St Thomas to St. John - Details Wanted Please

[august1963]

I'm just wondering if someone could please outline (in detail) the steps need to get from St. Thomas to St. John if doing this excursion on your own....Where do you go? What do you do? Just want to make sure I have a good idea what to expect before we get there. Thanks.

 

Jubilee 1988

American Family 1994

Imagination 1997

Sensation 1998

Elation 6/2001

Inspiration 2/2002

Triumph 4/2004

[CruiseFever]

Sure. We did this just a few weeks ago so I should be able to remember it and not lead you to Cuba.

 

We took a cab from the dock in St Thomas to Red Hook. I just said "Red Hook" to the cab driver as though I knew what I was talking about. They waited a few minutes to get a couple other people to fill the cab going there and we were off.

 

After about a 15 minute drive we were dropped off at a place where we bought tickets for a ferry ride to St John for either $3 or $5 per person, one way, to St John. It's not like the water taxi in St Maarten where you can buy a round trip wrist band for $5.

 

We could also have taken a different ferry to Tortola. We are planning on doing that on our next visit to St Thomas in June. Mmmm, source of rum cakes.

 

We had read on CC to be there between 9:30 and 10:00am because the first ferry fills up and you might not get on it if you are late. We got there at 9:45, the ferry ticket booth opened at 10:00 and we were on our way by 10:15 at the latest for the 15 minute ride to St John.

 

Once there we rented another taxi to take us to Trunk Bay which is part of a US National Park. In fact, you pay and admission to the park at an office and to people that are dressed very much like the rangers at Yellowstone.

 

There are three popular beach areas on St John but I can't put my finger on the map I had to be able to tell you the others. I DID hear that the others are not as crowded as Trunk Bay but I gotta tell you: No complaints.

 

We arrived early and had the place to ourselves for long enough to get some of the best photos I have ever taken. The scenery is so beautiful that even a photo-dolt like me can take shots worthy of LIFE magazine.

 

The snorkle freaks were in heaven and there were a bunch of them.

 

Here's a photo I took on the way there from the open-air cab we took:

Trunk bay

 

Here's some video too:

A walk on the Beach in St John

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/04

Star Princess 10/04

Carnival Spirit 12/04

[bjkeen]

Chris,

Thanks for sharing. Do you know if the snorkelers saw fish? While at Half Moon Key my dh saw 1 fish. The water was beautiful. Where's the fish?

 

Becky

http://community.webshots.com/user/bjkeen100

 

Miracle Cruise

 

May Eastern Caribbean Carnival Cruise 2006

Miracle 2004

Pride 2003

Regent Rainbow

Sensation 2000

Fantasy 1996, 2001

 

[CruiseFever]

I sure don't, they might have been looking for change on the bottom of the pool for all I know

 

Happy Cruising

 

Chris

 

www.LifeIsCruising.com

 

Next up:

Caribbean Princess 06/04

Star Princess 10/04

Carnival Spirit 12/04

 

[maps]

you'll see lots of fish. there's even an underwater trail you can follow.

 

cinnamon bay is also supposed to be pretty nice and less crowded.

[carol459]

The cab ride to and from Red Hook is $8pp.

When we returned from St. John, we took the ferry to Charlotte Amalie, a different, longer route around the island, $6pp. You land right next to a flea market-type shopping area. From there, a cab ride is $2-$3pp back to the ship.

Lotsa fun

Carol

 

09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)

05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)

02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)

01/2004 Ecstasy(Mexico)

12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)

09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)

02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)

05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)

[Yellowjacket1]

I agree with everything Carol and Chris said, but wanted to add that the sooner you can get off the ship and get the taxi to Red Hook and over to St. John, the better off you'll be. In the morning from about 8 - 11 am it's relatively uncrowded (being the first one on Trunk Bay in the morning is PURE HEAVEN!!). After about 11 am, many of the ship's tours start arriving and the beach fills up rather quickly. You'll probably see a good many fish while snorkling and lots of various coral right there near shore. Once the beach starts getting crowded think about returning to St. Thomas by taking a taxi from Trunk Bay to Cruz Bay (where the ferries depart on St. John). From Cruz Bay get a ferry to Charlotte Amalie, the downtown area of St. Thomas. There are lots of great restaurants and bars to choose from and afterwards it's a great place to wander around shopping, trying new liquors at some of the shops, or just people watching. As Carol said it's a $2 - 3 cab ride back to the ship.

