Any experience w/ RC's excursion "A St. John Island Tour"?

[Florida Glamazon]

I'm hoping to hear some feedback on Royal's excursion to St. John's Island. I'm nervous that we could miss the boat if we went to St. John on our own, but I'm not sure that 4 hours is enough time for this not to be rushed/a bummer. If CruiseTimeTables.com is correct, we will start to dock the ship at noon and set sail at 8pm. 

The excursion starts at 1:15pm, which is fine by me, but I'm worried that this will be another "crowded bus of annoyance and rum cakes" type of excursions.

This is the basic outline from RC:

Highlights

• Scenic Cruise: Set sail from Charlotte Amalie by boat and relish picturesque coastal views en route to neighboring Saint John.
• National Park: Travel in an open-air vehicle through the island’s sub-tropical forests and semi-arid scrublands, home to 800 plant species.
• Cruz Bay: Enjoy free time in the quaint seaside town, where you can souvenir shop or admire panoramic harbor vistas.

 

Any feedback?

 

[Coralc]

I would recommend it, and would actually take their excursion, if we chose to do it again. We did it on our own last time. It was a complicated trip with a bus to Red Hook, the ferry, then another bus to Trunk Bay. And then the whole thing in reverse to get back to the ship. It was a lot of per person costs and it would be much easier on a ship excursion. And Cruz Bay is the town, and you can go where you wish from there. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by Coralc

[Norwich Cruiser]

2 hours ago, Coralc said:

I would recommend it, and would actually take their excursion, if we chose to do it again. We did it on our own last time. It was a complicated trip with a bus to Red Hook, the ferry, then another bus to Trunk Bay. And then the whole thing in reverse to get back to the ship. It was a lot of per person costs and it would be much easier on a ship excursion. And Cruz Bay is the town, and you can go where you wish from there. 

Funnily enough we did it on our own and found it to be quite the opposite.

 

It wasn’t any hassle to us at all.

 

Go when you like come back when you like.

 

No waiting abotfor stragglers and stay as long or as Lisa’s you like.

 

Taxi to Red Hook ferry arriving 15 minutes before the ferry departure.

 

On the return journey got on the local bus which was waiting back to St Thomas.