Thinking about St. John and how to go

[Hogladyrider]

Excellent suggestion Anne, we did just that our last visit to St. John.

 

There were six of us, we were off the ship early, grabbed a cab to Red Hook got an early ferry over to St. John.

 

We negotiated with the open safari drivers for a tour of St. John ending with a stop at Trunk Bay and it worked out great for us. Especially after experiencing driving some of those steep roads in St. John WOW, I will leave the driving to others anytime unless I were spending a week on St. John.

Susan

[blue_water]

There will be 8 of us (FIL, MIL, and SIL) plus us 5. By the time you add all the individual cost, it will total up to more than 150.00. which is the price of the Van rental and Car ferry.

 

We have been coming to St Thomas every year for the past 10 years as we own a condo on Sapphire Beach. We know both islands very well. We wanted to take our in laws to St john as they have never been there. We wanted to take them to Maho, Francis bay, and Hawksnest. the last time we cruised to St thomas, we rented a van from Avis (right across the street from havensight right by the entrance where you drive up to get to Paradise point). They do not do that anymore and i am bummed!

 

We would prefer to drive as well if time allowed. But unfortunately with only 8 hrs in port you will be pushing it even with the Red Hook ferry and Cruz Bay taxi option, especially with a larger group. Even with that option if you make the 1PM ferry you'll only have 3 - 3.5 hrs to enjoy Maho assuming you return on the 5PM ferry.

 

Have you considered one of the excellent daysails out of Sapphire like Yacht Nightwind or New Horizons? You won't get to Maho Bay, but there's nothing like a nice day off STJ on a sailboat, even if you don't snorkel. Or a ship excursion may work better.

 

Obviously you know and love Sapphire, we love renting there for the same reasons I'm sure, and one of those is the close proximity to Red Hook and the ferry. Perhaps you'd be better off taking a nice day trip to STJ while staying at your condo next trip? Or if everyone can't make it then consider the ferry option.

 

Good luck! :)

[blue_water]

After thinking about it I now realize this is the only day you have to share these beaches with your in-laws, you probably don't want to have to have 2 vehicles and drivers, and you would probably prefer not to take taxis if possible. It's just tough when on a cruise ship schedule to get around that, especially on such a short day. One good thing is that if you do the tour and miss the boat you have a place to stay! :D

[garda]

Hi, We are a group of 10 people going on Celebrity . Been to St Thomas many, many times but never to St John. I am very confused.

Is it easier go on our own or take the excursion. The excursion indicated 6+ hours. Does the excursion end at Cruz Bay and then we have to take another ferry to Trunk Bay? What is the cost?

 

As I understood the reviews, in order to avoid the hassle of traffic, etc, do you recommend taking the Celebrity Excursion and avoid all headaches and anxiety!!

 

Thanks for your replies!!

[Ms411]

It is easier to take the DIY excursion, but you won't get to the beach early enough to enjoy it before the crowds get there. It may also be a little cheaper to do the excursion so check the math.

 

If you're not an early riser who is the first one off the ship, take the excursion. If you want maximum.beach time on St John, DIY.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We will be doing the ship excursion in May. We already have it booked. The private ferry will pick us up at Havensight and take us to Cruz Bay. I will give up the earlier arrival to not have to worry about going all the way to Red Hook and traffic coming back. We have done that many times in the past after visiting Sapphire. Looking forward to a nice relaxing ferry ride this time. It is shoulder season in St. Thomas, also. I believe we will not be sharing the port with another ship that day. If we are there won't be more than one other one, so not too worried.

[librarylady19]

We have done both options - taxi to red hook and ferry over to Cruz bay and ships excursion - for the ferry only. Both times we got there early enough to enjoy plenty of beach time. Check which Dock you will be arriving at in St Thomas. Crown. Bay isn't as convenient for DIY

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[blue_water]

Contrary to some posts (ergo the confusion) going on your own via the Red Hook ferry should give you more time on STJ than any other option. But as librarylady said so well, from Crown it is less convenient and the ship excursion may be the best choice.

 

I remember now we took the ship excursion ferry from Havensight our first cruise to STT, forgot that it was an option. We too have since used the RH ferry or a day sail out of Sapphire, long ride on a ferry from town...

Edited December 20, 2013 by blue_water

[mdxter]

We would prefer to drive as well if time allowed. But unfortunately with only 8 hrs in port you will be pushing it even with the Red Hook ferry and Cruz Bay taxi option, especially with a larger group. Even with that option if you make the 1PM ferry you'll only have 3 - 3.5 hrs to enjoy Maho assuming you return on the 5PM ferry.

 

Have you considered one of the excellent daysails out of Sapphire like Yacht Nightwind or New Horizons? You won't get to Maho Bay, but there's nothing like a nice day off STJ on a sailboat, even if you don't snorkel. Or a ship excursion may work better.

 

Obviously you know and love Sapphire, we love renting there for the same reasons I'm sure, and one of those is the close proximity to Red Hook and the ferry. Perhaps you'd be better off taking a nice day trip to STJ while staying at your condo next trip? Or if everyone can't make it then consider the ferry option.

