Taking ferry to St.Johns

[bullsh]

We will be in St. Thomas in Dec., how difficult is it to take the ferry to St. Johns and cost?

Thanks

[Clarea]

If you do this on your own, you have to take a taxi to the ferry port, and then take the ferry to St. John. Royal has an excursion that is called something like "Shopping in St. John", where they pick up right near the ship (no taxi needed), drop you in St. John, and you are on your own. Easier than the taxi/ferry process, but I don't know how the cost compares.

[xxoocruiser]

We will be in St. Thomas in Dec., how difficult is it to take the ferry to St. Johns and cost?

Thanks

 

Bet if you do an internet search for St. Thomas - St. John Passenger Ferry you'll not only get the prices but also the time schedules.

[debshomespun]

Ferry prices $12.00 round trip for adults and $2.00 round trip for child (2-11). We have done this a couple times and we'll worth the trip. We rented a jeep and went on our own. Just watch your time.

[roboref]

We did this in 2005 for about $35 each. Our shuttle over to the ferry was slower than expected and we missed the ferry so had a one hour wait. Then you also have to get a shuttle (taxi) to the beach on St. Johns. We had plenty of time and was thrilled with the beach at St' Johns, one of the top 10 beaches in the world.

 

I probably wouldn't do it again as it was about an hour or more traveling each way. There are plenty of nice beaches on St. Thomas. If you are really set on going to St John's I would either take the ship's excursion or there are several private tour operators that will pick you up at the pier and sail to St John's.

[LarryL]

Ferry prices $12.00 round trip for adults and $2.00 round trip for child (2-11). We have done this a couple times and we'll worth the trip. We rented a jeep and went on our own. Just watch your time.

 

We, also, preferred the DIY. The taxis were easy and the ferry was a nice ride over and back. We also got more time than the ship excursions to St John. We took another taxi to Trunk Bay and spent the entire day there as opposed to a 3-4 hour excursion. I agree about watching your time. Be sure to plan well.:)

[Mom.to.2]

I'll second Bob's suggestion. This is one case where the ship's excursion is worthwhile. They make it super easy to get to St. John, and it's only marginally more expensive than doing it on your own. Plus, you get rum punch included on the return trip:) The time/stress you save makes the excursion a no-brainer IMHO.

 

Check this thread out from ports-of-call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1196166&highlight=how+to+get+there

 

The thread originated in 2010 but has lots of good info and was last posted on in April 2013.

[dixieva]

We have done St. John's on our own and had a great time. Got a taxi to Red Hook Ferry. Got a taxi on St. John for a two hour tour of the island. Took the ferry back to St. Thomas.

 

Taxi to Red Hook took about twenty minutes. It only took twenty to twenty five minutes on the ferry.

[138east]

What do you want to do on St. Johns? What ship are you on and what exact times is it in port and what date?

 

For a few more dollars the ship's excursion is well worth it at $40, particularly if you have OBC to burn and don't book it until you get on the ship. RCL typically dresses up the excursion with an extra cruise, shopping expedition, or walking tour, but you don't have to do any of these things. The experienced cruisers headed right for the taxis to Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay. For the 6 hour excursion everyone takes the same boat from the pier over and back. Folks who were not going to the beach tended to be dissatisfied with the shopping and walking.

 

Timing can be important. I did this twice from the EX and it was fine. However, from the Freedom we arrived at 11 am, but it was noon local time so leaving at 12:30 it was about 1:15 when we got to STJ and 1:45 when we got to Trunk Bay. The National Park stuff closes at 3, so it wasn't worth renting chairs for an hour. We had to leave at 4 or 4:30 and it was almost dark when we got back to STT.

[B-52]

We did it a few times on our own...no problem...HOWEVER I was always checking my watch and pre-occupied with the time to get back to the ship in time.....

Ever since then we booked an excursion, and left the worrying to someone else...plus it's easier to get on the boat taking the group over from right there where the ship is berthed....

[bullsh]

We will be on the Jewel. Its in port Sunday Dec. 8th 8-5 to book with rccl $35 each and only 2 hours at St. Johns but with it being Sunday dont know what all will be open

Thanks for all the response

[Clarea]

We did it a few times on our own...no problem...HOWEVER I was always checking my watch and pre-occupied with the time to get back to the ship in time.....

