Thinking about St. John and how to go

[augie]

Great pictures Anne!

 

Drake's View looks like an awesome villa - love those Coral Bay views!

 

I see that you made it out to Vie's and to Sloop Jones' place - can't beat the east end for solitude and unspoiled beauty.

 

Also glad to see that you found a ride that could take your whole group to White Bay - did you get Mick to make you a painkiller?

 

Booby Rock is now on my list. We snorkeled at Flanagan Island, which is a little bit east of there, a few years ago, so we'll have to do that one soon.

 

It looks like you all had a great time, I guess it's time to start planning the next visit now!

[Snorkel Dawg]

Host Anne-Those are some beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing them!

We'll continue planning our trip to St. John's on our port day april 2012...

 

 

To be continued,

Dawg

[Host Anne]

Thanks Augie & Snorkel Dawg! Much appreciated. Wish I were going back soon. I keep seeing the "view" .... sigh....

 

Snorkel, from the look of the photo you like turtles....lots to be found on St. John. Saw them at Maho and Booby Rock! Happy planning!

[Snorkel Dawg]

Thanks Augie & Snorkel Dawg! Much appreciated. Wish I were going back soon. I keep seeing the "view" .... sigh....

 

Snorkel, from the look of the photo you like turtles....lots to be found on St. John. Saw them at Maho and Booby Rock! Happy planning!

 

 

 

 

Anne-The sad part is the memory of incredible those "views" fade just a lil bit each passing day. (at least in my old mind) But the great thing is now-a-days with digital cameras & an abundance of SD cards you can take as many pics as you want!

 

What view do you keep seeing in your mind? I think the vistas from that pool,of the lush mountains & the beautiful blue bays would be my favourite.

Something I'd remember forever! If I may ask, how much is a weeks stay at the Drake's View villa?

 

And yes, I do love sea turtles. Ever since we swam with Hawksbill Turtles in Barbados, I've been in love with their graceful swimming & their peaceful existance in the ocean. Hopefully we'll be lucky & find them in St. Johns next year!

[graceyj20]

As others have mentioned, getting to St Johns from St. Thomas main ship terminal is a quick 20 minute taxi ride to red hook, take the ferry to cruz bay (another 20 minutes) and then walk or take another taxi to where you want to go.

 

On my caribbean cruise I had a chance to pop over to St. Johns for a quick 1/2 day hike. I must admit made my own trail starting at fish bay and made my way along the edge of the state park and up a river but I had a great time! If your interested in seeing my pics or a <a href="http://hikingcampingtrails.com/st-johns-us-virgin-island/">video of my journey in St. Johns USVI</a>, you can see it on my website http://www.hikingcampingtrails.com

[Hogladyrider]

Fabulous and AMAZING photos, ever single one of them.

 

We have visited St. John once, to Trunk Bay, 2nd visit scheduled for Oct. 2012 - never to early to start planning.

 

It is a little bit of heaven on earth!

 

Thanks for sharing your vacation with us all.

Susan

[Host Anne]

Snorkel ~ in the off season (May - Nov) Drake's View ranges from $3,700 for up to 4 people to $4,500 for 8. When we split all the expenses, it was a pretty good deal.

 

Susan ~ you are too kind. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I enjoyed taking them. It is NEVER too early to start planning the next visit! :)

Edited June 5, 2011 by Host Anne

[Snorkel Dawg]

Anne-For 8 people that really IS a great deal. Is there a grocery on St.Johns? And how expensive is food/drinks there? Did you cook many meals at Drakes View or go out? I didn't see anything about a private cook being available there? Was looking at their website & wondered just how dining works?

 

Sorry for all the questions, but that view is kinda stuck in my head now ;)

I think staying there with my extended family would be incredible

[Host Anne]

Snorkel Dawg ~ here's a link to my trip report: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g147409-i432-k4532052-Trip_Report_May_22_30_2011-St_John_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html I think you'll find a lot of detail here and answers to your questions. We cooked (ourselves) all but two nights at the villa. But there are plenty of restaurants nearby regardless of where you stay on the island if you prefer not to cook.

[Snorkel Dawg]

Thanks Anne-That's one incredibily detailed Trip Adviser review.

I'm going to share it with my family & see if anyone "bites"...

 

Thx

SD

[Host Anne]

Dawg ~ our family is "adoptable" and we cook if your family isn't interested :). Glad the info was helpful. It is one beautiful place.

[Cruiseoholic000]

Smileeface I was wondering how your idea to take STG3 or STG4 and then leave first thing for Trunk Bay worked out. Your idea sounds very good and when I am in Crown Bay in February 2012 I am thinking of doing the same thing. I am thinking of bringing my own snorkel gear so that will save a few bucks.

