St John on our own

Has anyone here had personal experience with traveling to St. John on their own from St thomas? We have been to St. Thomas twice and enjoyed it but are interested in going to St. John this time around. I found a cruise sponsored excursion that looked like what we wanted but the reviews were terrible so I'm not so interested any more. We are hoping to be able to get to the ferry, then take a cab to a beach, then obviously make it back to the ship. I understand that the ship won't wait if we are late unless we are on a cruise sponsored excursion. Please keep in mind in your responses that we are experienced travelers/cruisers and we do not cut our timing close (ie we don't risk missing the ship by hanging too long at a spot). Any one succeeded in this task?

PS would also be interested in a private excursion if anyone has seen St John that way but haven't come across many in my 2 days of searching...

I looked into taking the ferry over to St. John for my stop in St. Thomas. I have a friend who lives on St. John and I wanted to meet up with her. It worked out that for my day in St. Thomas, the ship's "St. John on Your Own" tour was the best option. It left around 9:00 am, I was meeting my friend by 9:30 and then had to be back to the dock for departure around 12:30. It meant a relative short day in St. John, but it was really the best for my peace of mind.

Depending on what you want to do once on St. John, I would definitely rethink the ship's transfer over & back. It really worked out to be the easiest option for me and a couple of other people I spoke to who had private plans on St. John.

Has anyone here had personal experience with traveling to St. John on their own from St thomas? We have been to St. Thomas twice and enjoyed it but are interested in going to St. John this time around. I found a cruise sponsored excursion that looked like what we wanted but the reviews were terrible so I'm not so interested any more. We are hoping to be able to get to the ferry, then take a cab to a beach, then obviously make it back to the ship. I understand that the ship won't wait if we are late unless we are on a cruise sponsored excursion. Please keep in mind in your responses that we are experienced travelers/cruisers and we do not cut our timing close (ie we don't risk missing the ship by hanging too long at a spot). Any one succeeded in this task?

 

PS would also be interested in a private excursion if anyone has seen St John that way but haven't come across many in my 2 days of searching...

A quick review of several other threads here will guide you, there is a ton of information here on that topic. Please take a few moments to read those threads to get a good feel for this. The take away is going on your own is quite easy and there is no reason to take an excursion through the ship unless you are looking at the champagne cat sail, for example. Going on your own gives you the utmost flexibility and time on the island. Since you are looking for beach time you'll want to taxi to Red Hook and ferry to Cruz Bay and taxi to Trunk or Cinnamon Bay. Total transportation cost is about $48 + tips.

Regarding your comment on being experienced cruisers, you just need to monitor your time, the ferries depart Red Hook and Cruz Bay on the hour. You will probably want to be back at Red Hook 2 hours before your BOB to get a taxi back to your dock to be extra safe.

[EDIT] You will dock at Crown Bay so the taxi to Red Hook will be $11 or $12 and the total transportation cost $50 - $54 + tips. You're docked from 10 - 7 along with 3 other ships so you'll find that many others will be doing the same self-excursion that you are. Trunk Bay is one of the more popular beaches for day visitors so you may want to Consider Cinnamon. You can also take a nice island tour and get dropped at a beach for another $20 or so, there are drivers waiting for you near the ferry dock. You will want to take the 4PM return ferry if you want to be extra safe on your return to the ship, many will be taking the 5PM as well.

A quick review of several other threads here will guide you, there is a ton of information here on that topic. Please take a few moments to read those threads to get a good feel for this. The take away is going on your own is quite easy and there is no reason to take an excursion through the ship unless you are looking at the champagne cat sail, for example. Going on your own gives you the utmost flexibility and time on the island. Since you are looking for beach time you'll want to taxi to Red Hook and ferry to Cruz Bay and taxi to Trunk or Cinnamon Bay. Total transportation cost is about $48 + tips.

