Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Thinking about St. John and how to go

IMDORY

By IMDORY,
in St. Thomas/St. John

 Share

Recommended Posts

augie

augie

Posted
Posted
We have just decided to return to St. John for a weeklong trip next year to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.

 

Don't hate me - we leave for a week there in 12 days!

 

...but I'm not excited about that at all...

 

;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

Posted
Posted

Augie ~ I'd NEVER hate you....want to go with you maybe ;) Want to check out some villas for me???? I've spent the weekend researching. May end up at the same place we did last year depending how many people go along. It's such a fantastic place. Have a WONDERFUL trip and let 'er know we'll be back soon :) Safe travels!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
augie

augie

Posted
Posted
Want to check out some villas for me????
We might be able to do that - let me know which ones you're interested in. We'll have our son with us, so looking at villas might be good in conjunction with showing him around the island.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

Posted
Posted (edited)

Things in the islands often change so it's always best to check times, etc before you leave. Thanks for posting the link, Sendto!

Edited by Host Anne
Link to comment
Share on other sites
sewellnj

sewellnj

Posted
Posted

I will be docking in Charlotte Amalie on the Freedom of the Seas. The ship pulls in at 11:00 and leaves at 7:00, after reading thru the thread and wanting to go to Trunk Bay, will that be to late as far as crowds go? It looks like I would not get there until at least 1:00 -1:30. Would it be worth for me, or should I just stay in St. Thomas, and enjoy one of te beaches there.

 

Any info appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

Posted
Posted (edited)

Sewellnj ~ if you dock at 11, you should be able to make the noon ferry if you are off the ship immediately (where are you coming from, 11 am is an odd time to dock). You could be at Trunk Bay by 1:00. For me, it would be worth it. By the time you arrive, some folks that were there earlier in the day will begin to head back. By 2:30 - 3:00 you'll have the beach to yourself!!! You could take the 5:00 PM ferry back and have plenty of time to get back to your ship at a leisurely pace. Two good pieces of news for you....Oasis is NOT in St. Thomas with you and your ship docks at Havensight (closer to Red Hook to catch the ferry to St. John). I say go for it!

 

Donna ~ I suggest you do a google search on St. Thomas Cruise Ship Schedule. There are several sites out there that have that information available.

 

Puffinator ~ you are most welcome and to me, it's worth the trip and time.

Edited by Host Anne
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dnl_in_Illinois

dnl_in_Illinois

Posted
Posted (edited)

Host Anne, You've posted much good info about St John and the beaches. I noted that you advised to allow 3 hours to return to your ship. Our ship docks at 8am (departs at 4pm). I figure we would be on the beach by 10am at the very earliest and would have to leave by 12:30 to catch the 1pm ferry from Cruz Bay. Are my time estimates reasonable to you? I'm I likely to easily find a 12:30 taxi at Trunk Bay that would get us to the ferry on time? I'm thinking of the 1pm ferry. I have a hunch I'm trying to squeeze too much into our port time since we're only docked for 8 hours. Your perspective might push me in another direction for this visit to St Thomas/St John. Thanks in advance. Dave

Edited by dnl_in_Illinois
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

Posted
Posted

dnl ~ if you are off the ship quickly after docking, you can make the 9:00 AM ferry and be on the beach on St. John by 9:45. You can take the 2:00 PM ferry and get back to Red Hook by 2:20. You should be able to be back to the ship by 3:00 PM, giving you an hour leeway. But some folks aren't comfortable with that. When we were on Eurodam last November, our captain actually left St. Thomas 20 minutes early leaving passengers stranded as we pulled away. It was very odd and very unusual but I'd rather have a little extra time than be late.

 

As Augie mentioned, you'll be able to get a taxi from Trunk Bay back to the ferry any time of day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dnl_in_Illinois

dnl_in_Illinois

Posted
Posted
dnl ~ if you are off the ship quickly after docking, you can make the 9:00 AM ferry and be on the beach on St. John by 9:45. You can take the 2:00 PM ferry and get back to Red Hook by 2:20. You should be able to be back to the ship by 3:00 PM, giving you an hour leeway. But some folks aren't comfortable with that. When we were on Eurodam last November, our captain actually left St. Thomas 20 minutes early leaving passengers stranded as we pulled away. It was very odd and very unusual but I'd rather have a little extra time than be late.

 

As Augie mentioned, you'll be able to get a taxi from Trunk Bay back to the ferry any time of day.

