St Johns, would we have time to shop?

[missmissypie068]

Hi There!

I'm trying to decide on what to do in St Thomas. Would we have enough time to do St John's in the morning and shop Charlotte Amalie in the afternoon? Or would we be better off to stick with hiring a taxi for a little tour around St Thomas and pick a beach ( which one?!?!?! ) then, shop in the afternoon? Any ideas??? Thanks! :) Melissa

[richtersl]

I'm not sure which itinerary you're on, are you referring to St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands or St. John's in Antigua?

St. John in the Virgin Islands is very doable in the morning with plenty of shopping time in the day left for St. Thomas. You just need to make sure you get off the ship right at 9:00, which is when you'll be allowed to disembark. It's easy to get to St. John: just grab a cab to Red Hook from where your ship is docked. It's about a 20 minute drive from Havensight (where you're docked) to Red Hook. The ferry ride from Red Hook to St. John is about 15-20 minutes. You should be on St. John no later than 10-10:30.

You need to be back on the ship NO LATER than 1/2 hour prior to its scheduled departure time. If your ship leaves at 5:00, you need to be walking up the ramp by 4:15-4:30. If it leaves at 6:00, then your time moves to 5:15-5:30.

To make that schedule, you would want to leave St. John by 1:00-1:30. If you do that, you have your choices of where to shop in St. Thomas:
[list]
[*]Havensight, which is where your ship should be docked
[*]Downtown Charlotte Amalie. The cab ride from Havensight to CA takes about 5 minutes, longer if there's a lot of traffic.
[/list]It doesn't give you a lot of shopping time, but you'll be able to pick some goodies up.

There also are duty free shops on St. John. ;)

I'm not sure how one gets to St. John's from St. Thomas: whether it's by ferry or sea plane.

[missmissypie068]

Thanks! I was referring to St John, US Virgin Islands. Our ship arrives at 7 a.m., so based on your time estimates does that mean we could get off at say 8 am.......get there by 9-9:30.......spend 3 or 4 hours......then, do Charlotte Amalie?

We know we want to do a beach first, then shopping. I'm just not sure if we'd be better off hiring a taxi to look around St Thomas and doing a beach there, followed by shopping or the ferry to St John followed by shopping.

St Thomas is the last day of our cruise, so I don't want to be busy, busy, busy pushing and trying to do everything. I want to see somethings, but also just relax and soak up our last day.

Any other advice/tips? Thanks!!! :) Melissa

[Kelfly]

I think you'll be fine going to St John early AM and spending 3 hours; then heading back. We've done this several times; got back to the ship around lunch time (1:00 or so) and grabbed a bite to eat and freshened up from the Beach; then headed to downtown St. Thomas to shop. We've always taken the longer ferry ride in the past, but this time I think we'll take the cab to Red Hook and then the shorter ferry ride over to St. John, and then take the longer ferry ride back to the ship. We are going to go to Cinnamon Bay this time instead of Trunk's, and then plan on doing a little shopping, etc. on St. John. We've never had the opportunity to explore St. John too much and also want to check out some hotels in case we want to go back for a land trip.

[missmissypie068]

Thanks! I think we're going to go with the ferry to St John, Trunk Bay, maybe lunch at Cruz Bay, then take a taxi from Red Hook into Charlotte Amalie for some shopping. Can't wait!!! :)

[richtersl]

Your ship will arrive at around 7:00, but you won't be allowed off until it clears customs. And that's usually around 9:00.

Here's a ferry schedule: [url="http://vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/#St.%20John%20Passenger%20Ferry:%20%20Red%20Hook%20to%20Cruz%20Bay"]http://vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/#St.%20John%20Passenger%20Ferry:%20%20Red%20Hook%20to%20Cruz%20Bay[/url]

The ferry runs hourly. The earliest one you can catch leaves Red Hook at 10:00 AM.

You won't have any problems finding a cab to get you to Red Hook for the 10:00 ferry to St. John.

[missmissypie068]

Hmmmmm are you sure about the 9 a.m. time to get off the ship??? Princess has excursions that start before that. Plus, if it takes two hours to clear customs, then I would imagine that rule would apply to other ports. So, in St Maarten, for example, we wouldn't be able to get off the ship till 10 am., yet there are excursions at 8:30 a.m.

Anytime we've cruised before, the ship usually arrives early in the morning/late at night and people are often able to disembark prior to their published times. I've never heard of going by their schedule and deducting two extra hours. That can't be right.

It's like getting on the ship, some people will wait till after 2 p.m., when you can check in and be on the ship much earlier.

Anyway, I can't imagine that they'll only let people off the ship at 9 a.m. They would have a TON of folks all trying to get off, people missing excursions, etc. Did you have this experience in St Thomas? other ports?

Thanks! :)

[richtersl]

What will probably happen is that those folks who have purchased excursions will be allowed off the ship first. Those folks will be paged and then asked to report to a specifc meeting area on the ship and then disembark when their group is called. When those folks are almost off the ship is when they'll start letting others off and by then it'll be around 9:00.

