)

[kruisin' kim]

Hey Katleigh

My friend and I will be on the same cruise and plan to do the same thing. I went 6 years ago and took a ship excursion. This time we plan on doing it on our own. If my memory serves me right, we got off the ship in Charlotte-Amalie and walked right to the ferry. It was about a 40 minute boat ride. In St John, we got on an "open-air" "bus". Everything I read here says to take cab to Red Hook and take that ferry to St. John. So I kinda have the same question as you....can anyone comment on this?

Kim

[piratefan]

This is our first cruise and have rented a car (Avis) for $50.00 in St Thomas so that we could take the ferry over to St John to Trunk Bay. Thought it would save $$ plus to be able to kinda do our on thing. I just hope its worth the hassel of not knowing where the heck we are going. It was my idea to rent the car so you know if it turns out to be a nightmare ...getting lost,trying to drive on the left side of the road etc it will be ALL my fault. I was looking at one of the ships exursions that takes a sail boat over to St John including food and drinks for $89.00. Because this is our first and I have'nt read anything positive about the cruise excursions I'm not sure it would be worth the money. Has anyone done this excursions or rented a car in St Thomas??Please let me know..Thanks

Linda

[richtersl]

There are a number of posts on this board that explain how to get to Trunk Bay, which is on St. John. You have a few options and the best way to cover them is to use the Search link on this forum.

 

Basically you need to get to St. John via ferry. There are two ferries that run between St. Thomas and St. John. The one that runs more frequently is the one that leaves from Red Hook. You have two transportation options to get to Red Hook: either taxi cab or the dollar bus ride. From the ferry dock on St. John you have to use a cab to get to Trunk Bay.

 

Trunk Bay is definitely doable on your own and well worth it.

[kittymom65]

If you click on my Mariner review in my signature, and scroll down to Wednesday 2/7/07 St. Thomas, I give some pretty detailed directions and prices for getting to and from Trunk Bay.

Hope it helps.

[MiniMom57]

Taxi from the ship to Red Hook = $10/person each way

 

Ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, St. John = $5/person each way (1st one leaves Red Hook at 9am)

 

Taxi from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay = $6/person each way

 

Admission to Trunk Bay = $4/person (snorkel equip = $4/person; chair = $8 each; $100 security deposit on credit card)

[CruisinKat]

PIRATEFAN.....Are you planning to bring your rental car over to St. John's? I, myself, am not sure if the ferry carries cars. If not, I would not rent a car. There are plenty of cabs at the pier that can take you to Red Hook, where you can catch the ferry over to St. John's then cab it over to Trunk Bay. This is the most popular way to get to St. John's. It's a shorter ride and more frequent trips over to the island. There is a ferry ride from the pier where the ships dock, but, I think it's not as frequent and it's a 40 minute ride over. I'd say your ride from the pier to Red Hook (depending on traffic) is about a 20 minute ride.

Since it's your first time in St. Thomas, I wanted to let you know that you don't have to go through the hassle, time or cost of a rental car. Plus, driving can get tedious for one who's not used to driving on the left. But, by simply driving the rental to Red Hook, it is not worth the cost. From what I remember, Red Hook is not a large area and parking your rental may be a hassle, as well.

Hope this helps!!!:)

Cruisinkat

[jayjayp]

This is our most favorite; we always take the "bus" to Red Hook, the bus stop is across from K-Mart about a 1/2 mile walk. We love to take a whenever we can, gives us a chance to meet some local people. Richtersl is correct; when you get to St. John you need to take a taxi to Trunk Bay. If you tell your taxi driver how long you are going to be there he will come back to pick you up. Have a great time—Trunk Bay is a beautiful beach

[katleigh3]

You all are so helpful! I knew I could count on you guys! ;)

 

I've been so busy at work wrapping up the week getting ready for a nice long week vacation. We are driving from NY to the pier in FLA...so we are leaving tomorrow. All packed and ready to go!

 

Thanks again everyone! Always much appreciated! :)

[wrp96]

PIRATEFAN.....Are you planning to bring your rental car over to St. John's? I, myself, am not sure if the ferry carries cars. If not, I would not rent a car. There are plenty of cabs at the pier that can take you to Red Hook, where you can catch the ferry over to St. John's then cab it over to Trunk Bay. This is the most popular way to get to St. John's. It's a shorter ride and more frequent trips over to the island. There is a ferry ride from the pier where the ships dock, but, I think it's not as frequent and it's a 40 minute ride over. I'd say your ride from the pier to Red Hook (depending on traffic) is about a 20 minute ride.

 

Since it's your first time in St. Thomas, I wanted to let you know that you don't have to go through the hassle, time or cost of a rental car. Plus, driving can get tedious for one who's not used to driving on the left.

 

There is a car ferry to and from St. John. http://www.st-john.com/ The one thing is it is $35 plus it takes about 40 minutes each way (double the time of the passenger ferry).

 

With the car rental and the cost of the car ferry, they won't be saving any money. But it will be possible.

[caribbean dreams]

Taxi from the ship to Red Hook = $10/person each way

 

Ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, St. John = $5/person each way (1st one leaves Red Hook at 9am)

 

Taxi from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay = $6/person each way

 

Admission to Trunk Bay = $4/person (snorkel equip = $4/person; chair = $8 each; $100 security deposit on credit card)

 

If the ship docks at 7am, you can get to RedHook by 7:30, (provided you don't have to go thru customs) the next ferry to leave will be 8, you will get to Trunk bay well before 9am, There is no admission charge before 9.

we have always taken the 8am ferry over and have never had to pay an admission fee.

