St Thomas to St. John

[Nanny8]

Does anyone know how easy it is to get between St Thomas and St. John? Will we need to take a taxi to the ferry or could we walk?

Has anyone done this as a short day trip on a cruise stop.

Our ship is in port from 8-5.

Thanks

[Luvcrusn]

Does anyone know how easy it is to get between St Thomas and St. John? Will we need to take a taxi to the ferry or could we walk?

Has anyone done this as a short day trip on a cruise stop.

Our ship is in port from 8-5.

Thanks

 

As far as I know the ferry leaves from Red Hook and that is about a 30-45 minute taxi ride from the port. It's not far from Sapphire Beach.

[4774Papa]

We took a ship's excursion, which was reasonably priced. The boat to St. John's was docked walking distance from our ship, so we just walked from the ship to the boat. Excellent excursion, we were on the NCL Star.

[JohninDC]

For more advice and suggestions you should post your question on the St. Thomas/St. John board: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=587

[Deeliteful]

Also did this as a ship excursion with RCL. Lovely beach and enjoyable ferry trip too.

 

 

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[Fouremco]

Bear in mind too that sometimes there are last-minutes changes to dock assignments. If you are in Crown Bay, it will take you longer than if you dock at Havensight. We were once redirected in the morning as we made the outer approach to the harbour.

[cb at sea]

I agree that this is one trip that a ship's excursion makes sense! It's a trip to the ferry, then when you get there, you need transport to whatever beaches you want to see....then do it in reverse to get back to the ship.

We rarely do excursions at all, but this is worth it!

[erniesband]

Easy to do on your own, I've done it many times.

Taxi to Red Hook, then ferry to St John, enjoy the beaches, ferry back to Red Hook, taxi back to pier. Just make sure you are back to Red Hook before 4PM as traffic back into town can be slow. We usually try for the 9AM ferry over and the 3PM back. You can find the ferry schedule for the day you'll be there online.

[TheTides]

Celebrity has an excursion that does this that is extremely reasonable. In fact, it cost like 5 dollars more than getting a taxi to red hook and back + ferry. But if you want my opinion, I would stick to St. Thomas. We LOVE St. John, probably our favorite island in the Caribbean, yet you waste like 2.5 hours of transportation time getting there and back. Whatever you choose though, enjoy!

[hancock]

We recently sailed on the Summit into St. Thomas. Although we were the only ship in port, we were assigned to Crown Bay rather than Havensite. If you are going to be docked at Crown Bay, I recommend taking the ship excursion to St. John. I did take the tour of St. John which was mostly the National Park. I was a bit disappointed as I would have enjoyed seeing more of the inhabited portion of the island. Do the transfer over to St. John and then do your own thing. The beaches are all beautiful!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Easy to do on your own, I've done it many times.

Taxi to Red Hook, then ferry to St John, enjoy the beaches, ferry back to Red Hook, taxi back to pier. Just make sure you are back to Red Hook before 4PM as traffic back into town can be slow. We usually try for the 9AM ferry over and the 3PM back. You can find the ferry schedule for the day you'll be there online.

 

I understand how to do the steps you have outlined, but there's a missing link: how do you get from the ferry in St John to the beaches, and back?

[royalcruz]

We did a ship excursion guided walking tour of St. Johns. The ferry ride was about 20 minutes and included rum punch on the way back. The ride was very rough, especially to St. Johns so use seasickness medicine if your are so prone. We didn't go to the beach, but had enough to time for the tour, lovely waterfront lunch at Waterfront Bistro, and lots of shopping in cute boutiques. There was a little beach by the waterfront restaurant, which was walking distance from the pier. The restaurant was really nice and had the most beautiful view; it was like heaven.

[janetz]

I understand how to do the steps you have outlined, but there's a missing link: how do you get from the ferry in St John to the beaches, and back?

 

Taxi. :) Its a short ride.

Edited November 6, 2016 by janetz

[hsbro]

Easy to take a taxi. Recommend Trunk Bay Beach. Very popular and has food and facilities. Also easy to get back to ferry. Always taxis around.

 

 

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[4cats4me]

I understand how to do the steps you have outlined, but there's a missing link: how do you get from the ferry in St John to the beaches, and back?

 

 

 

Once you get to Saint John there are plenty of open air trams which will take you to the beaches for approx $7 pp each way

 

 

 

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[4cats4me]

We have done this trip on our own and through the cruise ships. If doing the trip on your own and if your ship departs at 5 pm I recommend getting on the 2:00 pm ferry from Saint John, not the 3:00 You need to leave plenty of time to get from Red Hook to the cruise port and the traffic is dense around the 3:00 hour, or at least it was with us with all the schools letting out, ET cet. Our ship left at 6 pm but we still took a 2 pm ferry and were very thankful that we did. It took almost an hour to get back to havensite, and if docked at Crown Bay it would have taken much longer. I agree with others who have suggested staying on St Thomas. You spend way less time commuting. It really does depend on how many ships will be in port with you, and that should determine how crowded the beaches might be.

We took the excursion through the cruise ship and departed on the ferry right there at the dock. It was a 45 minute ride

To St. John. From red hook it was 30 minutes

 

 

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[luv2trvlnow]

We prefer to do it on our own. With your time frame try to get the 9am ferry from Red Hook and take the 2pm ferry back. This allows you plenty of time in case of some mechanical problem with the ferry.

