visiting St John fro St Thomas

[alicailin]

I am first time cruiser and am cruising on Eurodam 11/7/2009, have read reviews of St Thomas and it appears really touristy and crowded. There are 3 other ships docking the same day as us. Am thinking of travelling to St John for day, has anyone done this? any help or ideas greatly appreciated

[Dan-O]

When you dock at St. Thomas take a taxi at the pier to Red Hook. Then take the Ferry to Cruz Bay at St. John. I took a taxi to Cinnamon Bay and spent the day at the Beach. Next time I go I’ll try out Trunk Bay. Make sure you have time to get back to the ship. Sometimes traffic is bad on the way back to the dock from Red Hook. We did this on our own without a tour. Make sure you go it is worth the trip.

[DeeDee]

Both Trunk Bay and Cinnamon Bay are beautiful beaches but as Dan said, make sure you get back to the ship in time as traffic can be really heavy. Also you will have to check out the times the ferry is running.

If it were me and my first time in St. Thomas, I would take a ship's sponsered tour of the island or there are lots of taxis waiting at the pier to take you on a tour.

You might also want to go to Megan's bay and spend the day there. It's a beauitful beach also. This is what we often did in the morning, then came back to the ship for lunch and then out again for a little shopping.

Being a first time cruiser I personally think you are taking a chance going all the way to St. John's. There really is nothing to see there - just their lovely beaches and the expensive homes/hotels.

There are many videos on You Tube of passengers, who look like they have been at the beach for the day, running down the dock as the ship leaves the port.......only in very rare instances will the ship's Captain back up the ship for these latecomers. Not a nice sight or feeling.

Please, I'm not trying to put you off going to St. John's, but think twice about it.

Have a great time & enjoy whatever you decide to do. I hope you will love the Eurodam - we will be on her for our 3rd time at Christmas.

[Franko]

Hey John,Have no fear..if you are going to St John for the day,you can either take a ferry from downtown Charlotte Amalie or else from Red Hook which is a short and enjoyable open air bus trip to the eastern end of St Thomas..one of the advantages of taking the open air bus is you get a bit of sightseeing along the way and it is cheaper than going from town,and the ferries leave with more frequently..either way it will be a great day trip..check out the USVI tourism site for morwe info regarding this trip and the schedules..a lovely part of the world enjoy! Regards Franko

[Phil&Liz]

Have a visit over to http://www.vinow.com
and do a little research.

They have a community page, its like this-a forum to ask questions. Its mostly locals so you get good info.

Phil & Liz

[sail7seas]

Keep in mind that if you are sailing either HAL or Princess, you probably will dock at Crown Bay and not at Havensight. Be careful to calculate distance and time required to get from/to Red Hook. Crown Bay and Havensight are quite far from eachother and the distance to Red Hook varies a lot.


As already stated, traffic can get very bad.

[alicailin]

Hey Guys,

Thanks a mill for all the advise, was worried about the travelling from the port to Red Hook. Dont want to miss the ship!! I will check out the You Tube videos of the beaches in St Thomas and also the website quoted.
Cant wait anyways only 22 days to go.... not counting

[sail7seas]

For a first visit to St. Thomas, think about going to Magens Bay for a day at the beach. Always called one of the most beautiful though it can get crowded if lots of ships in port on the same day as you.

[lak1]

Most of the ships have a ship-sponsored tour to Trunk Bay on St. John. That's one way you can go and not have to worry about making it back to the ship! :-) Enjoy!

PS: After taking that tour years ago, we so loved St. John that we later rented a villa there for a week to enjoy it even more!