 

A few things I was wondering did the the taxi only cost $12 round trip and was the entrance fee only $4? What time was it when you finally got to Trunk Bay? Also are there loungers available for rent and is there any shade? My family is very light skinned and we really need to stay in the shade. When does it start to get crowded (thinking that might be a good time to leave)? What time do you have to meet the group at the pier for the ride back? Any pictures or information would be great. Sorry for the questions.

 

Thanks to you all! I think I'm going to play it safe and take a ship's excursion. We'll be on the Allure at the furthest port, Charlotte Amalie(think that's the name), and we are there from 9am to 5pm. I'm just too afraid to chance it on our own--our time is tighter than what you've posted--and in the end have no more than 2 hours on the beach anyway.

 

BUT, I have found an improvement to my whole situation! For those of you on Allure or Royal Caribbean, check out the differences between these three St. John tours: STG3, STG4, STE8. The first two

STG3-Destination St. John: Historic Walking Tour & Personal Leisure Time and STG4 Destination St. John: Guided Shopping and Leisure Time ferry over straight from charlotte amalie port (a 45min ride, and yes, maybe a little rougher ride), but they are both 6hr&30min excursions. Once you are in St. John, one of the two gives you a guided shopping tour, the other gives you a walking tour, both share the same boat ride back and forth, and both say you have over 3 &1/2 hours to do as you please (after their guided tours on St. John). HOWEVER, I've read on these boards that there are people taking these excursions and ditching the guided tours, just getting there and getting a taxi straight over to Trunk Bay, allowing much more time on the beach. The cost for STG3 & STG4 is $40 per adult / $30 per child.

The STE8-St John Beach and Snorkel Tour is a tour to Trunk Bay alone, 45 min boat ride over, only 1&1/2 hours on the beach, includes park entrance & snorkel equipment--this tour is $67 per adult / $39 per child but it's only 4 hours total excursion time.

 

If I choose one of the top two excursions STG3 or STG4 that last

6 &1/2 hours at $40, and I add $12pp taxi ride roundtrip from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay, $4 for Trunk Bay entrance, about $12 for snorkel and vest rental....I'm at $68, but I'm getting much more beach/snorkel time at Trunk Bay, which is all I want. And I'm still getting a rum drink on the way back which is not included in STE8, lol :D

 

I know you could do it on your own for about $25-$30 cheaper, but for those of you in my same situation, same furthest port, same time constraint, this isn't a bad option to consider...

[Smileeface]

Cruiseoholic000,

Hi! We are scheduled to leave this Sunday on our Allure cruise, so we'll be doing that excursion "Destination St. John: Historic Walking Tour and Personal Leisure Time - STG3" next week. I am sooo excited! I will report back with details. I would have planned to go on our own if it weren't for the time constraints. Even if we were docking at Havensight instead of Crown Bay I would have tried it. This will just let me breathe easier. I have read other posts where people have done these tours and have been happy with the time they got on St. John. I promise to report back the week of June 20th once we are back ;)

[Host Anne]

Smileeface ~ have a FANTASTIC time. Wishing you wonderful weather! ENJOY!!!

[Smileeface]

Hi everyone, we just got back yesterday from our Allure of The Seas sailing. Wonderful cruise on an amazing ship. We docked in St. Thomas on Wed, 6/15/11. Our experience with the STG3 Historic Walking Tour of St. John (the ship's excursion) went perfect as planned. Great weather and we got 3 full hours of actual beach time in Trunk Bay.

Here's how it went: The excursion is slated for 6.5 hrs at $40per person. We met out by the pier by 10am. It took a few extra minutes to round everyone up and walk us over to the boat that would take us over. They told us it would take 37mins over. The seas were a little rocky at times, but not terribly so and not at all times. There were young kids who were hooting and hollering when we hit a wave (usually from a passing vessel) and laughing it up. I personally gave my family a Bonine pill to chew in the morning just in case (since I've read the seas can be rough on this route) but I think we would have been fine on this day without it. I didn't see anyone else around us looking scared or uncomfortable.