 

Thanks so much Anne. That gives me a better "feel" for it. There are 5 of us including two pre-teen girls and playing it *safe* is the way to go for us. Your comment about the Eurodam leaving early is shocking. Dave

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SanDiegoHeather

SanDiegoHeather

Posted
Posted

Thanks everyone for the information as well. I've snorkeled at St John four times (twice to Trunk Bay) and always been too chicken to do it myself because I've been worried about the schedule. I'm going on the Oasis on October 9th and I think we'll wing it this time ourselves, the main reason for doing so is that we can spend more time at Trunk Bay.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Host Anne "Live from...." Rare

Host Anne

Posted
Posted

San Diego Heather ~ please note that Oasis docks at Crown Bay instead of Havensight so you'll need to add an extra 15 minutes or so to get to Red Hook to catch the ferry. You will pass the ferry from downtown Charlotte Amalie on the way but I'd only suggest doing that if you are OK with a normally very bumpy 30-minute ferry ride from Charlotte Amalie. Overall, the timing is similar and the pricing is close. We always opt to take the longer taxi to Red Hook and the shorter ferry ride. Everyone is much happier that way. I'd also recommend getting off the ship as early as possible.

 

ENJOY!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
CariBear Great Review Rare

CariBear

Posted
Posted

Lots of wonderful information in this thread! I am still trying to decide if we should take the ships "tour"...which only gives us 2+ hours on St. John or go on our own. About how long does it take from the ferry terminal to Trunk Bay? Would love more than 2 hours on the island, but with 2 young kids in tow I do not want to be stressed out about our time schedule. Thanks for your help!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
J&DrCruisin

J&DrCruisin

Posted
Posted

Ok. I have a few questions to. :)

 

We are coming in on the Carnival Glory December 8th and will be there from 9-6. Is there a time change on the island during that time??

 

Where will we be docking at/which ferry to take to St.John/best beach for a lazy day??

 

I would also like to do a little shopping while we are there, either STT or STJ. Will us going to STJ allow for this and still make it back to the ship?? What time to do we need to be back to allow for that??

 

 

Thinking that will all the troubles that is going on in STT, it would be a more memorable first experience for us all. :D

 

Any advice/tips are always appreciated :D

 

Julie :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites
augie

augie

Posted
Posted
Lots of wonderful information in this thread! I am still trying to decide if we should take the ships "tour"...which only gives us 2+ hours on St. John or go on our own. About how long does it take from the ferry terminal to Trunk Bay? Would love more than 2 hours on the island, but with 2 young kids in tow I do not want to be stressed out about our time schedule. Thanks for your help!!

 

The ferry ride from Red Hook on STT to Cruz Bay on STJ takes about 20 minutes. Depending on the number of stops for photos, etc. the taxi from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay will probably be about the same, maybe a little shorter.

 

The advantage of going on your own, particularly with kids in tow, is that if they are READY to leave, you can catch a taxi now, rather than waiting for the ship's excursion return trip.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
augie

augie

Posted
Posted

 

We are coming in on the Carnival Glory December 8th and will be there from 9-6. Is there a time change on the island during that time??

 

The USVIs are one time zone (hour) earlier than EST - but be sure that your watch is on ship's time - that's the one that will determine when your ship leaves.

 

Where will we be docking at/which ferry to take to St.John/best beach for a lazy day??
Carnival ships usually (as far as I know) dock at the Havensight Pier, but you should verify that. There are two ferries that run from STT to STJ - one leaves from downtown, which is walking distance from Havensight, and the other leaves from Red Hook, on the east end of the island. Time and cost are about the same on either one. The Red Hook ferries run more often. Using the ferry from Red Hook entails a taxi ride to get there, the downtown ferry would have you spending more time on the water. In December you *might* encounter swells that could make the longer ferry ride more uncomfortable - that depends on you and your group.

 

The taxis in Cruz Bay run to Trunk and Cinnamon Bays (as well as others possibly) and either one would be a good choice for a lazy beach day.

 

I would also like to do a little shopping while we are there, either STT or STJ. Will us going to STJ allow for this and still make it back to the ship?? What time to do we need to be back to allow for that??
"A little shopping" means different things to different people. There are some charming little shops in Cruz Bay on STJ within easy walking distance of the ferry dock. Downtown STT is somewhat of a shopping mecca I am told, with stores of all descriptions as well as a straw market, restaurants, etc. If you want to shop in downtown Charlotte Amalie I would allow at least a couple of hours for that. There is also a mall at Havensight, so if your ship is indeed docking there, you can shop within sight of your ship.

 

Hope this helps!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...