Thinking about St. John and how to go

[blue_water]

[quote name='KatPem']Many moons ago (2004) my husband and I were on the Carnival Destiny and took the ferry to St John for the day and fell in love. We are finally going back and taking the kids over Spring break this year. We are a family of 6 and while we are the only ship!! docked that day, we are only docked from 11am to 6pm. We are planning on taking the Red Hook Ferry to St John and we would love to do what my husband and I did....we had them drop us off on Centerline Rd. at the Cinnamon Bay Trail and we hiked down to the Bay and then had a little time on the beach and headed back. The hike is 1.2 miles from what I can tell...it has been so long though that we can't remember our port times to know if this is doable or if we should skip the hike....we have been telling the kids about St John for years so we really hope to have time to do both...but having a family of 6, we can't afford to miss the ship :) ANy thoughts??[/QUOTE]


Kathy, with your passion a trek to St John is a must-do and anything else should be secondary. So yes, you have time and doing the self-excursion via the Red Hook ferry makes it even more doable. You have more heads to count along the way this time (very fortunate), but I think it will be a magical day for you as you share the experience with the kids.
Enjoy your day on St John!

[blue_water]

[quote name='mlbcruiser']Livethelife, thanks for the info. I would also have considered Crown Bay as being one of the Charlotte Amalie docks. However, that site listed Crown Bay separately. When I initially clicked on Crown Bay, it didn't show any ships docking there that day, so I figured maybe there was some construction going on or something. I then tried Charlotte Amalie, and that's when it showed the Oasis. I much prefer Havensight (which is apparentlly WICO) but more and more the ships we have been on have been docking at Crown Bay.

Thanks again![/QUOTE]

Occasionally ships dock at alternate ports for various reasons, and even though the Oasis always docks at CB because it can't dock at WICO it doesn't hurt to contact your planner or RCCL for confirmation. There is a deep water anchorage for a 3rd STT option although we've never seen that used while staying on the island but I don't know that for a fact.

[laceydog]

Can someone tell me if this is right for 2 people?
Cab to and from Red Hook - $40.00
Ferry to and from Cruz Bay - $48.00
Taxi to and from Trunk Bay - $24.00
Admission to Trunk Bay - $12.00
Total cost - $124.00

Seems like the ships excursion is cheaper, approximately $80.00 for 2
Is this info correct? Thanks for any advice.

[terias]

[quote name='KatPem']Many moons ago (2004) my husband and I were on the Carnival Destiny and took the ferry to St John for the day and fell in love. We are finally going back and taking the kids over Spring break this year. We are a family of 6 and while we are the only ship!! docked that day, we are only docked from 11am to 6pm. We are planning on taking the Red Hook Ferry to St John and we would love to do what my husband and I did....we had them drop us off on Centerline Rd. at the Cinnamon Bay Trail and we hiked down to the Bay and then had a little time on the beach and headed back. The hike is 1.2 miles from what I can tell...it has been so long though that we can't remember our port times to know if this is doable or if we should skip the hike....we have been telling the kids about St John for years so we really hope to have time to do both...but having a family of 6, we can't afford to miss the ship :) ANy thoughts??[/quote]

Kathy, which trail is that? If you're just going to Cinnamon Bay, the taxi can drop you off at the camp ground entrance, and there's usually a cab there to pick you back up. From there you just follow the path through the campground (much less than 1.2 miles) down to the water. I only remember two hiking trails around there. The first is the Cinnamon Bay Loop across the street, which goes through the ruins. This was closed when we were there as they were putting up a wood walkway (over a year ago, it should be open now!). The other is, I think called Cinnamon Bay Trail, but it goes up. And UP. AND UP. It is a hard hike. My sisters and I took it to the America Hill Spur and it is a LOT of up. Ok, looking at [URL]http://www.seestjohn.com/trails_cinnamon_bay.html[/URL], it looks like that trail goes between North Shore Rd (where the campground is) and Centerline. You could conceivably hike down from Centerline just to do it (I also seem to recall a great little place for much needed fruity rum drinks up there, but I could have my spots on Centerline confused), and then catch a taxi from the campground on the way out (did I mention the level of UP on that trail?!)

[blue_water]

[quote name='laceydog']Can someone tell me if this is right for 2 people?
Cab to and from Red Hook - $40.00
Ferry to and from Cruz Bay - $48.00
Taxi to and from Trunk Bay - $24.00
Admission to Trunk Bay - $12.00
Total cost - $124.00

Seems like the ships excursion is cheaper, approximately $80.00 for 2
Is this info correct? Thanks for any advice.[/quote]


I don't know the entrance fee to Trunk but the transportation costs for 2 ppl will be approx $88 total roundtrip ($40, $24, $24). To me if the costs are at all close the self-excursion is very easy and a no-brainer because you have more flexibility and time on your own, but that's just my opinion.

