Thinking about St. John and how to go

[Host Anne]

Skydog ~ you are most welcome! ENJOY!

 

Augie ~ just 17 days and we'll be "back!" Cannot wait!

[Host Anne]

Skydog ~ one update to my post you quoted. Maho Beach on the north shore now has some nice new facilities. They were building them when we were there last May and I'll check them out first hand in a few weeks. I'd definitely put Maho on the top of my "must visit beaches" with the new facilities (i.e. restrooms).

[augie]

Augie ~ just 17 days and we'll be "back!" Cannot wait!

 

Awesomeness! Have a great time - I have to wait until June 5...

Edited April 6, 2012 by augie

[cruisee<3]

Thanks for all the info!

 

I'm booked for Bernards tour at St Maarten but was still confused on what to do for St Thomas/St John .. this makes it seem like it's not too hard to be on your own .. I just heard St Thomas there's a lot of shopping? Will I be able to take the ferry to st john adn still have time to shop in St Thomas?

[Host Anne]

cruisee ~ if you are off the ship as early as possible, you can get to st. John and have enough time to enjoy the the island and then make it back to St. Thomas for some shopping, especially if you are docked at Havensight. What ship are you on?

[Cruisenator]

All of the encouragement and concise directions from this thread makes me certain we could get to Trunk Bay on our own, but I would like to stop and take some of the typical tourist photos of the Bay. It looks like the taxis are multi-person safari type vehicles. I'm thinking they won't stop for photo ops, and I wouldn't expect them to just for me to take pictures.

 

I'm not looking for an island tour--I just want a few minutes to take a couple of pictures. The ship's excursion offers that. Is there some way I can still get to Trunk Bay on my own but also stop at the photo opportunities along the way?

 

If you're going to Trunk Bay for snorkeling, I'd like to just say it is one of the busiest stops for a beach day on St John. If you want a more quiet area with snorkeling, Cinnamon Bay is just as nice. You can snorkel out all the way around the island in the bay as well. It has showers, restrooms and a snack bar as well near the campground entrance and no fees to enter. Trunk Bay is nice, but the years of people snorkeling it have kind of destroyed the corals along the underwater trail.

 

Also for those that are interested, look up Francis Bay and the resident Manta Rays hanging out there since December. I plan on a trip to Maho and Francis Bay when we are in St Thomas in May to hopefully find these gentle giants and swim with them. That's just up the road from Cinnamon Bay, which is just up the road from Trunk Bay.

 

Have a great trip!

[skydog802]

Skydog ~ one update to my post you quoted. Maho Beach on the north shore now has some nice new facilities. They were building them when we were there last May and I'll check them out first hand in a few weeks. I'd definitely put Maho on the top of my "must visit beaches" with the new facilities (i.e. restrooms).

 

Thanks for the additional info. I appreciate it.

[Host Anne]

You are most welcome, Skydog!

 

Thanks for the tip on the Rays, Cruisenator! I'll be looking for them in a couple of weeks!

[RandR95336]

Hello,

 

Does anyone have current prices for the taxi to Red Hook, ferry ride, taxi to Trunk Bay and entrance fee to Trunk Bay. We are going on the Allure and are comparing the price of the ship tour vs. going on our own.

 

Any information is appreciated.

 

Thank you

Rachel:D

[skydog802]

Skydog ~ one update to my post you quoted. Maho Beach on the north shore now has some nice new facilities. They were building them when we were there last May and I'll check them out first hand in a few weeks. I'd definitely put Maho on the top of my "must visit beaches" with the new facilities (i.e. restrooms).

Hi Anne,

 

So you suggest Maho as the first choice then Cinnamon? I assume Maho or Cinnamon requires a taxi from Cruz Bay? Thanks.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We just got back from our cruise two weeks ago. We took the cruise excursion "Destination St. John: National Park Cruise" for $40 per person. We usually go on our own in port unless there is a good reason. I feel this excursion is that reason.

