Thinking about St. John and how to go

[Host Anne]

Susan ... Thanks for coming back and letting us know about your visit. Makes me want to go back right now. But I have to wait for Dec. Counting the days!

 

Glad you had a great day!

[amyj23]

The first page of this message board made total sense. But it's two years old. I flipped through the last pages and now I'm just confused... Can someone please confirm that this totally simplified version of directions is correct? ;)

• Get off boat
  
• Get cab to Red Hook
  
• Take ferry across
  
• Get cab to Trunk Bay
  

Thanks!

[blue_water]

Yes, that's the best option. You can also ferry from downtown but it's a long ferry ride and the ferry schedules from CA aren't as reliable. The taxi to Red Hook is fun, and the ferry from RH to Cruz Bay is 20 min and a nice ride on a nice day. Then a short taxi to the beach, or you can opt for the short island tour and then hit the beach.

Easy self-excursion!

[alliekatt]

Thanks blue_water I was wondering the same. :)

[Host Anne]

Also keep in mind that the ferry from downtown Charlotte Amalie to Cruz Bay is in open seas and typically a very bumpy 30 min ride. The ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay is across a short channel and considerably smoother.

 

Amy, Hawksnest and Cinnamon are other good beaches near Trunk if you are visiting on a particularly busy day (i.e. Oasis of the Seas is in port). The taxis at Cruz Bay can take you to any of the beautiful North Shore beaches. Enjoy!

[GetNAway]

I was with a group that just returned from a visit to St John. It was probably the easiest excursion I've ever done. It's a short walk from where we got off the ship down where the taxi drivers wait for passengers. It's very simple - you will see people asking where you want to go - tell them where and how many in your party and they will connect you with a driver. We confirmed what we would pay per person and boom - we were enroute. One tip I would offer - make sure your folks are together and have a plan for what to do in case you lose one another in the crowd. Getting off the ship (we were on the Dream) was a major cattle herding process!

 

We got lucky - the driver who got our party was actually parked away from the controlled chaos of the official pick up point. We had to walk maybe another block to get to her van but once we loaded up she was able to drive right away - didn't have to negotiate a few thousand people trying to get into taxis.

 

I've read others say to buy both over and return ferry tickets up front. Our taxi driver told us not to do that because they were different operators running each leg and our tickets wouldn't be honored. I don't know if that was true or not but we bought them on each end and didn't have any problems at all. We caught the 4:00 ferry to return and had no problem with a line - although the ticket booth was closed when we walked up but it reopened just a few minutes after we arrived.

 

It was a very easy, low key kind of day. The facilities at Cinnamon Bay were closed the day we visited or we might have gone there but Trunk Bay was nice. Even with a big cruise ship group on the beach it wasn't horrible. Crowded but still enjoyable. Someday, I hope I'll get to go back when I can be there be/after the tour groups arrive and enjoy that beautiful place a little more!

[blue_water]

Yes that's the ticket! ;) Spend a few days in the BVI and a few days on STJ or STT to get a feel for the different islands and vibes.

[Host Anne]

Susan ... A different operator runs the car and it goes to a different dock. We've gone to St. John for years now and buy a round trip ticket every time we go. The people ferry that goes back and forth has been operated by the same company...or at least it always has been. We have never had a problem with the round trip ticket and will continue to purchase it when we are just visiting for the day off a cruise ship. Glad you found the trip easy to make. It really is pretty easy, especially after you've done it once.

[lorrie1914]

very good comprehensive description of St. John. We are heading there in Dec. Ship will stop in St. Thomas. Will be my 3rd time to St. John.

[Host Anne]

Lorrie...we'll be there the day before you. Have a great time and a great cruise.

[cruisee<3]

Susan ~ since you don't arrive until 11:00 AM, I would suggest having lunch in Cruz Bay when you arrive. Your lunch choices are many. When you disembark the ferry, you can take a right and you'll have several nice choices right on the beach - Waterfront Bistro, The Beach Bar, High Tide. Here's a link to the restaurants right along the beach at the ferry dock (it's known as Wharfside Village) http://www.wharfsidevillage.com/bars_restaurants.php. Lunching here makes it easy to walk back to the port and grab a taxi to the beaches. The restaurants at Mongoose Junction are also plenty and very good but you'd walk there (not far but not as close as Wharfside), eat and then walk back to the dock most likely to grab a taxi to the beach. It would just eat up a little more of your time.

 

If you don't want to spend much time on lunch, consider grabbing something to go from High Tide http://www.hightidevi.com/ and take it to the beach. I picked High Tide because it is the first restaurant you come to when you step off the ferry dock and their food is decent. Another option would be to grab a taxi and ask them to take you to Sam & Jack's Deli http://stjohndeli.com/ before heading to the beach. You can call in a carry out lunch for the beach as well. You can call them on your way to the Red Hook Ferry.

