They will find you and it will not be 1 or 2 dollars. I would guess you should expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $10 each

I was led to believe that there are two types of transportation: taxis which cater to all the tourists and who have set rates for travel per person (about $10 per person, as you state); but also the "safaris" buses--used typically by the locals that charge much less. Do they exist and where is the nearest pick up spot to the cruise terminal?

Here is what I heard from someone who lived on the nearby island of St. John: "Rather, there are Safari buses that will take you there along a set route that cost $2 a person. The only thing that makes these different from regular taxis is that they have little doorbell buttons inside them that people press when wanting to get off (that and they're usually half full of people"

With 11 people traveling in our party, a taxi ride at 10/person one way adds up to a big extra expense.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I would guess that the closest place to Havensight where you could pick up a safari going to "country" would be at the bottom of Raphune Hill and that would be about a 20 minute walk. There you would have to wait on the side of the very busy road with no sidewalk for one to come by and then you would have to find one which is empty enough to accommodate all 11 of you. The same bus that you get on to go to country may not necessarily take you down the Smith Bay Road to get to Coki and you may have to change safaris at Tutu Park Mall. The safari will not take you directly to Coki but will drop you off at the road to Coki and you will then have another 10 minute walk to get there. Same thing on the return trip - which is precisely why the safaris are not generally recommended as transportation for visitors. It's just not worth it when you're only here for a day and with such a large group to further complicate matters.

Your best bet is to hook up with a taxi waiting at the cruise ship dock which is planning on going to Coki either on a pre-arranged ship tour or independently. Cheers!

The above is exactly what will happen. You would better arranging the pick up and the return with a SAFARI driver. He would then take you directly there. But beware there are TWO places boats arrive at. The above directions are good for Havensight but NOT Crown bay.

There is a Safari stand right outside before you exit Havensight.

billd

Just to clarify, "safari" buses are basically pick-up trucks with bench seating and roofs. Some safari buses are run as public transportation which are the "dollar rides" you have heard about and others are run as regular taxis. You will find both regular air conditioned taxis AND open-air safari taxis (NOT the dollar buses) at the Havensight cruise ship dock and both are regulated where fares are concerned. (billd, OP has said he is coming into the Havensight facility, not Crown Bay.) You will have no problem finding a taxi to take you and your party to Coki and back but you will be paying the regular rate. Enjoy your visit!

From Haven Sight exits, cross the road and keep the water to your left. In a couple hundred yards you will pass a cable-car ride on the right and then you will see a Wendy's on your left - make your way through and around construction following the road - no further crossing - until you are across from the Blockbuster Video store.

Cross the road there and wait for the next safari taxi. Check that they are going to "Tutu". It is $2 per person payable at the destination.

You will get off on the main road where there is a turn-off to Coki Beach (after you have been to the K-Mart shopping center and then left the Tutu area and gone down a big hill). Others on the taxi will help you find where to exit (push the overhead buttons to alert the driver you want off), or the driver might remember to stop there if you ask. Or you might see the signs. You will have a walk to Coki about as far as from the ship to the Blockbuster video, on a road with no sidewalk, but also not too much traffic.

Getting back to the ship is the same process - catch a safari taxi the same place the other one let you off. Any taxi that picks you up there will return you to town. But, they may drive all around town before going back past the Blockbuster video. Or they might go right past it when they get back into Charlotte Amalie. You never know! That is part of the fun of dollar taxi riding! If you don't want to go all over town, you can get off at the hospital and walk back toward the cruise ship from there - just go downhill.

Although crime against tourists is low, you may find yourself off the main track at some point when you rely on local transportation. I suggest you do not wear your finest duds or lots of flashy jewelry, and keep your camera etc. out of sight in a sturdy pack. No need to tempt a would-be law-abiding-citizen into a rash act of opportunity! 🙂

For goodness' sake caribe12, you are making this proposed venture for a party of ELEVEN people off a cruise ship sound like a piece of cake.. You obviously have not read the informed responses to the OPs post , your directions are way off, totally nonsensical and incorrect and you obviously have no clue about how the dollar buses operate or in what direction. This is your first post on this forum? Best you know of what you speak before venturing into the realm of advising visitors about local matters. One of the major things to learn when you move here is that you will be a "newbie" for a long time and best to shut your mouth and open your ears for a long time. Cheers!

Uhhhh.....I must say.....that I agree with STT Res & billd, WEIMJE, take the licensed taxi/safari taxi to/from Coki Beach. You and your entire party may have to sacrifice a drink, souvenir, or something of similar value in order for the fare to fit into your budget but trust us when we say that, especially with 11 in your crew, you should bite the bullet and hire a mode of transportation that will drop you off exactly where you want and need to be.....WHEN you want and need to be there.

