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Spending a Day on St. John


Host Anne
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A good friend of mine has been living on St. John since he retired years ago, building his dream home there. WHile they survived, their house was destroyed. He recently posted a picture that showed that they still have ehir humor intact, showing their car on its side next to what remained of their home. His wife's first comment was that she didn't remember parking it that way.

 

Your friends are our friends, too! Can't imagine how difficult it's been going through all of this.

 

That said, while there is a long road ahead, the people of St. John have been amazing and are working hard to bring the island back....I know the island will once again be the amazing place we fell in love with. With all the wonderful people on the island and all of us who will continued to help however we can, St. John will thrive. I have no doubt.

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  • 1 year later...

Sorry if there is a more recent thread.

Was debating DIY to St J vs St J on own.  Done both.

Summit will be docked inCrown  Bay 8-5 and excursion is only 4 hrs, 9-1.  Wanted to get 9 ferry fromRed Hook but now worried about waiting for cab to fill and need to leave earlier to get back to CrownBay.

 

is-there a ferry now from Crown Bay to St J?

how are conditions at Trunk Bay and Cinnamon?

Any thoughts?

 

( Thanks to Host Anne who introduced me to Trunk Bay on a CC group trip onCinstellation many years ago.)

 

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With your time restraints, you may not have much more time at Trunk Bay doing it on your own...I just did this from  Red Hook to Cruz Bay on my own.  I would give myself at least two hours each way...just to be on the safe side.  I do not have any info on Crown Bay. Chair rental was $6 for a sand chair, $10 for a larger chair and $15 for a chair with a shade protection attached, there are no umbrellas.  The drinks at the trailer there are good, but a little pricey, didn't have any food there.  The beach was AMAZING!!  Good Luck!!

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There is a ferry between Crown and Cruz Bays. Starting 10/31, it leaves Cruz Bay daily at 11 a.m. and at 4:15 p.m. It leaves from the Crown Bay Marina daily at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Likely not useful for you.

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Yes Holly there are many, many much more recent threads on this topic but nothing really new other than the conditions st these beaches as you mentioned. A self-excursion is much more enjoyable IMO simply because you are not tied to a schedule, you just return when you want. The taxi to the Red Hook ferry is the best choice, and a much smoother ferry ride to Cruz.

 

Trunk is nice but just gets too crowded, Cinnamon would be our choice, or perhaps Honeymoon. 

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Yes very lucky, of course it varies. Trunk, like Magens, is one of the most-touted beaches by the cruise lines and has the most amenities of the STJ beaches. Nice beach, just depends on the vibe you want. That’s a long way to go to sit around your fellow cruise mates. ☺️

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blue_water, I do agree, it is a long way and for us that was the only draw back.  The water at that beach was the clearest and cleanest water that I've ever seen.  Would I do it again...if I had enough time, in a heartbeat.  I think every beach lover should experience it at least once...just my opinion.

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We will be docked in St. Thomas on 10/29  from 11:30- 7:00 and are thinking about doing an "on our own" excursion to St. John to snorkel...  I have been to Trunk Bay many years ago and don't remember seeing a ton of fish but the beach & water was very nice.  Hoping someone can tell me if we should return to Trunk Bay this time or if we might have better luck with fish and other beautiful sights while snorkeling at one of the other beaches this time.  Also some updated prices for taxis and ferry would be appreciated.

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I stay in STJ once or twice a year. Your best options are as follows: 

 

> Trunk: Beautiful beach with decent snorkeling. Rentals and food available. Taxis readily available ($6pp one way IIRC). 

 

> Honeymoon. Nice beach with good snorkeling. Rentals and food available.Can hike in from Cruz Bay, 

 

> Cinnamon. Beautiful beach with good snorkeling. No rentals or food available. Taxis readily available to get there from Cruz Bay, but harder to find to return. ($7pp one way IIRC). 

 

> Maho. Nice beach with good snorkeling if you want to see turtles. Rentals and food available. Taxis readily available to get there from Cruz Bay, but harder to find to return. ($8pp one way IIRC). 

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21 hours ago, Luvstobike said:

We will be docked in St. Thomas on 10/29  from 11:30- 7:00 and are thinking about doing an "on our own" excursion to St. John to snorkel...  I have been to Trunk Bay many years ago and don't remember seeing a ton of fish but the beach & water was very nice.  Hoping someone can tell me if we should return to Trunk Bay this time or if we might have better luck with fish and other beautiful sights while snorkeling at one of the other beaches this time.  Also some updated prices for taxis and ferry would be appreciated.

For snorkeling I would strongly suggest staying on St Thomas. Trunk snorkeling is mediocre at best, and the good snorkel spots like Waterlemon and Maho require time and a driver you can rely on. With your short port time you don’t have a lot of time.

 

Sapphire Beach on the East End of STT is a gorgeous beach with a coral and a seagrass area for great snorkeling. All amenities and rental gear, and Sapphire tends to be less crowded than Coki and Secret Harbor with more space to spread out from the main bar/restaurant area.

Drone video from per-Irma gives you a nice perspective -

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/22/2019 at 11:14 AM, blue_water said:

For snorkeling I would strongly suggest staying on St Thomas. Trunk snorkeling is mediocre at best, and the good snorkel spots like Waterlemon and Maho require time and a driver you can rely on. With your short port time you don’t have a lot of time.

 

Sapphire Beach on the East End of STT is a gorgeous beach with a coral and a seagrass area for great snorkeling. All amenities and rental gear, and Sapphire tends to be less crowded than Coki and Secret Harbor with more space to spread out from the main bar/restaurant area.

Drone video from per-Irma gives you a nice perspective -

 

We took your advice and had a very nice afternoon on Sapphire Beach on St Thomas. Thanks for the advice!!  We saw a lot of pretty fish over to the right side of the beach when looking at the water from the bar area... We left the ship immediately when we docked and got to the beach around 12:30ish; had the snorkeling to ourselves for the first 1.5-2 hours but then it got a bit more crowded.   There were 4 BIG ships in port that day so I think this was a really good place to spend our time.  The taxi was $10/person each way.  We would do it again on a future cruise...😊

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8 hours ago, Luvstobike said:

We took your advice and had a very nice afternoon on Sapphire Beach on St Thomas. Thanks for the advice!!  We saw a lot of pretty fish over to the right side of the beach when looking at the water from the bar area... We left the ship immediately when we docked and got to the beach around 12:30ish; had the snorkeling to ourselves for the first 1.5-2 hours but then it got a bit more crowded.   There were 4 BIG ships in port that day so I think this was a really good place to spend our time.  The taxi was $10/person each way.  We would do it again on a future cruise...😊


Thanks for your report, glad you were able to enjoy Sapphire! It really is a beautiful spot to spend a day, and imagine spending a week there! We’ve been fortunate enough to rent condos there a few times, and there is nothing better than being so close to the water on a gorgeous beach with those views and the waves at night. Nothing else on STT or STJ really compares...

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