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Going to St. John while on St. Thomas is an absolute must!
But, how do you get there?
Yes, there is a passenger ferry that operates from St. Thomas’ Red Hook Harbor every hour. This entailed parking our car and paying the daily parking rate of $5 as well as the ferry fare for the four of us…$6.00 per person, each way, plus a luggage surcharge for carrying our cooler and beach chairs.
After our arrival in St. John, the question remained…how would we get around?
We could walk from Cruz Bay to the nearest trail and then hike to the nearest beaches, Solomon or Honeymoon. If we chose this option, however, it would mean only bringing snorkel equipment and a towel. No cooler…no chairs.
We could rent a car…approximately $80-$100 for the day.
Or…we could hire a taxi. We knew we wanted to visit Trunk Bay, which would cost $6.00 per person, each way. We also wanted to visit other beaches, adding to the overall cost and eliminating spontaneity.
So…the grand total for taking the passenger ferry for the day would be well over $100-$150, depending on the method of transportation and number of destinations.
There had to be a better way.
We already had a car on St. Thomas…was there a way to take it to St. John?
Love City Car Ferries to the rescue!
Thankfully, we investigated this option early on in our trip. Love City Car Ferries, takes reservations for cars and trucks up to three tons and must be booked three days before your trip. The total cost for the car, its occupants and luggage is $50, plus a $3 port fee. That’s it…we drive on…we drive off.
The day of our trip, we were up early and arriving in Red Hook Harbor, following the signs to the car ferry loading apron. Directed to back into lines for organized loading onto the ferry, we realized that we were actually a bit early. After asking the attendant if the ferry we were about to back onto was Love City’s 9:00 am ferry (it was currently 8:15), we were informed that we needed to move to another line. The ferry we were in line to board was Boyson’s Inc.’s Mister B.
Moving to the first line, we watched cars, delivery vehicles and even a dump truck back onto Mister B. We definitely learned what to do and what not to do!
Finally, Mister B departed and Love City’s Captain Vic pulled up to the loading apron. Being the first to back onto the ferry was a plus as we only had to watch out not to back into the ferry, not other cars. Slowly, other vehicles filled the ferry and it was time to depart.
Though my husband and children opted to stay in the car for the ride over, I climbed to the top of the wheelhouse and watched Red Hook Harbor grow smaller and the neighboring islands pass by…Great St. James, Little St. James, Dog Island and finally Steven Cay as we pulled up to the Car Ferry Dock at Enighed Pond. The trip was a mere twenty minutes.
Departing the barge was a less complicated affair since all we had to do was drive forward off of the boat and make our way onto the island.
When we booked our trip, we had elected to return on a 7:00 pm ferry. Around 3:00 pm, we were getting tired from being in the sun all day and checked the ferry schedule. It appeared that there was a 4:00 pm and then a 6:15 pm departure time. Not seeing the 7:00 departure that we had booked (and was on our reservation), we were a little nervous about waiting and not making it off of the island. We all agreed that we would make our way quickly back to the car ferry dock and inquire as to whether or not we could take the early boat.
Thankfully, we did not wait until 7:00. Apparently, Love City has an agreement with Global Marine ferries and travel with the two companies is interchangeable. On this day, however, Global Marine was not operating. So, our only two options were 4:00 pm and 6:15 pm and there was no problem with our taking the early ferry.
Once again, we lined up and backed our car on to the ferry…my husband was becoming quite proficient! This time, we all stayed put inside the car and luckily for us we did…it started to rain!
A short time later, we were back in Red Hook Harbor and ready for dinner!
Although it was quite difficult to figure out the ferry situation in St. John, we are glad that this is the way we approached it. Though we were only able to contact and book with Love City Ferries, it appears that Boyson was operating regularly at the time. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach Boyson for their schedule and procedure to book, we decided on Love City. A bit confusing, it seems that Love City has been the only operator that has offered reliable service over the past few years.
