St John Ferry dependable?

Hi. We are going to St Thomas on Nov. 3, 2015. We are thinking of going out of our comfort zone, and doing St. John on our own. We usually do ships tours, or do not wonder too far from the port. It sounds pretty easy and straight forward to do, from what I have read, but has anyone ever encountered a problem getting back from St. John's to St. Thomas, because of seas or weather, and ferries being cancelled? That is our main concern and just wondering if it has ever happened to anyone. Thanks, in advance, for any help and info. :D

People use the ferry to go back & forth to work, grocery shop, go to the Dr. etc, everyday. When I lived on St Thomas I took it too many times to count.

The ferry is very reliable. Weather can shut them down, but if the storm is looking that bad, Your ship won't be docking at St Thomas, like this past week.

Do take a ferry at least 2 hours before departure, in case the odd problem crops up.

Thank you HarpHarp. :) I guess we could just keep an eye on the weather while over there. If things start to change, we could head back early.

A little rain won't stop the ferry & Pillsbury sound is relatively calm.

No worries about getting stuck on St John. Again, I would expect that if a tropical storm is moving in, unlikely in Nov., you would be rerouted.

There is the occasional brief shower, but the area is 80+ degrees & sunny 90% of the time.

I'll be there 2 weeks after you, & I'm trying to figure if I want to head there myself. Enjoy, it is truly paradise.

Try Cinnamon or Salt Pond if Trunk bay is crowded. Check out what the park rangers are doing that day. They do some outstanding programs.

Well, you have definitely helped with us feeling secure about venturing over to St. John, HarpHarp. We have been to St. Thomas so much, that we are so looking forward to visiting St. John. We have heard that it is truly paradise. We were planning on going straight to Cinnamon, to avoid the crowds that will probably be at Trunk Bay. I think there are 3 ships in port that day. How do we check into what the Park Rangers are doing that day?? That sounds like something we would be interested in. :)

Well, you have definitely helped with us feeling secure about venturing over to St. John, HarpHarp. We have been to St. Thomas so much, that we are so looking forward to visiting St. John. We have heard that it is truly paradise. We were planning on going straight to Cinnamon, to avoid the crowds that will probably be at Trunk Bay. I think there are 3 ships in port that day. How do we check into what the Park Rangers are doing that day?? That sounds like something we would be interested in. :)

Here is the park web site:

http://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm

If you click on the calendar link on the right, today's listings & a search by date function come up.

Thank you for the link HarpHarp. I will definitely keep an eye on it. :D

Be sure to take the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay (not the Charlotte Amalie ferry). We've made this trip off of a cruise ship many times without a problem and I've recommended it to many other Cruise Critic members. The Red Hook-Cruz Bay ferries are very reliable. In fact, when we were there last May for a week's vacation, when the 3:00 PM ferry was oversold, they brought another ferry for the remaining passengers. I didn't know they did that and I certainly wouldn't count on them doing that but it was a nice gesture.

Enjoy your day! There's no better place!

I would look in to a day trip excursion sponsored by the cruise line. We have done this twice. Usually called a St John On Your Own or St John Shopping Tour. They will get you to Cruz Bay on St John directly from the cruise port. Then as long as you get back on the ferry by the specified time you will be on the ship. This won't cost much more than free styling it on your own and would be less hassle. Though you might get about an hour less on St John with a ship sponsored excursion.

Consider that if you want to take the ferry from Red Hook, you have to pay for a taxi to get there. Taxis in the USVI are not cheap and fares are per person and not always easily negotiable. Traffic can also be unpredictable on St Thomas.

The taxi fare to Red Hook might be over $10 per person. Count that at $20 round trip per person. Round trip on the ferry on is then $14 per person. So you are already at $34 per persons just free styling it. I think we paid $39 for a St John on your own tour on Carnival and they picked us up a dock on the same pier as the ship. Literally a three minute walk.

I don't normally advocate for ship sponsored excursions, but I think St John is an exception.

Be sure to take the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay (not the Charlotte Amalie ferry). We've made this trip off of a cruise ship many times without a problem and I've recommended it to many other Cruise Critic members. The Red Hook-Cruz Bay ferries are very reliable. In fact, when we were there last May for a week's vacation, when the 3:00 PM ferry was oversold, they brought another ferry for the remaining passengers. I didn't know they did that and I certainly wouldn't count on them doing that but it was a nice gesture.

 

Enjoy your day! There's no better place!

Thank you, Anne. We will most definitely do the Red Hook ferry. I have seen several of your posts recommending that. Would feel much safer. If we dock at Crown Bay, we may feel a little more comfortable with doing it on our own. If we are at Havensight, we know the traffic in the afternoon can be very heavy. I hope we can be brave and go for it. LOL

I would look in to a day trip excursion sponsored by the cruise line. We have done this twice. Usually called a St John On Your Own or St John Shopping Tour. They will get you to Cruz Bay on St John directly from the cruise port. Then as long as you get back on the ferry by the specified time you will be on the ship. This won't cost much more than free styling it on your own and would be less hassle. Though you might get about an hour less on St John with a ship sponsored excursion.

