Thinking about St. John and how to go

Hoglady ~ if you chose to go to Coral Bay, your taxi driver will most likely stay with you. We've done it on several occasions with groups of people. When we do this, we typically stop at Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay for lunch and invite the taxi driver to eat with us. It's a pretty long way to drive you there and then come back to get you and quite honestly, there isn't anywhere to "walk" in Coral Bay. You need to get from place to place in a vehicle and a taxi is the best way to do this unless you are comfortable with renting a jeep. There aren't sidewalks in Coral Bay and it isn't a 'walkable' town like Cruz Bay. Hope that makes sense.

OH, and to answer your question ~ yes, Coral Bay is doable in your time frame as long as you don't want to spend time lounging on a beach. You'll have time to stop and see beaches just not stay for any length of time. Any taxi can take you to Coral Bay, have lunch and then enjoy stops at the north shore beaches on your way back to the ferry dock.

ENJOY

38 pages of amazing info! After reading the whole thing we have decided to go alone on our upcoming visit.

RCCL offers and interesting alternative with a 6.5 hour trip that leaves from the pier, tours the park (beaches) by boat and then still gives you 3.5 hours on your own for only $40.00

But, the deciding factor was that our ship docks at 8 and the RCCL excursion only leaves at 10 AM. This will be our first stop arriving from Boston (3 sea days) and I know as soon as we dock I'll want to get off the ship.

Ultimately though, it will cost almost as much to go on our own and give us the same amount of time in St. John.

Again, thanks for all the useful info.

The RCL tour is a great option, you could shop Havensight for 1.5 hrs then take that tour.

Monica, for me you made the right decision. I love being on the water when we stay on st John for a week but not when we are there for a day on a cruise ship stop. I want to sit on the beach and enjoy the view from there. It is different. Plus you can come and go as you please and see what you want. If you are on Oasis or Allure you'd be docked at Crown Bay making shopping ay Havensight a bit more time consuming over docking at Havensight. Have a fantastic time.

Monica, for me you made the right decision. I love being on the water when we stay on st John for a week but not when we are there for a day on a cruise ship stop. I want to sit on the beach and enjoy the view from there. It is different. Plus you can come and go as you please and see what you want. If you are on Oasis or Allure you'd be docked at Crown Bay making shopping ay Havensight a bit more time consuming over docking at Havensight. Have a fantastic time.

I have to say we're lovin' the water whenever we are in the islands (even in the USVI). I would definitely go with the tour that stops at different spots for the variety, especially on a cruise stop. What a great way to enjoy a coastal view of STJ and a couple different gorgeous beaches as well? Spend more time in each bay when you return for a week stay.

If docked in Crown obviously shopping at Havensight is not convenient.

Enjoy your day, and if you do decide to return for a real visit consider splitting your time between the BVI and STJ for the gorgeous beaches and different vibe in the BVI.

It has now been a week since we returned from our week long stay on St Johns.

We stayed at the Westin. We had beachside rooms so had a wonderful view of the beach.

While the beach isn't quite as nice as the other beaches on the island (it had sea weed), but it is adequate. I like being able to able hit the water in the early evening when it cooled down with a beer in my hand.

They had float mats which were free, but you had to sign for them and if you didn't return them before 5pm there was a 5 or 10 dollar late charge. There was a sign saying you weren't allowed to take them off-property, but I a can not see how they could enforce it.

We rented a jeep for the most of the week. It wasn't too hard to remember about staying on the left.

One day we went to Cinnamon Bay. We went to the left, after settling in and walking the beach, decided we should have gone to the right past the point. The left had rock but not too many.

About a week before our trip I remembered to send an email for reservations at Zozo's at the bar. We were able to secure them. Although we didn't have reservations until 6pm we arrived at 5:30. Walked around the ground a bit and then headed to the restaurant. They don't seem to reserve particular seats at the bar, it was first com/first serve. They just ask you to not leave an odd seat between you and others. Since we were first, we chose the seats next to the railing.

The bartender was amazing, very friendly and accommodating. I know he has some fans on this board. Unless something change in the last week and half, his last day working was last night.

