Thinking about St. John and how to go

[cruisee<3]

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?

 

 

DO I! Where are you staying and do you have a car? Which cuisine do you prefer? I love to eat :D

[JEBurton]

does anyone have a link that shows which ships are in port (St Thomas specifically on 12/12/12) and what time they arrive in port? We're on the Allure of The Seas going to St Thomas on 12/12/12 and are planning to go to St John using all the great advise on this thread.

 

Also, does the Allure always dock at Crown Bay?

thanks

 

john

[lawyergirl22]

Thank you so much for the input. I am leaning toward Red Hook in the AM and seeing about the 345 return ferry to Charlotte Amelie. The Allure docks at Crown Bay, so we'll check out the seas before we decide. So excited!

[nimiq]

Did you take the ferry from RedHook ?

 

Thx

Eric

We just returned from our cruise on Carnival Dream and when in St. Thomas we went to St. John on our own - 2nd trip on our own for us, and we had two other couples join us.

 

We did not arrive in St. Thomas until 11 am and we made the noon ferry and this trip to St. John we opted to take the 2+ hour open safari tour of the island and it was AMAZING!

 

$25 pp right upon our arrival in St. John and it wound up being just the 6 of us on the tour. We negotiated with our driver to take us to the beach for a while for an additional $6 pp - and he waited for us - well worth the extra $$.

 

WOW the hills, and steep climbs on St. John are amazing.

 

We enjoyed our time at the Sugar Ruins and we saw goats on the side of the road feeding and we even saw two mule deer along with all the other fabulous scenery and overlooks.

 

I would highly recommend taking this tour to give you a taste of the island and learn some of the island facts.

 

Our ship departed St. Thomas at 7 pm and we opted to take the 4 pm ferry and that got us back in plenty of time.

 

It was another fabulous day on St. John - anyone wanting to see our photos, click on the link at the end of my signature to view our Carnival Dream cruise album.

 

Thanks again for all the wonderful information on this thread.

Susan A.

[Livethelife]

Does anyone have a link that shows which ships are in port (St Thomas specifically on 12/12/12) and what time they arrive in port? We're on the Allure of The Seas going to St Thomas on 12/12/12.

Also, does the Allure always dock at Crown Bay?

VINow has a cruise ship schedule. Search "vinow dot com" and on the right side there is a link to monthly schedules. It is usually pretty accurate but there is always a chance of change due to unexpected events on ships. Right now there are 4 ships scheduled for 12/12/12. And yes the Allure always docks at Crown Bay. I don't know about the others but Allure is scheduled for a 9am arrival.

Diane

[JEBurton]

thanks Diane for your reply.

john

[mom22tinks]

Am I right that it will cost about $190.00 for four people to take the taxi to Red Hook Ferry, the Ferry to Cruz Bay, then another taxi to Trunk bay and the fee into the beach and then the return trip. Is it really this and do you really feel its worth it??

[blue_water]

The transportation will be about $23pp each way or $184 roundtrip for 4ppl + tips). I don't know what the admittance fee is.

If you have time it is a good idea in my opinion, Cruz Bay offers some unique shopping, and the beaches are gorgeous.

Edited November 16, 2012 by blue_water

[hubofhockey]

Am I right that it will cost about $190.00 for four people to take the taxi to Red Hook Ferry, the Ferry to Cruz Bay, then another taxi to Trunk bay and the fee into the beach and then the return trip. Is it really this and do you really feel its worth it??

 

It's worth it to me. Whether it's worth it to you is another question. You would save $100 or less by going to a St Thomas beach. Sapphire Beach was decent enough for us. It is not in the same league as Trunk Bay or even spending time at Cruz Bay. We are actually spending a bit more for the day sail private excursion to St John as our big expense on our cruise. If we hadn't done that, we would have done the taxi ferry thing to Trunk Bay. St Thomas just falls far short St John to us.

[blue_water]

We stayed at the Sapphire Beach Resort after a vacation in the BVI and liked it there. The beach is nice but as hub said the beaches of STJ are in a class more like those of the BVI and other islands like Barbados and Jamaica, for examples. What we loved about Sapphire is the water color, island views, and proximity to the marina and Red Hook and the ferry to STJ.

So for a beautiful beach we would choose Cinnamon or another quieter beach on STJ. For some decent beach time and time at a spot like Iggie's or Paradise Point we would choose Sapphire or Coki which is actually a nicer beach but busier.

[mom22tinks]

Thanks for the input it makes me feel more confident spending that much money just to get to a beach. Thanks :) Jess

[hubofhockey]

Thanks for the input it makes me feel more confident spending that much money just to get to a beach. Thanks :) Jess

 

St John has beautiful beaches. But if you just want a beach day with a lounge chair and a decent beach, save your money and go to Sapphire.

[blue_water]

Hub, I think Jess is interested in the nicer beaches and just wanted assurance that there is a difference. We enjoy Sapphire, and Coki is even more beautiful (after the ships have left port). But they don't compare to the beaches of STJ in our opinion. Easier day and you can do something else on STT but just not quite as gorgeous.

Edited November 18, 2012 by blue_water

[m and m's]

We will be in St T Jan 30 but this time only from 10-6. Last year we went to St. Johns on the 9am ferry and did the tour, intending to end at Trunk Bay to snorkel. When we were at the sugar mill area, a volunteer suggested snorkeling Waterlemon as the winds/waves would make snorkeling visability poor on beaches in area of Trunk/Cinnamon bays. It was amazing! We returned on the 3pm ferry.