I know we arrived in St. John/Cruz Bay about 11am. Large safari taxis were all waiting. We did not take the walking tour and the person in charge announced that it was not required, so we were off to Trunk Bay. First taxi up held 10 of us; second taxi on the return trip held 14 persons. Taxi rate was $6 per person, each way, so $12 roundtrip per person. We were at Trunk Bay, inside by 11:25am. Entrance into Trunk Bay was $4 per person. We rented snorkel equipment--mask, snorkel & fins for $5 per person (inflatable life vests would have been an additional $5). They require a $25 credit card deposit hold per equipment rental--so $250 for my family of 5, which was returned to us when we returned the equipment. What I found unusual was that they allowed me to pay for the snorkel equipment on my AMEX, but they only take cash at the food and drink bar--they do serve beer and a couple of island mixed drinks by the way. Food menu was burgers, hotdogs, tuna sandwhich, chicken fingers, another chicken sandwich, fries, chips...about $6 to $10 approximately per meal. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CASH for your meals! I did see chair rentals, but I don't remember seeing umbrellas...unsure if they rent them or the cost to rent chairs, sorry. There are showers and bathrooms. We took our own inflatable rafts, used them and left them behind. Forgot to take ship towels with us (ugh!) and bought towels there at about $15 each.

Okay, Trunk Bay....the water is just absolutely breathtaking. I still have not seen another beach anywhere where the sand is so white and soft and the water is just so crystal clear (and we live in Florida, have been to beaches in the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Croix, Puerto Rico). The water in Trunk Bay.... it looks like you are in a swimming pool. Barely a ripple, flat and tranquil, cool and refreshing, just gorgeous, so picturesque. We've been there once before and we were with another family who had never been. We were all in heaven. The snorkeling was nice...now that I've snorkeled a few times I realize that there is better snorkeling in other areas. We saw parrot fish, brain coral...it was all fun to explore, pretty and interesting enough for me. We all had alot of fun doing it, but if you are an experienced snorkeler and that's your main interest, then maybe you would want to go somewhere else. My main desire was not the snorkeling. I wanted the most beautiful beach, and that's what I got! We got to Trunk Bay at 11:25am and left at 2.35pm, giving us a solid 3 hrs. We were to meet the group at 3:00pm back at Cruz Bay; the boat set out at about 3:15pm or so. The trip back was smoother and they gave us rum punch drinks, as many as you cared for. The boat's name was the Independent Seas (not very nice looking but functional) and our captain was Capt. Jack. Captain Jack did an EXCELLENT job of narrating the ride on the way over to Trunk Bay, telling us the history of the islands, the pirate and explorer stories, pointing out homes owned by Michael Jordan, Barbara Streisand, David Letterman, Kenny Chesney other celebrities and notorious figures; stories about covert government operations and experiments there. He was excellent, and I told him I would give him a shout-out here on CC ;)

 

Since we were docked in Crown Bay (the furthest port and furthest ferry ride over to St. John) this tour was the safest option for me. For a day's excursion, it felt like a good amount of time, and we had a wonderful day.

Just take along plenty of cash and sunscreen if you go! Hope this helps in your decision making :)

[Cruiseoholic000]

Thank you for taking the time for the post, very helpful. You didn't see any umbrellas but was there any shade? Also how was the crowds?

Edited June 21, 2011 by Cruiseoholic000

[Smileeface]

There are trees and shrubbery behind the sand, but rather thick, so it doesn't actually hang over alot like palm trees would. I do remember seeing someone with a rainbow colored umbrella, but I don't know if that was a rental or someone who might be staying on the island and brought their own. Allure was the only ship in port that day, and although there are about 6,000 onboard it was not crowded at Trunk Bay. I heard from another passenger that Magen's Bay was very crowded. After we were at Trunk Bay for about an hour there was a snorkeling tour that arrived and they settled to the far right as you face the beach. We were more on the left which meant we swam out a little further for the snorkeling. You could always walk to the far right before putting on your gear. The left side was not crowded.

[sadie8]

Thank you Smileeface for coming back and posting your review. We're going to book this one!

[Host Anne]

Smilee ~ welcome back and thanks for taking the time to share your experiences. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the trip & Trunk Bay so much. It's a truly wonderful spot. I think you did a smart thing taking the ships tour since you were docked in Crown Bay. Considering the amount of passengers on your ship and the distance to St. John doing it on your own, going with a ship's tour does bring some piece of mind. Glad it was good.

 

Cruiseaholic ~ if you arrive early enough, you should be able to find shade up underneath the many trees and bushes that line the beach. These areas can fill quickly, though. I don't recall if they have umbrellas for rent here. Finding shade has not been a problem for us so we haven't had the need for an umbrella.

[Smileeface]

Thanks Anne! Your posts helped me enormously! I'm so glad we went to Trunk Bay. I even bought a placemat with a picture of it just because it's a perfect large picture of it. I took it to work and showed my co-worker friends telling them "it's EXACTLY like this picture, no exaggeration". Of course, they all agreed it was beautiful :)!

