Our first experience of St. John was via a cruise... We opted to get a taxi to the Red Hook pier - it is a bit further away from the dock than the one in Charlotte Amalie- but a quicker ferry ride - AND it runs more frequently. We got to St. John and grabbed a taxi to Cinnamon Bay - I thought it was a MUCH BETTER choice than Trunk - (as EVERYONE ELSE on ALL OF THE SHIPS going to STJ from - what- possibly 5-7 ships in port?) were going there around the same time... Cinnamon is SPECTACULAR - great for snorkeling, PRISTINE beach, has bathrooms, etc... there were hardly any people on the beach that day - compared to MANY MANY MORE on Trunk!

Cruise or privately run excursions can be a fantastic way to see certain things - (a Sea Plane to Anan Bear Observation Deck in Alaska; a catamaran trip and guided tour of St. Lucia... ) but a beach destination, in my opinion, does not warrant going with a group - because you will be herded like cattle - and it is not necessary!

One note - you will probably not have that much time to explore STJ - going & coming takes a little time - but once there - your little jaunt over to Cinnamon will take you on a magnificent little drive through what reminds me of Jurassic Park - it's what made us want to return - that lush "jungle: - opening up to one of the most spectacular beaches I've ever seen - DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!!!

Also, either before or after going to Cinnamon (or another beach), you can meander in Cruz Bay upon arriving in STJ - it is a LOVELY, QUAINT town right off the pier - where you can buy your trinkets - or grab a bite!

ENJOY!
Lisa

We are cruising again in February for our 30th anniversary and are happy to be going back to St. Thomas. We really want to get over to St John this time. I liked your message about going there and which Pier to use and which beach was fabulous but could you give me some cost amounts that were involved in all the different transportation needed to get over to and back from St John? Thanks so much.

Hi Carol... I just checked the rates on this website (I don't remember myself)... and the taxi rate from Charlotte Amalie to Red Hook would be approximately $13 for the first 1 person - then $10 for each additional person. The ferry from Red Hook to Cruz Bay, St. John would be approximately $5 per adult each way (it is $1 for children ages 2-11)

Hope this helps 🙂

ENJOY!

Lisa

Don't forget the taxi ride to the beach of your choice on St. John!

Can anyone tell me if the snorkeling is really good at Cinnamon Bay? Are there places there to rent snorkel equipment? My husband and I have ours but the other members of our party (and one child - age 5) will need to get
some. If so, do you know how much things rent for? Also, what is there for food and drink? Restaurants, stores, etc.
We will be there in about 2 weeks and are trying to figure out if we should go to St. John/Cinnamon Bay or just stay on St. Thomas and do a beach there. Does anyone know about Sapphire Beach and what the situation is there for snorkel gear, food and drink. Any info. will be greatly appreciated. We are counting down the days.

Cinnamon Bay is GORGEOUS and a great beach for snorkeling! Here is a great link with information about it:

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/Cinnamon%20Bay.htm

As for the choice between a beach on St. Thomas and St. John - you have to ask yourself: do you want a SPECTACULAR PRISTINE BEACH? or do you want a just a pretty- eh beach? St. John is the place to go if you are looking for sheer pristine beauty in a beach... no ifs, ands or buts 😉

ENJOY!

Lisa

One thing about a cruise is that your time is limited. You ought to decide if you want to spend 2 hours of it in transit, or if you can delay your gratification for your return land visit! 😉

If you're on a cruise and going to St John good luck! I hope you don't miss your cruise ship! Make sure you realize that EVERYONE takes their time from what you are probably used to, and they are in no rush.

You won't need good LUCK - you just need to be smart, realistic and if time does allow for going, plan properly.

We've taken several cruises - our first one, we did all excursions through the cruise ship just out of fear of not getting back to the ship on time. After some experience, however, we saw that if one plans properly, there is no problem with doing things on your own.

That said, most ships calling on Charlotte Amalie will offer excursions to St. John - several options, to boot. That tells you that there should be ample time to go and enjoy. You should not plan to do too much... a beach - a bite to eat (who needs to eat when you are getting back a moving FEAST?), and a little milling around the lovely town!

The key to cruising for someone interested in seeing more than just the t-shirt shops in a port of call is GOOD PLANNING -and with good planning you should build in some buffer time and get back NEAR your ship earlier.

ENJOY!

Lisa