Uhhhh.....I must say.....that I agree with STT Res & billd, WEIMJE, take the licensed taxi/safari taxi to/from Coki Beach. You and your entire party may have to sacrifice a drink, souvenir, or something of similar value in order for the fare to fit into your budget but trust us when we say that, especially with 11 in your crew, you should bite the bullet and hire a mode of transportation that will drop you off exactly where you want and need to be.....WHEN you want and need to be there.

And this will still be a whole lot cheaper than a an organized excursion offered on the ship.

"And this will still be a whole lot cheaper than a an organized excursion offered on the ship."

Possibly, Gerie, but that assumption doesn't always hold true. I always advocate that people here for just one day on a cruise ship who have never been here before utilize what's available on board where the options are innumerable. This is a party of 11 people, not a couple or two couples.

I don't recommend the dollar buses as a means of transportation to any visitor whether they're staying here for one day or 30 days and I know you're not arguing that point.

11 people and they surely aren't all of the same mind and don't ALL want to go to Coki? My apologies for over-thinking . We haven't heard back from OP weijme since the initial debate about the dollar taxis so maybe we should let the subject rest until we hear back from weijme?

LOL, sounds like some literate taxi drivers have found this forum! Who knew? Can't have the visitors evading the taxi tax, now can we!? Well, I stand by my directions.

I would never recommend that 11 people who are here for the day and have never been here before take the safari cab. Even if all goes perfectly, the wasted time, trouble and stress is not worth it.

Previous posts mention specific drivers, complete with cell phone numbers. Give one of them a call. They will give you good service for a reasonable price.

I've been here almost 11 years (1-18-98) and I have YET to get on a dollar cab...too much hassle, and I live here! Listen to the others when they say to take a regular taxi...they will be lined up right outside your ship...just tell them what you want and they will accommodate you...

Hubby and I are adventurous and we have taken the dollar taxi. Just us two, not a large group and we had all day to wander around. The dollar buses come when they want and they don't have to pick you up. We were trying to get back from town on a super hot day. The only dollar bus we saw only slowed down long enough to yell, "taxi for you!". The dollar buses aren't for the faint hearted and definitely not for a large group of tourists with a time table to keep. Take STT's advice--go with a cab.

I suppose anyone who is deciding about whose advice to consider here will immediately recognize that posters who have never taken a dollar taxi or who have taken one once or twice with a bad experience thrown in are perhaps not wellsprings of wisdom on the subject. Most dollar taxi drivers are in their trade for MONEY and will pick up whomever is at a VITrans bus stop. Those stops are marked with a white sign with an orange VI Trans logo.

I am not recommending any course of action for a visitor, only advising that many local residents travel via dollar taxi all the time, and it is perfectly allowable for a visitor to ride a dollar taxi also. They may not go to your desired destination, and they may not meet a short-term visitor's schedule, but they are running from early in the morning until late in the evening.

Actually the Dollar Taxis are not supposed to use the VI Tran bus stops - they are for actual buses and although it is a convenient and thoughtful place for them to pull off the road and out of traffic they are not considered a VITRAN vehicle.

Caribe, Caribe, Caribe...are you trying to make enemies here? My 11 years of living here, IN the tourist business, is exactly WHY I don't get on safari's...I have TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE of what can, and does, happen to visitors or newbies on these trips. People that live here and can't afford a car are forced to take the safari's, as the VITRAN buses are so unreliable. If someone moves here and are without a car for the first few weeks, sure, they take the safari's, too...but their first few trips are usually a nightmare because they have no idea where the safari is going, or when to get off, so they end up traveling much further than where they wanted to go...and that's for people with all the time in the world...a visitor that is only here for 8-10 hours doesn't have the luxury of 'experimenting'...that is why folks like STT Res and myself, with LOADS of knowledge regarding our home, advise visitors the BEST ways to have enjoyable vacations...with no ulterior motives other than to help people....your 3 whole posts (all on the same subject) are wrought with bad advice...maybe you should just lurk for a while so you get the hang of it....read some of the posts by people that have over a thousand posts offering sound advice...3 posts does not an expert make...

Marty

I can agree with you and then I can not. I think that the best way for a family to get around the island is to rent a car. I think that using the safaris is a negative for first time people on the island., And trying to get around anywhere except the loops (Tutu to Red Hook or Tutu to twon can be a trying expierence. I advise people who are on a cruse ship to rent a taxi. Taxis are not cheap! They have begun to price themselves out of the market. But if is the just two people tale a cab!

Thats my two cents.

billd

billd: the whole point was that, despite all the ins and outs and opinions, this was a cruise ship visitor in a party of eleven people, which point seems to have become forgotten somewhere along the line although it was mentioned several times ...