St. John's

[FUNGIRLS]

Good Afternoon everyone,

Wanted to get some opinions on how to get to St. John's, or experiences you enjoyed and recommend. We will be in St. Thomas on Wednesday May 7, from 10-6. We have previously have taken tours with Godfrey's and Sunny Liston. Both were good, but really enjoyed Sunny. So since we have done the tour thing twice, and shopping to me at this port is pretty repetitive, I would like to try something new. I'm good with a total beach day, snorkeling :D so any advice on what I would do once we arrive? I know we have to catch the ferry, but where would you go? Good snorkeling, food, nice beach, relaxation, bathroom facilities?

Thank you!

[blue_water]

Hard to find a nice beach with amenities and not too crowded to enjoy. But the beaches of STJ are gorgeous and it's a good opportunity to go there for a day.

 

The most popular way to get to Cruz Bay, STJ is on your own via taxi to Red Hook (20 - 30 min) and the 20 min ferry to Cruz. Total cost is about $34pp roundtrip. Taxis will be lined-up for the beach and it's $6 - 7pp each way (+$4 entry if going to Trunk).

 

Trunk Bay is where the vast majority will head because there are amenities and a snorkel path and it's a nice beach so it's the obvious choice. We'd continue on to Cinnamon Bay to find a hopefully smaller crowd but still with amenities.

 

Great shopping in Cruz bay, nice small shops and not as hectic as Charlotte Amalie. Beautiful Hook bracekets at St John Bracelets near the ferry dock, he can custom make one for you while you're at the beach!

 

If you decide the time getting to a beach on STJ is too long for your short day in port (about 3 hrs in total travel time vs 1 hr for the East End of STT) consider Secret Harbor on the East End. Many people never even "discover" the beautiful beaches of the East End of STT. For a more lively vibe with amenities look at Coki, a gorgeous little gem!

[FUNGIRLS]

Hard to find a nice beach with amenities and not too crowded to enjoy. But the beaches of STJ are gorgeous and it's a good opportunity to go there for a day.

 

The most popular way to get to Cruz Bay, STJ is on your own via taxi to Red Hook (20 - 30 min) and the 20 min ferry to Cruz. Total cost is about $34pp roundtrip. Taxis will be lined-up for the beach and it's $6 - 7pp each way (+$4 entry if going to Trunk).

 

Trunk Bay is where the vast majority will head because there are amenities and a snorkel path and it's a nice beach so it's the obvious choice. We'd continue on to Cinnamon Bay to find a hopefully smaller crowd but still with amenities.

 

Great shopping in Cruz bay, nice small shops and not as hectic as Charlotte Amalie. Beautiful Hook bracekets at St John Bracelets near the ferry dock, he can custom make one for you while you're at the beach!

 

If you decide the time getting to a beach on STJ is too long for your short day in port (about 3 hrs in total travel time vs 1 hr for the East End of STT) consider Secret Harbor on the East End. Many people never even "discover" the beautiful beaches of the East End of STT. For a more lively vibe with amenities look at Coki, a gorgeous little gem!

 

Thank you for taking the time to respond..would definitely like to escape the bustle for a bit..we will just have to figure it out with our time constraints, but to get a little taste would be nice..thanks again

[LA_CA_GAL]

Good Afternoon everyone,

Wanted to get some opinions on how to get to St. John's, or experiences you enjoyed and recommend. We will be in St. Thomas on Wednesday May 7, from 10-6. We have previously have taken tours with Godfrey's and Sunny Liston. Both were good, but really enjoyed Sunny. So since we have done the tour thing twice, and shopping to me at this port is pretty repetitive, I would like to try something new. I'm good with a total beach day, snorkeling :D so any advice on what I would do once we arrive? I know we have to catch the ferry, but where would you go? Good snorkeling, food, nice beach, relaxation, bathroom facilities?

Thank you!

 

Have you checked with your ship's excursions?

 

Maybe they have one to St. John from the ship so you won't have to do the horrid taxi ride to Red Hook.

[FUNGIRLS]

Have you checked with your ship's excursions?

 

Maybe they have one to St. John from the ship so you won't have to do the horrid taxi ride to Red Hook.

