St John / Trunk Bay - $ and logistics questions

[dfgf]

Hello, everyone. We'll be visiting St Thomas next month on one of our stops, and we've already booked a 2-hour "scenic drive" of the island for the morning. I believe we'll finish between 11 and 11:30. The ship is scheduled to leave at 6pm.

 

I've heard that Trunk Bay in St John has some good snorkeling, with underwater markers and everything. RC has a $48pp excursion that includes taking a ferry from the cruiseship dock to St John, a drive through St John, and snorkeling.

 

It's supposed to last 4.5 hours. Has anyone gone on this excursion?

 

For $96, can my wife and I get over there and back more easily and cheaply or is that a fair price?

 

Thanks,

Dave

[2Feathers]

Dave, you can certainly do this on your own... Take a taxi to Red Hook (app. $8 per person each way, then the ferry over to Cruz Bay ($3pp each way), then taxi over to Trunk Bay (app. $4pp each way), plus $4pp entry fee (its in National Park property). So that's a total of around $34pp instead of the $48.

 

The advantages: you'll get more beach time at Trunk Bay, which is spectacular! Gets a little crowded, especially when there are a few cruise ships docked in St. Thomas, but its a long beach, and its never what I would call just overrun with people.

 

Of course doing it this way means you won't get the island tour, if that's important to you. St. John is amazing, and a great deal of fun to drive around. There is a beautiful view at the crest of almost every hill! And, doing it on your own means its your responsibility to make sure you get back to the ship on time. If you're late, "you'll get a really nice photo opportunity of your ship as it pulls out of the port," as your cruise director will tell you, meaning they WILL leave without you, whereas the ship excursions make sure to get you back on time, or else the ship will generally wait for you.

 

I would prefer to do St. John on my own because its so easy, and I can spend the entire day on the beach. But it sounds like your beach time will be limited either way, since you already have the morning St. Thomas excursion. Given your limited time, it may be best to book the excursion, if for no other reason for the peace of mind. Just my $.02 worth. Hope it helps! You'll have a great time whichever you choose, so don't sweat it too much!

[dfgf]

2Feathers - thank-you for the information-packed response! For the extra $28, I think I'll prefer to just relax about getting left behind and take the cruise ship's excursion.

 

Thanks again.

[wdwmmdd]

I have been reading, that people say to go to beaches on your own like stated in this previous posting. But one question I have, is where can you rent snorkle equiment if you don't go on a ship excursion? Are there rental places on all of the beaches? Can any one help me out?

 

Thanks for now.

[dfgf]

wdwmmdd - There is snorkel equipment available on a lot of beaches. Specifically, I'm positive that they rent it to people at Trunk Bay. (Part of the National Park Service - I just checked their website for St John.)

 

I would guess that most places charge around $5 for snorkel gear. That's what they all were charging in Cozumel, at least.

 

Dave

[The Islander]

Hello wdwmmdd,

 

On St. John; Cinnamon Bay, Trunk Bay, Caneel Bay and Great Cruz Bay/Westin Resort have snorkel gear rental available. Most beaches on St. John don't have any amenities, just the sand, sea and sun!!

 

Check out the St. John Beach Guide at: http://www.*****/stjohn/beaches_stj/

 

--Islander

*****

[Northender]

Everyone forgets about Hawksnest Beach, I think it is just before Trunk Bay,

Personally I thought it better than Trunk Bay. Question is, if you get dropped off there via taxi, do the drivers stop there for pickup.

 

I agree with most posters, STJ can be done on your own very easily. Make sure to stop at Woody's and have a beer. Great place :)

[The Islander]

Hello Northender,

 

Stand in the parking lot by the road side and you can flag one down if there aren't any there already or arrange for the driver that dropped you to come back for you at a certain time.

 

--Islander

*****

[Northender]

Thanks for your reply. If I don't pick an excursion, will find my way to STJ via Red Hook and do Hawksnest. I really loved that beach when we spent some time there. Also, would love to go to Woodys and a few other places.

 

Hope I have enough time.:)

[rkaplan]

My husband and I booked the St Johns Beach excursion through the ship. Just for the piece of mind. Are there lockers to lock you stuff in so that we can go swimming together. When we were at Orient Beach we had to take turns swimming because we had our camera, etc. We are leaving in 4 weeks and can't wait to get out of this Michigan snow.

[The Islander]

Hello kraplan,

 

Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay have lockers.

 

--Islander

*****

[staceyverdino]

IS there a ferry that you can take that is closer to the port?

[queen_kathy1]

Hello, everyone. We'll be visiting St Thomas next month on one of our stops, and we've already booked a 2-hour "scenic drive" of the island for the morning. I believe we'll finish between 11 and 11:30. The ship is scheduled to leave at 6pm.

 

I've heard that Trunk Bay in St John has some good snorkeling, with underwater markers and everything. RC has a $48pp excursion that includes taking a ferry from the cruiseship dock to St John, a drive through St John, and snorkeling.

 

It's supposed to last 4.5 hours. Has anyone gone on this excursion?

 

For $96, can my wife and I get over there and back more easily and cheaply or is that a fair price?

 

Thanks,

Dave

 

 

If you already have your morning planned out, I would highly recommend that you take your ship's excursion for the afternoon to go to St. John's to make sure you get back to your ship on time since you're only thinking about going to St. John's for a 1/2 day.

 

Our first time to St. John's - our logistics worked like clockwork and between the taxi to Red Hook, the ferry ride, then the taxi ride to Trunk Bay - we made it there in less than an hour.