 

Good luck! :)

 

When we stay on the island, we usually rent a car for a week from the airport. We like to stay mobile as I have to make frequent trips to Home depot and Kmart for supplies. Budget will let me take the car ferry over to STJ. I have tried contacting 5 car rental places and none will open after hour. I am giving up hope on the van rental. Again, I wanted to take my in laws (senior citizens) over to STJ.

I have taken New Horizons to the British VI and may consider taking my in laws on their tours. I may have to take the cab to RH and then take the passenger ferry over.

 

I cannot seem to post pictures on CC.

Edited December 20, 2013 by mdxter

[Host Anne]

Hi, We are a group of 10 people going on Celebrity . Been to St Thomas many, many times but never to St John. I am very confused.

Is it easier go on our own or take the excursion. The excursion indicated 6+ hours. Does the excursion end at Cruz Bay and then we have to take another ferry to Trunk Bay? What is the cost?

 

As I understood the reviews, in order to avoid the hassle of traffic, etc, do you recommend taking the Celebrity Excursion and avoid all headaches and anxiety!!

 

Thanks for your replies!!

 

Garda ~ we have been going to St. John on our own for many years so we have a routine down and it's very easy for us. If you've never done it, there is always a bit of anxiety venturing off on your own. But it is easy as long as you plan your timing so you have plenty of time to return to the ship.

 

We've never done a ships' excursion so I can't answer your questions about being dropped off. Check your cruise line's excursion listing and it should tell you. I doubt that you have to get back to the ship on your own but if you did, the ferry from Cruz Bay to Red Hook is $7 and the taxi from Red Hook back to Havensight is $10. The taxi to Crown Bay is going to be a few dollars more.

 

Have a great time.

[Hogladyrider]

We had that "anxiety" ourselves prior to our first time to SJ on our own and after the 1st time and thanks to all the fabulous information on this thread I can say "it is a piece of cake".

 

I had a sheet of paper with all the cab, ferry, SJ info on it and I provided it to anyone in our RC who wanted it.

 

Personally for me, the most important is being off the ship early, to maximize our time and not get caught up in the crowd frenzy to get a cab.

 

Our cruise last Oct we did not have much time in St. Thomas so we did not go over to St. John instead we discovered Secret Harbor, which I can not recommend enough if you want a beach to get away from the cruise ship crowds and enjoy great drinks and food and feel like you are swimming in an aquarium! It was a wonderful day.

 

If you enjoy gorgeous scenery, beautiful water and beaches and a laid back atmosphere you will fall in love with St. John, a little slice of heaven on earth!

Susan

[stevesing121]

Susan, do you still have a copy of your St. John information page?Would love it if you could post it on the forum!!

 

:-))

[Hogladyrider]

Unfortunately my information sheet is outdated now, since our first trip to St. John was in 2009, but the basics have not changed at all.

 

First off the ship to maximize use of your time and avoid the crowds when grabbing a cab to Red Hook.

 

I believe Host Anne just posted the recent pricing for the cab to Red Hood and ferry to St. John just a few posts prior to the current posts.

 

Once on St. John if you opt for an island tour in an open jitney you can negotiate with the driver to take you to Trunk Bay or another beach for a few extra dollars and they will wait for you at the conclusion of your tour. We did this on our last trip to St. John there were 6 of us and we loved the island tour and we were so glad we left the driving to others, some pretty steep climbs on the island.

 

Returning to St. Thomas the ferry ride will be seemless what you may run into is HEAVY TRAFFIC from Red Hook back to the ship depending on the time of day and they drive crazy in St. Thomas. Example if you have to be back on the ship by 5 pm I would take the 3 pm ferry from St. John to Red Hook.

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Cruising!

Susan

[blue_water]

The Red Hook ferry is indeed the best option for getting to STJ, much more regular schedule than the CA ferry and the latter can be a rough ride through more open water. Just grab the first taxi to RH and have someone get in the ferry boarding line while you get the tickets. Try to get a seat on top for nice views if a nice day. The taxis give great mini-tours for $25pp and depending on your time in port you may have time to relax at Cinnamon for a bit.

 

You may want to take a return ferry from Cruz Bay 3 hrs before your sail time ather than 2 to be safe. Roundtrip cost from Havensight to Cruz Bay (taxi/ferry) is $32pp + $12 to/from the beach with no tour.

[lovcruzing]

Ok, after reading all the posts I'm still confused. The ship arrives in CB at 10am and departs at 5 pm and we want to go to St John. So I should jump in a taxi to get to the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay. Do our personal tour and catch the ferry back to Red Hook and taxi to CB. Is that do able? How much time will we have in St John and what time should be leave St John to make it back with some time the spare? We'll want to make a stop at Cinnamon and Trunk maybe 1 hour in CB.

 

Thank you all for your help.

Edited December 26, 2013 by lovcruzing

[blue_water]

Ok, after reading all the posts I'm still confused. The ship arrives in CB at 10am and departs at 5 pm and we want to go to St John. So I should jump in a taxi to get to the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay. Do our personal tour and catch the ferry back to Red Hook and taxi to CB. Is that do able? How much time will we have in St John and what time should be leave St John to make it back with some time the spare? We'll want to make a stop at Cinnamon and Trunk maybe 1 hour in CB.