 

We left a 9:30 on a ferry right beside the ship. It was a 45 min narrated ride. Then we docked on Cruz Bay. This ferry included 3 other tours that started and ended together, "Destination St. John-- 1-Shopping, 2-Historic Walking Tour and 3-Volunteerism." Once they left we took a 30 min ride around the north side of the island and saw the beaches from the boat. that was very nice. then we had 3.5 hours of free time. We left Cruz Bay on the ferry at 3:30 and got back at 4:30pm. (got two free rum punched on the ride back) We were the last group to get back on the ship that left at 5PM. We figured the cost for doing it on our own to be the same or more than the tour.

 

Look at the time frame you are in St. Thomas. This was a bargain and I had peace of mind.:)

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Yes--there are chairs and umbrellas for rent at the National Park. (Trunk Bay) We saw a numer of people rent chairs--but, only one umbrella. (We decided to use the shade from the trees.)

 

We are not cheap, but, there was a $25 deposit for each thing you rented (to make sure you brought it back--I get that) I think a $75 deposit is too much.

 

With paying for the taxi to the beach ($6) + park admission ($4) + rental($15 each) + deposit ($25 each item)+ lunch (about $15/per person) we were afraid we would not have enough money to buy anything in town.

[skydog802]

We just got back from our cruise two weeks ago. We took the cruise excursion "Destination St. John: National Park Cruise" for $40 per person. We usually go on our own in port unless there is a good reason. I feel this excursion is that reason.

 

We left a 9:30 on a ferry right beside the ship. It was a 45 min narrated ride. Then we docked on Cruz Bay. This ferry included 3 other tours that started and ended together, "Destination St. John-- 1-Shopping, 2-Historic Walking Tour and 3-Volunteerism." Once they left we took a 30 min ride around the north side of the island and saw the beaches from the boat. that was very nice. then we had 3.5 hours of free time. We left Cruz Bay on the ferry at 3:30 and got back at 4:30pm. (got two free rum punched on the ride back) We were the last group to get back on the ship that left at 5PM. We figured the cost for doing it on our own to be the same or more than the tour.

 

Look at the time frame you are in St. Thomas. This was a bargain and I had peace of mind.:)

You mentioned shopping and historic walking tour of St. John. What's the shopping like? How far is it from Cruz Bay? Any info on the historic walk? We are planning to ferry from Red Hook and visit one of the beaches in St. John (avoiding Trunk Bay), but would like to check out some shopping and do some walking. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[augie]

You mentioned shopping and historic walking tour of St. John. What's the shopping like? How far is it from Cruz Bay? Any info on the historic walk? We are planning to ferry from Red Hook and visit one of the beaches in St. John (avoiding Trunk Bay), but would like to check out some shopping and do some walking. Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

I would venture that any shopping done on a tour in St. John would be in Cruz Bay, which in its entirety, is within easy walking distance from the ferry.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

There is a small outdoor mall called Mongoose Junction about 1-2 blocks from the ferry pier. I found some nice things. However, it is upscale/pricey shopping. I found some one-of-a kind items akong with the usual things.

 

I can not tell you about the walking tour--I did not take it.

[skydog802]

I would venture that any shopping done on a tour in St. John would be in Cruz Bay, which in its entirety, is within easy walking distance from the ferry.

 

There is a small outdoor mall called Mongoose Junction about 1-2 blocks from the ferry pier. I found some nice things. However, it is upscale/pricey shopping. I found some one-of-a kind items akong with the usual things.

 

I can not tell you about the walking tour--I did not take it.

Thank you for your replies.

[skydog802]

Skydog ~ one update to my post you quoted. Maho Beach on the north shore now has some nice new facilities. They were building them when we were there last May and I'll check them out first hand in a few weeks. I'd definitely put Maho on the top of my "must visit beaches" with the new facilities (i.e. restrooms).

Does Maho and Cinnamon have vendors for food and drinks? Also, what about renting snorkeling gear from these two beaches? Are they available?

Thanks.

[augie]

Does Maho and Cinnamon have vendors for food and drinks? Also, what about renting snorkeling gear from these two beaches? Are they available?

Thanks.

 

Cinnamon has a camp store where I believe you can buy food and drinks and they also have snorkel (and many other water sports) gear for rent.