Regarding your comment on being experienced cruisers, you just need to monitor your time, the ferries depart Red Hook and Cruz Bay on the hour. You will probably want to be back at Red Hook 2 hours before your BOB to get a taxi back to your dock to be extra safe.

 

[EDIT] You will dock at Crown Bay so the taxi to Red Hook will be $11 or $12 and the total transportation cost $50 - $54 + tips. You're docked from 10 - 7 along with 3 other ships so you'll find that many others will be doing the same self-excursion that you are. Trunk Bay is one of the more popular beaches for day visitors so you may want to Consider Cinnamon. You can also take a nice island tour and get dropped at a beach for another $20 or so, there are drivers waiting for you near the ferry dock. You will want to take the 4PM return ferry if you want to be extra safe on your return to the ship, many will be taking the 5PM as well.

Thank you so much. I think we will go ahead and go for it. I appreciate your input and as you suggested keep researching!

Our friends want to go to St Johns on our own when we are there in February. I am very much out of my comfort zone doing this. We always book through Carnival. Our ship leaves at 5pm and from what I am reading we need to catch the 3pm ferry, so how long does it take to get from the beach in St Johns to the ferry?

Our friends want to go to St Johns on our own when we are there in February. I am very much out of my comfort zone doing this. We always book through Carnival. Our ship leaves at 5pm and from what I am reading we need to catch the 3pm ferry, so how long does it take to get from the beach in St Johns to the ferry?

No worries, a self-exdpcursion to STJ is very easy and the way to go for the most time there. Taxi from the beach is 15 - 20 min depending on the beach, taxis are right there...

Would take the 3PM return, leave the beach by 2:15 to secure a place in line.

Just found this reply on the subject which was very helpful. I'm not that savvy with the message boards so will just copy and paste the info

Originally Posted by Host Anne View Post

tar heel ~ here's the info I provide to family/friends who want to visit St. John while on a cruise with a stop in St. Thomas:

Getting There & Cost

• Roundtrip taxi from ship to Red Hook ferry: approximately $20

• Roundtrip ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay: $14

• Roundtrip from Red Hook to Trunk Bay: $14

• Disembark the ship as soon as they allow you to get off. If your ship is in early and you can possibly catch a taxi by 7:30 you might be able to make the 8:00 AM ferry.

• Jump in a taxi and head to the Red Hook Ferry ($10 per person)

• The ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay departs on the hour and is approximately 20 minutes long.

The Island

There are only two towns on St. John. Cruz Bay on the west end of the island where the ferry will drop you off and Coral Bay on the east end. Cruz Bay is far bigger (lots of shops, restaurants, grocery stores, car rental agencies, hotels, etc). Coral Bay is barely a town but it’s a great place.

Beaches

The best beaches are along the north shore of the island. North shore beaches are easily reached from both Cruz Bay. Hawksnest, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Maho and Leistner are among our favorite north shore beaches. Trunk and Cinnamon have snack bars (yes they serve alcohol) and facilities to rent snorkel gear, beach chairs, and lockers. You can take a taxi (safari type) right at the ferry dock to your beach of choice.

Shopping & Restaurants

For a small island, St. John has a lot of great restaurants and some fun shopping. Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay is a pretty high end outdoor shopping area with great shops, restaurants and a fun atmosphere. There is also a fun area to the right when you get off the ferry. It’s called Wharfside Village and there are bunches of great bars that line the beach here. High Tide (the first bar next to the ferry dock) and the Beach Bar (a short walk down the beach) are two good ones to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a blender drink!

Returning to the Ship

The ferry returns to St. Thomas every hour, on the hour. We always take the ferry three hours before our ships departure. For you cruise that would be the 1:00 PM ferry. Afternoon traffic on St. Thomas can be heavy but you'll be going back early enough it shouldn't be an issue for you. Between the ferry ride and the taxi back to the ship, you are typically looking at about 45 – 50 minutes total. There are plenty of taxis waiting at the Red Hook ferry terminal when you return to St. Thomas.

