If your cruise ship docks in St. Thomas and also you wish to expertise one thing a bit completely different that doesn’t require you to buy a ship tour, think about visiting Trunk Bay on the close by island of St. John.
I first visited the attractive seaside in 2014, whereas crusing Carnival Liberty, and was so blown away, a lot that I’ve returned quite a few instances since.
Often, cruisers get nervous about doing something that takes them too distant from the place their ship is docked. And in fact, it’s all the time vital to determine how a lot time you’ll have in port (and the way lengthy any potential tour will take) so that you don’t miss the ship. But assuming time permits, attending to Trunk Bay in St. John is fairly simple and positively definitely worth the journey.
How Far Is St. John from St. Thomas?
There are two completely different cruise piers in St. Thomas, and whether or not you wind up at Crown Bay or Havensight in Charlotte Amalie will depend upon the cruise line you sail. The excellent news is, attending to Trunk Bay is straightforward from both dock.
St. John is true off the coast of St. Thomas, and I imply proper off the coast. When you’re on the Red Hook Ferry Terminal on St. Thomas, you possibly can look throughout the bay and see St. John — they’re that shut.
85 % of St. John is a part of the Virgin Islands National Park and, as a result of it’s a U.S. Territory, it’s managed by the National Park Service.
How to Get to Trunk Bay
1. Grab a taxi on the cruise terminal.
After disembarking, stroll simply outdoors the cruise terminal and also you’ll see signage telling you precisely the place to catch a taxi. If, by likelihood, you will have problem discovering a cab, simply ask one of many locals to level you in the appropriate route. It’s solely a brief stroll from the ship. Tell the taxi driver you’d wish to go to the Red Hook Ferry Terminal.
The experience to Red Hook Ferry Terminal is roughly $10-$15 per individual every means and takes about 20 minutes. It’s vital to notice that the cabs in St. Thomas are money solely, so ensure you have sufficient to not solely get you to the Ferry Terminal but in addition again to the cruise ship.
2. Buy a ferry ticket.
Once you arrive at Red Hook, you’ll be capable to buy a ferry ticket for $8.15 every means (go forward and purchase a roundtrip ticket for $16.30 per individual). The ferry leaves each hour, on the hour from Red Hook, St. Thomas to Cruz Bay, St. John.
The terminal takes bank cards, however money all the time appears higher so that you don’t should depend on the spotty web connection. The precise ferry experience takes about 20 minutes.
You can learn the ferry timetable right here.
3. Dock at Cruz Bay
Upon arrival to Cruz Bay in St. John, you’ll discover open-air safari taxis which might be lined as much as the left facet of the ferry terminal. The distance between the Cruz Bay Ferry Terminal and Trunk Bay is simply over three miles.
Because of how hilly the islands are, it’ll be a 10-15 minute drive from the ferry terminal attending to Trunk Bay. The taxi will drop you off on the entrance to the park. This can even be the identical place you catch the taxi again to the ferry terminal.
4. Pay The Beach Fee
Admission to Trunk Bay will price you $5 per grownup, with children being free.
When you’re able to return, you’ll observe the directions in reverse order. You don’t want to fret about calling a taxi as a result of each St. Thomas and St. John have loads of them obtainable always. One leaves Trunk Bay, and each ferry terminals, roughly each quarter-hour.
What Is There To Do At Trunk Bay?
The apparent reply to that query is… chill out! Aside from the mile-long shoreline, there’s a snorkel path simply off the coast which options several types of coral and a complete lot of tropical fish. (Note: If you propose on doing the snorkel path, give your self loads of time and do it earlier within the day.)
The water is shallow sufficient off the seaside that it’s good for wading. There are not any steep drop-offs because the water step by step will get deeper.
The earlier you may get to the seaside, the higher. Around 11 a.m., individuals who booked excursions via the ship — which are likely to get a later begin and transfer slower than you’ll be able to by yourself — will lastly hit the seaside, and it might probably get fairly crowded.
There are public restrooms and showers, together with a rental hut the place you possibly can lease seaside chairs and snorkel gear. I’d counsel not consuming the water from the water fountains or from the sinks. The potable water on the island, although purified, is trucked in from different locations and saved in massive tanks. It’s greatest to deliver your individual bottled water for consuming.
Tips:
- If you’re trying to take some nice images of each St. Thomas and St. John, seize a seat on the higher deck of the ferry. It does get sizzling up there (particularly on the return) so ensure you deliver loads of sunscreen.
- Carry money on the island. The US Dollar is accepted all over the place. Even although many spots on the island take bank cards (except taxis), you by no means know when chances are you’ll expertise the dreaded “Cash Only” signal.
- Consider arriving on the ferry terminal 20-Half-hour previous to departure. This will make sure you a seat on the subsequent ferry, to not point out a nice seat if you wish to sit up prime. If you wish to be first off the ferry, sit down towards the again finish.
- If there are lots of ships in port, give your self further time for attending to Trunk Bay. Additional ships may imply it takes longer so that you can get the place you’re going (to not point out larger crowds when you arrive).
- There is a ferry from Charlotte Amalie (the place the cruise ship docks) to Cruz Bay, but it surely takes 45 minutes and solely runs 3 times per day. You have rather more flexibility taking the ferry from Red Hook.
- Get to the seaside early. When the cruise ship company arrive on the seaside it will get very crowded. If you’re on the 9 a.m. ferry to St. John, you should have the seaside for an excellent two hours earlier than the passengers taking cruise ship excursions present up.
- When returning to the ship, give your self two hours of wiggle room earlier than the ship has to go away. If your ship leaves at 4:30 p.m., be on the two p.m. ferry again to St. Thomas. Don’t danger being left behind!
Cost Breakdown
- Do it Yourself Cost: $50-$55 per individual
- Cruise Line Cost: $90 per individual
If you might be comfy with going out by yourself, I might extremely counsel heading over to Trunk Bay. If you wish to play it secure and are directionally challenged, you’re higher off doing the cruise line shore tour.
Getting to Trunk Bay from St. Thomas (2019)
This article was initially printed in December 2018. It was up to date and republished in January 2023.
READ MORE: Bimini Cruise Port: Everything You Need to Know
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