Thinking about St. John and how to go

[mdrobtx]

Thanks for the nice replies on my videos. I have more if you search "mdrobtx" on youtube.

 

I'll tell you though, dont take video at Chateaux Bordeaux without asking. I got laid into by a woman working the outside bar/seating area.

She was extremely rude in her manner in telling me I was rude for filming without asking.

I have taken travel videos all over the Caribbean and in dozens of bars, restaurants and hotels. I've never been received such a tongue lashing as I did from this woman. I wasn't even inside the building.

I immediately turned off my camera and apologize profusely to her. I don't know if she was the owner or just an employee.

Then I asked her politely if I could continue and she said yes.

At that point though I really didn't want to give her or her establishment any free advertising to other travelers. I definitely wouldn't EVER eat there. Just a very unpleasant experience.

But the view was nice.:D

[umieesa]

Thanks Anne! Since I'm a compulsive planner I usually like to have everything planned out in advance, but I think it sounds better to just wing it this time and grab a taxi once we arrive!

 

BTW..has anyone eaten at Sogo's in Cruz Bay? I've been trying to research "authentic" non-touristy spots and this place sounded good...has anyone tried it?

 

Thanks again for all the advice/info!!

[augie]

BTW..has anyone eaten at Sogo's in Cruz Bay? I've been trying to research "authentic" non-touristy spots and this place sounded good...has anyone tried it?

 

Sogo's is very authentic, and the couple that own and run the place are as sweet as can be (I think they're originally from Trinidad?). It's also not one of the better known places as far as tourists go, so I consider it a hidden gem. Hercules Pate, which is across from Penn's Car rental is another place that's good to get local food. Shela's Pot also, but since they renovated the park, where her food stand used to be I'm not sure where to find her.

 

But...starting tomorrow I'll be on STJ for two weeks, so I may have to do some "scouting"! :D

[umieesa]

Thanks Augie...can't wait to try it! I love the hidden gems!

 

Have a great trip and make sure to share any new tips when you get back!! ;)

[Host Anne]

Augie ~ enjoy your time on the island. SOOOO wish we were there with you!

[babyblue78]

Wow, so much information in this thread! So many of the posts are about being on the 9am ferry, but we have later port times on Carnival Dream (10am - 8pm). Is it feasible to try to make the 11am Red Hook ferry, and return on 5pm ferry? Since we have a late arrival, will Trunk Bay be too crowded or should we consider Cinnamon? We would like to snorkel, so I was thinking Trunk Bay.

[augie]

Wow, so much information in this thread! So many of the posts are about being on the 9am ferry, but we have later port times on Carnival Dream (10am - 8pm). Is it feasible to try to make the 11am Red Hook ferry, and return on 5pm ferry? Since we have a late arrival, will Trunk Bay be too crowded or should we consider Cinnamon? We would like to snorkel, so I was thinking Trunk Bay.

 

Absolutely feasible. Your schedule will probably allow you to miss being in the huge crowds on the way over and back. Trunk may be crowded, but you could either go to another beach first, then hit Trunk once it starts thinning out around 2:00 or so, or just go somewher else altogether. Cinnamon would be an option. You might want to consider Maho. Very underrated snorkeling there, and they have a new restroom building there now (before there were no facilities at all there). You would probably want to make arrangements with a taxi driver to come and pick you up at a predesignated time, but I think it would be well worth the trouble.

 

I snorkeled at Maho three times in the last two weeks, including once at night!

[babyblue78]

Thanks for the advice! I will definitely check out Maho, as long as there is a restroom we are all good! :)

[zoethesailor]

A big thank you to everyone who posted information on St John. DH and I, with our fellow Cruise Critic friends followed your instructions to Trunk Bay and had a fantastic time.

 

For those of you who are a little nervous, like I was, it is much easier than it sounds. We left for St. John on the first ferry, arrived at St. John before it opened, then left on the 1pm ferry. It was plenty of time to enjoy the beach, and snorkel trail. We even had time to shop in St. Thomas.

 

Thanks again!

[librarylady19]

Glas you had a great time. We plan to do much the same in December. We lucked out and only have one other ship in port that day so hopefully we can catch an early ferry and beat the crowds. Any recommendations for lunch in Cruz Bay?

[Host Anne]

Hmmm.....lunch in Cruz Bay...there are several restaurants right on the water to the south of the ferry dock. You can walk and check out their menus. We've eaten at most of them at one point or another. There are a couple of good spots in Mongoose Junction, a five minute walk to the north (or left) of the ferry dock. Woody's is a favorite of everyone, right in town. Small and bar food but people love it. Cruz Bay is small enough that you could spend 15 minutes walking around, looking at menus and picking something you like.