 

When we were in St Thomas on the Summit we did this on our own and we were sitting on the beach on St John by the time the people who booked the excursion through the cruise line were just starting to board their ferry and they still had a 45 minute trip left before they got to St John. Since we had done this twice before 7 people from our roll call decided to join us and they all agreed that it was easy and they enjoyed getting to St John before the cruise line excursions.

[Charles4515]

We recently sailed on the Summit into St. Thomas. Although we were the only ship in port, we were assigned to Crown Bay rather than Havensite. If you are going to be docked at Crown Bay, I recommend taking the ship excursion to St. John. I did take the tour of St. John which was mostly the National Park. I was a bit disappointed as I would have enjoyed seeing more of the inhabited portion of the island. Do the transfer over to St. John and then do your own thing. The beaches are all beautiful!

 

Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are only docking at Crown Bay now.

[Duanerice1]

We are taking the cruise excursion as it leaves from close to the ship. Not a tour, just the ride over and back. Very reasonable and since we have a lot of OBC it was an easy decision.

 

Been to St Thomas many times but we've never been to St John so we want to try it.

 

enjoy

[DZalumni]

I understand how to do the steps you have outlined, but there's a missing link: how do you get from the ferry in St John to the beaches, and back?

 

When you get to ST Johns taxis to trunk bay are plenty & easy to get. They leave for the beach when full & retun to the ferry terminal when full.

[erniesband]

I understand how to do the steps you have outlined, but there's a missing link: how do you get from the ferry in St John to the beaches, and back?

 

Taxi. Safari buses are lined up as you get off the ferry, just find one going to your preferred beach. Cost depends on how far you're going.

[Nanny8]

Celebrity has an excursion that does this that is extremely reasonable. In fact, it cost like 5 dollars more than getting a taxi to red hook and back + ferry. But if you want my opinion, I would stick to St. Thomas. We LOVE St. John, probably our favorite island in the Caribbean, yet you waste like 2.5 hours of transportation time getting there and back. Whatever you choose though, enjoy!

thanks for the info. I'm wondering which ship excursion you are talking about. For us the price is 52$ CDN pp just to take the ships "St John on your own" which is basically just the transfer to St. John. then we have to pay for taxis etc once on St. John. I'm a little concerned that it is a steep price for a taxi to Red Hook and then a ferry ride. If the excursion has a direct boat ride from the port to St. John however it might be worth it as I'm reading lots of posts about the traffic snarls that occur on the way back and the timing of the ferries being off.

[Duanerice1]

thanks for the info. I'm wondering which ship excursion you are talking about. For us the price is 52$ CDN pp just to take the ships "St John on your own" which is basically just the transfer to St. John. then we have to pay for taxis etc once on St. John. I'm a little concerned that it is a steep price for a taxi to Red Hook and then a ferry ride. If the excursion has a direct boat ride from the port to St. John however it might be worth it as I'm reading lots of posts about the traffic snarls that occur on the way back and the timing of the ferries being off.

 

The one we are thinking about taking is called St. John On Your Own.

 

"Immerse yourself in St. John’s culture, history, and pristine natural wonders on this self-guided exploration of St. John’s treasures. Begin your adventure with a scenic ferry journey along St. Thomas’s spectacular southern coast. St. Thomas is two-thirds National Park land. You’ll have four hours to discover the island’s pristine coastlines, wilderness, and culture. Bask on a white sand beach, snorkel the clear waters of Trunk Bay, or unwind in the warm sunshine. Later, a private ferry awaits to take you back to the ship, passing St. Thomas’s coves, hotels, stunning coast, and luxury villas. STO3. Guaranteed first off and return to ship."

$39 USD

 

From my understanding you don't need to go to Red Hook as it leaves from close to the ship and returns you to the same place.

[tartan cruiser]

The shore excursion is called St. John Island Tour. It includes ferry and the tour for $54. Good deal if you just want an island tour and no beach time."St. John on you own" only includes the ferry to St. John. Both tours take the same ferry to St. John. I think our times were 10:00 am over and 2:00pm back for the ferry. Correct, you do not need to go to red hook, the ferry picked us up right on the dock.

Edited November 7, 2016 by tartan cruiser

[Nanny8]

The shore excursion is called St. John Island Tour. It includes ferry and the tour for $54. Good deal if you just want an island tour and no beach time."St. John on you own" only includes the ferry to St. John. Both tours take the same ferry to St. John. I think our times were 10:00 am over and 2:00pm back for the ferry. Correct, you do not need to go to red hook, the ferry picked us up right on the dock.

SThat's good news about the excursion ferry. I cannot find the tour called St John island tour. The celebrity offers a st john ultimate parks and beaches for 92$ CDN and a St John land as sea for 92$ but I am not finding the other one in the brochure. Maybe it is not offered for the cruise we are on. The one you're speaking of is much more reasonable and I can see why you would suggest just doing it. If my only options are the 92$ one I think we will just taxi it to the beach because they have the pre-set prices listed on the website and it's only $ 5-7 pp each way to the beach (depending on which beach. The ferry is 13 pp and the taxi to the ferry is 11 pp (if we are at cruz bay) which is better than the 92CDN per person.

Your advice has been very helpful however and I think I will contact celebrity and see if they have the tour for $54 ( which is 72 CDN) you are talking about.I would rather just pay once and have it all done with if we can get your deal. If not we'll likely do it on our own and give ourselves lots of time for transit.