Enough time?

[Hunter2]

If we go to St. John in the a.m. and take the 3 p.m. ferry back to Red Hook would we be able to get back to our ship by 4 p.m. I think the ferry ride is 20-25 minutes, but will there be a taxi that we can take at 3:30ish and get back to the ship by 4 or is that cutting it way too close.

[blue_water]

That would work if everything fell in line nicely. The ferry is 15 - 20 min + disembarkation time, but the taxi may be longer on the return due to the traffic.

I would not risk it and would take the 2PM return ferry to be safe.

[Hunter2]

That would work if everything fell in line nicely. The ferry is 15 - 20 min + disembarkation time, but the taxi may be longer on the return due to the traffic.

I would not risk it and would take the 2PM return ferry to be safe.

 

 

That was my initial thought too, I just want more time on the Island. The ship leaves so early :(

[blue_water]

I hear ya...

Does the ship leave at 5? If so we would be fine with the 3PM ferry if the back on board was 4:30PM. Some folks would be more cautious though.

 

But these ferries run like clockwork and there are back-ups. And the taxi drivers make these runs several times a day everyday. So the chances of being delayed long enough to miss the boat are nonexistent in my mind. But you can't enjoy yourself if you're stressed either.

[bigblue82]

If we go to St. John in the a.m. and take the 3 p.m. ferry back to Red Hook would we be able to get back to our ship by 4 p.m. I think the ferry ride is 20-25 minutes, but will there be a taxi that we can take at 3:30ish and get back to the ship by 4 or is that cutting it way too close.

 

If you need to be ON the ship at 4, too close. If you want to be in the area of the port to be ON the ship at 4:30, you should be okay. There will be traffic back from Red Hook and many taxis. Where are you going on St John? We went to Cinnamon bay, the next beach further down from Trunk. Had the entire beach to ourselves for abot 1 hour.

[Hunter2]

If you need to be ON the ship at 4, too close. If you want to be in the area of the port to be ON the ship at 4:30, you should be okay. There will be traffic back from Red Hook and many taxis. Where are you going on St John? We went to Cinnamon bay, the next beach further down from Trunk. Had the entire beach to ourselves for abot 1 hour.

 

The itinerary says 9-4, so I really don't know exactly when we have to be back on ship. I assumed 4, but sometimes they say all aboard 3:30 for the 4 o'clock take off.

 

I have been to St. John once and loved loved loved it, I just feel like we will be rushing to make sure we make all the right times. I haven't found anything I really want to do on St. Thomas.

[blue_water]

Sounds like you're leaving port at 4 so you'd need to leave Cruz bay on the 2PM ferry.

 

As an alternative one of our favorite days on STT is spending some time at Sapphire Beach (or another beach of your choice) and then hitting either Iggie's Beach Bar at the Bolongo Bay Resort just a few miles the other side of Red Hook, or Paradise Point with that tram just across the street from the Havensight dock.

[travelingmom37]

Don't take the late ferry!

We adore St. John's and always go there when in St Thomas.

 

The traffic can be awful in St. Thomas! Once we literally departed our cab high on a hill and RAN through traffic back to the ship ! We are neither thin nor young and yes, we were the idiots racing on the dock as amused onlookers cheered us from their balconies. Never again.

 

Expect delays and take the earlier ferry.

[blue_water]

It just makes sense to allow at least 2 hours to get from Cruz Bay to the cruise ship docks before departure time. 1.5 hours is a gamble. But since we're talking here about the ship leaving at 4 and not about back on board time, allowing just 1 hour will require a flight to your next destination. ;)

Edited November 12, 2013 by blue_water

[gatorsfam]

If the ship sails at 4, you'll be fine taking the 2pm ferry back to STT. Yes, traffic can be slow, but you'll be fine - in fact many others on the ferry will be going back to your ship I'd wager. We were in the van with a few other couples, and one lady was freaking out about being back to the ship late (mind you this was 90 minutes before all aboard) and the driver took the extra effort to drive us along side the ship instead of dropping us off at the end of the shopping strip. Enjoy!

[canadarocks]

We are neither thin nor young and yes, we were the idiots racing on the dock as amused onlookers cheered us from their balconies. Never again.

 

I hear you! A few years ago DH & I did a private tour with Bernard in St Maarten and experienced the exact same thing! Ship set sail 5 minutes after we boarded.... with a family of 4 stranded behind running! Not a good memory! :eek:

[blue_water]

If the ship sails at 4, you'll be fine taking the 2pm ferry back to STT. Yes, traffic can be slow, but you'll be fine - in fact many others on the ferry will be going back to your ship I'd wager. We were in the van with a few other couples, and one lady was freaking out about being back to the ship late (mind you this was 90 minutes before all aboard) and the driver took the extra effort to drive us along side the ship instead of dropping us off at the end of the shopping strip. Enjoy!

 

The 2PM from Cruz isn't a problem.

They were actually considering (at least briefly) taking the 3PM ferry for a 4PM ship departure :eek: