St. John excursion versus on own

[travelgirl04]

Our cruise will be in St. Thomas during our upcoming cruise from 7:00am-6:00pm. Having been to St Thomas before(went to Magens and shopping), we wanted to go to St. John. The excursions through the ship are so short such as 8:30-12:30 start to finish. Since we are in port until 6, we would like a few more hours on St. John. Wondering if it makes more sense to do St. John on our own?

My other question, if we did the ships's excursion Eco Hike and Beach, can we stay at the beach longer and take a taxi back to the ferry or do we have to leave with the excursion?

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[rfamcruise]

We just returned, and did St. John on our own.

 

The thing to remember is to get off the ship as soon as you can. Once off, you have to walk to the taxis (5-10minutes). Then you have to take the taxi for the 20 minute ride to Red Hook Ferry in St. Thomas. This ferry only leaves on the hour. We got to the taxi at 8:40am, but they told me there was no way to catch the 9:00am ferry. I would have to wait at the ferry dock and take the 10:00am ferry. We had no choice, so we did this. It is about a 15minute ferry ride to St. John and then we went to Trunk Bay (I highly recommend this - awesome beach, beautiful US state park and the snorkeling was good). The taxi from the ferry to trunk bay took about 10minutes. We stayed there until about 2:20 and took the taxi back to the ferry. Remember - the ferry runs on the hour. Our ferry was packed, so I was glad we got there a bit early (it left at 3pm). The people we knew on the ship who did the ships tour to Trunk Bay, left the beach at 12:45.

 

Have fun.

[NancyIL]

I'm also thinking about an excursion with RCI, but it's the St. John's Island tour. Wondering if we can stay on the island instead of going back with the tour operator.

[CaribbeanBound]

You can EASILY do St. John on your own!

 

Our destination on our third trip was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Just like our second trip, we caught local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John. 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. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.

 

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[mickeyuk1]

The excursion sounds wonderful, if I can get her out of bed that early. But I have a couple of questions:

1. At Trunks Bay what is the availability of food, drink, chairs, umbrellas, and snorkel equipment?

2. Same questions for Cinnamon Bay?

3. During our stop at St. Thomas there will be 5 mega ships at this port. I have a concern about crowds to get cabs and traffic that could result. Any precautionary advice?

4. You say take the $2 pp cabs. How do we distinguish the $2 pp taxis from the $7 pp taxis?

 

http://www.*****/ticker/image.php?code=0XT13266bcXk17Xs22XCaribbean Princess

[MiniMom57]

At Trunk Bay, there is a snack bar, but we didn't go to it so I don't know what they offer.

 

Across the sidewalk from the snack bar is another little building where they rent snorkel equipment and beach chairs. The snorkel equipment (March 2007) was $4 per person for mask, fins, and snorkel. The chairs were $8 each. They also put a $100 "security deposit" on our credit card. No umbrellas in sight when we were there.

 

You didn't ask, but.....they also have changing rooms, decent bathrooms, and a bank of enclosed showers to rinse off at the end of your day

[Laserjock]

What about lockers? I can't imagine going to these places without at least taking my small digital camera [sLR will stay on the ship], but I am concerned about what to do with that while snorkeling at various locations.

[Jaxsonbrownie]

Laserjock,

 

Here is a website link that I found while trying to research going to Trunk Bay on my own. It states that Trunk Bay has lockers for rent.Check it out, hope it helps. Jax:)

 

http://www.seestjohn.com/beaches_trunk.html

 

 

A gift shop provides just about everything you might need while at the beach, such as sun screen, towels, insect repellent, hats, tee-shirts, bathing suits, film, batteries, books, post cards and souvenirs.,Lockers, snorkel equipment, flotation devices and beach chairs are available for rent.

[Worn out mailman]

You can EASILY do St. John on your own!

 

Our destination on our third trip was Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay on the Island of St. John for snorkeling. Just like our second trip, we caught local transportation for $2 per person in an open-air taxi to Red Hook to catch a ferry to Cruz Bay on St. John........... 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. We look forward to doing this excursion on our own again.

Boy, I thought to start a thread to try to establish a time line for my girlfriend and me, but the above post (unabridged) answered all but one of my questions.

So, the only remaining question (three parts) is: Where do you catch these open air public transports relative to the ship? Will they be obvious/plentiful once we clear the dock? Will they be plentiful once we get back to red hook in the afternoon? Thank you so much for your helpful information.:)

[CaribbeanBound]

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. 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 10 to 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. Pay upon exiting the taxi. (If it is just 2 of you, give him a $5 and let him keep the change).

 

They are plentiful enough. You should not have to wait more than 20 minutes in either direction.

[Worn out mailman]

Awesome...thanks.

[DiveCruiser]

Do it on your own. Save money & Have a better time.

 

Bob

[llnjh4]

what kind of eating and drinking places can be found over at trunk bay..

[The Islander]

There is a food booth with burgers, sandwiches... and they have soda, juice, water, beer and some other drinks.

 

--Islander

[mringenoldus]

We would like to rent a jeep on St. John. Any suggestions for a good company?

 

I have left from Red Hook in the past - but I'm wondering why more people don't choose to take the Charlotte Amalie ferry.

 

If we end up docked at Crown Bay - which ferry stop would be the best?

 

Thanks, Maureen

[The Islander]

With the exception of maybe Hertz, car rental agencies on St. John don't typically take reservations for 1 day rentals. They will rent for one day, if they have something on the day you want a rental. The agencies are pretty much all in walking distance from the ferry dock in Cruz Bay. So, you have to get off the ferry and walk to a few of them and find one that has a rental car available.

 

Charlotte Amalie ferry takes longer, around 40 minutes compared to Red Hook's 15 minute ferry ride. The drive to Red Hook is longer than the drive from Crown Bay or from Havensight to Charlotte Amalie. When you add up the drive & ferry, the time works out about the same; but some people prefer the longer part of the trip to be on land rather than on the ferry. The water can get a little rough on the Charlotte Amalie to St. John trip. Ferry price is higher on the CA ferry but again once you add the taxi rates to ferry rates it works out about the same. CA ferry doesn't have as frequent departures so you have to check which of two ferries works best for your schedule.

 

--Islander

[mringenoldus]

Awesome info....as always. Thanks, Islander!!

[barb2dave]

We just returned, and did St. John on our own.

 

The thing to remember is to get off the ship as soon as you can. Once off, you have to walk to the taxis (5-10minutes). Then you have to take the taxi for the 20 minute ride to Red Hook Ferry in St. Thomas. at 12:45.

 

We will be docking in Crown Bay. Is that also a 20 minute ride to Red Hook Ferry?]

[The Islander]

Crown Bay to Red Hook is about a 30-35 minute drive in low/moderate traffic.

 

--Islander

[barb2dave]

Crown Bay to Red Hook is about a 30-35 minute drive in low/moderate traffic.

 

--Islander

 

 

:p Thanks!

[Deborito]

How do I know which dock I will be at? I will be on the Jewel of the Seas.

Debbie

[Deborito]

I am on the Jewel of the Sea. We will be in St Thomas Tuesday Feb 26th 8am to 6 pm. How do find out which pier we will be docked at? Debbie

[Jaxsonbrownie]

Deborito,

 

Went to the website vinow dot com, and found the docking schedule for Febuary.You are docking at Havensight, which is listed as WICO, West Indian Docking Co.Here is the schedule for you:

 

Tuesday 02/26/08

- Carnival Freedom (WICO)

- Jewel of the Seas (WICO)

- Queen Mary 2 (CB)

- Triumph (WICO)

 

Hope this helps, have a great cruise. Jax:)