 

I saw that Carnival had the catamaran that sounded like it might be fun, but reading here on the boards I didn't see too many positive experiences. I do have to take into consideration the taxi ride and the ferry , just to make sure we have plenty of time to get back.

[blue_water]

Have you checked with your ship's excursions?

 

Maybe they have one to St. John from the ship so you won't have to do the horrid taxi ride to Red Hook.

 

Horrid? I've never heard it described quite like that...

You are in an open-sided safari taxi with 20 odd others but the taxi and ferry on your own is a fun part of the experience. The ship option is ho hum in our opinion. Now the champagne cat is a good option if you're not wanting to maximize your time on STJ. But that wouldn'tfit the OP's plan...

[Host Anne]

Fun Girls .... there are five ships in port with you on May 7. That's the bad news. The good news is that none of them are Oasis or Allure (I always try to look at the bright side of things).

 

We're St. John fans and we always head there when we stop in St. Thomas on a cruise. Here's a thread that will provide information you need to do it on your own. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2017377 If you are off your ship as soon as you dock and catch the next ferry to St. John on the hour, you'd have a great day. Try Cinnamon Bay if you want to try a beach. Trunk will likely be crowded unless you are there very early. Cinnamon is so long that we can always find a great spot away from crowds, if there are any.

 

Have a great cruise!

[LA_CA_GAL]

Horrid? I've never heard it described quite like that...

You are in an open-sided safari taxi with 20 odd others but the taxi and ferry on your own is a fun part of the experience. The ship option is ho hum in our opinion. Now the champagne cat is a good option if you're not wanting to maximize your time on STJ. But that wouldn'tfit the OP's plan...

 

We did the champagne cat one year, and it was a great excursion.

 

However, getting to the open air taxi, waiting at the open air taxi for about 40 minutes, the ride in the open air taxi that had brake problems, and the return from Red Hook in the open air taxi ..... well, you get my drift?

[blue_water]

Brake problems would be a real issue and they shouldn't be driving that many ppl (any number) in an unsafe vehicle, that would be very unusual there. Maybe the driver not using the brakes was the real problem :eek:

It is too bad you had to wait as that is an inconvenience, I've never heard of a 40 min wait, that is way too long to fill a taxi...

[FUNGIRLS]

Thanks for the link!

[sippican]

Have you checked with your ship's excursions?

 

Maybe they have one to St. John from the ship so you won't have to do the horrid taxi ride to Red Hook.

 

Great suggestion.

We have done the trek to Red Hook and also the direct route to St John directly from the dock. The second was by far the easiest and most reasonable. RCI offers a DIY to St John for $34 pp. You are picked up right at the dock, brought directly to St. John, then you can do as you like for approx. 4 hours, and return by the same route. Too bad Carnival does not offer the same option. Some have commented that you have less time, and the ride is rough- we found it to be plenty of time for the beach, snorkeling and a bit of shopping; the ride was fine, a little choppy, but we were treated to a ride in a brand new catamaran (not a ferry). Taxis were waiting for us, no wait to speak of going or coming from the beach.

When comparing the two options, if having a choice, we would choose direct from the dock over Red Hook hands down. No worry about making connections and being back on time. And I agree that the taxi to and from Red Hook can be challenging depending on the number of ships in port. We sat forever in traffic on the return trip.

[FUNGIRLS]

It would be nice if Carnival had that option..I just looked

 

 

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[destaw7182]

Good Afternoon everyone,

Wanted to get some opinions on how to get to St. John's, or experiences you enjoyed and recommend. We will be in St. Thomas on Wednesday May 7, from 10-6. We have previously have taken tours with Godfrey's and Sunny Liston. Both were good, but really enjoyed Sunny. So since we have done the tour thing twice, and shopping to me at this port is pretty repetitive, I would like to try something new. I'm good with a total beach day, snorkeling :D so any advice on what I would do once we arrive? I know we have to catch the ferry, but where would you go? Good snorkeling, food, nice beach, relaxation, bathroom facilities?

Thank you!

 

I am trying to decide between Godfrey's and Sunny Liston for my upcoming cruise. Can you tell me what made Sunny's tour more enjoyable? It looks like it would be based on what I viewed on his website, but I would like to know specifically from a past guest what made it more enjoyable.

 

Thanks!