Getting to St John from St Thomas

[Scubadoc]

One of our fav excursions ever was to Trunk Bay. I’m looking for a way to go straight from the ship to St. John. There is an excursion that does that but the whole thing is only 4 hours. So maybe 2 hours at Trunk Bay. Anyone know of a way to go to St. John for the whole day?

[Host Anne]

Here's my suggestions (done it many times).....taxi prices from Crown Bay to Red Hook are slightly higher than what I list below.  Don't know if any prices are increasing for 2019:

 

 

Getting There & Cost

·       Roundtrip taxi from ship to Red Hook ferry: $24

·       Roundtrip ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay: $12

TOTAL $36 per person

 

·       Disembark the ship at as soon as they allow you to get off

·       Jump in a taxi and head to the Red Hook Ferry ($12 per person)

·       Take the ferry from Red Hook to St. John – note that the ferry departs every hour on the hour.

·       If you are on one of the new high speed ferries, it’s only about a 15 minute crossing now from St. Thomas to Cruz Bay.  The older ferries are 20 – 25 minutes.

 

The Island

There are only two towns on St. John.   Cruz Bay on the west end of the island where the ferry will drop you off and Coral Bay on the east end.  Cruz Bay is far bigger (lots of shops, restaurants, grocery stores, car rental agencies, hotels, etc).  Coral Bay is barely a town but it’s a great place. 

 

Beaches

The best beaches are along the north shore of the island.  North shore beaches are easily reached from both Cruz Bay.  Hawksnest, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, and Maho  are among our favorite north shore beaches.  Trunk has some concessions but most of the concessions/buildings at the beaches had severe hurricane damage so your options for food/beverage are very limited.   

 

If you want to hike, I’m recommending Honeymoon & Solomon Beaches.  You have to hike to get there and you can do it without taking a taxi.

 

Here’s how to hike:

When you get off the ferry, walk to the end of the dock and turn left.  You’ll see all the taxi’s parked here asking if you need a taxi.  You do not.  Walk past all the taxis, and when you can, get on the left side walk and start walking.  In a few blocks you’ll come to the National Park Visitors Center and the Lind Point Trail begins just beyond this.

 

Use this link and print out the info on the Lind Point Trail and Solomon and Honeymoon beaches (you can visit both).

 

Keep in mind there are no facilities here other than some portable potties.  I’d recommend bringing a sandwich from the deli in Mongoose Junction (you pass this shopping area on the way to the trail).  Bring some bottled water, too.

 

Taxi to Beaches

If you want to do Hawksnest, Trunk or Cinnamon, you’ll need to take a taxi when you disembark the ferry in Cruz Bay.  They are plentiful both here and at each of the respective beaches mentioned here.  It’s a short taxi ride to any of these beaches. 

 

o   Cruz Bay to Trunk Bay           $8 each way

o   Cruz Bay to Cinnamon Bay     $9 each way

o   Cruz Bay to Hawksnest          $6 each way

 

 

Shopping & Restaurants

For a small island, St. John has a lot of great restaurants and some fun shopping.  Mongoose Junction in Cruz Bay is a pretty high end outdoor shopping area with great shops, restaurants and a fun atmosphere.  There is also a fun area to the right when you get off the ferry. It’s called Wharfside Village and there are bunches of great bars that line the beach here.  High Tide (the first bar next to the ferry dock) is a good spot to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a blender drink!

 

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Lind Point Trail.htm

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Honeymoon.htm

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Salomon Bay.htm

 

Return to St. Thomas

We typically take the ferry two or three hours before our ship is scheduled to depart St. Thomas.  It depends how many other ships are in port with us.  Fewer ships means less traffic on St. Thomas.  If there are more than 3 ships in with us, we leave Cruz Bay 3 hours before sailing.  If there are only one or two other ships, we’ll leave 2 hours before sailing.  This is provided our ship is docked at Havensight.  If we are docked at Crown Bay, we always leave Cruz Bay 3 hours before sailing.   There will be bunches of taxis waiting outside the Red Hook ferry terminal to take you back to the ship.  

 

HAVE FUN!

 

 

[budcann]

5 hours ago, Host Anne said:

Here's my suggestions (done it many times).....taxi prices from Crown Bay to Red Hook are slightly higher than what I list below.  Don't know if any prices are increasing for 2019:

Excellent info, thank you!

[turbo321]

Awesome thanks for your help.

[Host Anne]

Happy to help!  I love St. John and appreciate that folks are going back to enjoy her beauty.  Wishing all of you great cruising!

[sallyb]

I was told there is a snorkel trail. Where is that located?

