Water Island

[Leftyinfwa]

Has anyone gone to WATER ISLAND recently ?

 

How do you get there ?

 

What is there ?:confused:

 

Thanks

 

LEFTY

[hallasm]

Take the Water Island ferryfrom Crown Bay Marina - behind Gourmet Galley, "Pueblo". Price is $5 each way, 7 min. ride.

Visit Honeymoon Beach - Fantastic for a half day getaway

[O2B@Cagain]

What is there? The same stuff you have probably read about. Basically one beach with Heidi's Honeymoon Grill at one end and a bar with some food at the other. Very low key. I should add there is some hiking and a historic (WW2) fort to see.

Edited October 22, 2013 by O2B@Cagain

[cruiselvr04]

We are doing this the first week of December and will report back.

[Livethelife]

Water Island is a small residential island just off Charlotte Amalie. Population varies by season. There are remains of a WWII fort on the hill at the south end of the island about 1 ½ miles from the ferry landing. It was mostly an underground facility and entrance is not recommended for safety reasons but an outside observation deck does have a wonderful view of St. Thomas.

 

Honeymoon beach is about ¼ mile from the ferry dock. There are no taxis, buses, or public transportation on Water Island. Beachgoers have to walk up a hill and down a fairly steep hill to get to the beach. It is not a difficult walk for most people but anyone with mobility issues or heart problems could have a hard time. As O2B@Cagain said the beach is small and somewhat rustic without the services that a resort beach would have. There are however two excellent places to purchase food and drinks. Heidi’s Honeymoon Grill is located at the north end of the beach and Dinghy’s Beach Bar & Grill at the south end.

 

During the “low” season the beach is quite peaceful. During “high” season the beach easily becomes over-crowded due to multiple excursion boats bringing a steady stream of visitors to the island. Honeymoon Beach will already be busy by the first week of December. Tuesday & Wednesday have 5 & 6 ships scheduled for St. Thomas. Hope this information helps! :)

[Leftyinfwa]

That was perfect and Very Helpful

 

:D

 

Lefty

[xeriod]

Has anyone gone to WATER ISLAND recently ?

 

How do you get there ?

 

Here is the ferry schedule;

 

Crown Bay → Water Island

Monday-Saturday

6:30 am | 7:15 | 8:00 | 10:30 | noon | 1:30 | 2:00 | 3:15 | 4:15 | 5:15 | 6:00 pm

 

Water Island → Crown Bay

Monday-Saturday

6:45 am | 7:30 | 8:15 | 10:45 | 12:15 | 1:45 | 2:15 | 3:30 | 4:30 | 5:30 | 6:15 pm

[Livethelife]

Has anyone gone to WATER ISLAND recently ?

 

How do you get there ?

 

Here is the ferry schedule;

 

Crown Bay → Water Island

Monday-Saturday

6:30 am | 7:15 | 8:00 | 10:30 | noon | 1:30 | 2:00 | 3:15 | 4:15 | 5:15 | 6:00 pm

 

Water Island → Crown Bay

Monday-Saturday

6:45 am | 7:30 | 8:15 | 10:45 | 12:15 | 1:45 | 2:15 | 3:30 | 4:30 | 5:30 | 6:15 pm

 

:( Sorry xeriod - This is an old schedule no longer in effect. Google Water Island ferry schedule to get the new one. :)

[xeriod]

:( Sorry xeriod - This is an old schedule no longer in effect. Google Water Island ferry schedule to get the new one. :)

 

Looks like that is still the weekday schedule except they dropped the 1:30 ferry to Water Island . Do you have an unposted schedlue that is different that you can share ?

[manoverboard]

I googled it, and found it on Vinow, thanks for the heads up

[Giventofly]

Interesting that it actually takes LESS keystrokes to just post the stupid schedule than it does to tell someone to go google it, especially when googling it yields incorrect results.

 

Here's what's posted on www(dot)vinow(dot)com

 

Schedule

Crown Bay → Water Island

Monday-Saturday

6:30 am | 7:15 | 8:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | noon | 1:15 | 2:15 | 3:15 | 4:15 | 5:15 | 6:00 | 9:00 pm *

 

Sundays and Holidays

8:00 am | 10:00 | noon | 1:15 | 3:15 | 5:15 pm

 

Water Island → Crown Bay

Monday-Saturday

6:45 am | 7:30 | 8:15 | 10:15 | 11:15 | 12:15 | 1:30 | 2:30 | 3:30 | 4:30 | 5:30 | 6:15 | 9:15 pm *

 

Sundays and Holidays

8:15 am | 10:15 | 12:15 | 1:30 | 3:30 | 5:30 pm

 

* Reservations required, call by 6pm. $10 one way.

Edited November 30, 2013 by Giventofly

[Livethelife]

Giventofly - there is a reason for not posting a schedule and instead recommending Googling it and that is because the information will be current.