Ever since then we booked an excursion, and left the worrying to someone else...plus it's easier to get on the boat taking the group over from right there where the ship is berthed....

Plus, if you're on the ship's excursion, you have that extra protection that if you're delayed, the ship will either wait for you, or they will get you to the next port, at their expense.

[mdd3145]

We did the taxi/ferry thing Christmas week and the traffic was terrible. Tried to rent a jeep on St. John but were none to be had. Good thing because the traffic on St. John was really bad. Took a taxi to the beach but didn't have much time to spend there. We had been to St. Johns in September many years ago and it was very quiet and got around without a problem. Too many people there in December so I wouldn't go again.

[dixieva]

I have heard that the ferry that leaves from the dock (ship excursion) is a really rough ride and takes a lot longer than the Red Hook ferry. That ride was smooth and only took around twenty minutes.

 

I've always been afraid to the the ship excursion because of the longer and rougher seas on that ferry.

[Ocean Boy]

There is also a regular ferry, not ship excursion, that leaves from Charlotte Amalia. It does not run as frequently as the Red Hook ferry and takes about 45 minutes to get to St. John.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We also did the ship excursion for this. I am gad we did. the cost was $40 pp. I figured it would cost almost that much to DIY. [and a lot more complicated] This is the description I did on my review:

 

St Thomas: 8am-5pm —This was the only shore excursion we purchased aboard ship. (STL1-Destination St. John: Coastal Cruise of National Park Beaches, 6.5 hrs) It was $40/person and left from the cruise ship dock. [a 2 min walk] It included the ferry ride to St. John (45 min), a cruise around the northern part of the island, 3.5 hrs of free time on St John, and a rum punch on the ferry ride back. They even came around with refills.  This was a bargain.

 

You could sign up for the shopping version of this excursion. [all the Destination St. John excursions were on the same ferry] and have approx 4.5 hours on the island.

[Worn out mailman]

I remember for two of us the total cost round trip including taxi to Red Hook, ferry, taxi to Trunk Bay, return taxi to Cruz Bay, ferry back to Red Hook, and taxi back to port being around $85 including all tips. I don't remember whether or not that included the $4 per person admission to Trunk Bay.

 

I'll tell you this. There are two possible places you'll dock in St. Thomas, Havensight or Crown Bay. Even though you can see the ships at Havensight from Crown Bay, in traffic Crown Bay to Red Hook takes quite a bit longer. After our Allure cruise in '12 and our taxi from Crown Bay to Red Hook, I decided that on future cruises that docked at Crown Bay we'd skip St. John and stay on St. Thomas. It's just not worth the extra cab time.

So, that's something you may want to consider. :)

[KeywestK]

We also did this on our own--rented a jeep near the Havensight pier, drove to the Red Hook Ferry, ferried over to St. John, and drove to Trunk Bay. Took over an hour each way, but well worth it to be able to spend a wonderful day at one of the most beautiful beaches we ever saw. There are many options to get over to St. John--you have to follow your own personal comfort level.

[blue_water]

Plus, if you're on the ship's excursion, you have that extra protection that if you're delayed, the ship will either wait for you, or they will get you to the next port, at their expense.

 

That is not entirely accurate in all situations, you need to read the fine print in your booking contract to know exactly what liability the cruise line has (if any). The cruise line does not enter into a contract with any excursion operators. They will obviouslty wait if a boat full of people are delayed but that's not always the case for smaller groups since they have a schedule to keep for everyone else.

Just sayin' to check your booking contract with your cruise line before assuming that as it is definitely not the case in all situations.

[blue_water]

We also did this on our own--rented a jeep near the Havensight pier, drove to the Red Hook Ferry, ferried over to St. John, and drove to Trunk Bay. Took over an hour each way, but well worth it to be able to spend a wonderful day at one of the most beautiful beaches we ever saw. There are many options to get over to St. John--you have to follow your own personal comfort level.

 

Agreed Karen, it is the traveler's comfort level that matters. Many people will take the ship excursion because they feel safer with a larger group, especially first-time visitors.