[laceydog]

I made a mistake for the ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay. You are right, it would be $24 round trip for 2 people. It still adds up to about $100 verses $80. Do you think it is worth the extra to just do it on your own? Thanks blue water for your input.

[squaw]

We were in st Thomas in April 2012. We found it easier just to join one of the cruise ship excursions from our ship. They used a private ferry to take 3 different excursions groups to st john's for the day. We were able to do whatever we wanted on the island and just had to be back at a designated time. We got picked up and returned to the pier. We didn't have to travel to get to the ferry and didn't have to worry as long as we made the ferry time given because it was a ship sponsored trip. It is very easy to get a taxi in town to any place you need to go. We went to trunks bay for swimming and snorkeling and came back into town for shopping before catching our ferry ride.
Trunks bay has a entry fee and if you want to rent a chair, umbrella and snorkeling equipment. Be prepared to leave a $25 deposit fee for each item on top of your rental charge. When you return the equipment you get it back. You can use a charge card.

[blue_water]

Laceydog, I think it's worth it because you can get there earlier and have more time to enjoy St John than the ship-sponsored ferry excursion that squaw mentioned. It's always better to go on your own when it's this easy and in this case it is that easy.
For those who feel more comfortable taking the ship-sponsored deal that's fine. Most who have done that now go on their own and are much happier. You will meet many other people who got on the earlier ferry on their own to have more time on STJ. The ferry ride from CA to Cruz Bay can also be rough and choppy, whereas the Red Hook ferry is just 20 minutes in a protected channel.
Either way is fine, just choose what fits your comfort level.;) Edited January 10, 2013 by blue_water

[wbclucy]

Hi, all! It looks like this is the thread to ask questions about getting to St. John! I've read through some of the thread, but wasn't able to make it through all 47 pages, so forgive me if my answers are in this thread already.

My boyfriend and I are going to be on the Freedom of the Seas; we will be in St. Thomas on January 30th. We are interested in going to St. John, and we have a friend that lives there that would like to show us around. Unfortunately, the ship will only be in port from 11a-7p. I'm trying to figure out if we should go over on our own or take one of the ship tours over there.

It looks like the cost to get over there depends on where the ship docks, so my first question is, does anyone know where the FOS usually docks? Also, because we are getting there later in the day, would we have more trouble getting over there on our own? I looked at the posts above, and it looks like it would cost us about $88 to get to and from St. John on our own. RCI has a "St. John on your own" that costs $68, which promises "approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes of free time." If we went on our own, about how much free time would that allow us if we got off the boat ASAP in the morning and stayed until 4 PM (from what I've read, the suggestion is to leave 3 hours before the ship leaves?). I'd prefer to go on our own and maximize our time there, as long as it's worth the extra $ and won't be tooo much of a headache. Finally, is it cheaper with a bigger group? We are just 2 people, but I would try to get a group together if it makes it more cost-effective.

I appreciate any help you can give me! We've never been to St. Thomas or St. John, so I feel a little lost! Thanks in advance :-)

[blue_water]

You dock in Havensight which is closer to Red Hook so the cost would be about $42pp roundtrip for transportation to Trunk Bay (add entrance fee). I always recommend a self-excursion for the simple reason you can get there faster and have more time there. You'll find several other experienced cruisers on the RH ferry that do this. It's just a very easy deal

[wbclucy]

Thanks, blue water! Is the price the same no matter how many people you have or does the cab fare come down if you have a group? Are the cabs right there when you get off the ship? Finally, do you think we'd be able to make the 12 ferry if our ship docks at 11?

[mlbcruiser]

[B]RE: Having enough time for St. John[/B]: wbclucy, 2 hrs. and 15 min. is really NOT enough time for a half way decent look at St. John, esp. if you have a friend you want to spend any time with, or who wants to show you around (and believe me, I can really squeeze a lot into a short amount of time when I need to!). You will no doubt want to get a look at the lay of the land, the beaches, AND have a bit of time to walk around the Cruz Bay area. We've been to St. John numerous times and even once spent a wk. there.

[B]"On your own time" excursion[/B]: Some RCCL ships offer a trip over to St. John (3 -?- different group tours ferry over together). However, one tour stays on the boat in St. John. That group is taken on a ride along the NW shore, seeing various well known beaches, going all the way to Annaberg ruins. On this excursion you wind up having 3-3 1/2 hrs. "on your own" after the coastal tour, which is a fair amount of time. Not ideal, but at least enough to spend some time at a beach and then visit Cruz Bay. You would have to check the excursions offered in St. Thomas for your sailing to know if it's offered.