We started with the bruschetta of the day, which was steak, caramelized onions and cheese. It was very good, and several other people that arrived ordered it based on our recommendation. For our entrees, I ordered the stuffed pork chop. It was good, but a little overcooked. I can understand this as the cook needs to make sure the stuffing is cooked/melted. The white bean/hot andouli sausage was great. My wife had the shrimp and risotto. It was fantastic. For desert we split a flan servered with a fruit sauce. By the description we weren't sure if it was a flan or cream brulle, but Carlos filled us in. It was decent. The nice thing was we started to chat with the couple seating next to us. Compared notes etc. All in all a great night.

Realized the first post was getting long so decide to break it up.

Another night we ate at the Fishtrap. We started with conch fritters which were good. I had the grilled fish of the day (mahi) while my wife had fish creole. I think my wife's choice was better. A couple of times we at Margaritta Phil's. The first time, the bartender/server working that day was a bit ditzy, but we got through. The next time the bartender/server (different from the first time), was good. The potions are large, I could only eat half of mine. Although they list enchiladas and burritos separately, I could not tell much difference as both were smothered with with cheese sauce. I can only imagine the calories. The food was good though.

We also stopped by the Tap room a couple of times, the first time just for drinks. We happened to hit it during happy hour, where wine was $1 off the normal price at just $6 a glass. The pours were good. This was the bargain of the week. Anywhere else you were talking mininum $10/glass of wine. The second time we stopped, we split a order of hummus and my wife had the pulled pork sandwich. Both were good.

Also, the tap room sells 6 packs of beer to go for $8. At the Starfish Market they go for $10. Speaking of which. We stopped there several times to buy wine and canned beer. The hotel room had mini refrigerator to keep our drinks cold. Definitely cheaper than buying that type of stuff at the deli at the hotel. We also bought prepared sandwiches and chips for the beach.

When we picked up the jeep on Tuesday we headed out to explore the island. First stop was the NPS visitor center to pick up maps as I forgotten the one I had ordered at home. We found the free map was next to useless in regards to the trails, so purchased a better one for $2.50. Headed out on route 20, stopping at various overlooks and beaches. At Cinnamon Bay we took the Cinnamon Bay loop trail. They have various signs explaining the buildings and some of the plants. We thought it was time well spent.

We also hiked up to the Windmill etc.

Eventually we ended up at Coral Bay. We stopped at Island Blues for some snacks and drinks. We ordered Edamame and conch fritters. The edamame was different, they fixed them with soy sauce, sesame seeds, and sea salt. Plus there was a little spiciness. Very good, and something I need to try fix at hope. The other reason why we stopped here was because they had free wifi. The hotel includes internet access with the resort fee but our Nook couldn't log into it. It had issues at Island Blues so we were able to download some more reading material. If we had more time, I would have liked to go back.

This is it for things that may be of interest to cruise passengers stopping for a day (although I guess zozo's isn't appicable :)

I want to thank everyone here, that gave me pointers for our stay on St Johns. It gave me a good starting point on things to do, places to eat, etc. I am not a commando type planned but you guys made me look good in my wife's eyes as I had some of the details worked with an overall idea agenda.

Thanks for your posts and for the details, my wife and I enjoyed reading them!

Wondering if any recent visitors to St. John have taken one of the 2 hour taxi tours that are advertised on the St. John web site?

Any tips or suggestions?

THere will be six of us visiting via Carnival Dream in Oct. and not all will want a tour so I am thinking we can split up once we reach St. John.

Some will hit the beach and a couple will be interested in an island tour.

Thanks

Susan

Gatour ~ thanks so much for the review. Loved reading about your adventures. Yes, sadly the bartender and his wife are moving back stateside because their daughter is about to start school and they wanted her to do so back home. He was awesome. Guess we were lucky because they did reserve specific seats at the bar for us. There were even little "reserved" signs one the ber for us. Glad you had such a good time.

Hogladyrider ~ I have taken lots of friends on the island tour. No need to book anything. There will be lots of safari taxis waiting to give island tours. They even will be willing to drop some of you at a beach and then continue on touring with the rest of your group. Simply tell them who wants to do what and they will likely be happy to accommodate. Enjoy!

Wondering if any recent visitors to St. John have taken one of the 2 hour taxi tours that are advertised on the St. John web site?