[OCruisers]

25 minutes ago, sallyb said:

I was told there is a snorkel trail. Where is that located?

At Trunk Bay!

Enjoy!  

[Thecrush]

For the taxis from Cruz Bay to the beaches, are the rates per person or for the trip (more like a normal taxi ride)?

Edited March 4, 2019 by Thecrush

[Ms411]

The taxi prices on St Thomas are per person one way. You'll appreciate the rate structure if traffic is heavy because the fare doesn't increase while you're waiting.

 

[Zach1213]

10 hours ago, Thecrush said:

For the taxis from Cruz Bay to the beaches, are the rates per person or for the trip (more like a normal taxi ride)?

 

Per person based on the destination.

[Outta My Work Clothes]

Thnakx Anne... last visit we went to Cinnamon ... thinking of doing the same. Any reccommendations?

[Ms411]

The reviews for Cinnamon have not been good since the storms (windy, rough, no amenities, no cabs, still some debris). If you're on a cruise best to go to Honeymoon or Trunk that have received more attention to return to normal.

 

[Outta My Work Clothes]

Looking into St John's more... seems you are right, have heard that Trunk does not rent umbrellas and shade trees took a hit from the storm. Honeymoon is very crowded. I'm now thinking I should head towards Saphire or maybe Emerald.

[tallyho8]

I was in St Thomas a few days ago and the new taxi monopoly will not take you where you want to go unless it is a place they have it pre-planned to go and then you have to wait for the taxi to fill up before they go and the drivers are very rude because the new company does not pay them as much as the old one did.

[Ms411]

Only the taxis that drive for excursions are paid by the excursion operator and the operator pays them a per person fee which is usually less than government set rates that are posted on the internet, because the excursion provider has to split the cost of the excursion with the ship's.

 

Most of the taxis are independent owner operated.

 

Edited March 14, 2019 by Ms411

[LBumb]

Trunk bay is a ten

must do

[Sheffie]

When coming back from Red Hook, you can easily save $8 per person by taking the local bus instead of a taxi. We do this every time, including last month.  

 

When end you get off the ferry, go out the doors towards the taxis and turn left and follow the sidewalk.  Go up to the road and wait with the locals for the jitney bus that is heading left.  (It has bench seats). Double check with the driver that it is going down by the cruise pier, which we have always found that it has.  Tell him that is where you want to get off.    It will drop you off at the Wendy’s right by the pier.  There is a real bus stop there!  We gave him $2 each when we got off. 

Edited March 18, 2019 by Sheffie

[FMZ]

On 3/18/2019 at 2:11 PM, Sheffie said:

When coming back from Red Hook, you can easily save $8 per person by taking the local bus instead of a taxi. We do this every time, including last month.  

 

When end you get off the ferry, go out the doors towards the taxis and turn left and follow the sidewalk.  Go up to the road and wait with the locals for the jitney bus that is heading left.  (It has bench seats). Double check with the driver that it is going down by the cruise pier, which we have always found that it has.  Tell him that is where you want to get off.    It will drop you off at the Wendy’s right by the pier.  There is a real bus stop there!  We gave him $2 each when we got off. 

Could you also take the jitney to Red Hook?

[Sheffie]

FMZ, yes you can.  I have done it before.  I am not sure of where all of the pickups are, though. We walked to the corner where Wendy’s is and turned to the right. Go across the street due to the fact they drive on the other side of the street. We walked a couple of blocks and where the bus stop is. It was a few years ago, and I don’t remember exactly where it is.  Last month, I did notice busstop signs where we dropped people off. 

 

I hope this helps.  

[Sheffie]

We were at Cinnamon Bay in February.  There are no rentals there, nor food, but the beach is beautiful.  You can put your towels down back under the foliage for shade.  

 

The showers/bathrooms are not in service. 

[loving goldens]

On 1/2/2019 at 12:50 PM, Host Anne said:

Happy to help!  I love St. John and appreciate that folks are going back to enjoy her beauty.  Wishing all of you great cruising!

 Hi there thk you for the info is there chair and umbrella rentals at trunk beach? thk u

[Host Anne]

On 4/4/2019 at 9:06 AM, loving goldens said:

 Hi there thk you for the info is there chair and umbrella rentals at trunk beach? thk u

 

Yes, there were definitely chairs and I believe there were umbrella rentals when we were there two weeks ago.  

[loving goldens]

Thk u!!!

 

[Anyislandwilldo]

On 3/18/2019 at 8:25 AM, LBumb said:

Trunk bay is a ten

must do

And 2 thumbs up!!  Not to be missed.