 

I want to go back to St . Johns again but with the limited time (11-3), can someone recommend a different place with exceptional snorkeling? Or should we just go back to Waterlemon? I think we need to just choose one place due to the limited time, and not do the tour. Also, is there anyone to email or can the NPS tell you if the visibility will be good on the selected beach? How would one contact the NPS, if they would know? Thanks for the info, I loved St Johns, and saw a spotted eagle ray and turtle last time!

[bcaha]

Hi, Ms411 how would I see the Honeymoon Beach photos? Thanks so much!!!

[mom22tinks]

Hub, I think Jess is interested in the nicer beaches and just wanted assurance that there is a difference. We enjoy Sapphire, and Coki is even more beautiful (after the ships have left port). But they don't compare to the beaches of STJ in our opinion. Easier day and you can do something else on STT but just not quite as gorgeous.

 

Thanks, Blue water, I was looking for that assurance, although I am always open to others opinions....cause you never know what you will earn lol. We have been to Coki last year although I had really wanted to go to sapphire, I had heard that it can get rough and we do enjoy snorkeling. Thanks again Jess

[Ms411]

bcaha, here's the link to my Honeymoon Beach on St John photos.

 

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1858880

[Host Anne]

Mom22 ~ entrance fee into Trunk Bay is $4 per person.

 

Here is a link to the US Virgin Islands National Park website: http://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm You could probably call them upon arrival in St. Thomas to ask about water visibility. It all depends upon the weather.

 

m and m's ~ Waterlemon is said to have some of the best snorkeling on St. John. There are some other great spots south of Coral Bay but it's not easy to get to on a short day. While there are other nice snorkel spots (Francis Bay, the cay off of Cinnamon, for example), I'm not sure they measure up to Waterlemon. Have a great time no matter where you end up.

[Host Anne]

Cruisee ~ thanks but I never got back to the boards before heading to Vegas last week. Didn't have a car but did have some good food. I'll check with you next time! THANKS!

[m and m's]

Mom22 ~ entrance fee into Trunk Bay is $4 per person.

 

Here is a link to the US Virgin Islands National Park website: http://www.nps.gov/viis/index.htm You could probably call them upon arrival in St. Thomas to ask about water visibility. It all depends upon the weather.

 

m and m's ~ Waterlemon is said to have some of the best snorkeling on St. John. There are some other great spots south of Coral Bay but it's not easy to get to on a short day. While there are other nice snorkel spots (Francis Bay, the cay off of Cinnamon, for example), I'm not sure they measure up to Waterlemon. Have a great time no matter where you end up.

 

Thanks for all the information Anne. Do to the limited time there, I think we would only have 1.5-2 hours at Waterlemon once we hike in. I am thinking it would be a rushed trip by the time we taxi, ferry, taxi, hike, roundtrip (about 2-2 1/2 hours for travel) so I am thinking Cinnamon might be better, or perhaps just stay on STT and go to Sapphire. I did really enjoy Waterlemon though, and wish we arrived in STT before 10 est.

[blue_water]

With only 7 hrs or so I would stay on STT, and for the best snorkeling Sapphire would be our choice. Never saw it that rough there except one day when there was a heavy swell and I doubt any of the East End beaches were not affected.

Good luck - lots of advice here!

[gambee]

This thread is great! learning a lot from it.

[Host Anne]

From our stop on St. John this week when we were on Oasis. Enjoy the view. I'll write more tomorrow. I wouldn't recommend trying to get to St. John if you dock in Crown Bay unless you have enough people to fill a taxi when you disembark the ship. Details to come....

 

Sorry...the attachment isn't opening. I'll try again later!

Edited December 9, 2012 by Host Anne

[Carpe_Diem]

From our stop on St. John this week when we were on Oasis. Enjoy the view. I'll write more tomorrow. I wouldn't recommend trying to get to St. John if you dock in Crown Bay unless you have enough people to fill a taxi when you disembark the ship. Details to come....

 

Sorry...the attachment isn't opening. I'll try again later!

 

Hi Anne,

 

I have read through quite a few of the pages on this topic and my wife and I are planning on trying the STT to STJ shuffle when we dock at Crown Bay on Jan 3rd (off of the Emerald Princess).

 

The Ruby Princess is supposed to be in port at the same time as we are, that being from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and we are hoping this will allow enough time to visit STJ. As I just caught up to the end of the thread, I'm curious to know what concerns you might have based on your comment about filling a taxi to max capacity?

 

On another note, I am curious to know if any of the popular beaches offer locker rentals to store a small to medium sized backpack while we are swimming?

 

Thank you very much for your sage advice.

 

Cheers!

 

Tom ........./

[lorrie1914]

we've docked at crown point now 3 times and took the taxi to red hook and then the ferry to st john. we just did it again and the prices for the taxis seem to have got alot higher. the taxis at the port charged us $11 per person to go to red hook. we tried to find cheaper taxis but they all seemed about the same. i think one van was $10. So i don't think it's worth it to go to red hook. I asked about the ferry direct from downtown but the taxi drivers all said not to do it, it's unreliable, etc. i think they just want the higher taxi fare to red hook.

 

So has anyone taken the ferry from downtown to st. john? I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

St. John is beautiful though. I would like to stay there for a couple of days and go to all the beaches.