 

Augie will probably have some good suggestions, too.

 

ENJOY!

[kcparrothead]

Glas you had a great time. We plan to do much the same in December. We lucked out and only have one other ship in port that day so hopefully we can catch an early ferry and beat the crowds. Any recommendations for lunch in Cruz Bay?

 

We love the Beach Bar - great atmosphere & you can watch for the ferry from there.

 

http://www.beachbarstjohn.com/index2.htm

[augie]

Any recommendations for lunch in Cruz Bay?

 

If you want to be on the waterfront then High Tide or Beach Bar are your best bets. If Cafe Livin', Waterfront Bistro, or Spyglass are open, they are all also in the same general location, as is the new pizza place (order from Joe's Rum Hut).

 

Walk to Mongoose Junction and there's a great deli - Deli Grotto, and a couple of outdoor sit down places - Ocean Grille and Sun Dog Cafe (one of my favorites). Upstairs there is The Tap Room, where you can get pub food along with some locally brewed beverages.

 

On the way to Mongoose Junction you will pass by Joe's BBQ, which a lot of people like, just don't plan on being in a hurry. The Lumberyard Complex, across the street from Joe's and a little closer to Mongoose Junction. features The Barefoot Cowboy, and just a little further down the sidewalk are Morgan's Mango and Margarita Phil's

 

If you decide to walk a block or so of of the water then Woody's, which Anne mentioned, is a popular place, as is the Thirsty Iguana, a new place just across the street from Woody's. Take the side street to Sogo's for some authentic West Indian fare.

 

If it was me, I'd probably pick High Tide if I was just there for the day. If I found myself shopping at Mongoose Junction then I might opt for Sun Dog.

[librarylady19]

Thanks for all the recommendations. It sounds like there will be lot of options. I know DH wants to try the Tap Room's beers and we'll go from there!

[Mom.to.2]

I'll be in St. Thomas this February and unfortunately, 5 other ships will be docked with us including the Allure and Epic. I'm very concerned about crowding.

 

We planned to take the ship's 'shopping' excursion to St. John for the transportation, not to shop (as recommended on these boards) then taxiing to Trunk Bay. Will Trunk Bay be enjoyable with this many ships in port?

 

I'm thinking with the ships excursion, at least we won't have to fight public transportation crowding. And perhaps St. John's will be less busy than St. Thomas beaches?

 

Any input appreciated. We're a family of 4 with 2 kids (5 & 9 years.)

[narnia1]

Hi:

 

My daughter and I will be doing the same thing in two weeks on the Summit. I don't know if we dock in Havensight(I hope so), and I am thinking about whether it would be cheaper to do the 6.5 hour shopping St. John excursion so that we could have the ease of transportation as well. Two concerns is that one it leaves late I think 9:30 am and returns I guess around 4 PM. I would rather leave as early as possible to make the 9:00 am ferry. I was also trying to figure out the relative cost. Have done so? I think RT ferry is $12 pp/cab to Trunk bay $6pp each way ($24 RT) Beach admission $4 pp and cab to ferry dock is $20 each way. Is this how you have figured it? On the other hand, the security of doing the excursion may make it worth it.

[mackers74]

We are also on Summit Dec 10. I'm interested in seeing what the "seasoned cruisers" have to say about your question? After reading all of the reviews on Trunk Bay, Hawksnest & Little HN, and Francis Bay. It seems Trunk Bay might be crowded.. but maybe easier and safer than the others to get to? Still, I would love a quiet secluded beach to enjoy!

[Mom.to.2]

Hi:

 

My daughter and I will be doing the same thing in two weeks on the Summit. I don't know if we dock in Havensight(I hope so), and I am thinking about whether it would be cheaper to do the 6.5 hour shopping St. John excursion so that we could have the ease of transportation as well. Two concerns is that one it leaves late I think 9:30 am and returns I guess around 4 PM. I would rather leave as early as possible to make the 9:00 am ferry. I was also trying to figure out the relative cost. Have done so? I think RT ferry is $12 pp/cab to Trunk bay $6pp each way ($24 RT) Beach admission $4 pp and cab to ferry dock is $20 each way. Is this how you have figured it? On the other hand, the security of doing the excursion may make it worth it.

 

Honestly, I haven't done the math out myself. I've seen other posters say it comes out to about the same (slightly cheaper on your own.) To me, a few extra bucks is worth the security of doing the excursion and ease of catching a ferry from where we dock as opposed to cabbing it to Red Hook. I'll still have to pay for cab to Trunk Bay ($12 RT pp) and Admission to Trunk Bay ($4 pp) on top of the excursion price ($40 per adult, $30 per child.)