This is what we did with NCL. I have no idea how other cruise lines handle it. Most Princess and RCL ships carry a LOT more passengers than the NCL ships do so they may have a different procedure altogether.

We spent a week in St. Thomas last summer and watched ships sail into Havensight every morning at 7:00. No ships were there any earlier than 7:00 the week we were there.

The stores don't open until 9:00, so from a business point of view, it doesn't make sense to let the non-excursion folks off the ship until then because they have nowhere to go.

St. Maarten is a tender port, at least it was when I went there. Those who purchased ship excursions were let off first there too. Those who did not purchase ship excursions were allowed off AFTER the others. As with any "rule" there always are exceptions. Some folks were able to arrange for early tender tickets but most of us peons had to wait our turn. ;)

St. Thomas/St. John are just gorgeous! I guarantee they will be one of your favorite stops. Regardless of what you decide to do the day you spend there, you will leave knowing that you want to return there again and again. :D

[missmissypie068]

Hey There!

Well, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe we've just been lucky on past cruises, but we've been able to get off the ship early without having booked ship excursions. Hmmmmmm I have no clue. Maybe Princess does it differently? I'm not sure. We'll have a great time regardless. Thanks for you advice on the ferry schedule, etc.......really a BIG help!

:) Melissa

[skiiergirl]

Melissa....What ship are you on (what line)? Is this your first time to St. T or not? The customs delay is usually longer in St. T than other islands (since 9/11). If this is your first time to St. T then I would shop in the morning and then do a short taxi tour / beach time on St. Thomas. If you have been to St. T many times before and know what all is there (been there, done that, seen it all, etc.) then I would try St. J. (We have been two St. probably 15 times and have never found time to do St. J yet....but I say every year "this is the year".)

[missmissypie068]

Hey Skiiergirl :)

We'll be on the Golden Princess. It's not our first time to St Thomas, but we'll be going with my parents and it's their first time. We've been to St Thomas twice........one time we took a Princess excursion to St John to snorkle. But, the boat couldn't go to Trunk Bay or wherever it was heading ( I can't remember!) so, they dropped us quite a ways offshore.......and it was a rough swim to shore. My hubby and I are both good swimmers, but TONS of people stayed on the boat. The rest of us WASHED up on shore. It was WAY too rough to snorkle. Impossible to do. So, really ALL we saw of St John was a sliver of some small beach. Hardly the trip we signed up for. Then, the other trip we just got off the boat early ( before the stores opened ), taxi'd to town, shopped, did the fort, had lunch at a nice French restaurant with views. So, that's about it.

Both of these trips were pre 9/11 so maybe that's why I was surprised by the time to clear customs, etc. because we were off the ship EARLY on previous cruises.

I'm gonna go over our choices with my parents and let them decide since it's their first time. I'm leaning towards taking the ferry from Red Hook to St John, then shopping back in St Thomas. BUT, I know there's lots to see and do in St Thomas. It's the last day of our trip, so I don't want to make it too complicated.

Skiiergirl, which places do you like to visit in St Thomas??? Any advice on beaches, shopping or restaurants???

Thanks for your "take" on things......I'll pass that on to my parents and see which option sounds best to them.

Thanks again!! :) Melissa

[MizzouMary]

[color=navy]Please help! [/color]
[color=navy][/color]
[color=navy]We want to spend some time on a beautiful beach, maybe do some shopping, have lunch at a reasonable cost but somewhere nice with a neat atmosphere or view. [/color]
[list]
[*][color=navy]What advice would you give to someone who has never been to St. Thomas? [/color]

[*][color=navy]We will be there from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and need help creating a schedule for the day. What would you suggest? [/color]

[*][color=navy]Which beach would you recommend? Do they charge admission? Do they have bathroom facilities, offer watersports, have snacks or drinks available?[/color]

[*][color=navy]What is the cost of taxi's? Do we tip them?[/color]
[*][color=navy]How do the shopping prices in St. Thomas compare to the U.S.? Are the bargains really that good and is it worth our time?[/color]
[*][color=navy]Where would be a good place to eat lunch that would be reasonable in cost $6-10 pp., or would you recommend going back to the ship for lunch? [/color]
[*][color=navy]Is St. Thomas safe? Are there any areas that you would avoid?[/color]
[*][color=navy]Are there any private tour operators we can hire instead of taking a ship tour? If so, which would you recommend? [/color]
[*][color=navy]Are there any all-inclusive resorts that offer day-passes for a reasonable cost?[/color]
[/list][color=navy]Thanks for your help! We really appreciate it![/color]
[color=navy][/color]

[skiiergirl]

Melissa....For shopping, you will definitely want to check out H. Stern, AH Riise and Boolchands. (There are many other stores too but you will have probably seen most of the others and other ports. I'm not familiar with your itinerary but just guessing. Many of the stores are on "every island". lol) For lunch I would do the Greenhouse. It is in CA across the road from the water but has decent food at a decent price. Great BBC's and good nachos and black bean soup. (Also burgers, etc.)