 

There is a snack bar (burgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks) at Cinnamon Bay so that's an option for food, too.

 

As for beaches, Cinnamon and Maho are both GREAT! Maho is my personal favorite beach on the island. There is now a restroom there (new in the last year) but no other facilities. Cinnamon has restrooms, chair and snorkel gear rental, the snack shop. So it has more facilities. You need to decide what's more important. You can ask your taxi driver to come back and pick you up at a designated time at any beach you go to. You can't go wrong with either beach.

 

The nice thing is by the time you get to the beach, Oasis passengers who have traveled to St. John will be heading back to the port.

 

If you had a little more time, I'd highly recommend taking a taxi from Cruz Bay to Shipwreck Landing in Coral Bay and then onto a beach but I don't think you have quite enough time to really enjoy Shipwreck and the beach.

 

Feel free to ask additional questions! Wish I were going with you!

 

I noticed you mentioned sam & jack's deli .. how far is the deli from trunk bay? is it on the way or near cruz bay ferry? (so the taxi can wait while I pick up the sandwiches.. ) thanks!!

[Host Anne]

Cruisee ~ I'm guessing going to Sam & Jack's will cost you about 20 - 25 minutes. It's probably 10 minutes from the ferry dock; 5 minute pick up (I'd call and pre-order if you want to go this way) and then 10 minutes back past the ferry dock and onto Trunk Bay. Sam & Jack's is "south" of Cruz Bay (but just a little) and Trunk Bay is north so you have to go back thru Cruz Bay to get to Trunk. If you have enough time, it's a great place to order from.

 

Yes, your taxi driver will take you there and wait although I'm sure they will charge a few extra dollars to do that.

 

If you are short on time and want to enjoy each moment at the beach, I'd use the snack bar on the beach. It's certainly not gourmet but it is certainly sufficient for a bite to eat and a drink.

 

ENJOY!

 

By the way, I'm coming to Vegas this week....can you have good weather for me? :-)

Edited November 4, 2012 by wannabatsea

[cruisee<3]

Cruisee ~ I'm guessing going to Sam & Jack's will cost you about 20 - 25 minutes. It's probably 10 minutes from the ferry dock; 5 minute pick up (I'd call and pre-order if you want to go this way) and then 10 minutes back past the ferry dock and onto Trunk Bay. Sam & Jack's is "south" of Cruz Bay (but just a little) and Trunk Bay is north so you have to go back thru Cruz Bay to get to Trunk. If you have enough time, it's a great place to order from.

 

Yes, your taxi driver will take you there and wait although I'm sure they will charge a few extra dollars to do that.

 

If you are short on time and want to enjoy each moment at the beach, I'd use the snack bar on the beach. It's certainly not gourmet but it is certainly sufficient for a bite to eat and a drink.

 

ENJOY!

 

By the way, I'm coming to Vegas this week....can you have good weather for me? :-)

 

 

Oh thanks for the info .. do you think it's worth the extra trip? the reviews on tripadvisor make it sound SO delicious ... :o

 

Vegas is getting a little chilly at night .. I recently moved back to LA .. but just got back on Monday and weather was nice and food was still great hehe :D

[Host Anne]

Cruisee ~ tough call on whether it is worth it or not. If you've been to St. John before, I'd say yes. But if this is your first time to the island, I don't know that I'd take the extra 25 - 30 minutes out of the short day you have here during a cruise stop. If you can call them ahead of time so they'll have your order ready for you, that would help. I'd want at least two - three hours at the beach. But that's me.

 

Thanks for the update on Vegas. Noticed it will be nice and chilly when I arrive on Friday. But that's OK. It won't be snowing! :)

[noshoobie]

I am currently in the middle of my Allure review and just finished up with our day in St John. You can find it here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1726393

 

As I say in my review, you will not regret going there!!

[Host Anne]

Nos ~ loved your review and your photos of St. John. I NEVER get tired of looking at photos from St. John. There's no place like it. Glad you had such a great day! Loved your 'green' shirts, too! :) Thanks for coming back to post!

[cruisee<3]

Cruisee ~ tough call on whether it is worth it or not. If you've been to St. John before, I'd say yes. But if this is your first time to the island, I don't know that I'd take the extra 25 - 30 minutes out of the short day you have here during a cruise stop. If you can call them ahead of time so they'll have your order ready for you, that would help. I'd want at least two - three hours at the beach. But that's me.

 

Thanks for the update on Vegas. Noticed it will be nice and chilly when I arrive on Friday. But that's OK. It won't be snowing! :)

 

Thanks so much!! I will just enjoy the beach this trip :) Have fun in vegas & win! :D

[Host Anne]

cruisee ~ I'm in Vegas for work. No gambling for me. Work too hard for the money and would rather spend it on a cruise or visiting St. John! :) ENJOY those beautiful beaches!!!

