Deb wrote:
> We are booked on HAL's Zuiderdam in November. One of the stops is St
> Thomas. HAl does not offer an island tour of St. John on our cruise.
> We have been to St Thomas three times and would like to take the ferry
> to St John and do a tour. Our ship docks in Charlotte Amalie and the
> stated hours are 7A-6P. Has anyone done this on their own?? When we get
> off the ferry will there be taxis waiting or is it best to arrange an
> independent tour ahead of time?? Anyone have experience with this??
> Can anyone recommend a guide?? Any suggestions on must-sees in St.
> John??
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Debbie
>
> to e-mail me privately remove nospam from my address
Debbie,
I spent a week camping on St. John back in the 80s. From what I've
heard, not much has changed. I'll say that you don't need a guide to do
St. John. There is only one road around the island. Find a guide book
to St. John and read it. Reserve a car ahead of time (I don't know who
does it now on the island, someone should know). Drive around the
island, stopping at places that interest you. Caneel Bay, Trunk Bay,
Hawksnest Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Coral Bay, etc..... There is some hiking
if that interests you. Go on the Internet and look at information on US
Virgin Islands National Park for probably the most things to do on the
island.
There are taxi "trucks" at the pier. They go to several places on the
island (I used them to get to Cinnamon Bay). But they are more like
busses than taxis, no guarantee that one will be where you are when you
want to leave. That's why I recommend a car. Just be comfortable
with driving on the other side of the road.
I would pack a picnic for that day. There are restaurants there in Cruz
Bay, but it gets VERY scarce when you leave there. There is a small
general store in the campground at Cinnamon Bay if you wander out there
and find yourself hungry/thirsty. |