 

Any tips or suggestions?

 

THere will be six of us visiting via Carnival Dream in Oct. and not all will want a tour so I am thinking we can split up once we reach St. John.

 

Some will hit the beach and a couple will be interested in an island tour.

 

Thanks

Susan

Just enjoy the tour the driver provides, they know the island more than anyone on this siite. Have a great day and report back!

Just to clarify, we did not have an issue in getting the Nook to log in at Blue Island or the Tap Room. The only issue was at the hotel, which is not uncommon for the Nook and hotels and is only relevant if you are trying to buy a book.

Now for some more stories.

On the around the island drive I took with my wife, we also stopped at the trailhead for the St Francis trail. This is the end that you take a paved road to a parking lot. (This is an important point).

Walked up the trail that passes by a ruined house and past a saltpond. Ended up at Francis Bay. Very beautiful.

There was a boardwalk of to the side. We followed it part of the way, which passed by the other side of the salt pond. At a certain point we decided to head back because I wasn't quite sure what the end point was and what we would see.

Now fast forward 24 hours when I took my photography tour. Ended up at the same parking lot/beach. Took photographs. As I was driving off, I noticed a gravel road off to the right. It would be to the left as you entered the paved parking area. Decided that since I have gotten use to the jeep/4wd/using 1st gear, lets be adventurous.

Took the turn, fairly uneventful, and ended up at another parking spot at St Francis Bay. This is where the Boardwalk that I mentioned above ends up.

Beautiful Beach!!! If I wasn't on a mission and didn't have to meet up with my wife by noon-ish/early afternoon, I would have just plopped my self down there for an hour or so after taking my photographs.

While turning onto the gravel road to Francis Bay, I had noticed yet another gravel road with a sign saying it is the way to Maho Bay Campground. As I was leaving the Francis Bay, I decided what the heck, lets head to the Campground.

I immediately knew that I was in for a new experience as the road was not only gravely it was going up a "mountain" at least a mountain to this Florida boy's eyes. The only reassuring thing was that there seemed to be "villas" of to the sides where there were Jeeps like the one I was in, parked. If they could get up there I could, besides there didn't seem to be any place to turn around. :)

Anyway, proceeded up the "mountain", while noticing the road was barely two vehicle wide and in a few places 1 1/2 vehicle wide...

After the above observation, I encountered a jitney heading down the mountain. On one hand, reassuring, if a jitney bus can get up and down this road, then I should be able to. On the other hand, what do I do to keep from looking like a doofus in the eyes of the jitney driver. I channeled all of my past jitney bus rides I have taken to Trunk Bay, and jitney bus tours around St Johns and pulled my Jeep to as far left as I could. Left mirror was scrapping the trees/bush on the hillside.

The jitney driver passed by, without a word or horn, so I like to think I did good.

Eventually did get to the Campground, but also started to wonder if had bit off more I could chew. The parking area was fairly full, so decided to head back down the mountain. Why push luck. ;)

Got down uneventfully, no other vehicles, jitneys or otherwise.

Headed off to Coral Bay, with the vague plan to find Skinny Legs. I wasn't planning on stopping, but just in case I could convince my wife to be a designated driver later in the week, it would be nice to know how to tell her how to get there.

Found it. But didn't get back to it on this trip.

However, I decided to press forward on the "10". I am now on a mission, "where does the "10" end on the east end?" I found that the switchbacks on the "20" and the hills are pikers compared to this portion of the "10".

On the "20" there are two switch backs where you need to peer through the trees to the other side to decide if you can go wide into the on-coming lane to go through the switch back. On the east end there are several of these situations. Also there is cresting hills. Between the Westin and town there is one hill where you crest a hill but you can't quite see down the other side. You know there is a curve somewhere down the hill but you are not sure if it is close to the top, in the middle, or near the bottom. You eventually learn it. However on the east end there are several more and the road isn't quite as nice.

Since you are reading this, you know I survived this and made it to mile point 12.8 and back. :)

Thanks for the vivid report, makes me miss Tortola! :D

After spending several hours reading this thread, I think we can make the St. John's experience happen on our own! However, I am still deciding which beach would be best.