[B]RE: the ferry from Charlotte Amalie[/B], someone mentioned it being rough sometimes. I guess that happens, but we've been lucky since we've taken the C.A. ferry 3 - 4 times in a span of many yrs. (always in March) and never had rough seas. It took us about 45 min. one way to get to Cruz Bay that way. The views along the way are really fabulous! I recall going past Frenchman's Reef, seeing some cool hillside homes, "Hurricane Hole" and a few well known resorts. Our first time was many yrs. ago & that time there was a narrative by the capt. or a crew member delivered via loudspeaker that pointed out a few scenic highlights along the way. In subsequent yrs., there was no commentary. IMO, it's worth going that way at least once for the scenery. You can always take the C.A. ferry to St. John yet come back to STT via the ferry that goes to Red Hook, then take a cab back the rest of the way. Keep in mind the ferry from/to C.A. doesn't run as frequently as the one between Red Hook and Cruz Bay.

Hope this helps someone!

[blue_water]

[quote name='wbclucy']Thanks, blue water! Is the price the same no matter how many people you have or does the cab fare come down if you have a group? Are the cabs right there when you get off the ship? Finally, do you think we'd be able to make the 12 ferry if our ship docks at 11?[/QUOTE]

The price I gave you includes a $2pp discount for the taxi to Red Hook for 2 or more ppl, no other group discounts apply. In regards to the Charlotte Amalie ferry, that just doesn't depart as often as the Red Hook ferry. If the departure time there jives with your schedule by all means contact them (sometimes they aren't running. I think you'll find that ferry departs at 10 and 1 so won't work for you. We take that to Tortola but for St John we always take the RH ferry.

Cabs are lined up in Cruz Bay, some folks walk to the closest beach, most taxi to Trunk and Cinnamon.
If you grab a taxi at the Havensight dock that's going to Red Hook and don't have to wait long for it to fill up then yes you can probably make the noon ferry if you hustle and get in line and have 3 hrs of beach time. Remember many other ppl will have the same idea. We would walk past the dock taxis out to the street and flag a taxi there as it is typically faster. The next ferry is at 1, that would give you about 2 hrs of beach time. The key is to make sure you are in the 4 PM ferry line so you don't miss that, as the 5 PM ferry is pushing it. You will have 2 hrs to get back to the ship from RH which is fine.

If it all sounds like too much rushing or you decide when you're at the RH ferry that you don't want to risk it, Sapphire Beach is nice with the amenities you need and is just past Red Hook, $5pp taxi from the ferry terminal. We're staying there next week, very nice place to relax.
Mbcruiser also mentioned the other ship-sponsored option that rides along the STJ shore, that is a nice option if you want a more relaxed day. Still riding from CA to Cruz and the north shore but on a nice day it's all good. Edited January 10, 2013 by blue_water

[laceydog]

Thanks blue water! We always do excursions on our own and never ones through the ship. I think we will try this on our own too. Sounds too easy not to try. If our ship leaves at 6pm, what time should we leave Cruz Bay for the ferry?

[blue_water]

If your ship leaves port at 7PM I would take the 4PM ferry from Cruz back to Red Hook and get back early, you can shop or have a cocktail closer to the ship. Some will take the 5PM ferry and that's ok, just pushing it a bit for me because there will be traffic in town...
Have fun!

[myparks]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"]Thanks for all the info1!!:)[/SIZE][/FONT]
I can't wait!!!

[twtudor]

Blue Water...do you know if there is a bar at trunk bay? Or cinnamon bay ? We don't want to sit on the beach without something frozen in our hands !!

[Host Anne]

Just back and happy to report that St. John is STILL fantastic even though we had a somewhat rainy day this time (unusual).

Disembarking at Havensight (WICO) and heading to Red Hook is easy and if you are among the first off your ship, there is almost always no wait as there are others ready to head to St. John as well. I don't think the time of your ship arriving (11:00 AM) will have any effect on getting a taxi to Red Hook when you disembark.

Here's the pricing we incurred last week:

[COLOR=Navy][B]Taxi to Red Hook: [/B][/COLOR] $10 (no discount for roundtrip, I asked)
[COLOR=Navy][B]Ferry:[/B][/COLOR] $6 each way
[COLOR=Navy][B]Taxi to Trunk: [/B][/COLOR]$7 to Trunk (a slight increase...we had a taxi for the entire day but i noticed a sign that listed $7 to Trunk)
[COLOR=Navy][B]Trunk Entrance Fee:[/B][/COLOR] $4

twtudor ~ sorry, no blenders at Trunk or Cinnamon. They serve beer and soft drinks.

lacy ~ when our ship leaves at 6:00 PM, we take the 4:00 PM ferry back to Red Hook.

A note on our weather....even the ride from Red Hook to Cruz Bay was rough this time (it never is). High winds made it fun (people were laughing) but it only lasted 10 minutes. It was the quickest crossing we ever made. Because of the weather, instead of spending a few hours at one beach, we visited three and spent about 30 minutes on each, taking a couple of walks and a few photos. By the time we got to Shipwreck for lunch, the sun was shining and it was beautiful. Just a great day!