[Fourseventeen]

I have tried to weed through the 100s of posts and didnt find any mention of it.

 

Has anyone taken the Ferry from Charlotte Amalie to St John? My wife and I are renewing our wedding vows there Aug 3rd (coming in on Carnival Valor). Our ship docks at 9am and I was told by our wedding coordinator that we should get on the 10am ferry in Charlotte Amalie as opposed to taking a long cab ride to Red Hook. Any comments on taking this ferry instead of the ferry out of red hook? We have to be at Cinnamon Beach at 11am for our wedding ceremony is at 1130am.

[Smileeface]

I found this schedule online, but it states that the schedule has been cut in half, down from six scheduled rides to three. You should call them direct. That's too an important occassion to leave to chance! Congratulations on your vow renewals. You couldn't have chosen a more romantic setting. Have a lovely time! :)

taken from: VI Now website

 

From Charlotte Amalie:

 

Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures

Rates: One-way, $12.00/Adults and $3.50/Children ages 2-11. Seniors are $6.00 (VI Residents only, 62 years and up, proof of age must be shown). There is a charge of $2.50/piece for luggage/boxes.

Telephone: (340) 776-6282, (340) 776-6412

Time: 40 to 45 minutes

Leaving Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas at: 10:00am, 1:00pm, 5:30pm

Leaving Cruz Bay, St. John at: 8:45am, 11:15am, 3:45pm

 

IMPORTANT NOTE:[/b] December 16, 2009: The Charlotte Amalie ferry is currently running with a half schedule; 3 trips rather than 6 as shown above. For more information on the changes please contact the ferry operator directly.

Edited June 29, 2011 by Smileeface
repeat information; mistakes

[Froufie]

Has anyone taken the Ferry from Charlotte Amalie to St John? My wife and I are renewing our wedding vows there Aug 3rd (coming in on Carnival Valor). Our ship docks at 9am and I was told by our wedding coordinator that we should get on the 10am ferry in Charlotte Amalie as opposed to taking a long cab ride to Red Hook. Any comments on taking this ferry instead of the ferry out of red hook? We have to be at Cinnamon Beach at 11am for our wedding ceremony is at 1130am.

We took the Red Hook ferry out to St. John's and the Charlotte Amalie one back - closer to town and less traffic getting back to the ship ..... If the above is correct and you can catch the 10 am ferry and it's a 45 min ride you should be able to make it to Cinammon Bay but will be cutting it close!

 

You might want to check into the Red Hook schedule - even tho it's a farther ride maybe you can catch an earlier ferry?

Edited June 29, 2011 by Froufie

[mysparky]

If your ship docks at 9, you should have no problem catching the 10:00 ferry out of Red Hook. The drive to Red Hook is 20-30 mins long (depending upon traffic), but the ferry ride from Red Hook is only 15-20 min. People have commented on these boards that the 45 ferry from Charlotte Amalie can be a bit rough (i.e seasickness).

 

If you're really concerned about making the 10:00 ferry from Red Hook, checkout one of the sights that tells you how many ships are in St Thomas that day. We were in St Thomas in April with only one other ship. We were off the ship by 8:25, and in Red Hook at 8:48 (I really did time it). Took 2 mins to get tickets and the ferry left about 9:02.

 

If you are delayed in leaving the pier (i.e. either you don't get off the ship right away and/or the taxi is waiting to fill up with passengers) then I would take the ferry from Charlotte Amalie. Bottom line, you can take either 10:00 ferry and you should probably base your choice upon when you're driving away from the pier.

[Cruiseoholic000]

What is the price range for all this? There will be three people in our group and we will be getting in at Crown bay. Does it cost more to take the Red Hook Ferry?

 

If your ship docks at 9, you should have no problem catching the 10:00 ferry out of Red Hook. The drive to Red Hook is 20-30 mins long (depending upon traffic), but the ferry ride from Red Hook is only 15-20 min. People have commented on these boards that the 45 ferry from Charlotte Amalie can be a bit rough (i.e seasickness).

 

If you're really concerned about making the 10:00 ferry from Red Hook, checkout one of the sights that tells you how many ships are in St Thomas that day. We were in St Thomas in April with only one other ship. We were off the ship by 8:25, and in Red Hook at 8:48 (I really did time it). Took 2 mins to get tickets and the ferry left about 9:02.

 

If you are delayed in leaving the pier (i.e. either you don't get off the ship right away and/or the taxi is waiting to fill up with passengers) then I would take the ferry from Charlotte Amalie. Bottom line, you can take either 10:00 ferry and you should probably base your choice upon when you're driving away from the pier.