 

Enjoy!!!

 

Steve

 

Lord, I was born a ramblin man . . .

[Dancer1978]

I would like to visit St. John when there at the end of April but I am worried to go on my own about missing the ferries or not being able to get a cab, as I think there will be 4 ships in St. Thomas that day. I was thinking of doing the excursion through the cruise line.

[btorlv]

The cab ride to and from Red Hook is $8pp.

When we returned from St. John, we took the ferry to Charlotte Amalie, a different, longer route around the island, $6pp. You land right next to a flea market-type shopping area. From there, a cab ride is $2-$3pp back to the ship.

Lotsa fun

Carol

Was the longer ferry ride to Charotte very rough are about the same from red hook? I dont want to get sea sick.

09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)

05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)

02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)

01/2004 Ecstasy(Mexico)

12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)

09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)

02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)

05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)

Was the longer ferry ride to Charotte very rough are about the same from red hook? I dont want to get sea sick

[Dem&Mag]

Chris,

Thanks for sharing. Do you know if the snorkelers saw fish? While at Half Moon Key my dh saw 1 fish. The water was beautiful. Where's the fish?

 

Becky

http://community.webshots.com/user/bjkeen100

 

Miracle Cruise

 

May Eastern Caribbean Carnival Cruise 2006

Miracle 2004

Pride 2003

Regent Rainbow

Sensation 2000

Fantasy 1996, 2001

 

 

Here is a link to the pictures I took there last week, we took the same route as above. You can see the ones from Trunk Bay as well as Pinel ISland (from St MArteen) you can see the underwater trail signs from Trunk bay pretty well).

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34179141@N05/collections/

 

Sam

[kacyr@snet.net]

i'd also like to hop over to St. John and skip St. Thomas and am looking for the cheapest easiest route to do so. Does anybody know the price if you do this through the ship excursion? although I DO NOT want to shop or sight see, just park my butt on beautiful Trunk Bay :)

 

Also, how much is the above mentioned admission price to get onto Trunk Bay beach??

[aggiemom11]

I would also like to know the total price to do St. John on your own. Does anyone know this?

[jillyfish]

what was the cab fare from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay?

I think I remember reading the cab ride is not too long, correct?

[jillyfish]

i'd also like to hop over to St. John and skip St. Thomas and am looking for the cheapest easiest route to do so. Does anybody know the price if you do this through the ship excursion? although I DO NOT want to shop or sight see, just park my butt on beautiful Trunk Bay :)

 

Also, how much is the above mentioned admission price to get onto Trunk Bay beach??

 

What cruise line will you be sailing?

We booked ours with Royal Caribbean, which included the transportation to/from the ship to/from Red Hook and the ferry to/from St Johns. It was $40 per adult, $30 for children. We will have to pay for the taxi to get to Trunk Bay from Cruz Bay (not sure of the taxi fare) and admission to Trunk Bay which is $4 for anyone over 16.

 

 

 

edit: I just found a link for taxi fares on St John to/from Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay is $8 for one person. If 2 or more people, $6 each.

[gadaboutgal]

Directions if your ship docks at Havensight Port:

 

From Havensight you will catch the $2 per person open air Safari bus to Red Hook Ferry.

Leave the Ship terminal and walk to the main street,

turn left toward downtown, walk to the traffic light at the first intersection of 3 streets.

