St. John cruise day guide
US Virgin Islands, by ferry from St. Thomas · from StThomasThings, the offline iPhone guide
Getting there from the ship
Ferries to Cruz Bay leave Red Hook, on the East End, about every hour — 30–40 minutes by taxi from the piers. The Charlotte Amalie–Cruz Bay ferry was suspended through October 2026. Plan to be back on St. Thomas at least two hours before all-aboard.
The best day on St. John starts on the first ferry you can reach from Red Hook. Coming back, allow the 20-minute crossing, a wait for the next boat, and 30–40 minutes of taxi to the pier — so catch a ferry at least two hours before all-aboard.
Top places near the Cruz Bay ferry dock
Walking times come from the app: straight-line distance plus 30% for streets, at an easy 4.5 km/h. Places further than an hour on foot show the distance instead.
Woody's Seafood Saloon
The Cruz Bay bar that spills onto the street at happy hour, with seafood, sandwiches and cold beer a minute from the ferry.
CC BY 2.0 de · Wikimedia Commons Mongoose Junction
A shopping courtyard in Cruz Bay built in stone and wood among the trees — jewellers, galleries and cafés.
Scott Long · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Honeymoon Beach (St. John)
A calm beach inside the national park, reached by the Lind Point Trail from Cruz Bay — clear water, snorkelling on the reef and watersports rentals.
Mike's Birds from Riverside, CA, US · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Hawksnest Beach
The first North Shore beach from Cruz Bay: a short, pretty curve of sand with shade trees and a reef off the point.
Eoghanacht · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons Peace Hill
A short climb from the North Shore Road to a hilltop with ruins of a sugar mill and the remains of the 'Christ of the Caribbean' statue, looking down on Hawksnest and Trunk Bay.
Ben Whitney · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Trunk Bay
The postcard beach of the Virgin Islands National Park: white sand, turquoise water and an underwater snorkelling trail with plaques on the reef around Trunk Cay.
mollystevens · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Reef Bay Trail
The park's classic hike: down through forest to Taíno petroglyphs carved beside a freshwater pool, and the ruins of a sugar mill by the sea.
Gruepig · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Cinnamon Bay
The longest beach on the North Shore, with a campground, a watersports rental, and a short loop trail through the ruins of a sugar estate.
Maho Bay
A shallow, sandy bay right along the North Shore Road where green turtles graze the sea grass a few metres from shore.
Francis Bay
A quiet beach beyond Maho with a salt pond behind it where herons and other birds gather, and shade under the sea grapes.
Amaury Laporte · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Annaberg Sugar Plantation
The best-preserved sugar estate ruins in the park: the windmill tower, boiling house and slave quarters, on a hill looking across to Tortola and Jost Van Dyke.
Gruepig · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Waterlemon Cay
A small cay in Leinster Bay reached by a 20-minute shoreline walk and a swim — one of the best snorkels on St. John, with turtles, rays and coral.
Emmaus Moravian Church
The Moravian church on the hill above Coral Bay, founded in the 18th century — the landmark of the island's quiet east end.
Skinny Legs
The open-air bar and grill in Coral Bay, a gathering place for boaters and locals — burgers, cold beer, and a laid-back afternoon.
Salt Pond Bay
A calm, sandy bay on the south-east of St. John, a short walk from the road, with good snorkelling on the rocks.
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Ready-made port days in StThomasThings
Each is a timed plan in the app, starting and ending at the ship.
- St. John by Ferry
Red Hook to Cruz Bay: Trunk Bay's snorkel trail, the turtles of Maho Bay and the Annaberg ruins - Jost Van Dyke (Passport Needed)
Foxy's and the Soggy Dollar Bar in the British Virgin Islands — only on a long port day with a guaranteed return - St. John: Trail to Honeymoon Beach
Ferry to Cruz Bay, a mile over the headland to a quiet bay — long port days - Annaberg & Waterlemon Cay
Sugar-mill ruins, St. John's best snorkel and a shady loop trail — long port days - Ram Head & Salt Pond Bay
St. John's wild south: a clifftop hike, a snorkel and Coral Bay — long port days
Getting around: what the app tells you
- Ask the fare, and count heads
- Taxi fares are per person and per destination, set by the VI Taxicab Commission, and every taxi should carry the rate sheet. Say the destination, ask 'how much per person?', and agree before you sit down. Share a safari with other passengers going the same way and it's the cheapest ride on the island.
- St. John: go early, come back early
- The best day on St. John starts on the first ferry you can reach from Red Hook. Coming back, allow the 20-minute crossing, a wait for the next boat, and 30–40 minutes of taxi to the pier — so catch a ferry at least two hours before all-aboard.
- Set an alarm on ship time
- Island clocks are Atlantic Standard Time, all year. Ships often keep a different time. Before you go ashore, check the time on the ship's app or a clock on board and set your phone alarm by that — the ship will not wait.
Get StThomasThings for iPhone
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