My husband and I will be traveling with our two boys age 8 and 10 and Grandma age 68. We would definately want a beach with restrooms and food so I think it is Trunk Bay or Cinnamon. Should we try Trunk Bay first since we have never been to St. John?:confused:

We will be there in January on the Victory with two other ships in port (about 10,000 total passengers)

Thanks to everyone for all the info posted in this thread!

I have only done St John on our own once, in 2010 with 10,000 passengers in port and we arrived early something like 8-5 was our port time.

We were up and off the ship early and went to Trunk for the day. We had the beach to ourselves until closert to noon around 2 pm it got a little crowded but no more so than an average beach day at home.

We were ready to head back to the ship anyway and all it all it was a lovely day.

We did the snorkel trail at Trunk, we brought our own gear, although they do rent gear there.

Bring cash and be prepared for high prices...I think this year when we do St. John on our own we are going to smuggle some deli sandwiches with us off the ship. I bring an insulated cooler bag as a carryon with me each cruise.

The water is like no other I have every been to absolutely gorgeous.

You will love it!

Fizzgigd,

After going to Trunk Bay many times in the past, and Cinnamon Bay on my recent trip, I would recommend Cinnamon Bay. I think it is just as nice as Trunk Bay, esp. if you head to the right past the point after reaching the beach. Also keep in my mind Trunk Bay charges a $4/person entry fee.

After spending several hours reading this thread, I think we can make the St. John's experience happen on our own! However, I am still deciding which beach would be best.

 

My husband and I will be traveling with our two boys age 8 and 10 and Grandma age 68. We would definately want a beach with restrooms and food so I think it is Trunk Bay or Cinnamon. Should we try Trunk Bay first since we have never been to St. John?:confused:

 

We will be there in January on the Victory with two other ships in port (about 10,000 total passengers)

 

Thanks to everyone for all the info posted in this thread!

I would head for Trunk if you want to be where the majority of your shipmates will be. If you want less of a crowd do Cinnamon. You have to make that choice.

Do get the earliest ferry from Red Hook you can. I would head out of the dock area and find a driver that will go directly to Red Hook rather than Coki and Sapphire first, that can save you alot of time. If there's a long line at the ferry get your ferry pass quickly while another in your party gets a spot in line. Leaves on the hour.

Thanks for the quick replies! Cruise critic is such a great place with very generous people!

Thanks for the quick replies! Cruise critic is such a great place with very generous people!

Have a great time in St John and at the beach there. It is very easy to do and you can really play follow the leader. You will see many passengers head for the taxis and they all go to the ferry docks. Once there, the people who work for the ferries know that you will need the ticket and the transfer to the beaches. The same open air taxis are available for the return trip.

It's really not much of a challenge as it is an inconvenience (taxi to ferry to transfer taxi) to get there. Most of us who do it, believe it's worth it because it is so much nicer and more pleasant than St Thomas.

We are doing a day sail in April from Red Hook to St John. It costs a bit more. But, being on the Allure, we only have two real port days and the other day is a taxi to the beach in St Martin. So we're spending a little more ($130 per person) to do it very casually.

Thanks for the quick replies! Cruise critic is such a great place with very generous people!

Do return for a longer stay someday, the proximity of the USVI to the BVI iis great and the convenient ferry service makes this a great area to spend a week or two. ST John is less busy that St Thomas but it still has that "Americanized" vibe, so splitting time between Tortola or Virgin Gorda and STT or STJ is a nice contrast.

Do enjoy your cruise!

Question for my St. John experts. I was planning on going to St. John till I saw 7 ships in port including the Oasis and Dream. Something like 22k people!!! WOW!!!

The one good thing is we have a later arrival 11-7pm, is it worth the risk to see St john?

Thanks in advance!

I am not an expert but in my opinion you would be fine, there is no mote "risk" in this excursion than another. The later arrival works in your favor IF the other ships are not also arriving later. The only decision is ship-sponsored or doing it on your own. If you want a no-brainer experiemce book one of the excellent excursions through the ship that depart from your dock and tour the coast and beaches of STJ. For more flexibility and "adventure" do it on ypur own by taking a taxi to Red Hook and ferrying over.

Enjoy your day, St John is beautiful.