Have a great time. There's no place like St. John for me!

Thank you so much for all this helpful information! That is exactly what I needed, all in 1 message!! We are super excited about visiting St. John, as it has been on my bucket list for years now!! Just a little nervous about wandering that far out of our comfort zone lol

Thank you so much. I think we will go ahead and go for it. I appreciate your input and as you suggested keep researching!

To clarify the taxi costs in my earlier post, the STJ island tour is $25pp (at least the last I knew), but they drop you at the beach so you don't have to pay the $7 to get to the beach. So unless you want to maximize your time ar the beach, the tour is a nice option.

I have seen some references that say take the ferry 2 hours before your ship leaves and others that say three hours before. I would rather do the 2 hour would that likely get me back 1 hour before we depart? that is what I usually shoot for

Host Anne has made that trek more than us and can advise you. But it really depends on your comfort level.

If our BOB time was 5:30 PM (departure time 6PM), we would probably go with the 3 hr option and take the 3PM ferry from Cruz. I'd allow 1/2 hr for the 15 minute ferry and getting a taxi in Red Hook, and an hour for the ride back just to be safe. With no unexpected delays that would get us back to the dock well before our BOB time at 4:15 or 4:30. We could even shop in Red Hook for a bit before grabbing the return taxi.

If you took the 4PM ferry you would likely be back by 5:30. But any delay wth the ferry or heavy traffic enroute to the ship and you'd be spending more time on STT than you had planned.

So it's just a matter of your comfort level...

Do you advise for or against taking the downtown Charlotte Amalie ferry? The hours are limited. Our NCL ship is docked at Charlotte Amalie Havensight 8am-6pm. Does this Ferry get good/bad reviews? Thanks.

Maybe taxi to Red Hook in the morning to get an early start to St. John but take the other ferry at 3:45pm from St John to Charlotte Amalie?

http://www.varlack-ventures.com/ferryservices.html#charlotte

Do you advise for or against taking the downtown Charlotte Amalie ferry?

Do not try to take the CA ferry as it is unreliable. Just taxi to and from Red Hook for the ferry. Same ~45 minute transfer time, except the RH ferries run like clockwork and the ferry ride is much nicer from RH.

Do not try to take the CA ferry as it is unreliable. Just taxi to and from Red Hook for the ferry. Same ~45 minute transfer time, except the RH ferries run like clockwork and the ferry ride is much nicer from RH.

Thank you so much! You are a wonderful help here.

So which beaches do you recommend for beginning snorkelers? Mom, Dad, and 10yr old. We are all average ability swimmers and have our own snorkeling gear (masks, tubes, aquasocks or watershoes). Prefer snorkeling close to shore without swimming far. Do you need snorkeling fins? We have not bought fins yet but did not need them at Coki Beach because we did not have to swim far. Some reports are the surf at St. John beaches can be more rough so bring fins?

Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay?. Would you get private taxi (if available) and take a tour of the beaches and scenic overlooks first, then get dropped off at a beach?

Thank you everyone for the St. John on your own tips. Not sure about OP willowvacay but we are definitely going. If all goes well, we will have about 5 hours on St. John arriving on the 9am Ferry and leaving on the 3pm Ferry back to St. Thomas. We could wait and take the 4pm Ferry but don't want to push the time - Sailaway is 6pm.

SeaWatcher: If you are going in the ocean, I would highly recommend that you wear fins. You may start close to shore, but drift out a way. When you realize that it is farther than you thought, it is nice to have the turbo-power of fins to get you back to shore. ;)

We have always taken a safari taxi to Red Hook and taken the ferry to St John. Hike to Solomon Bay and spend a few hours then head back to the ferry. Have never had any problems

Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay?. Would you get private taxi (if available) and take a tour of the beaches and scenic overlooks first, then get dropped off at a beach?