 

Consider that if you want to take the ferry from Red Hook, you have to pay for a taxi to get there. Taxis in the USVI are not cheap and fares are per person and not always easily negotiable. Traffic can also be unpredictable on St Thomas.

 

The taxi fare to Red Hook might be over $10 per person. Count that at $20 round trip per person. Round trip on the ferry on is then $14 per person. So you are already at $34 per persons just free styling it. I think we paid $39 for a St John on your own tour on Carnival and they picked us up a dock on the same pier as the ship. Literally a three minute walk.

 

I don't normally advocate for ship sponsored excursions, but I think St John is an exception.

Thank you, Dioxide45. Lots to think about. So out of our comfort zone to go on our own, this far away from port. LOL We have to go back and review the ships tours. I did see an "on your own", but I think there was a big time difference of the time we could spend on St. John. Especially, if we are able to catch the first ferry. We will have to go back and check to see if the time difference out weighs the comfort of not worrying about getting back to St. Thomas. We have seen the traffic in St. Thomas late afternoon. I guess it would also depend on where we dock.

I went back and looked at the cost of our Self Explore St John tour through Celebrity and it was $35.75.

It would all depend on the amount of time you can spend in St John. We had enough time to go to Trunk Bay and snorkel. Then we went to Cinnamon Bay and there we hired a taxi driver to take us on a tour of St John. Got us back to Cruz bay with enough time to grab some ice cream as a small shop in town and then hop back on the ferry to go back to St Thomas.

Thank you, Dioxide45. Lots to think about. So out of our comfort zone to go on our own, this far away from port. LOL We have to go back and review the ships tours. I did see an "on your own", but I think there was a big time difference of the time we could spend on St. John. Especially, if we are able to catch the first ferry. We will have to go back and check to see if the time difference out weighs the comfort of not worrying about getting back to St. Thomas. We have seen the traffic in St. Thomas late afternoon. I guess it would also depend on where we dock.

We were very nervous the first time we tried this too. After doing it 4 times we are so used to being first off the ship when we dock. Grab a taxi to Red Hook and always link up with others who are doing the same. Every time we have done this we meet up with really cool people that we enjoy part of the experience with. I would highly recommend! Last trip was so-so weather and still a blast

Be sure to take the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay (not the Charlotte Amalie ferry). We've made this trip off of a cruise ship many times without a problem and I've recommended it to many other Cruise Critic members. The Red Hook-Cruz Bay ferries are very reliable. In fact, when we were there last May for a week's vacation, when the 3:00 PM ferry was oversold, they brought another ferry for the remaining passengers. I didn't know they did that and I certainly wouldn't count on them doing that but it was a nice gesture.

 

Enjoy your day! There's no better place!

Second Anne's opinion. Unless there is a tropical storm, the ferry to STJ will be running on time. Grab a taxi to RH and then the ferry to STJ. Ferry and Taxi tickets are cash only!

Once on St John's are taxis easy to come by? Specially, are there taxi stands at the major beaches? I have a fear of going out to a beach and not being able to get a taxi back.

This actually happened to me in Grand Cayman, I had to take the local's bus back to town (thankfully that was an option, and ended up being free because they didn't have American change and I didn't have small bills, the driver told me to not worry about it).

Once on St John's are taxis easy to come by? Specially, are there taxi stands at the major beaches? I have a fear of going out to a beach and not being able to get a taxi back.

 

This actually happened to me in Grand Cayman, I had to take the local's bus back to town (thankfully that was an option, and ended up being free because they didn't have American change and I didn't have small bills, the driver told me to not worry about it).

Taxis are plentiful. However, you might want to ask the driver that takes you there if they can come back and pick you up at a certain time. They will show back up if you arrange for it. However, the major beaches will have lots of taxis just sitting there waiting.

You'll find several threads on going on your own to STJ and it is very easy and safe and the ferries are very dependable, no worries! You will definitely be going out of your comfort zone if you usually stay near the port and take ship excursions. But you will enjoy the freedom and flexibility of being on your own. You'll meet others on the taxi to Red Hook and on the ferry who have done this several times. Try to get in the ferry line early and get a seat on top weather permitting.

You can take a great island tour for ~$25pp then enjoy Trunk or Cinnamon Bay, and perhaps shop Cruz Bay and have a nice lunch. Cruz Bay is much less crowded than Charlotte Amalie and there are several nice shops there.

And extra ferries are in place at peak times to assure reliable departures.

Can someone advise the closest spot to pick up a taxi at the pier in St. Thomas? We want to get on the earliest ferry possible, so don't want to be wandering around or going the wrong way when looking for a taxi.

