I think you're referring to "STT" (St. Thomas), NOT "STX" (St. Croix).

Yes I was. Sorry for the typo.

If you leave the ship really early it is doable. Don't forget to leave room for shopping too! Don't forget, St.Thomas and St.John are duty free.

HI,
Just a quick question...how long is the ride from St. Thomas to St. John? on the ferry?
Nicole

From Red Hook, it's 15-20 minutes, I've never taken the boat to St. John from Charlotte Amalie, but I heard it takes 45 minutes.

You find yourself not wanting to leave Trunk Bay once you're there. I liked Magens but it doesn't quite compare to Trunk. We loved Trunk Bay so much we visited on 2 different days...

Hello Debbie,

Plan on doing both, it is possiable with proper time managment. But hey you are on vacation so if your time managment gets a little "messy" because you are totally enjoying Trunk Bay then just think hey I'll have to come back to see Magens Bay. 🙂

If you really want to see both and get them both in. Figure out which ferry you want to take, calculate the amount of time needed to get to the ferry dock, ferry time, tour and beach time - figure out from this which ferry you need to take back to allow a little while to see Magens Bay and time to get back to the ship comfortably.

You can find time and taxi cost at
https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/cruiseship/cruiseguide_page3.php
for the destinations you want on both St. Thomas and St. John.

If you need help figuring it out - post which ferry you plan to take.

--Islander

Thank you so much for your help! I thought we would take the Red Hook ferry to STJ, and the Charlotte Amalie on the return leg so we would be closer to Megan's Bay when we get back to St. Thomas??

We (hopefully) plan on returning in the future for a full week to fully explore both islands. This stop on the cruise will be just a quick "preview" for us. Thanks.

Better off taking the ferry to Red Hook on the way back. You'll be able to save time that way too.

If a primary interest of yours is in snorkeling then I would suggest the following. From the cruise ship, catch and a ferry to St. John, catch a cab to Trunk Bay. It is a breathtaking beach and will provide you more interest with respect to snorkeling than I believe you'll find at Magens.

I would agree with Islander - if you love it, stay and enjoy the beach and plan on another visit to include Magens.

However, once on Trunk Bay, you could take a ferry from St. John to Red Hook (on St.Thomas) and take a taxi to Magens. Request that the cab take you to Magens with a prior stopover at Drakes Seat. From this lofty perch you will get a good idea of what Magens Bay looks like, and can then either decide to snap your photos of it from that vantage point and then take the taxi back to Havensight, or journey down to the beach for the time you might still have. A taxi from the beach back to the cruise ship is an easy run, but might involve some concern about traffic. A suggestion in this regard, when you arrive at Magens, simply find the congregation of mini-bus cab drivers and ask their opinion when you would have to leave Magens to make it back to your ship on time.

Ferry schedules can be found on this website, and views of Trunk and Magens are easily found.

Much of your love for one or the other, will be intensly personal, as it is for all who visit.

Thanks again to all of you for your help. Can't wait to visit 🙂

Approximate Time information:

Havensight to Red Hook - 17 minutes
Red Hook Ferry - 15-20 minutes
Tour of St. John - 1 to 2 hours
Trunk Bay to Cruz Bay- 12 minutes
Red Hook to Magens Bay- 20 minutes
Magens Bay to Havensight - 15 minutes

All of these times are with minimal to average traffic :-).

Now you can plan out what time you need to do things to see both places.

--Islander

Thank you!!

Several years ago, my wife and I took a cruise that stopped in Charlotte Amalie for the day, here's what we did:

I rented a jeep from Budget (a short walk from the Ship) at Havensight. I reserved the Jeep online before the cruise (very important).

We drove through Charlotte Amalie and over the island to Magen's. I highly recommend this route - when you get to the top of the hill, the views are breathtaking - it's impossible to describe how beautiful the view is. It was the prettiest view I had ever seen (until I got to St. John, which is even prettier). We didn't stop at Magen's, but drove in the parking lot and looked. Then we drove the North Route (don't remember the Route number) to Redhook. On the way to Redhook we stopped at a roadside fruitstand and bought Mango's. They were the BEST Mango's we've ever had.

We got to the ferry at Redhook, and had to wait for the ferry. Get used to it, it's the Carribbean, you will WAIT everywhere. Last October we waited in line 45 minutes at McDonalds in Charlotte Amalie - worst part of it was, we were only the third or fourth person in line. Everything runs on Island time, which is definately not what you're used to in the States. The Ferry ride is 20 or so minutes and wonderful.

On St. John, we avoided Trunk because we heard that there are too many Cruise Shippers on the beach. This is true, but it's still a lovely beach and a good snorkle.

We drove the North Road, and snorkled, Hawksnest. Hawksnest is beautiful, but not a great snorkle. Then we went to Maho, which I think maybe the prettiest beach. Then we snorkled Cinnamon, and didn't see much.

After that, we rushed to the Ferry, drove like a madman accross St. Thomas, returned the rental Jeep, and scurried to the Ship. So all-in-all, you definately have time to go to St. John and do some things.

If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail me. My wife and I just spent a week in St. John last October, and I'll be happy to answer any questions.