 

Maho has neither - it's only been fairly recently that they've added a bathroom there.

Edited April 18, 2012 by augie

[skydog802]

Cinnamon has a camp store where I believe you can buy food and drinks and they also have snorkel (and many other water sports) gear for rent.

 

Maho has neither - it's only been fairly recently that they've added a bathroom there.

I think Cinnamon is going to be a better choice for us. Since, it's our first trip that way and not sure what to expect, having some facilities and services would be beneficial to us. Thanks.

[skydog802]

Does anyone know how much the rental of snorkeling gear is at Cinnamon Bay or one of the other beaches that rents them? I'm leaving Friday on our cruise and have two days left to decide if I should buy the $40 one I saw at Costco or rent one.

Thanks.

[augie]

Does anyone know how much the rental of snorkeling gear is at Cinnamon Bay or one of the other beaches that rents them? I'm leaving Friday on our cruise and have two days left to decide if I should buy the $40 one I saw at Costco or rent one.

Thanks.

 

If you'll only be snorkeling the one time, you may want to just rent. It will be a little cheaper (I think) and you won't have to haul the gear with you. Also, if you buy the one at Costco and the mask doesn't fit your face very well, it will leak water and, as a result the snorkeling won't be as fun, or possibly not possible, with that mask.

 

If you decide after renting that snorkeling is something you'd like to do more of in the future, I'd suggest seeking out a local dive shop that canhelp you with fit, and suggest gear that works well for what you want to do with it. You may spend a little more, but in the long run it would, in my opinion, be worth it.

[skydog802]

If you'll only be snorkeling the one time, you may want to just rent. It will be a little cheaper (I think) and you won't have to haul the gear with you. Also, if you buy the one at Costco and the mask doesn't fit your face very well, it will leak water and, as a result the snorkeling won't be as fun, or possibly not possible, with that mask.

 

If you decide after renting that snorkeling is something you'd like to do more of in the future, I'd suggest seeking out a local dive shop that canhelp you with fit, and suggest gear that works well for what you want to do with it. You may spend a little more, but in the long run it would, in my opinion, be worth it.

Excellent advice! Thanks again for guiding me. I appreciate it.

[cvrap]

COUPLE OF QUESTIONS!!

 

I have finally read through this whole thread and made a document with all the great info provided.

 

Augie, BEAUTIFUL PICTURES!! I saw some that said White Bay. Absolutely beautiful. Where is this??

 

Also, we have been watching youtube videos for the last several hours on all the different beaches. Cinnamon looks to have more waves than Trunk Bay. Is this true or did it just happen that the videos we watched were bigger surf? Now that Maho has a bathroom, we may look into that.

 

But Trunk Bay looks incredible. We have never been anywhere except Disney, Carnival, RCCI private islands and Nassau. So we can't wait to see this!!

[augie]

COUPLE OF QUESTIONS!!

 

Augie, BEAUTIFUL PICTURES!! I saw some that said White Bay. Absolutely beautiful. Where is this??

White Bay is on Jost Van Dyke in the BVIs which is a short boat ride away from St. John.

 

Also, we have been watching youtube videos for the last several hours on all the different beaches. Cinnamon looks to have more waves than Trunk Bay. Is this true or did it just happen that the videos we watched were bigger surf? Now that Maho has a bathroom, we may look into that.

 

But Trunk Bay looks incredible. We have never been anywhere except Disney, Carnival, RCCI private islands and Nassau. So we can't wait to see this!!

I don't think that there's much of a difference on a given day between the size of the swells on those two beaches - they're both on the north shore with the same amount of protection. We have found Maho to be calmer if Trunk and Cinnamon are a little rough, so keep that info handy, just in case...

[Host Anne]

Hello from St. John. Funny you should ask about waves, cvrap. We were at Maho today and we were discussing how there was little to no waves. I have lots of photos of decent waves at Trunk but I do think it really depends quite a bit on weather. Maho is pretty protected and I can't recall big waves there. But big waves is a relative term. The north shore beaches are all fairly calm.

 

All the beaches on St. John are pretty spectacular. Enjoy whatever you decide to do.

 

Augie...the island misses you!