st. john

[obsessedsc]

just talked to a friend about st. thomas and knowing my tastes she doesnt think that i will love orient beach or st. thomas and recommended going to Turk bay in st. john. has anyone done this? whats the cheapest, safest way to travel over there from the ship.

[ondeckatsea]

We have always taken a ships tour because it is a separate island from St. Thomas and I wouldn't want to get stuck there without a way back to the ship. I think it's one of the prettiest islands in the Caribbean and I've seen them all.

[MiniMom57]

If you are referring to TRUNK Bay, it is easy to get to, but takes a long time! We took a cab to Red Hook, got on the ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John, then took a cab to Trunk Bay....it was just under $50 per person for the transportation (round trip) and took 1.5 hrs from the ship to the beach (and that was with minimal wait times). It was well worth the time and expense, in my opinion. We had a fabulous, relaxing day, even with the "long commute"!

[DC2OC]

When we went to Trunk Bay on an Celebrity excursion we took a boat a short walk from the pier.Has a great time.Snorkel a short swim near the beach.............Frank

[kittymom65]

The taxis in St. Thomas are all big pick up trucks with benches in the back. They also drive on the wrong side of the road. It was a very interesting 15 minute ride to Red Hook, and cost us $10 each. We arrived at Red Hook about 5 minutes before the ferry was to leave. The cost of the ferry is $5 each. It was about a 20 minute ride over to St. John, and there was gorgeous scenery every where you looked during the ferry ride. When we arrived at Cruz Bay, St. John, there were several taxi drivers waiting. We asked to be taken to Trunk Bay. It was about a 10 minute ride, at a cost of $6 each. Trunk Bay is a US National Park, and the beach and water there is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen my life. Admission to the park is $4 each. The park has showers and restrooms, a snack bar, a shop, and a place to rent beach stuff. We brought our own snorkel and mask with us, but needed fins and a vest, which we rented for $16 total. We also rented a couple of beach chairs at $7 each. There is an underwater snorkel trail off to the right of the beach entrance, and we spent most of the day snorkeling there. We did not see any sea creatures other than fish and coral, but it was still very good snorkeling, and the monuments on the ocean floor told you about the fish in the area. We dried out on the beach for a while and dug our toes into the soft white sand. We went for one more swim, and DH had to practically drag me out of the water to go back to St. Thomas. We showered in the showers there at the park. There were several taxi drivers at the park entrance, and one drove us back to the Cruz Bay ferry dock for $6 each, taking a bit of a scenic route by Hawksnest Beach, which also was very pretty. When we got back to the ferry dock, we decided to take another ferry directly back to Charlotte Amalie, instead of Red Hook. The cost of this ferry was $10 each, and was a 45 minute ride, and it was a rougher boat ride than the Red Hook ferry. That ferry let us off in the downtown shopping district.

[cb at sea]

This is one trip where an excursion makes sense. We did a snorkle/beach excursion to St. John with no intention of snorkling!!! The beach was so gorgeous--it's hard to even describe it! Super clear water, at body temperature, so it was hard to even tell you were IN the water! What an experience!!

After the ferry ride, you will need transportation to a beach--none are in walking distance. Excursions are the way to go!

[willysgrandma]

We LOVED Trunk Bay - lots of fish. The island is just beautiful We did a ship excursion, transportation provided. It was great and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[jstewie23]

I agree going to Trunk Bay is the best thing to do when docked at St Thomas. The issue with the ship's excursion (and we did it from the Mariner) was that the excursion is only 4 hours long and it takes 2 hours to travel back and forth. You will barely have 2 hours at Trunk Bay and it will fly by. 2 hours is not enough time to spend there.

 

Next time (here's hoping) we will do the excursion ourselves and take the Red Hook ferry. We will also probably go to Cinnamon Bay first which is just past Trunk and is usually pretty empty...then head to Trunk.

[strype2]

We did the taxi, ferry thing from Red Hook. Had a great trip. Trunk bay is the most beautiful beach. Snorkling is awesome. I even forgot my contact lenses and I could still see all the fish!!! :eek:

 

We liked it so much we decided that we will be going to St. John next Feb. for our winter vacation. :cool:

 

However you get there, just get there!!!!:D

[cruisnfool]

Trunk Bay on St John is BREATHTAKING!

 

As people said you can do the ship excursion which is less complicated, however you do only get 2hrs there.

 

You can do it yourself by using the ferry but you don't have to go to Red Hook....you can pick the ferry up in downtown Charlotte Amalie.

 

If you do a search you can get the ferry schedules, times and prices.

 

Orient beach is in St Martin (nude beach). To my knowledge there is no Orient in St Thomas.

 

If you don't want to take the time to go to St John we also like Sapphire Beach on St Thomas........short taxi ride

[critterchick]

www.rumbaba.com

 

The best way to spend a day - a chartered sailboat from St. Thomas to St. John with a narrated cruise, custom-cooked lunch, beer, wine or rum punch plus as many snorkelling stops as your group desires. The best excursion I have EVER been on.

[PH8]

www.rumbaba.com

 

The best way to spend a day - a chartered sailboat from St. Thomas to St. John with a narrated cruise, custom-cooked lunch, beer, wine or rum punch plus as many snorkelling stops as your group desires. The best excursion I have EVER been on.

Jean..your link didnt work........however, we also have done one of the day sails from St Thomas to St John and it is FABulous(ok, except for the 5 minute "Perfect Storm" we encountered:eek: ).....

[obsessedsc]

 

However you get there, just get there!!!!:D

 

 

my friend is in st. thomas on family vacation all week. just saw that she posted. between all of your help on cc and her photos im sold! :)

 

any suggestions for st. maarten?!

[michigan tim]

If you don't mind walking a bit you can get to Red Hook for $2 on a local cab (once again a pickup truck w/ bench seats in the bed w/ a cover)... Just take a left when you get outside the terminal area, walk a couple blocks and take a right at the light to Kmart. A great way to experience some of the local charm!