If you decide to utilize the car barge for a trip to St. John, I would suggest taking a trip to the ferry pier prior to your trip to inquire as to the ferry schedules and operators. I understand the Boyson may be a bit cheaper, but whichever company you decide to use, be sure to ask the attendant for scheduled departure times for your return trip later in the day.
Have a great time!
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St. Thomas to St. John Passenger Ferry
- https://www.usvi.net/information/transportation/ferry-schedules/st-thomas-to-st-john-ferry-schedule/
- Departure points: Red Hook Harbor, $6.00 per person, each way. Charlotte Amalie dock, downtown, $12.00 per person, each way.
Love City Car Ferries
- http://www.lovecitycarferries.com/
- Departure point: Red Hook Harbor, $50 per vehicle, plus $3.00 port fee.
Boyson Inc.
- http://boysoninc.com/
- Departure point: Red Hook Harbor, $50 per vehicle, plus $3.00 port fee.
- Schedule: Enighed Pond, St. John, Mondays-Sundays 0600, 0730, 0930, 1130, 1230, 1430, 1630
Enighed Pond, St. John 6:00am
7:30am
9:30am
11:30am
12:30pm
2:30pm
4:30pm
6:00pmRed Hook, St. Thomas 6:30 am
8:30am
10:30am
12:05pm
1:30pm
3:30pm
5:30pm
6:30pmSUNDAYS
Enighed Pond, St. John 7:30am
9:30am
11:30am
1:30pm
3:30pm
5:05pm
6:00pmRed Hook, St. Thomas 8:30 am
10:30am
12:30pm
2:30pm
4:30pm
5:30pm
6:30pm
‘After a few rain showers blew through and the skies decided to remain cloudy, I persuaded my family that we should drive into town to see the fort…the fact that there is a souvenir market next door and the promise of some cool t-shirts cemented the deal.
A basic square structure with stone curtain walls and diamond-shaped stone bastions at the corners, the Tyygborg tower and north curtain were eventually demolished as well as other parts of the fort. The current Gothic Revival structure, with its Victorian clock tower, which serves as an entrance, was eventually built to replace the north curtain in the 18th century. Today, the bastions and the rooftop can be accessed as well as the living quarters that were later added.
We enjoyed visiting the lower level which houses former cells, displays detailing the fort’s history, chapel and the living quarters. These areas are filled with antiques and gives an idea of the living standards at the time. We did not have a tour guide as we arrived just before three o’clock (last admitting time) however, having an escort would have been a benefit in learning more about the history of the structure and the role it played in protecting the island’s harbor.
Though our condominium was located on stunning Sapphire Beach, known for its snorkeling, it was advantageous to have a car in order to experience some of the other beaches located throughout the island.
Magen’s Bay public park was donated to the people of the Virgin Islands by Arthur Fairchild and consists of a one mile of white sand beach, a six-acre arboretum with trees from four tropical continents, a two-acre camping ground, five acres of coconut groves and fifteen acres of mangroves and wetlands. It is the only beach on St. Thomas that charges an admission fee which is used to maintain the facilities and the beach.
After relaxing for a while, we then grabbed our snorkels and dove in, eager to see what was below the water’s surface. While our waters at Sapphire Beach offered an amazing amount of coral and marine life, sadly, Magen’s Bay did not. A bit more coral borders the rocky outcropping at each end of the beach, but the most impressive thing we encountered was the large, shoaling silver-side fish whose location was apparent by the diving seagulls.
After Magen’s Bay, trying to decide on another beach was tough. Would any other measure up?
If you get tired of the atmosphere here, you can wander next door to Coral World where you can come face-to-face with sharks and other underwater creatures. Swimming with sea lions or touching turtles…there’s much to learn about the underwater life that inhabits the waters around St. Thomas. Descend fifteen feet in the undersea observatory tower to marvel at the coral reef, schools of silversides and other fish or take an hour-long cruise on the park’s semi-submarine.