Tim & Anne’s St John Tour (March 2014)

St John Tour
March 2014
by Tim Larison, CLIA Certified Master Cruise Counselor (MCC)
with contributions from Travel Agent Anne Larison

Our first stop on our March 2014 Azamara Quest cruise was the U.S. Virgin Island St John.  At 20 square miles, this small island is described as one of the most beautiful in the caribbean and we would agree!

Our tour began with a drive to a number of scenic overlooks.   After two “at sea” days on our cruise it felt good to be on land once again.  A bonus for being a U.S. island was that our AT&T cell phone service worked with no foreign roaming charges!  I was able to share some pictures with friends and family back home while we were on our tour.

Anne says:

The blue sky and clear ocean water surrounding St. John make this an island worth visiting.

Our guide Carlyle showed us the highlights of the island in an open air truck. Carlyle, an ex-policeman who had lived on St John since 1979, was very friendly and happily answered all our questions.

Anne says:
We were in a very large group as part of a ship sponsored excursion and each truck held from 25 to 30 passengers.  I would have to say I prefer the smaller, independent shore excursions over a large group like this.  The guide was knowledgeable and it does give you the opportunity to get to know other passengers on the ship as the group enjoys the tour of the island together.

We visited an old sugarcane plantation.

The highlight of the tour was spending time at Trunk Bay – one of the prettiest beaches we have seen in the Caribbean.  Most cruises that stop at St Thomas have an excursion here by ferry – an excursion we recommend as we feel Trunk Bay gives a better beach experience than the ones on St Thomas.  We were fortunate on our Azamara ship anchored directly off of St John, allowing guests to spend more time at Trunk Bay when compared to a St Thomas port stop.

Anne says:
This was my first visit to Trunk Bay and I agree that it is a beautiful beach.  While it was interesting to see the sights around St. John’s, another option is to use a local taxi to be taken directly to the beach – an option that will ultimately provide more time to soak up the sun, and enjoy the sand and surf.

If you would like to visit St John on a cruise or a resort stay, we can help!  Contact us for more information.