ElizabethC

Hi all,
Hubby and I will be on cruise in Feb., stopping in St. Thomas, which we have been to many times. We want to take ferry into St. John. Do we book tour with cruise, or rent car and sightsee on our own? Keep in mind we'll probably only have @5-6 hours at most. We are outdoorsy types, love to walk and hike, no water sports. Any and all suggestions would be welcome! Thanks.

virginia

i'd take the ferry from charlotte amalie. then get a taxi on st. john & tell the driver what you want to see/do. keep in mind it will take you some time to get into town & the ferry is 45 mins each way.
a cruise booked tour might mean they have a boat near the ship pier which would save you the time of getting into town & of course gaurantee that you'll be back on board before sailing.

wliwl

I'd snag a car at St. John Car Rental (easy walk from the ferry) for the day and have a blast.

ElizabethC

Sounds real good. Can you suggest a loop, place to lunch, where not to go, etc.? Thanks!

Jimmie

One idea might be to take the ferry to St. John and then take a cab to the top of the Cinnamon Bay trail. It's a fairly easy hike down the mountain and ends at Cinnamon Bay beach, which is lovely. You would also have time to go grab a cab to another beach, maybe a less crowded one like Maho.

brenandg

You have many options, but if you like to hike and walk, you could take the Lind Point Trail (by the National Park Building) and walk to Solomon and Honeymoon beaches. You could then go further on to Caneel Bay and taxi back to Cruz Bay from there. You could also catch a taxi from the ferry dock to any of the North Shore Beaches. Cinnamon Bay has a short little loop trail with some ruins right across from the beach entrance. I don't think I would bother renting a car for that short of a time but that is just my preference. keep in mind that you should allow at LEAST an hours time to get back to your cruise ship whether you take the ferry back to Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie. Also, the taxi's are safari type busses and they are paid per person, so they often wait a short while for them to fill up. So, when you consider travel time, it really doesn't leave alot of time on St John. I like the Red Hook ferry because it leaves on the hour every hour. Having said that, you might be able to catch the Charlotte Amalie ferry in the morning to get to STJ. You can check out the schedules on vinow.com. Again, you have many options.

ElizabethC

Thank you very much!