On a cruise - take a taxi vs. rental car for a day

petepie · Post by **petepie** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 4:24 pm

We are crossing to the dark side and just booked a caribbean cruise! I've never been on a cruise before, so looking forward to it, but still want to make it to St. John during the stop in St. Thomas. I've been to STJ several times before but always was staying on island for a week so had our own car to get around to all the beaches.

We'll be on STJ only from about 9am - 3pm this time, so are trying to decide whether to reserve a car for just the day or try to get out and back from the beaches using taxis. Questions - what is taxi fare from the ferry to Hawksnest, Cinnamon, Trunk? Is it easy to get taxis for the ride back? I've only seen them waiting at Trunk and Cinnamon so am assuming we'd have to arrange with the drive to pick us up at later time if we decide to go to Hawksnest. There may be as few as 4 or as many as 8 of us. If there are 8 of us, well have to rent a Durango. We've always had smaller 4wd vehicles. Does the Durango do ok on the switchbacks?

Thanks in advance. From someone who's about to become one of THEM - a cruise passenger

toni · Post by **toni** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:14 pm

Well I can't help you on taxi prices, but cruising's not that bad; it's a great way to see a lot of places and decide if you want to go back and see them more in depth some other time. Currently the prices on cruises are really AMAZING. I know that they can be too crowded for some people, but we've found that if we book a balcony we're fine. We have our own space and we usually book our own tours. Different cruise lines and ship sizes can be a big influence too on how your experience is.

Though I will admit, when I'm lying on Honeymoon Beach and the catamarans come in with the daytrippers I get grumbly.

Have a great trip!

petepie · Post by **petepie** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 5:56 pm

Thanks for the encouragement Toni. We're pretty excited about the cruise - we'll get to see a lot more islands that going to STJ for the whole week. Also, you're right about the costs, the cruise for a family of 4 is less than the weekly rental for a (small) villa. Plus we're going with a multi-generational group, so we figure a cruise gives everyone a chance to break away and do their own thing (beach, shop, eat), but still be together. And yep, we're getting a balcony room.

We'll see what it's like to move with the herd.......

Chicken · Post by **Chicken** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:35 pm

If it were me, I'd forgo the taxis and car rental and rent a dinghy instead. You could jump off the ferry, jump into your dinghy and be on your way.

<a href="http://daisypath.com/"><img src="http://dvcf.daisypath.com/iTnPm5.png" width="400" height="80" border="0" alt="Daisypath Vacation tickers"></a>

petepie · Post by **petepie** » Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:26 pm

Wow - dinghy is too adventurous for us! Thanks for the thought though. Kids would love it until someone bounces out! Anyone have any idea on taxi rates per person to & from Trunk & Cinnamon?

jayseadee · Post by **jayseadee** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 7:30 am

Cruz Bay to Trunk is ~$4 pp, depending on the number of people in the taxi. There is a list of rates in the "St. John" blue menu above.

Agree with the cruise comments. Great deals and a good way to spend time with family/friends who like to do things differently. We've cruised with my sister/BIL a few times and usually go our separate ways during the day, but still enjoy time together. Balcony cabins are great.

Depending on the time of year, a 1 day car rental may not be available.

Enjoy!

vi lover · Post by **vi lover** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 9:41 am

Awhile back, I took my family of 4 and my parents on the eastern cruise. I rented a car from Budget right by the Havensight pier. It was very easy. We rented a mini van - had front-wheel drive.

Took it to St. John on the ferry then directly to Cinnamon. Unfortunately - we had a north swell that day and it was much too rough and windy and having the mini van gave us flexibility to move somewhere else. We ended up going into Cruz Bay for a quick lunch at Woody's then back on the ferry to STT and a visit to Magens Bay.

My only warning is making sure you get back in time. We cut it really close. Got stuck in traffic (our ship left at 6pm, but the Budget office closed at 5pm) and had to call the office and tip the attendant to stay a few minutes late so I could drop the car off.

Otherwise - it can be done and if you are familiar with the routes on both STT and STJ, you can make it happen. Having said that - 9am - 3pm is not all that much time to go all the way to STJ (which you probably already know). Figure an hour there and an hour back and you only get 4 hours on-island.

Good Luck! Have Fun!

Pia · Post by **Pia** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:20 pm

$6.00 per person to Trunk, $7.00 per person to Cinnamon (each way)

Pia

toes in the sand · Post by **toes in the sand** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:52 pm

Here you can find a list of taxi rates for StJ

http://www.vinow.com/stjohn/getting_around_stj/taxi.php

petepie · Post by **petepie** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:25 pm

thanks for all the tips! We're actually in port on STT from 8am-5pm, I'm figuring that we'll only be on STJ from 9am-2pm.

Taxis are cheaper than I thought! Thanks to everyone who responded. The board is great.

Gigi · Post by **Gigi** » Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:57 pm

Just give yourself plenty of time to get back from Trunk. The cab drivers are usually not in a hurry to take a few passengers and will make you sit and wait until they have enough people.

usvi-on-line

Login or Register with your Facebook account

On a cruise - take a taxi vs. rental car for a day

On a cruise - take a taxi vs. rental car for a day