Vistana St. John Ferry

Hi, new owners here. Going to the resort with a party of six the end of July.
Interested in using the hotel's airport transportation, however, I have heard it is pricey. However, I have also heard the price includes use of the ferry to/from to St. Thomas during your stay. Is this true, and if so, is use of the ferry convenient? Does it operate numerous times during the day, or is it only a couple? This will be the deciding factor on our airport transportation. Thanks.

There is no Vistana St John ferry - there is a Westin St John ferry.

Yes - pricey.
Yes - back and forth STJ-STT - it docks in Crown Bay (unless poor seas - then NPS dock by RedHook)

At 4 people - cheaper to rent a 4WD on StT and take car barge IME

I would suggest to contact WSJ - regarding ferry schedule

Currently, the Westin ferry costs $120 for adults and $90 for children. There are many discussions on the pluses and negatives of using the ferry. It pretty much comes down to personal preference and budget.

IMO, nothing beats the "first impression" of taking the Westin ferry if you're traveling to St. John for the first time. After being awake since 3am, it was a delight to arrive at the airport, and just roll my bags over to the Westin desk. They took care of all logistics up until we stepped into our villa several hours later.

IIRC, we arrived too late for the 11am ferry, but it worked out to our advantage because we discovered "Tickles" at Crown Bay marina, a great al fresco, moderately priced bar/restaurant. So we got to enjoy lunch and some cocktails before catching the 1:45pm ferry. (Hint: get in line early because outside seating is very limited.) We really enjoyed the 45 minute boat ride over to St. John and saw a ton of rainbows. They arrived right at the Westin dock. A short walk later, we were handed cocktails and our room keys by an attendant. No waiting required! "Iguana" (golf cart) drivers were all lined up and ready and waiting to take us and our luggage to our villa. I can't tell you how delightful it was to have this great first impression, especially since we'd be traveling for 12 hours by that time.

Of course, we were lucky enough that the stars were all aligned, and our flights matched up well with ferry schedules.

Current departure times of the WSJ ferry are listed below, and you are correct that they are very limited. But before you dismiss it based on that, know that the Westin will arrange transportation on a private ferry to St. John day or night should you arrive outside of the ferry operation hours. If I were scheduled to arrive in the evening, I'd strongly consider getting the Westin ferry, just in case my flight was delayed (Can you imagine finally arriving at 1am and having to pay to get a hotel room on St. Thomas because you can't get to your villa on St. John?) And, frankly, Red Hook gets a little seedy past dark. Been there, done that.

However, note that there is only ONE morning option now back to St. Thomas, and that is 10am. A 10am ferry to Crown Bay (note that it doesn't go to Red Hook anymore) will get you to the airport ~11am, which is a tad too late for a 1pm flight, perfect for a 2pm flight, and a waste of time for a 3pm or later flight. And with the mandatory 3 hour window that they advise to get through Customs/TSA, anyone that flies out from 2-4:30 should be booked on that 10am ferry, because 12:45pm ferry won't get them to the airport on time. IOW, that 10am ferry is going to be packed, and not necessarily convenient for your specific flight times.

By contrast, the "public" ferry runs hourly (see times below), so many more options. But you're going to have to haul your luggage yourself and pay for taxis from the airport to Red Hook, and from Cruz Bay to WSJ. If you choose this path, know that your first impression will be greatly diminished, but much, much cheaper, and possibly much quicker. So come with an open mind and plenty of cash! Some other upsides: Taking the public ferry also gives you the ability to stop and do some grocery shopping at a "reasonably" priced grocery store on St. Thomas before departing for St. John, where prices are jaw-dropping.

