Ride to St. John really rough?

I will be on the Allure docked at Crown bay. We booked an excursion to go over to St. John, but I am wondering if that long boat ride from the ship to St. John is really rough? I will be 13 weeks pregnant, and not sure if I want to go all the way over to St. John if it will be too rough. Will it just depend on the waters that day?? Can anyone share their experience if they thought it was fine or if it was pretty rough?

Hi! The ferry ride from town or the dock to Cruz bay on St John is a 45 minute ride through open waters and depending on the sea conditions that day it can indeed be rough. Some people report no problems while others had a terrible ride so you'll read of both experiences.

Many people choose to go on their own to St John because it's just so easy in this port so you have that option too. That would include a taxi to the ferry terminal in Red Hook on the East End of St Thomas and a 15 - 20 minute ferry from there to Cruz Bay. It's a shorter ferry ride and generally much calmer. This "self-excursion" is very easy and also provides the most freedom and flexibility and so a popular choice with return visitors. And the price isn't bad at about $36pp roundtrip.

So we would go with the taxi and ferry because we like the drive to Red Hook and the shorter ferry to Cruz. You will just want to allow a couple hours getting back from St John for safety. Another nice option is taking the Champagne Cat to St John. The champagne probably doesn't work, but at least you're on a cat and not a ferry.

Happy cruising, and congratulations on the new addition to your family! :)

We love going to St. John ... but honestly, it can be rough getting there. :o

LuLu

The ferry from red hook is generally very stable...the longer ride from ca goes through a channel that can be bumpy but not the whole ride....if you see a lot of whitecaps and the wind is stiff you will be better off going from red hook....if you've never been to st thomas enjoy your day at some of the nice beaches there and save st john for next time....I remember 13 weeks with morning sickness 24/7.....hope you have a great trip...

The new ferries are smoother, but no guarantee that they will be running or that the ride will not be rough.

Thanks everyone for the replies! I may just wait until we get there to see how I feel at that time.

That's the beauty of the self excursion, you can alter your plans that day.

If you decide to enjoy a beach on St Thomas and save the extra 1.5 - 2 hr travel time and $28pp to go to a St John beach, Sapphire is gorgeous as is Secret Harbor.