 

In locations with seasonal economies like the Virgin Islands, transportation schedules and opening and closing hours of establishments may be quite different during the low season. Six months from now this schedule may or may not still be in effect but visitors will still be looking at this thread and assume it is accurate when it may not be. We would like everyone to have an enjoyable day here and not be upset by either missing a ferry or waiting too long. :)

[VaCruzers]

We went to Water Island on our cruise last week and had a lovely day at Honeymoon Beach. There had been considerable rain the two days prior we were told by guests who had been there for about 10 days. The water was a bit murky due to this and snorkeling was not optimal, but I think this is a risk anywhere. My husband had injured his knee the day prior at Princess Cay and, although he had managed to hobble down the steep hill on his crutches, a very nice lady staying nearby gave us a ride back to the ferry dock on her golf cart. Great drinks from The Beach Bar & Grill and they had lounge chairs as well as chairs and tables for use of their patrons. This was a nice, unexpected surprise as I didn't anticipate any chairs. The beach was calm, quiet, and truly relaxing. Easy access to ferry when docked at Crown Bay. Can't wait to visit again!

[canadarocks]

The Beach Bar & Grill and they had lounge chairs as well as chairs and tables for use of their patrons. This was a nice, unexpected surprise as I didn't anticipate any chairs. The beach was calm, quiet, and truly relaxing. Easy access to ferry when docked at Crown Bay. Can't wait to visit again!

 

That is a welcome surprise! Were you able to use the chairs for an extended period of time?

[VaCruzers]

That is a welcome surprise! Were you able to use the chairs for an extended period of time?

 

We used loungers for the duration of our time there - a little after 11:00 until around 3:00.

[canadarocks]

We used loungers for the duration of our time there - a little after 11:00 until around 3:00.

 

Thanks so much for letting me know. That was the only thing stopping me from heading there when we dock at Crown Bay next March! Did you notice how many loungers and/or chairs were available?

[Livethelife]

Honeymoon Beach is a small local beach not a big resort. There are approximately 10 loungers available at Dinghy's Beach Bar and perhaps another dozen at Heidi's. Most visitors end up using towels on the sand.

[canadarocks]

Honeymoon Beach is a small local beach not a big resort. There are approximately 10 loungers available at Dinghy's Beach Bar and perhaps another dozen at Heidi's. Most visitors end up using towels on the sand.

 

Thanks for letting me know. My husband needs a chair of some sort at the beach. And 22 is certainly better than none! :)

[xeriod]

Giventofly - there is a reason for not posting a schedule and instead recommending Googling it and that is because the information will be current.

 

In locations with seasonal economies like the Virgin Islands, transportation schedules and opening and closing hours of establishments may be quite different during the low season. Six months from now this schedule may or may not still be in effect but visitors will still be looking at this thread and assume it is accurate when it may not be. We would like everyone to have an enjoyable day here and not be upset by either missing a ferry or waiting too long. :)

 

Ahh, thanks for finally clearing up your confusing response. Much like my broken watch is correct once a day , the ferry schedule will will change depending on the time of year and the one I posted and the one Giventofly posted may be correct today but not tomorrow and we should check shortly before arriveing .

[cruiselvr04]

We were on water island the first week of December. It was lovely. Only noise was when two party boats stopped by. We picked up wine and cheese from the grocery store right by the water taxi in St. Thomas plus had some drinks from the bar at the beach.

 

Only caution... I was severely bitten by no see ums, sand fleas whatever you want to call them. There had been a lot of rain and locals say this is what happens. It was so bad for me that I needed a trip to the ship doctor for Prednisone and slept only 3 hours two nights in a row. The itching was intense with about 80 bites. The bug spray - well we had left it in the cabin on the ship. Although it was beautiful and quiet I am not sure I will be brave enough to go back. I know this can happen anywhere... I saw a few but had no idea I was being bitten so badly.

[caribbrian]

Can any supply me with info on getting from Havensight to Crown Bay to catch the Ferry to Water Island?

1.) How far is it?

2.) Can you walk there?

3.) Will we need to take a taxi?

4.) Are there buses that run between Havensight and Crown Bay?

Thanks!

[Ms411]

You would need a taxi. Approximately 4 miles. Taxi should be $6 pp each way.

[jason959]

Can you buy a return ticket for a specific ferry time? Any risk of the ferry being full if don't head back early enough?

 

Keeping our all-aboard time in mind, are we best to take an earlier ferry back to account for it possibly being full?

[Livethelife]

Can you buy a return ticket for a specific ferry time? Any risk of the ferry being full if don't head back early enough?

 

Keeping our all-aboard time in mind, are we best to take an earlier ferry back to account for it possibly being full?

 

You can buy a round trip ticket but it is just for a return trip. It does NOT guarantee you passage at a specific return time. So the answer to the question you are really asking is yes, there is a risk of the ferry being full if you don't head back early enough. The ferry is a small boat with a capacity of about 25. (It is nothing like the ferry to St. John if this is what you have pictured in your mind.) During high season there is also the possibility that the number of people wishing transportation to and from the island will exceed capacity on some trips. Today between on-island rentals, day trippers, and cruise excursions there have been upwards of 600-700 people on the beach throughout the day. Reviewers who have described Honeymoon Beach as a quiet, sparsely populated beach have most likely visited before it became an excursion destination or in off-season.