FERRY DEPARTURE TIMES: ALL DAYS OF THE WEEK

DEPART WESTIN DEPART CROWN BAY MARINA

6:00 AM ------------------------
7:00 AM ------------------------
9:00 AM 10:00 AM
11:00 AM 12:45 PM
1:45 PM* 3:00 PM
---------- 5:30 PM*

Another option which is rarely discussed is the ferry from Charlotte Amalie Ferry Dock to Cruz Bay. At $13pp, this may be your best option if your schedule aligns with the limited ferry schedule, because I assume you won't have to pay for a long taxi ride:

40 Min Travel Time

Charlotte Amalie → Cruz Bay
10:00 am
1:00 pm
5:30 pm

Cruz Bay → Charlotte Amalie
8:45 am
11:15 am
3:45 pm

BTW, here are the ferry schedules:

http://www.vinow.com/travel/virgin-islands-ferry-schedules/

Here is a very nice write-up of your options.

http://www.vinow.com/stjohn/getting_there/

We took the Westin ferry the only time we have stayed at WSJ and agree with LisaRex regarding the first impression. It was any easy process and we also made a day trip back to StT for some shopping and looking around Chalotte Amalie. It was just the two of, so while pricey, we thought it was worth it. Especially since we weren't as familiar with the other options. You may want to take this route for your first trip and become more familiar with the alternatives for future trips.

Have a great time.

Mike

WSJ will come get you if you arrive at 1AM??? Doubt it... I do not think airport is even open at 1am... No way they are making that crossing in middle of night.

Regardless - too each their own - we also travel for hours (SFO-MIA-STT on a red-eye), and very tired when we arrive. I liked the WSJ ferry back when it was $65pp - but now $120pp?

Is taking the WSJ ferry it worth it? It is easier - but I will stick with renting on STT and the car barge. Ain't that difficult...

I love that we have our 4WD waiting for us when we arrive (ready to go - no paperwork) - drive to RedHook (~30mins w/o stopping at Cost-U-Less) - car barge ($50 RT pre-reserved) ~45 min transit - and short drive (5 mins?) to WSJ - and have immediate ability to shop for food, etc, and quickly go out to Cruz Bay. Also - have lunch at restaurant next to public ferries at RedHook if we want (just like Tickles)

I have done the STT to WSJ transfer in every way over the 10 years we have been going - driving to RedHook is not that daunting. Also - we have zero desire to go to STT while on STJ - so that aspect of using the WSJ ferry is useless to us. All I want to do while on STT is to get off STT and get to STJ. Shopping on STT is no bargain unless you are looking for expensive jewelry.

btw - this trip - 4WD 2Dr Jeep Wrangler was $550/week (Amalie Car Rental - there are cheaper outfits, but Amalie is best w/ brand new vehicles), ~$60 gas and $50 car barge (RT - pre-booked) with $3.50 lot fee on RedHook side.

On the Mr. Vic 2 weeks ago...

DavidnRobin said:

WSJ will come get you if you arrive at 1AM??? Doubt it... I do not think airport is even open at 1am... No way they are making that crossing in middle of night.

Regardless - too each their own - we also travel for hours (SFO-MIA-STT on a red-eye), and very tired when we arrive. I liked the WSJ ferry back when it was $65pp - but now $120pp?

Is taking the WSJ ferry it worth it? It is easier - but I will stick with renting on STT and the car barge. Ain't that difficult...

I love that we have our 4WD waiting for us when we arrive (ready to go - no paperwork) - drive to RedHook (~30mins w/o stopping at Cost-U-Less) - car barge ($50 RT pre-reserved) ~45 min transit - and short drive (5 mins?) to WSJ - and have immediate ability to shop for food, etc, and quickly go out to Cruz Bay. Also - have lunch at restaurant next to public ferries at RedHook if we want (just like Tickles)

I have done the STT to WSJ transfer in every way over the 10 years we have been going - driving to RedHook is not that daunting. Also - we have zero desire to go to STT while on STJ - so that aspect of using the WSJ ferry is useless to us. All I want to do while on STT is to get off STT and get to STJ. Shopping on STT is no bargain unless you are looking for expensive jewelry.

btw - this trip - 4WD 2Dr Jeep Wrangler was $550/week (Amalie Car Rental - there are cheaper outfits, but Amalie is best w/ brand new vehicles), ~$60 gas and $50 car barge (RT - pre-booked) with $3.50 lot fee on RedHook side.