Mfinn....We consider St. T very safe. I'm sure it is like everywhere else in the world (including my hometown) that you need to pay attention to your surroundings though. The shopping is good. That is why they call it "Dutyfree Disney"...lol. If you are looking for cameras, electronics, jewelry, etc. then compare prices at home so you know what they are when you get there. We usually buy some nice jewelry at what we consider good prices. As far as lunch, we always go to the Greenhouse as I mentioned above. Prices might be a little higher than you listed above but we usually get several things and just share among the group. I think it depends on what you are drinking as far as total bill. As far as taxis.....rates are very reasonable and yes you will need to tip them. There are taxis everywhere (at the pier and downtown). If there is a particular tour listed in the ship excursions that you really like then go with that. If not, then I would get off and get with one of the taxi drivers for a tour. Usually they are about 2 hours or so and cost about $20 per person. If it is a pleasant day then go with one of the drivers that has the "safari bus"/"open air truck" for a fun time with great views. If it is an icky/rainy/very humid day and you want air conditioning then be sure you ask for an air conditioned van when talking to the driver/"dispatcher". Tell then you want to me dropped downtown after the tour for shopping. You can shop and do lunch and then just grab another taxi back to the ship.

[kitty1]

[quote name='missmissypie068']Hi There!

I'm trying to decide on what to do in St Thomas. Would we have enough time to do St John's in the morning and shop Charlotte Amalie in the afternoon? Or would we be better off to stick with hiring a taxi for a little tour around St Thomas and pick a beach ( which one?!?!?! ) then, shop in the afternoon? Any ideas??? Thanks! :) Melissa[/QUOTE]

Depends upon which day of the week you are in St Thomas. On Sundays the shops downtown close around 1pm (most don't open until 9 or 10am on Sunday). The ones at Havensight near the pier stay open later.

We will be there on a Sunday, so we have to go shopping first, then do what we want later.

[missmissypie068]

Thanks for the recommendations, Skiiergirl! I recognized some of the places, like AH Riise. I ran our options past my parents and they do want to go to St John, my Mom's only concern is making sure we have enough time to shop in downtown Charlotte Amalie.

So, if Richtersl is correct and we're not off the ship until 9......I'm estimating an hour to get to Trunk Bay. Then, we spend from say 10 -12:30 there, taxi back to Cruz Bay for lunch and a little shopping there, ferry back to CA 2ish, then, taxi to CA and shop from 2:30 or 3 until 5 p.m.

Rushed and on a schedule, but it's the only way I can see doing it all. I considered shopping first, but we'd lose time by returning to the ship to drop off purchases or have to haul them with us ( some things could be shipped, I know ).

So little time, so much to do! haha Does anyone else have any other suggestions on how to coordinate St John with CA shopping??? Thanks to all!
:) Melissa

[richtersl]

Melissa,

On our cruise, we did Trunk Bay in the morning, returned to St. Thomas early in the afternoon, had lunch at Gladys' and then shopped a bit before going back to the ship.

I'd be kidding you if I told you your day won't be rushed. In our case, we really didn't have to do a sit down lunch, but we really like Gladys' and my sister wanted to pick up some of her hot sauce. If we didn't do the lunch, that would have given us over an hour more of quality shopping time...LOL.

A.H. Riise is great and so are Colombian Emeralds and H. Stern. H. Stern has some really pretty contemporary pieces in simple settings. There's an H. Stern at Havensight, where your ship will be docked. There's also one downtown.

Shopping in St. John was actually more enjoyable than on St. Thomas. There were a lot of really quaint little shops in Cruz Bay that you might find interesting and fun.

What you might consider doing is go to St. John, spend the morning at Trunk Bay, and do some shopping in Cruz Bay on your way back. Then when you return to St. Thomas, spend the remaining time at Havensight. Most of the stores in Havensight are also in downtown Charlotte Amalie, so if your goal is to shop you won't lose time by heading downtown.

You won't go wrong with anything you do. :D

[MizzouMary]

Thanks for the info. Skiiergirl!

[skiiergirl]

Havensight is ok if that is all of the time you have but the downtown stores are much better. Downtown has an H. Stern (the best) and a H. Stern Outlet. Havensight just has the H. Stern Outlet (unless it has changed since December).

Tell me about Gladys' to eat. Where is it? What kind of food?

[richtersl]

Gladys' is located in Royal Dane Mall, in one of the little alleys off the main street. The alley has some exquisite little shops!

She serves all kinds of dishes and you can get some local ones as well, including conch. As soon as you walk in there, you'll see a bar where you can pull up a seat...or just turn right and walk into the dining room.

[skiiergirl]

Thanks for the info on Gladys. Maybe we'll give it a try. We usually do The Greenhouse but I am always up to try something new.