Ferry from St Thomas to St John while in port

[bochest124]

Has anyone taken the ferry over to St John when your ship ported in St Thomas?  Which Ferry did you take?  Did you purchase tickets in advance?  Thanks in advance for any thoughts/tips

[cliffd64]

12 hours ago, bochest124 said:

Has anyone taken the ferry over to St John when your ship ported in St Thomas?  Which Ferry did you take?  Did you purchase tickets in advance?  Thanks in advance for any thoughts/tips

There is a ferry that goes to St. John, and you don't have to purchase tickets in advance.  There are tons of post about it on the Port of Call section on these forums.  https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/82-st-thomasst-john/

 

However, I would suggest, just for peace of mind and less stress, to take a NCL excursion to St. John so that you are not accidentally stranded because of a ferry mishap.  At least if you are on an NCL excurson when the ferry breaks down, you KNOW the ship will not leave you there. On your own... you take your chances.

[PatandStu]

My ta was telling me about a family that took a ferry to St John and missed the return ferry because of a “chair cost” dispute at the beach and missed the ship. 

It was one of the few excursions she strongly suggested booking the NCL excursion. 

 

[df5250]

We took a taxi to red hook and then the ferry To St. John. We made sure we caught a return ferry about 3 hours before departure.  The other time you need to take into account is taxi drive time from the beach (taxis want to wait to fill up) to ferry and from red hook to the pier.  We must have stopped at five hotels on the way back to the port to dropping off people.  We were back in plenty of time. I would do it again on our own vs an excursion.

[sid_9169]

It's easier and much less expensive to do on your own versus an excursion... Taxi to red hook, ferry leaves every hour, taxis plentiful on st John... Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world...