On the Mr. Vic 2 weeks ago...

Click to expand...

I have only been to WSJ once and had little kids and lots of luggage. Car seats, stroller, food.

We took the ferry. Wish we had done what David does.

On the arrival the porter thing was nice. We went to St T once. That was enough. I'd do a two island itinerary if I wanted to see more of it.

St J IMHO you need a car for the duration. I'm not a fan of the man made beach and taxis are annoying and expensive.

Money less of an object. Ferry and rent at O'Connor. Money no object you are likely at Caneel Bay. Money an object. Amelee car and the car ferry.

DavidnRobin said:

WSJ will come get you if you arrive at 1AM??? Doubt it... I do not think airport is even open at 1am... No way they are making that crossing in middle of night.

Click to expand...

They won't come get you, silly. They'll arrange for a private ferry. I'm sure that they have someone on contract with them in case this happens, such as this company, who claims that after hours service is their specialty:

http://www.vinow.com/travel/watertaxi/

From their website:

"Guests who miss their ferry due to airline delays or changes in their travel itineraries will be scheduled on the next available ferry that accommodates their arrival.

Flight information is required in advance, and can be e-mailed to 01098.guestrelations@westin.com. You will receive your ferry pass when you arrive at the airport.

Public transportation will be available if the transportation schedule does not coincide with your arrival time. The public ferry departs Red Hook every hour on the hour. Taxis are available at the St. Thomas airport to escort you to the public ferry, and taxi services are also available once you arrive in St. John to ensure your arrival to our resort.

Click Here to Submit your Ferry Transportation Request

FERRY DEPARTURE TIMES: ALL DAYS OF THE WEEK

DEPART WESTIN DEPART CROWN BAY MARINA

6:00 AM ------------------------
7:00 AM ------------------------
9:00 AM 10:00 AM
11:00 AM 12:45 PM
1:45 PM* 3:00 PM
---------- 5:30 PM*

*1:45 PM last shopping ferry departs Westin
*5:30 PM last shopping ferry returns

*Private Water taxi for arrivals after 7:30 PM"

My point is that if you are arriving at 1AM - there is no ferry (private or otherwise) that is going to pick you up. That notice is for normal travel times with reasonable delay. The airport is not landing planes at 1AM either. If you are curious - call and ask if you need private ferry after 11pm what will happen. I am sure between 7:30pm and say 10pm (?) - there will be ferry availability. I never see boats out on water late at night - especially coming out of GCB.

Also - my comments on STT-STJ transport come from experience of having taken every reasonably method. i wish someone told me back in 2006 about how easy was to rent on STT and take the car barge. It was actually Phil Schrag (WSJ-VGV BOD) that told me about renting on STT (2011?) - and I have been doing this ever since (w/ zero regrets), and trying to pass this on to others. Is it for everyone? Of course not...

also - owning VGV where you can park outside the villa is a huge plus for people like us who do not use the main resort, and prefer to freely travel around the island.

If I were to rent on StJ - I would rent from a Cruz bay outfit that allows parking on their site. Cruz Bay parking is tough and getting tougher.

best.

I think both forms of "getting" to Westin St John work well. Both have their pros and cons.

The first timer "WoW" factor of pulling up at the dock, at the Westin Resort is exactly how your Caribbean Island dream trip arrival is suppose to be.....amazing.

Our past few trips, we have rented a SUV on St Thomas and used the car barge......Fantastic service, fast and cheaper then the other method.

But this year, we are using the WSJ ferry again for several reasons. First, cost wise it is actually cheaper for us to use the ferry and rent on WSJ (just the 2 of us). Second, Robin has reservations of the ferry schedule with the two operators gone. Three, we are actually planning on heading to St Thomas with friends, and the WSJ ferry makes it easy. Fourth, we are on vacation and want to be pampered (It's been a really tough past 18 months).

FYI, acc to WSJ concierge, agents will be on duty to handle your transportation until the last plane comes in, no matter what time that is. That's why it's important to provide your flight information to the concierge ahead of time.