St John information

[Jan T]

Hello to all the cruisers out there….

 

We just returned from a week on St John. Had a wonderful time. Wanted to pass on a few bits of info for cruisers and visitors to this beautiful island.

 

We swam and snorkeled at many different beaches, but Trunk Bay was by far our favorite. Hawksnest came in at our second favorite.

 

As for finding shells, we found a very small beach out past Coral Bay, towards Rams Head. Rams head looked to be the south eastern point of the island. We did not snorkel or swim there because we had 2 kids with us. But, some people were swimming there.

 

We took a ferry over to Tortola and swam with the dolphins at Dolphin Discovery. Everyone in our group enjoyed this very much. When it was over we bought pictures for $10 each and the video for $50. It was a great experience, especially for the kids.

We went sailing on a boat called the Treazzure. Captain Hollywood Joe and first mate Danielle. Great boat and a wonderful time. They served a nice continental breakfast and had an open bar for us all day. My sister is prone to seasickness, but still had a fun time. We visited Norman Island’s Indians and the caves. Then we went to the Willy T for lunch. Overall, it was a fun day.

 

I’ve cruised quite a few of the islands and really think that St John is one of the best. I suppose that is due to the fact that much of the island is a national park. It seems cleaner than many of the others. When stopping at St Thomas on a cruise, it is well worth the ferry ride to visit St John.

 

Will be happy to answer any questions I can.

 

Happy vacationing to all!

 

Jan T

[chriscruise]

Jan, thanks for all the information. Are there chairs available at Trunk Bay? We can't decide whether to do a day sail or go to St. John. Thanks!

[Jan T]

Chriscruise

We did not see anyone renting chairs at Trunk Bay, but I wouldn't take that as being gospel. There seemed to be lots of services available there. So, I would not doubt that chairs are available. We did see snorkeling equipt available for rent, a grill to buy burgers and hot dogs, a store selling t-shirts, shower and restroom facilities and a booth taking $4 per person upon arrival. But, the shower facilities were very nice. It was great to shower before getting into your car......

We've docked at St Thomas before....we chose to take a taxi over to Coki Beach. That was nice.....and coral world was fun to see. But, I would take St John over St Thomas, personally. How do they say, IMHO.....:)

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time whatever you choose!

 

Jan T

[Sox_Fan]

 

As for finding shells, we found a very small beach out past Coral Bay, towards Rams Head. Rams head looked to be the south eastern point of the island. We did not snorkel or swim there because we had 2 kids with us. But, some people were swimming there.

 

Jan T

 

I believe this was Salt Pond Bay - one of my favorites :)

By the way, the snorkeling there is excellent!

[The Islander]

Just a quick note:

 

Taking shells from beaches is illegal in the Virgin Islands, not just in the National Park but in the USVI in general. It might seem harmless to take one or two or a small zip lock bag of them but what if our thousands of visitors a month all took a dozen or so shells? Take only memories and leave only footprints.

 

--Islander

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