You will see the Giant Gas Station on one corner and the Pueblo Supermarket on the other corner.

Cross the street to the Giant Gas Station.

The bus will stop just past Giant Gas Station across from Pueblo before continuing up the hill. (You may have to flag the bus down.)

Verify with driver he is going to Red Hook and ask that he let you off at the Marina.

Pay driver in cash after you get out. (Takes about 30 minutes.)

One way per person on the Safari bus is $2. (Have singles for the driver.)

 

The ferry from Red Hook to St. John leaves on the hour and takes 15 minutes. Cost $12 per person round trip.

 

At St. Johns catch the Safari Taxi to the beach. (Easy to find as they will be waiting for tourists at the end of the dock) Cost $12 per person round trip.

 

Entrance fee to the beach is $4 per person (only $2 if you are a senior and have the national park discount card.)

 

Total cost for transportation=$32 per person.

(Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to return as there is always a lot of backed up traffic going back into town.)

 

This sounds complicated but it really is easy if you usually do any type of touring on your own.

[gadaboutgal]

Directions if your ship docks at Crown Bay Port:

 

From Crown Bay you will catch the $2 per person open air Safari bus.

Leave the Port area. On the street (Route 304), turn right (heading east toward downtown) and walk to the forked 3 way intersection.

Cross the street, and go left going up the hill. (There will be a shopping center on your left.)

At the top of the hill, continue across the 4 lane road (Moravian Hwy/Veterans Drive) and turn left.

The open air Safari bus will stop across from the covered bus stop that you will see on the other side of the street.

 

Verify with driver he is going to Red Hook and ask that he let you off at the Marina. Pay driver in cash after you get out. One way per person on the Safari bus is $2. (Have singles for the driver.)

 

The ferry from Red Hook to St. John leaves on the hour and takes 15 minutes. Cost $12 per person round trip.

 

At St. Johns catch the Safari Taxi to the beach. (Easy to find as they will be waiting for tourists at the end of the dock) Cost $12 per person round trip.

 

Entrance fee to the beach is $4 per person (only $2 if you are a senior and have the national park discount card.)

 

Total cost for transportation=$32 per person.

 

(On your return be very conscious of the time since this is the west side of Charlotte Amelia and traffic is always extremely tied up.)

[vossjemi]

Are any of the taxis minivan type taxis? We will have at least 7 people...maybe more. I wouldn't mind taking the open safari bus, but we'll have 3 small children in tow and am a little worried if I have to "flag down" a bus.

[Sunebeach]

I might have missed it, but what was the cost of the Trunk bay /park entrance fee? or is it free as most US national parks are?

 

Also, anyone know how to get there from Charlotte Amalie? Not exactly sure which pier we'll be at, Sailing on Allure in October.

 

Just trying to see if it's much cheaper to go on our own or with the cruise line?

[Ms411]

None of the "taxis" are mini-vans, and there may or may not be room for a large group on one $2 safari bus, especially if you're looking to take it during work commute times. You may have to wait for an empty one.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

I might have missed it, but what was the cost of the Trunk bay /park entrance fee? or is it free as most US national parks are?

 

Also, anyone know how to get there from Charlotte Amalie? Not exactly sure which pier we'll be at, Sailing on Allure in October.

 

Just trying to see if it's much cheaper to go on our own or with the cruise line?

 

You will be docked at Crown Bay.

[ibcnusoon]

Directions if your ship docks at Crown Bay Port:

 

From Crown Bay you will catch the $2 per person open air Safari bus.

Leave the Port area. On the street (Route 304), turn right (heading east toward downtown) and walk to the forked 3 way intersection.

Cross the street, and go left going up the hill. (There will be a shopping center on your left.)

At the top of the hill, continue across the 4 lane road (Moravian Hwy/Veterans Drive) and turn left.

The open air Safari bus will stop across from the covered bus stop that you will see on the other side of the street.