At the other extreme we and others will taxi to Red Hook and ferry to Cruz Bay for the quickest transfer and grab a taxi in Cruz Bay. Or take your option which is also excellent, you just need to make sure your rented vehicle can be taken to STJ. Some folks will take the downtown ferry to Cruz bay but that is much less frequent and is also 40 minutes on the water. If there's a sea swell that day it can be a rough ride.

 

Of course the benefit of doing the self-excursion is quicker movement and more flexibility because you're not waiting for or tied to a larger group. But some folks feel better with the ship excursion and that's OK too.

[UNV-IT!!!]

I did it on my own. The taxi route to ferry was well worth it.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Agreed Karen, it is the traveler's comfort level that matters. Many people will take the ship excursion because they feel safer with a larger group, especially first-time visitors.

At the other extreme we and others will taxi to Red Hook and ferry to Cruz Bay for the quickest transfer and grab a taxi in Cruz Bay. Or take your option which is also excellent, you just need to make sure your rented vehicle can be taken to STJ. Some folks will take the downtown ferry to Cruz bay but that is much less frequent and is also 40 minutes on the water. If there's a sea swell that day it can be a rough ride.

 

Of course the benefit of doing the self-excursion is quicker movement and more flexibility because you're not waiting for or tied to a larger group. But some folks feel better with the ship excursion and that's OK too.

 

Your assumption is not correct.

 

As I mentioned this was the only ship excursion we did.

 

I almost NEVER use ship excursions. But, this one was the same price as DIY and MUCH easier than the taxi to Red Hook and ferry from there. The ferry left right beside the cruise ship dock and took 45 minutes. It was the fastest route. [and easier] It was a very pleasant cruise from Charlotte Amelia to Cruz Bay.

 

A taxi from the cruise dock and then the ferry from Red Hook would be longer than the 45 minutes it took us. Depending on the ferry schedule it could be quite a bit longer.

[blue_water]

Your assumption is not correct.

 

 

A taxi from the cruise dock and then the ferry from Red Hook would be longer than the 45 minutes it took us. Depending on the ferry schedule it could be quite a bit longer.

 

Dragon everyone has their opinion and that is mine. I wasn't making an assumption but a statement from our experiences and others we know. The time and cost is actually very similar between the 2 ferry options - it is not any longer with the Red Hook option, I don't know where you got that information from but it is definitely inaccurate. The Red Hook ferry departs every hour on the hour while the CA ferry is not as regular. Also, with the CA ferry you are spending twice as much time on the water from CA so on a less than ideal sea day that can be less than fun (this is a ferry and not a cat).

 

The taxi and RH ferry is our favorite option, that's just our opinion from several trips. As Karen said everyone has their comfort level and we prefer getting there as fast and as comfortably as we can.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Dragon everyone has their opinion and that is mine. I wasn't making an assumption but a statement from our experiences and others we know. The time and cost is actually very similar between the 2 ferry options - . . .The taxi and RH ferry is our favorite option, that's just our opinion from several trips. As Karen said everyone has their comfort level and we prefer getting there as fast and as comfortably as we can.

 

Sure--if you want to spend as little time as possible on the water, the Red Hook ferry is the way to go. We enjoyed the ride.

 

I guess the confusion is that the cruise ship excursion does not use the Charlotte Amelia ferry. [which has limited ferry service] It is a chartered ship for the excursion. There was commentary about what we were passing on the way over [a tour].

 

You said--"Many people will take the ship excursion because they feel safer with a larger group, especially first-time visitors." Just want to point out that for this excursion there is little difference in cost. [that is unusual for a ship's excursion] and it is very convenient.

[blue_water]

Yes I agree that the ferry from the dock or the CA ferry terminal can be a nice ride on a nice day, we enjoy taking the ferry to Tortola on a nice day. Not so much fun on a rough day though :(

 

Since we started staying on the East End of STT we take the RH ferry to Cruz more often than the CA or cruise ship ferry of course and we meet many people making their way from the cruise ships who have been doing this for many years. Some alternate between the cruise ship excursion and going on their own and some always do the latter. Everyone is different and there is not one option that is better for everyone. I just want new folks to know there are a few choices so they can make that choice.

Thanks! :)