 

We are also on Summit Dec 10. I'm interested in seeing what the "seasoned cruisers" have to say about your question? After reading all of the reviews on Trunk Bay, Hawksnest & Little HN, and Francis Bay. It seems Trunk Bay might be crowded.. but maybe easier and safer than the others to get to? Still, I would love a quiet secluded beach to enjoy!

 

STILL waiting for a reply from a season cruiser. Anyone? Anyone? Will you please come back and report once you've done it 12/10? You must be excited, 12/10 is around the corner!

[narnia1]

Honestly, I haven't done the math out myself. I've seen other posters say it comes out to about the same (slightly cheaper on your own.) To me, a few extra bucks is worth the security of doing the excursion and ease of catching a ferry from where we dock as opposed to cabbing it to Red Hook. I'll still have to pay for cab to Trunk Bay ($12 RT pp) and Admission to Trunk Bay ($4 pp) on top of the excursion price ($40 per adult, $30 per child.)

 

 

 

STILL waiting for a reply from a season cruiser. Anyone? Anyone? Will you please come back and report once you've done it 12/10? You must be excited, 12/10 is around the corner!

 

 

I am still confused about this. I thought we docked in Havensight about a 15 minute cab ride to Red Hook ferry. Is that not correct? The Charlotte Amalie ferry only runs infrequently I think. Does anyone know? Thanks.:confused:

[augie]

We are also on Summit Dec 10. I'm interested in seeing what the "seasoned cruisers" have to say about your question? After reading all of the reviews on Trunk Bay, Hawksnest & Little HN, and Francis Bay. It seems Trunk Bay might be crowded.. but maybe easier and safer than the others to get to? Still, I would love a quiet secluded beach to enjoy!

 

If you want a quiet and secluded beach, then you'll want to avoid Trunk, Hawksnest, Cinnamon, Honeymoon, and all of the other popular beaches that are typically visited by cruise ship passengers. This will require a little research ahead of time (and this thread is a good starting place for that), a willingness to give up some of the creature comforts (facilities) that the more popular beaches provide, and a back up plan in case the conditions on the day you're on St. John aren't favorable for your preferred activities at your selected beach.

 

Depending on what secluded means to you (a beach all to your self, or one where you can not feel crowded), you might try Maho or Francis.

 

If you rent a vehicle, either on St. Thomas or St. John, that would open up a lot more options, such as Leinster Bay/waterlemon Cay, as well as the south shore and east end beaches, but that requires a bit more legwork than some people want on a relaxing port day.

[mackers74]

Thanks Augie!

 

Narnia - I think you are correct with Havensight docking.

 

This page has a Ferry schedule... http://www.havefunwithus.net/ferry.html

[annie99]

Terrific info here!

Is there enough to do in Cruz Bay for 2 hours if you take a ship excursion " St John On Your Own". Any walks that aren't too far away? A place to lounge with a great view without a tour or renting a car?

If you wanted a one hour taxi tour, where would you go?

Thanks!

[kcparrothead]

I'm wondering how long it would take to circle St. John and stop at a beach and Coral Bay. Considering renting a car or just asking a taxi driver. We've already been to Trunk Bay and walked around Cruz Bay - looking for something different to do there!

[kayehall]

Anne, Very beautiful pictures. I have always wanted to see St John. We will definitely go next November!!!

[Sandy Sails]

Was on St John just 4 days ago! The ship docked at Havensight, we caught a cab to Red Hook ($10 p.p., 30 minutes), caught the 9 a.m. ferry ($6 p.p., 20 minutes), caught a cab to Trunk Bay Beach ($6 p.p., 10 minutes), paid the $4 entrance fee, and viola, we were at the most beautiful beach in the world. Luckily there were only 3 ships in port and we got there early enough to get a great spot by the lifeguard tower. It only got crowded when a snorkeling tour showed up. But that didn't bother us at all.

 

The water is like bath water, the sand is perfect white powder, the snorkeling is to die for (after all, it has a huge reef). We did not rent a chair or lounger and spend 3 hours in the water bobbing around or snorkeling. Pure heaven.

 

There's a huge restroom with showers, a rental area, and a little restaurant bar where we had a nice lunch (your basic burgers & sandwiches).

 

We had left instructions for the cab driver to pick us up at 1 p.m. Had plenty of time to do some fun shopping in Cruz Bay before catching the 2 p.m. ferry back to St Thomas. Then had plenty of time to shop at the Havensight Mall which is about 60 seconds from the pier.

 

The benefit of doing this on your own is being able to set your own schedule. If you don't care about shopping, stay longer at the beach. The cab drivers are great about picking you up in time so no worries there.