 

Thank you all for your help.

 

Hi,

7 hrs in port isn't a lot of time for a trip to STJ, especially docking at CB. I agree going on your own and taking the Red Hook ferry is the smartest way to go and will give you the most time on STJ. So the best you could do is to make the 11AM Red Hook ferry and return from Cruz Bay on the 3PM ferry. You'd have 3.5 hrs on STJ less any ferry wait time at either end so more like 3 hrs. And you may want to take the 2PM return to get you back to port by 3:30 - 4PM which would give you only 2 - 2.5 hrs on STJ. So the question is, is that enough time for you to enjoy yourself? Part of the fun is getting there, but you'd be turning right around once you got there.

 

We'd be happy to spend 4 hrs at Sapphire Beach or another East End beach with that time available but that's us.

Good luck!

[Host Anne]

Ok, after reading all the posts I'm still confused. The ship arrives in CB at 10am and departs at 5 pm and we want to go to St John. So I should jump in a taxi to get to the Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay. Do our personal tour and catch the ferry back to Red Hook and taxi to CB. Is that do able? How much time will we have in St John and what time should be leave St John to make it back with some time the spare? We'll want to make a stop at Cinnamon and Trunk maybe 1 hour in CB.

 

Thank you all for your help.

 

Lov ~ the last time we docked at Crown Bay and tried to catch a taxi to Red Hook, it was very difficult. They didn't want to take us until they could fill the entire safari taxi. That meant we waited quite awhile and missed the on-hour ferry to Cruz Bay, losing an entire hour on St. John. Since you don't get into St. Thomas until 10:00, 11:00 AM is the earliest ferry you can take. If you make that ferry, you'd have about 3 1/2 hours on St. John before you need to head back to St. Thomas for your 5:00 PM departure.

 

If it were me, I'd check to see if your cruise line has an excursion to St. John. They typically leave from your pier saving you a lot of time when you dock in Crown Bay. If not, I'd be tempted to stay on St. Thomas since your time is so limited.

[Mooguy]

Last time while on the Allure we did St. John on our own but I think we were in port longer but not sure this time we are there on NCL from 8-4 and the ship offers a tour they call St. John on your own for $39. I cant remember what we paid when we did it on our own but I am sure it was less but I am wondering if since we are there for what I think maybe less time if it maybe better to go with the ships offer.

 

Join this comfortable tour boat, pier side for an informative narrated journey and enjoy the sights while underway to the unspoiled island of St John. Upon arrival, you'll have approximately 2 1/4 hours of free time where you may leisurely visit the picture perfect village of Cruz Bay, shop, make a visit to the National Park Trunk Bay Beach or visit the spectacular Westin Hotel – the choices are yours. This is the most convenient, traffic free way to visit St. John from St. Thomas. The tour vessel leaves right from your ship and returns you to your ship!

[lovcruzing]

Thank you everyone for your helpful hints. Looks like the ships tour would be better.

[ne1travel]

We had that "anxiety" ourselves prior to our first time to SJ on our own and after the 1st time and thanks to all the fabulous information on this thread I can say "it is a piece of cake".

 

I had a sheet of paper with all the cab, ferry, SJ info on it and I provided it to anyone in our RC who wanted it.

 

Personally for me, the most important is being off the ship early, to maximize our time and not get caught up in the crowd frenzy to get a cab.

 

Our cruise last Oct we did not have much time in St. Thomas so we did not go over to St. John instead we discovered Secret Harbor, which I can not recommend enough if you want a beach to get away from the cruise ship crowds and enjoy great drinks and food and feel like you are swimming in an aquarium! It was a wonderful day.

 

If you enjoy gorgeous scenery, beautiful water and beaches and a laid back atmosphere you will fall in love with St. John, a little slice of heaven on earth!

Susan

 

Considering your Secret Harbor option. Just wondering if you took a cab there and back?

[blue_water]

Yes taxi to Secret Harbor and Sapphire beaches are $20pp roundtrip and taxis are available for return.

SH is a small, very calm bay and home to a condo resort with a dive center and a restaurant. No shade is available for day visitors but otherwise a nice calm bay.

[weihefamily]

Here's a quick update on what it cost us to go to St. John on our own last week:

 

 

 

Roundtrip taxi from ship to Red Hook ferry: $20

Roundtrip ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay: $14

Roundtrip taxi from ferry to Trunk Bay: $12

Trunk Bay entrance fee $ 4

TOTAL $50

 

 

You can save the entrance fee at Trunk by visiting Hawks Nest, Cinnamon or Maho Bay instead. All have restroom facilities; Cinnamon has chair and snorkel gear rental and a snack bar.

 

Hello! Is that per person?

[Mooguy]

Sounds like it's for two

 

 

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[augie]

Per person...

[Mooguy]

Per person...

 

The ferry would be per person but I don't think the cab ride would be $20/pp. If this is the case the ship (NCL) St. John on your own for $39/pp is a better deal.