Please Register / Login to take part in discussions about the Virgin Islands.
As always, thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions for us, it is truly appreciated! We have visited your island many times off cruise ships and always get off the ship as early as possible to try and make the 9 a.m. ferry at Red Hook. We'll be back in December off the Caribbean Princess, but it appears that at that time our ship will be docking in the newly refurbished Crown Bay area. Because we will have to go through the immigration process before leaving the ship and I think it's going to be tough to make the 9 a.m. ferry at Red Hook, we're thinking about taking the ferry from Charlotte Amalie instead, which we have never done. I know that there is a ferry that leaves at 9 a.m. from CA. Assuming we can get off the ship a little after 8 a.m., does that leave us enough time to get that ferry? How far is the ferry dock from the Crown Bay area? Our basic concern is the traffic in CA, which we've been able to avoid in the past by going from Havensight to Red Hook. Then coming back, I see there is a 4:15 from Cruz Bay back to CA. Apparently it is about a 45 minute ride, and we have to be back on the ship by 5:30 I think. Do you think that is enough time to get from the ferry dock in CA to Crown Bay?
Thanks again for your help!
Gene in Massachusetts
Sorry for answering a question for Islander, but it's an easy one...
To get to the Charlotte Amalie ferry to Cruz Bay is only about a 5-7 minute taxi ride from Crown Bay, regardless of traffic. You'll have plenty of time.
Have fun!
Hi Gene.
Marty's right, you should have plenty of time. However, if the ferry is delayed or doesn't make the 4:15 run for some reason you will have trouble getting back to the ship before it sails. On a couple of occasions I have been on ships that have sailed while frantic passengers were running down the dock. If you decide to take the 4:15 I would recommend that you carry your passport or a certified copy of your birth certificate and a photo id so in the unlikely event that you miss your ship you'll be able to purchase an airline ticket to your ship's next destination.
Gene
Might I suggest that you plan to take the 4 pm ferry to Red Hook and get a taxi from Red Hook back to Crown Bay? This would allow about an hour for that trip, which should be more than enough time. If you were to plan on the 4:15 ferry to Charlotte Amalie and either miss it or it should not run for some reason, you would have to wait until 5 pm for the next ferry to St. Thomas. Just a thought.
Gerie
Thanks Gerie - I was thinking the same thing! I'm sure it will work out. We love St. John over all the other islands we've visited and I would hate to miss our one day there. Thanks to all for your responses.
Gene