I see you mention a Carnival excursion called "on your own" My Carnival cruise is in two weeks and there is still no excursion titled "on your own". There is an excursion to St John and Trunk bay but it is $80 per person. I wasn't sure if there would be another one available on the ship, as I really would like to do it on my own, but would prefer the reliability of going on a ships tour

I see you mention a Carnival excursion called "on your own" My Carnival cruise is in two weeks and there is still no excursion titled "on your own". There is an excursion to St John and Trunk bay but it is $80 per person. I wasn't sure if there would be another one available on the ship, as I really would like to do it on my own, but would prefer the reliability of going on a ships tour

I looked at this thread as well but noticed most posts are from 2015 so I am sure there is a price difference. We are on Ncl this week and their tour is about $89

I see you mention a Carnival excursion called "on your own" My Carnival cruise is in two weeks and there is still no excursion titled "on your own". There is an excursion to St John and Trunk bay but it is $80 per person. I wasn't sure if there would be another one available on the ship, as I really would like to do it on my own, but would prefer the reliability of going on a ships tour

If you really want to do it on your own there is no reason not to. The taxis and ferries are extremely reliable and do this everyday. If you go through the ship you will be in a queue when you disembark and then ferry 45 minutes from the cruise dock to STJ through rougher waters. If you go on your own you taxi to Red Hook for 20 - 25 minutes then ferry for 15 minutes to STJ through typically much calmer water.

If you can keep track of time on your own there is no benefit to going through the ship. The cost to go to a beach on STJ on your own is about $48pp from Havensight and a few more $ from Crown and is just st a more enjoyable experience IMHO. Ferries run on the hour in both directions so if you dock at 7AM you'll easily make the 8 AM ferry to Cruz Bay. And if your ship leaves at 5PM you'd want the 3PM ferry back from STJ at the latest, and the 2PM to be safer.

It's nice to have more than one option, and the self-excursion is very safe and worry-free if you want to try that! :)

[EDIT] You can also add an island tour on STJ for about $25pp then get dropped at Trunk Bay. The taxi drivers will give you that option when you arrive or after you board the taxi to the beach, and the total cost with the tour is about $56 - $58. So a nice day at a very reasonable price.

If you really want to do it on your own there is no reason not to. The taxis and ferries are extremely reliable and do this everyday. If you go through the ship you will be in a queue when you disembark and then ferry 45 minutes from the cruise dock to STJ through rougher waters. If you go on your own you taxi to Red Hook for 20 - 25 minutes then ferry for 15 minutes to STJ through typically much calmer water.

 

If you can keep track of time on your own there is no benefit to going through the ship. The cost to go to a beach on STJ on your own is about $48pp from Havensight and a few more $ from Crown and is just st a more enjoyable experience IMHO. Ferries run on the hour in both directions so if you dock at 7AM you'll easily make the 8 AM ferry to Cruz Bay. And if your ship leaves at 5PM you'd want the 3PM ferry back from STJ at the latest, and the 2PM to be safer.

 

It's nice to have more than one option, and the self-excursion is very safe and worry-free if you want to try that! :)

 

 

[EDIT] You can also add an island tour on STJ for about $25pp then get dropped at Trunk Bay. The taxi drivers will give you that option when you arrive or after you board the taxi to the beach, and the total cost with the tour is about $56 - $58. So a nice day at a very reasonable price.

Thanks for the updated info :) Appreciate it

If you really want to do it on your own there is no reason not to. The taxis and ferries are extremely reliable and do this everyday. If you go through the ship you will be in a queue when you disembark and then ferry 45 minutes from the cruise dock to STJ through rougher waters. If you go on your own you taxi to Red Hook for 20 - 25 minutes then ferry for 15 minutes to STJ through typically much calmer water.

 

If you can keep track of time on your own there is no benefit to going through the ship. The cost to go to a beach on STJ on your own is about $48pp from Havensight and a few more $ from Crown and is just st a more enjoyable experience IMHO. Ferries run on the hour in both directions so if you dock at 7AM you'll easily make the 8 AM ferry to Cruz Bay. And if your ship leaves at 5PM you'd want the 3PM ferry back from STJ at the latest, and the 2PM to be safer.

 

It's nice to have more than one option, and the self-excursion is very safe and worry-free if you want to try that! :)

 

[EDIT] You can also add an island tour on STJ for about $25pp then get dropped at Trunk Bay. The taxi drivers will give you that option when you arrive or after you board the taxi to the beach, and the total cost with the tour is about $56 - $58. So a nice day at a very reasonable price.

We did this last week ($25pp tour and Trunk Bay drop off)- worked out very well and was enjoyable and not to mention ... simple. Next trip - we will just go to the beach in St. John and enjoy!

We did this last week ($25pp tour and Trunk Bay drop off)- worked out very well and was enjoyable and not to mention ... simple. Next trip - we will just go to the beach in St. John and enjoy!

Thanks for the current update :) what was the taxi cost to get to ferry and which location did you catch the ferry at? Thanks :)

I realize this thread is a from 2015/2016, but quick question if anyone can answer...there is great info here! Am I crazy to think about taking the ferry to St. John if we are only in port this Nov from 7am-2pm on NCL? There are 8 of us and last year we did a catamaran sail to St. John and loved it and would love to return....just afraid of timing on this crazy short port day!! TIA!