Bus to Red Hook

[YSI]

I will be in STT in February 2007, and I'd like to take a bus to Red Hook to save some bucks. Can you tell me

how often does this bus run?

how long is the trip?

is it a problem to board the bus when the ferry comes back from STJ?

is it safe?

how do I recognize this bus (does it look like our buses)?

is exact fare required?

detailed directions to the stop?

Thank you very much.:eek:

[The Islander]

Hello,

 

You can find information about transportation in St. Thomas including the public bus at http://www.*****/stthomas/getting_around_stt/.

 

From Havensight to Red Hook the drive is about 17-20 minutes in low/medium traffic. And from Crown Bay it’s about a 30 minute drive. This is direct, so add a few minutes for stops. The bus is safe; it can be a little unreliable as far as the schedule. There is a photo of the public bus (called Vitran) at the site mentioned above. Not sure on the exact fare... likely a good idea.

 

Red Hook is along the bus route so you should be able to catch a bus back. If you are on a tight schedule to get back to the ship, if there are a lot of ships in port so traffic might be a concern getting back - then you may want to take a taxi.

 

There are several threads on this board about dollar rides; if these are what you are asking about and not public buses... then they aren't on a schedule as they are largely un-regulated, they do more or less follow the public bus route and pass every 15-20 minutes around bus stops. They are actually taxis drivers running them so they will have change. More information on the same transportation page mentioned.

 

--Islander

*****

[CaribbeanBound]

We've had really good luck with the dollar buses.

 

St. John, US Virgin Islands

We berthed at Havensight Pier in St. Thomas. Our destination was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Despite what everyone at the pier will tell you (and they will lie to you), you can get local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John. Simply walk out of the Havensight pier main gate, cross the street, turn left and walk until you get to the Bus Stop (there is a pullover area) across from K-Mart and cross the street so that you are standing on the K-Mart side of the street. It is a leisurely 15-minute level walk. When you see an open-air taxi drive up, flag him down, tell him where you wish to go and enjoy the trip. The drive takes about 20 to 30 minutes each way depending upon traffic. The taxi will drop you off at the Red Hook ferry terminal. Pay upon exiting the taxi, go through the gates and hop on the ferry to St. John. We caught the 8:00am ferry and paid our $5.00/pp fare. Normally, you would pay at the booth prior to boarding. The very pretty ride across the bay runs about 15 minutes.

 

Upon arrival at Cruz Bay, St. John, we caught a 10-minute taxi ride ($6.00/pp) to Trunk Bay, stopping once along the way to take pictures of Trunk Bay from a picturesque spot along the road. We arrived at 8:30am which allowed us to get in free. Once the admission booth opens, it costs $4.00/pp to enter this beautiful white sand beach with clear waters, awesome views of islands and cays, nice facilities, and an underwater snorkeling trail. The snorkeling trail can be found on the right hand side of the beach. It begins on the far side of the little island and works its way around the island and ends on the closer side. The snorkeling is very good, with lots of fish and colorful coral. Including the four of us, there was a total of 7 people enjoying this beach from 8:30am to 10:15am when larger groups began arriving —– at which time we left and caught a $4/pp taxi for Cinnamon Bay. (Trunk Bay is now one of our top three Caribbean beaches).

 

Cinnamon Bay is part of a campground with good facilities, snorkeling equipment rentals, and kayak rentals. The beach is not as pretty as Trunk Bay but offers good snorkeling as well. Sea Turtles can be spotted here in the middle of the bay feeding on the sea grass, but we did not spot any this trip. We caught a taxi back to Cruz Bay ($7/pp) at 11:40am. We just missed the noon ferry so we ate lunch at High Tide Bar and Grill adjacent to the pier. We enjoyed the Virgin Island Pale Ale (a fruity beer made for distribution in St. John by a brewery in Maine), and especially liked the sweet mango salsa which accompanies the chips and salsa appetizer. We shopped until 1:45pm and bought tickets for the 2:00pm ferry, which was 30 minutes late arriving. A very large crowd anxiously waited in a long line in the hot sun on the pier. There was no problem getting everyone on the ferry. We arrived back in Red Hook at 2:40pm. Ignore the $7/pp taxis and wait for a $2.00 taxi again EXACTLY where it dropped you off. (Do not cross the street). We got dropped off a couple blocks closer to Havensight than the K-Mart where we picked up the taxi. St. Thomas is a major shopping destination. Havensight has a large number of shops convenient to the ship, however, the real shoppers head into Charlotte Amalie to do their shopping. It is very easy to get to St. John from the ship. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.

 

Here are our Secrets of the Caribbean!

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

These are our very detailed personal reviews, hints, and tips for ports of call that you will be visiting.

[Sheffie]

CaribbeanBound - that is a great explanation. Thanks so much! We have taken the local bus BACK from Red Hook, but will take it TO there next time. Why spend $20 each way for 2 people when you can spend $4! We will have an extra $32 dollars we can spend on drinks!

[YSI]

I will be docked in Crown Bay (coming with Sun Princess). How can I catch a safari (dollar ride) from Crown Bay?