For beginning snorkelers, I would recommend Trunk over Cinammon Bay. It's closer to get to the snorkeling area in the water. At Cinnamon, you have to swim pretty far out, and if you're not comfortable with the equipment, it may feel too far.

We once did a group tour of the island---most taxis are really like open-air buses that carry 6-12ish people. Toward the end, we had him drop us at Trunk Bay. Then caught another taxi to get back to Cruz Bay. There are lots of taxis at Trunk Bay to take you back. If I remember correctly, the island tour was $25pp---that was 3 years ago. It's a beautiful island, so we really liked getting the overview. Another time, we went directly to the beaches and then just walked around Cruz Bay after, which we liked also.

For beginning snorkelers, I would recommend Trunk over Cinammon Bay. It's closer to get to the snorkeling area in the water. At Cinnamon, you have to swim pretty far out, and if you're not comfortable with the equipment, it may feel too far.

 

We once did a group tour of the island---most taxis are really like open-air buses that carry 6-12ish people. Toward the end, we had him drop us at Trunk Bay. Then caught another taxi to get back to Cruz Bay. There are lots of taxis at Trunk Bay to take you back. If I remember correctly, the island tour was $25pp---that was 3 years ago. It's a beautiful island, so we really liked getting the overview. Another time, we went directly to the beaches and then just walked around Cruz Bay after, which we liked also.

Thank you very much. Definitely prefer to not swim too far out with a 10yr old. Reading about Maho Bay Beach now, sounds like it is protected from rough surf fairly well. This is for a cruise this month so I understand these winter months can have rougher surf and less calm water.

For beginning snorkelers, I would recommend Trunk over Cinammon Bay. It's closer to get to the snorkeling area in the water. At Cinnamon, you have to swim pretty far out, and if you're not comfortable with the equipment, it may feel too far.

 

We once did a group tour of the island---most taxis are really like open-air buses that carry 6-12ish people. Toward the end, we had him drop us at Trunk Bay. Then caught another taxi to get back to Cruz Bay. There are lots of taxis at Trunk Bay to take you back. If I remember correctly, the island tour was $25pp---that was 3 years ago. It's a beautiful island, so we really liked getting the overview. Another time, we went directly to the beaches and then just walked around Cruz Bay after, which we liked also.

Great info! Agree that Trunk is the best option for beginners. More experienced swimmers/snorkelers will head for Waterlemon Cay. But the island tour is a nice option

Great info! Agree that Trunk is the best option for beginners. More experienced swimmers/snorkelers will head for Waterlemon Cay. But the island tour is a nice option

We finally got to Waterlemon on our last trip to St. John. It was beautiful, great snorkeling. Yes, not for beginners. Will be going back in March---can't wait.

Thanks to all for your advice.

What about Maho Beach? From what I've read, Maho might be good for beginning snorkelers in that the water is more protected from rough waves and don't have to swim far into very deep water and still have good chance of seeing a lot of marine life (rays, turtles)?

I understand Trunk Bay has a lot of amenities (food, drink, chair rental, life guards, etc.). But my searches of videos don't show a lot of colorful fish or is there a better place within Trunk Bay to snorkel? My only experience with snorkeling is at Coki Beach St. Thomas where people feed the fish (no-no) so there's plenty to see.

Maybe we will go to Maho first since it is more difficult to get taxis there and then go to Trunk Bay if time. On a cruise ship so not a lot of time, will get off ferry 9:30am in Cruz Bay and want to catch the 3pm ferry back to St. Thomas. Then I thought maybe I'll rent a jeep at St. John. My other thought is to just go to Sapphire Beach at St. Thomas for snorkeling.... and save St. John for a land-based trip when I really have time to enjoy the island... of course that will take more saving $$$ or some luck at winning the lottery!

St John doesn't always have taxis available for one day rental. There may be a guy at the dock asking if you want a taxi, and I think he works for tips only.