RC Excursion St Thomas to St Johns

[helensobol]

Is it worth it to take the RC hosted excusion from St Thomas to St Johns?   It says the excursion is 4 hours long w/2 hrs in St Johns.    I never take a cruise hosted excursion but I have heard people have issues with ferrying back and forth (timing) on their own.   

 

Just not sure 2 hours is much time to do things or worth it.. 

[blue_water]

Definitely not, a self-excursion is the way to go. The taxi/ferry system is very reliable and easy, not sure why anyone would have an issue unless perhaps they are novice travelers…You just monitor the time and take a return ferry that gives you a couple hours to taxi back to the ship from the Red Hook ferry terminal. 
 

Going on your own just gives you so much more flexibility and time on STJ to see more than the group does…

 

Taxis and ferries are very reliable and STJ is an easy day. Cost from Crown Bay is ~$51/pp (Taxi from Crown ->> Red Hook = $11, Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay = $8.50, taxi to Trunk = $6). Taxi from Havensight/WICO is $10/pp…

 

Safari taxi drivers waiting at Cruz will drop you at Trunk or Cinnamon, and will also offer a 1 hr island tour for ~$25/pp, then drop you at the beach…

 

Just a very nice day! 😄

Edited April 26, 2022 by blue_water

[helensobol]

Blue-water --- Thanks SO MUCH.. Very appreciated.  I have been told multiple times that the ferry and transport isn't reliable and avoid going to St Johns.    It sounds to me that it won't be the problem.   Thanks for the info.    

 

Anything you recommend seeing in St Johns besides Trunk beach?

[blue_water]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:54 PM, helensobol said:

Blue-water --- Thanks SO MUCH.. Very appreciated.  I have been told multiple times that the ferry and transport isn't reliable and avoid going to St Johns.    It sounds to me that it won't be the problem.   Thanks for the info.    

 

Anything you recommend seeing in St Johns besides Trunk beach?

Yes many do this self-excursion to St John everyday and I’ve seen only happy reports!
 

Trunk is beautiful, but like Magens Bay on STT it is the most touted beach on STJ and so the most touristy. There are other beautiful beaches like Cinnamon, Honeymoon, and Hawkenest. And there are a bit more remote bays for better snorkeling but no amenities…

It just depends on the amenities you want?
 

And Cruz Bay, where the ferry docks, has some nice shops. St John Bracelet makes beautiful, quality Hook bracelets, for example…
 

 

[rdtpm64]

We did the excursion in April and will never do it again.  We had to ride an uncomfortable bus to a marina (more than 30 minutes away), then take the catamaran to St John (more than 30 minutes).  By the time we got to St John (Honeymoon Beach), we had about 30-40 minutes on the beach before they started taking us back out to the catamaran.  We were 1.5 hrs late getting back into town.  We had planned to take a taxi to Magen's Bay for the afternoon, but traffic was horrible due to Carnivale and getting back so late scratched that plan.  Honeymoon Beach on St John was absolutely beautiful, but the excursion was not what we thought it was going to be.

[helensobol]

On 5/17/2022 at 4:33 PM, rdtpm64 said:

We did the excursion in April and will never do it again.  We had to ride an uncomfortable bus to a marina (more than 30 minutes away), then take the catamaran to St John (more than 30 minutes).  By the time we got to St John (Honeymoon Beach), we had about 30-40 minutes on the beach before they started taking us back out to the catamaran.  We were 1.5 hrs late getting back into town.  We had planned to take a taxi to Magen's Bay for the afternoon, but traffic was horrible due to Carnivale and getting back so late scratched that plan.  Honeymoon Beach on St John was absolutely beautiful, but the excursion was not what we thought it was going to be.

 

Thanks... It does seem like you don't get enough time on the island to enjoy it.  We are looking at Water island

[blue_water]

53 minutes ago, helensobol said:

 

Thanks... It does seem like you don't get enough time on the island to enjoy it.  We are looking at Water island

Yes using the cruise line excursion you are severely limited on Tim. That’s why the vast majority of return visitors do the self-excursion whether going to STJ or anywhere. Also no queues waiting for the slower folks in the group…

[exercisemama]

On 4/26/2022 at 11:32 AM, blue_water said:

Definitely not, a self-excursion is the way to go. The taxi/ferry system is very reliable and easy, not sure why anyone would have an issue unless perhaps they are novice travelers…You just monitor the time and take a return ferry that gives you a couple hours to taxi back to the ship from the Red Hook ferry terminal. 
 

Going on your own just gives you so much more flexibility and time on STJ to see more than the group does…

 

 

Taxis and ferries are very reliable and STJ is an easy day. Cost from Crown Bay is ~$51/pp (Taxi from Crown ->> Red Hook = $11, Red Hook ferry to Cruz Bay = $8.50, taxi to Trunk = $6). Taxi from Havensight/WICO is $10/pp…

 

Safari taxi drivers waiting at Cruz will drop you at Trunk or Cinnamon, and will also offer a 1 hr island tour for ~$25/pp, then drop you at the beach…

 

Just a very nice day! 😄

How smooth a ride is the ferry from red Hook to cruise bay? I’m just wondering if I would need anything in advance to help with the motion!

[beautifulbill]

My thoughts on this are a bit different. First of you do not want to try to go to St. Johns as it is on the island of Antigua. I don't think it is worth trying to go to St. John if your on a cruise unless you have a full day. The big deal about St. John is that something like 80% of it is national park and is undeveloped. That is somewhat true. So what do we do in the name of progress(?)...... we develop it. I think it is a shame what we have done there. Cruze Bay used to be a quaint little village but now we have built monster condo developments all around it and on the hills. We have striped all to much of the natural foliage to build monster villas. There are nice beaches there but on a cruise your going to have many exposures to beautiful beaches.

I would choose a nice beach on St. Thomas and enjoy a day when you don't have to constantly look at your watch.  

[Ms411]

Exercisemama, the ferry ride depends on the weather. It's usually very calm, but there have been times when water is very rough. If the ship excursion leaves from an area near the cruise docks the ride is longer and rougher than the ride from the St Thomas east end public ferry dock. From there the ride is about 20 minutes.

[blue_water]

On 10/8/2022 at 10:11 PM, beautifulbill said:

My thoughts on this are a bit different. First of you do not want to try to go to St. Johns as it is on the island of Antigua. I don't think it is worth trying to go to St. John if your on a cruise unless you have a full day. The big deal about St. John is that something like 80% of it is national park and is undeveloped. That is somewhat true. So what do we do in the name of progress(?)...... we develop it. I think it is a shame what we have done there. Cruze Bay used to be a quaint little village but now we have built monster condo developments all around it and on the hills. We have striped all to much of the natural foliage to build monster villas. There are nice beaches there but on a cruise your going to have many exposures to beautiful beaches.

I would choose a nice beach on St. Thomas and enjoy a day when you don't have to constantly look at your watch.  

Yes, if on a cruise stop and looking for a beautiful beach with amenities, we would also head to Sapphire or another STT beach to save that 1.5 - 2 hrs of travel time. STJ is a nice day, and too many day visitors never experience the beauty of STT because they make a bee line to STJ. 
 

But helensobol you have choices, and with the DIY option you can decide the day you arrive! 

[EatonDoolittle]

On 10/8/2022 at 10:11 PM, beautifulbill said:

 First of you do not want to try to go to St. Johns as it is on the island of Antigua.

 

Thank you. That's a pet peeve of mine.

Tourists should,  at minimum,  have the courtesy to know the name of the island (we) they are invading for the day.

 

 

[blue_water]

Gaining knowledge is part of the experience! 😉