 

On our most recent trip there two weeks ago - we had a hard time getting a taxi to Red Hook (most people wanted to go shopping instead), so we missed the ferry that we had left ourselves 45 min to get to, so we had to wait just under an hour for the next ferry. To make sure we got back in time, we decided to go for the 3pm ferry, rather than the 4pm ferry (our ship was also in port until 6pm) - just to make sure we wouldn't miss the ship. Our logistics back to the ship was much easier - but as a result of our issues getting to St. John's, we only spent about 2 hours at the beach - which is what we would have had with a ship excursion - with a lot less stress.

 

If you had a full day, I'd say do it on your own. With only a 1/2 day - I'd say definitely choose the ship excursion.

[The Islander]

Hello Stacey,

 

There are two ferries running from St. Thomas (one from Red Hook and the other Charlotte Amalie) to St. John. The Charlotte Amalie ferry would be closer to the various docking points (Havensight, at Anchorage in harbor or Crown Bay) as they are all in the CA Harbor area.

 

More Info at: http://www.*****/stjohn/getting_there/

 

And with taxi info: at the bottom of http://www.*****/general_usvi/cruiseship/cruiseguide_page1.php

 

--Islander

*****

[staceyverdino]

Thanks Islander!!!

[staceyverdino]

Islander, how far is the ferry port in Charlotte Amalie from where we dock? We are trying to figure the logistics of getting there in the morning once we dock. We prefer to do that then take the taxi to Red Hook. Thanks!

[sgregel]

I would also like to know how close the Charlotte Amalie ferry is to where we dock. We arrive at 8:00 and wanted to catch the 9:00 a.m. ferry. Is it within walking distance or will we need to take a taxi?

 

Also, are there shaded areas on the beach at Trunk Bay. I am very fair, and even with sunscreen I have to be very careful about too much sun.

[jgoga]

I would also like to know how close the Charlotte Amalie ferry is to where we dock. We arrive at 8:00 and wanted to catch the 9:00 a.m. ferry. Is it within walking distance or will we need to take a taxi?

I am also intersted to know....

 

John

[mjminjax]

Hey Islander -

 

On St. John; Cinnamon Bay, Trunk Bay, Caneel Bay and Great Cruz Bay/Westin Resort have snorkel gear rental available.

 

--Islander

*****

Is the Westin Resort within walking distance from Cruz Bay town? My wife is going to be there for a seminar, and I wanted to know what the logistics were like (i.e. taxi, rental car, or walking).

 

Thanks - MJM in JAX

[The Islander]

Hello,

 

The Charlotte Amalie ferry is a short 5 minute taxi ride from Havensight in low-moderate traffic (where most ships dock). If you are anchored in CA harbor which some large ships do... then your tender will bring you right to the CA waterfront where the ferry is. If you are docked in Crown Bay its about a 10-12 minute drive by taxi. You could walk from Havensight to the ferry in CA, it would take maybe 20 minutes.

 

MJM - Yes you could if you were fond of walking :-)... its close but not really close and its not flat, and there are no sidewalks, and the roads are filled with blind corners :-). Taxis run that route all the time, I'd say take a taxi. You could rent a car if you want to get around and see the island - I'd recommend that. You could beach hop, sightsee...

 

--Islander

http://www.*****

[mjminjax]

MJM - Yes you could if you were fond of walking :-)... its close but not really close and its not flat, and there are no sidewalks, and the roads are filled with blind corners :-).

Thanks, Islander.

 

As a matter of fact, I DO like walking - was thinking about doing the Reef Bay hike while my wife is in class. So if I get bored laying around the pool at the Westin, I may walk in to Cruz Bay just to do it. Any recommendations for a good place to get a greasy cheeseburger? :D

 

Oh, BTW, do you know anything about the Episcopal Church in Cruz Bay?

 

MJM in JAX

[CaribbeanCrazy]

I strongly agree with QueenKathy. Take the ships excursion!!! With the time frame you have I would not chance doing this on my own. The round trip travel time alone to Trunk bay...if everything runs smoothly...is approx 2 hours. You may or may not make it there in less than an hour...but if you take the last ferry back from St John it can be quite crowded. Not to mention it leaves at 3:45 I think...or around that time. The ferry from Red Hook leaves later...but than you are alot further from your ship...and would be taking the taxi back during heavy traffic. If your ship leaves at 6:00...you have to be back on board by 5:30. Believe me...I normally prefer to do excursions on my own being it is usually much cheaper...but in this case I would definitely go with ship.

Good Luck

CaribbeanCrazy

[latrn220]

dfgf,

 

Who did you book your 2-hour "scenic drive" of the island through? Was it through someone on the island or off of your ship?

[latrn220]

Islander,

 

Ok, I have the route down going through red hook: Take a taxi to Red Hook (app. $8 per person each way, then the ferry over to Cruz Bay ($3pp each way), then taxi over to Trunk Bay (app. $4pp each way), plus $4pp entry fee,approx. 1 hour each way. Now, what is the route, fee p.p. and time frame going through Charlotte Amalie? Is one of the ferry's more scenic? How do you know where your ship will be docked or are they all docked at the same place?

[The Islander]

Hello latrn220,

 

There is a comparison of the two ferries at the bottom of the following page: http://www.*****/general_usvi/cruiseship/cruiseguide_page1.php

 

(compares price, taxi fare, time)

 

I prefer the shorter ferry ride on Red Hook ferry. You see some of the coast along the route from Charlotte Amalie since its a longer ride so it can be considered more scenic.

 

There are three possiable docking areas on St. Thomas. Most dock at Havensight. Some ships dock at anchorage and others at Crown Bay. The ship schedule with docking location is released monthly and is available at: http://www.*****/general_usvi/cruiseship/

 

--Islander

*****