[Ms411]

I see someone mentioned the deli on St John. I think it's easier to get your provisions at Gourmet Gallery in Havensight before you take the taxi to Red Hook. That way you can go directly to a beach on St John once you get off the ferry.

 

You might also want to consider going to Honeymoon Beach instead of Trunk Bay, Cinnamon, or Hawksnest. Honeymoon now has clean restrooms, chair rental, and cold beverages. It's also the closest beach to the ferry dock, so taxi is $5 pp each way to Caneel, and then a 15 minute walk to the beach. There's no fee, either, to access the beach since Caneel maintains it.

 

I'm posting my Honeymoon Beach slideshow on a separate post since this thread has so many pages

[cruisee<3]

cruisee ~ I'm in Vegas for work. No gambling for me. Work too hard for the money and would rather spend it on a cruise or visiting St. John! :) ENJOY those beautiful beaches!!!

 

Aww, haha but you must try the fooooood :p

[cruisee<3]

I see someone mentioned the deli on St John. I think it's easier to get your provisions at Gourmet Gallery in Havensight before you take the taxi to Red Hook. That way you can go directly to a beach on St John once you get off the ferry.

 

You might also want to consider going to Honeymoon Beach instead of Trunk Bay, Cinnamon, or Hawksnest. Honeymoon now has clean restrooms, chair rental, and cold beverages. It's also the closest beach to the ferry dock, so taxi is $5 pp each way to Caneel, and then a 15 minute walk to the beach. There's no fee, either, to access the beach since Caneel maintains it.

 

I'm posting my Honeymoon Beach slideshow on a separate post since this thread has so many pages

 

Thanks for the suggestion, I will wait to see your honeymoon beach slideshow! :)

[lawyergirl22]

Hi All--

 

I have read through this excellent thread and hope I did not miss the answer to my question.

 

We are on the Allure and will be in St. Thomas at 9am-6pm on 11/28 with 5 other ships. We want to visit St. John while in port. I checked the Verlack Ventures website and there is a ferry from Charlotte Amelie at 10am to St John. How far from the Allure is it to catch this ferry? This seems an easier option than rushing to a cab to get to Red Hook to catch the 10am ferry from there.

 

Am I missing something? For our return trip there is a ferry back to Charlotte Amelie at 3:45pm, or are we better off taking an earlier ferry to Red Hook and then a cab from there?

 

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[Host Anne]

Cruisee ~ the one thing I WILL have time to do is have some good food!!! Vegas food has improved significantly over the years. Any place you like in particular?

 

Ms411 ~ great suggestion providing people have enough time to stop at the deli in Red Hook while trying to catch the ferry. It's not worth missing the ferry and having to wait an hour to catch the next one. If you have time, it's a great idea.

 

lawyergirl ~ I very seldom suggest anyone take the Charlotte Amalie ferry to St. John. Here are a few reasons:

 

It is always a far bumpier ride on the ferry. You are in open seas versus the channel when you go from Red Hook.

 

The Charlotte Amalie ferry ride is about 30 - 35 minutes versus the Red Hook ferry at about 20 minutes. So the extra 10 - 15 minutes in a taxi to Red Hook is kind of a wash.

 

The Charlotte Amalie ferry is not dependable. We have taken in the past but I've read many accounts that state the ferry doesn't always go when scheduled.

 

You do pass the Charlotte Amalie ferry on your way to Red Hook so it's always tempting. But we know that the Red Hook ferry is very reliable and the ferry ride much smoother.

 

As for the return, if you decide to do the 3:45 ferry, that should get you back to Charlotte Amalie around 4:15. That's enough time to get back to Allure. I haven't checked recently but I'm pretty certain that Allure does dock at Crown Bay, correct? Just make sure that the afternoon 3:45 is definitely running. You don't want to have to catch the 4:00 PM ferry to Red Hook and then have a 30 minute ride back to Allure (although that should be enough time as well). But you never know about traffic on St. Thomas.

 

Good luck with your decision.

 

P.S. I've rejoined Cruise Critic as a host so that is why the name change....don't mean to cause confusion!

Edited November 9, 2012 by Host Anne

[blue_water]

Tryin to keep it simple, several options for a great day and if the CA ferry schedule works perfectly for you then take that. It's pretty regular, the Red Hook ferry just goes every hour. Yes longer ride but just judge the sea conditions when you pull in.

[Ms411]

Host Ann, the Gourmet Gallery deli is in Havensight not Red Hook. Depending on where your ship is positioned at the dock, Gourmet Gallery is a very short walk from the taxi dispatch so your stop at the deli may be no more than a few minutes.