 

Verify with driver he is going to Red Hook and ask that he let you off at the Marina. Pay driver in cash after you get out. One way per person on the Safari bus is $2. (Have singles for the driver.)

 

The ferry from Red Hook to St. John leaves on the hour and takes 15 minutes. Cost $12 per person round trip.

 

At St. Johns catch the Safari Taxi to the beach. (Easy to find as they will be waiting for tourists at the end of the dock) Cost $12 per person round trip.

 

Entrance fee to the beach is $4 per person (only $2 if you are a senior and have the national park discount card.)

 

Total cost for transportation=$32 per person.

 

(On your return be very conscious of the time since this is the west side of Charlotte Amelia and traffic is always extremely tied up.)

 

 

We are going to go with the cruise line. For $32 plus snorkel rental, the cruiseline price isn't that far off. Also, I'm not dragging around the 5 other people in my party rushing off the ship early, walking to FIND the bus stop, looking for a bus to flag down, might be a problem and have to wait for another bus with availability, etc. etc. etc.

 

Too many if's. I believe the return ferry is at 3:00pm from Cruz Bay to Charlotte Amalie. I'd be concerned that it was cutting it too close to the time we need to report back to the ship.

 

I'd rather be safe, take the cruise excursion and report back to Havensport with time to spare for a little shopping, or maybe take the tram up to Paradise Point.

[blue_water]

I would like to visit St. John when there at the end of April but I am worried to go on my own about missing the ferries or not being able to get a cab, as I think there will be 4 ships in St. Thomas that day. I was thinking of doing the excursion through the cruise line.

 

If you feel safer booking through the ship by all means do so. But this is one of the easiest excursions to do on your own because you take the same transportation the ship excursion uses. The 15 minute ferries depart every hour and are very regular. There are a ton of taxis in STJ and they are very organized there and all charge the same.

 

I would come back to Red Hook to avoid the ferry to Charlotte Amalie but that's your choice. Just give yourself at least an hour to get from Red Hook back to your ship. If your ship leaves at 6PM be back in Red Hook by 4PM to be safe.

 

If you're waiting for the ferry in Cruz Bay there's a neat place in Cruz Bay for a beer called the Beach Bar to the right as you're docking.

[jawouds]

It IS easy to do on your own and then you can set your own schedule, but one advantage of the ship's excursion is that they contract with a ferry and it picks you up directly from the dock, saving you some time you would spend taking a cab to Red Hook. Excursions to St John's all take the same ferry and you have the choice of sticking with them or just going off on your own - just make sure you are back at the ferry dock at the scheduled time. Trunk Bay is where more cruisers go, but taxis will also take you to Cinnamon (also a National Park) which has nice facilities as well. If you have some time in town, head over to Woody's for their Happy Hour. :)

[ibcnusoon]

We are most likely going to do the ship tour. There are 6 of us ranging in age from 15-81. Half the group will take the ship's snorkel to Trunk Bay, the other half will take a sightseeing tour of St. John, both are ship excursions. Both tours leave the ship at the same time and meet up again in Cruz Bay for shopping, before boarding the ferry back to the ship. Easy peazy, much less stressful than racing to Red Hook to get the next ferry and doing the same on return, worrying if you are going to miss a connection and set you back an hour or so.

 

As an added bonus, we get back to the ship around 2pm (if someone took this tour please let me know exactly) and will give us time to shop in Havensport and even take the tram up to Paradise Point.

 

We took a land vacation to St. John many years ago, always wanted to go back. It is my favorite island, absolutely beautiful and I'm excited that I'm finally returning.

[cruisegal96]

We stayed in a resort a few years back in St. Thomas & took the Red Hook ferry over to St. John. Trunk Bay is the most beautiful place we've ever been & I highly recommend it. I've read a few threads in the past that said you needed to leave 3 hours prior to your ships time to be back onboard because the traffic gets very heavy later in the day in St. Thomas. So I can't decide if we want to try it on a cruise or not.