Our last driver to redhook (2 mo ago) charged us 8pp.

 

on the way back we take the Charlotte-Amalie ferry back, the price was 10pp so we saved a few $'s by not having to take the taxi back to the ship, once we were off the ferry, we just walked back to the ship.

total cost was $35 per person.

[caribbean dreams]

This is our first cruise and have rented a car (Avis) for $50.00 in St Thomas so that we could take the ferry over to St John to Trunk Bay.

 

There is a ferry for autos but have you checked out how much the price is to ferry the car over to St. John & back??

 

Check out my post right above this one, it is possible to get to Trunk alot cheaper.

[CaribbeanBound]

jayjayp is right on the money.

 

St. John, US Virgin Islands

We berthed at Havensight Pier in St. Thomas. Our destination was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Despite what everyone at the pier will tell you (and they will lie to you), you can get local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John. Simply walk out of the Havensight pier main gate, cross the street, turn left and walk until you get to the Bus Stop (there is a pullover area) across from K-Mart and cross the street so that you are standing on the K-Mart side of the street. It is a leisurely 15-minute level walk. When you see an open-air taxi drive up, flag him down, tell him where you wish to go and enjoy the trip. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way depending upon traffic. The taxi will drop you off at the Red Hook ferry terminal. Pay upon exiting the taxi, go through the gates and hop on the ferry to St. John. We caught the 8:00am ferry and paid our $5.00/pp fare. Normally, you would pay at the booth prior to boarding. The very pretty ride across the bay runs about 15 minutes.

 

Upon arrival at Cruz Bay, St. John, we caught a 10-minute taxi ride ($6.00/pp) to Trunk Bay, stopping once along the way to take pictures of Trunk Bay from a picturesque spot along the road. We arrived at 8:30am which allowed us to get in free. Once the admission booth opens, it costs $4.00/pp to enter this beautiful white sand beach with clear waters, awesome views of islands and cays, nice facilities, and an underwater snorkeling trail. The snorkeling trail can be found on the right hand side of the beach. It begins on the far side of the little island and works its way around the island and ends on the closer side. The snorkeling is very good, with lots of fish and colorful coral. Including the four of us, there was a total of 7 people enjoying this beach from 8:30am to 10:15am when larger groups began arriving —– at which time we left and caught a $4/pp taxi for Cinnamon Bay. (Trunk Bay is now one of our top three Caribbean beaches).

 

Cinnamon Bay is part of a campground with good facilities, snorkeling equipment rentals, and kayak rentals. The beach is not as pretty as Trunk Bay but offers good snorkeling as well. Sea Turtles can be spotted here in the middle of the bay feeding on the sea grass, but we did not spot any this trip. We caught a taxi back to Cruz Bay ($7/pp) at 11:40am. We just missed the noon ferry so we ate lunch at High Tide Bar and Grill adjacent to the pier. We enjoyed the Virgin Island Pale Ale (a fruity beer made for distribution in St. John by a brewery in Maine), and especially liked the sweet mango salsa which accompanies the chips and salsa appetizer. We shopped until 1:45pm and bought tickets for the 2:00pm ferry, which was 30 minutes late arriving. A very large crowd anxiously waited in a long line in the hot sun on the pier. There was no problem getting everyone on the ferry. We arrived back in Red Hook at 2:40pm. Ignore the $7/pp taxis and wait for a $2.00 taxi again EXACTLY where it dropped you off. (Do not cross the street). We got dropped off a couple blocks closer to Havensight than the K-Mart where we picked up the taxi. St. Thomas is a major shopping destination. Havensight has a large number of shops convenient to the ship, however, the real shoppers head into Charlotte Amalie to do their shopping. It is very easy to get to St. John from the ship. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.

 

 

More of our Secrets of the Caribbean...

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

[scher]

If your ship docks in Charlotte Amalie you might as well take the ferry from there. I would check the time scheduale. If it docks in Havensight you might as well get the shorter ferry ride from Red Hook.

[piratefan]

Thanks a million. Gonna ditch the rental car, print your instructions and save money and avoid a hassel. Thanks again. Almost forgot...is there anywhere at Trunk Bay to get a bite to eat or drink. Crazy question, we will be there Oct 29th (Destiny),will it be extremely hot there then??

[scher]

Thanks a million. Gonna ditch the rental car, print your instructions and save money and avoid a hassel. Thanks again. Almost forgot...is there anywhere at Trunk Bay to get a bite to eat or drink. Crazy question, we will be there Oct 29th (Destiny),will it be extremely hot there then??

There is a stand there for some snacks burgers, chicken sandwhich and such.....be careful the women that works it needs a vacation on a nice island.LOL

[caribbean dreams]

There is a stand there for some snacks burgers, chicken sandwhich and such.....be careful the women that works it needs a vacation on a nice island.LOL

 

 

Forget the women...watch out for the seaguls:eek:

they'll land on your head and grab your burger right out of your hands.

[scher]

Forget the women...watch out for the seaguls:eek:

they'll land on your head and grab your burger right out of your hands.

We did not have bird issue just a **** hamberger lady