If you have the chance to visit St. John, either on your own or through a ship excursion, GO !!!!

[blue_water]

Yes, good point Anne,there are many ppl who do the self-excursion to STJ so taxis should fill quickly with them. When we go over for a day to get away from the heavy crowds the ferry is full of them.
Yes tw not alot in the way of those drinks there but still very nice and you can hit a bar in Cruz after if time permits, the Beach Bar is a popular spot not far from the ferry.

[Loving My Life]

Thanks to all of helpful information in this thread, we thoroughly enjoyed our time on St. John! We took the 9am ferry over, enjoyed a short tour of the island, then spent 2 hours at Trunk Bay--one of the most amazing beaches we have been to. It was very way o do this on our own.

[phoenix_dream]

So here's my situation - DH and I are not big beach people, and have been to St. Thomas many times so are considering going over to St. John just to see something different. A few questions:

- Do you think it is worth the time and expense to go there if you don't end up at a beach?
- Is there anything to do other than a little shopping and lunch, for non-beach people? Perhaps it is still worth it to taxi to a beach with a beach bar just to enjoy the scenery even if we don't swim/snorkel?
- If we take a ship excursion (as we were thinking of doing as we have never been there, and don't need to try to maximize beach time), do we get stuck with the longer ferry ride and in turn, most likely a choppier crossing (I tend to get green in those siutations:()?

When I read over the posts people talk on the one hand about how "easy" it is to go over there on your own, but the rush to get a taxi, make sure you catch xyz ferry, make sure you allow 3 hours to get back to the ship etc., etc., doesn't really sound all that relaxing to tell the truth. Maybe it sounds worse than it is, and for beach people there seems to be no question it is worth going. But for non-beach people - what is your opinion?

[Sunseeker11]

Would like to thank everyone for the advice given on this thread. We headed to St. John on Jan 11 with a couple we met on the ship.

It was as easy as everyone mentioned. Taxi filled fairly quickly - were the first there just after 8. Took an island tour, beautiful! went to Cinnamon Bay (taxi waited, was going to both beaches) but due to the strong waves we went over to Trunk Bay. Even with 4 ships in port it really wasn't that busy, plenty of room to spread out. Had a wonderful day! We took the 2pm ferry back and was in port at 2:45. I can't wait to go back!

[janetz]

[SIZE=3]How far is Crown Bay from Red Hook. I am thinking pretty close? When our son and daughter in law lived on St. Thomas, she ran the ferry...I should know this answer. Thanks ahead. :)[/SIZE]

Just called the ds...Crown Bay is across the island from Red Hook. However Crown Bay is near the main ferry terminal, Blyden which also has a ferry to St. John. :) Edited January 17, 2013 by janetz

[BruceinPA]

As I'm pretty sure this message will show, this is my first post here. I've already picked up lots of info by lurking, but now it's time to step out of the shadows.

We will be cruising for the first time in March. One of the highlights will be our stop in St. Thomas, since it gives us a chance to revisit St. John, where we have vacationed in the past.

My one fear is that both St. Thomas and St. John will be overloaded with visitors on the day we're there: there are seven ships scheduled in port, with a total capacity of more than 20,000 passengers.

Our ship - Freedom of the Seas - does not dock until 11A, so we will be among the last arrivals for the day.

Does anyone have any experience with days such as this and the impact it can have on getting a taxi or making the trip to and from Red Hook?

[whataboutport]

Ok I think I've read enough to make my head spin! LOL
I'm leaning towards a ship sponsored tour, the "St John Coastal Cruise tour" (which is in conjunction with the Historic walking tour, and the leisurely shopping tour). These I guess leave out of CB and are $40pp.

I was thinking about the DIY method, but after having a quick check, we are docked that day with the Epic and Eurodam, and are last to arrive (they at 8am, us on the Allure at 9am). I would assume the ferries and taxies would be busy by then. Add to that the additional cost:
Taxi to Red Hook: $20 RT (plus tip)
Ferry to St John RT: $12
Taxi to Trunk Bay (where I want to go) RT: $14 (plus tip)
Total: $46+
(not including the $4 entry fee and snorkel rentals that would be the same either way I assume)

Now here's my question. The RCCL sponsored excursion is from 10:30am and says it's 6.5 hours, meaning we would get back to the dock at approx 5pm. I assume they would drop us off right at the ship, but is that cutting it too close? The ship leaves at 6pm. Ship sponsored excursions should be more on time right? I've had more than a few bad dreams lately about missing the ship at a port.

There was another RCCL excursion that's "St John on your own" that runs $34pp from 1:30pm and for 4 hrs. I thought that must have been a typo! Why so late?