My Tentative Itinerary

IA Joe · Post by **IA Joe** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:05 am

Here is our itinerary for our upcoming trip to St. John May 26th - June 4th. It may seem too planned for some of you, but it really is mostly down time. Our only other trip to St. John was 7 years ago. We are staying at Grande Bay If any of you have any suggestions or ideas based on these plans, I'd sure be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Mon, May 26th: Arrive on late ferry after traveling all day.
Tue: Hang out in Cruz Bay.
Wed: Taxi to Trunk Bay for the day.
Thu: Reef Bay Hike
Fri: Dinghy Rental
Sat: Calypso day trip to Jost Van Dyke.
Sun/Mon: Rental car reserved to hit beaches and east end of island.
Tue: Spend last day on St. Thomas
Wed: Fly out early flight.

We're getting excited!

IA Joe

Jan&MikeVa · Post by **Jan&MikeVa** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 12:11 pm

Sounds good to me

We all visit STJ with different plans in mind, and most times they work out. The only time we had an itinerary was our first trip. Our first day we loaded up our cooler with drinks and drove ALL over the island. Since then, NO PLANS is our attitude.
You guys will enjoy and you'll work through the plans (i.e. rain). HAPPY TRIP!!

david@va.beach · Post by **david@va.beach** » Sat Apr 05, 2014 12:33 pm

I'd nix the dingy and add more car rental to explore more beaches..the north shore is cool but on a north wind..not so much...Good plan though---any day is a good in stj!! Gonna be good!!

grandpainin · Post by **grandpainin** » Sun Apr 06, 2014 8:38 am

Good job.

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:04 am

Less likely to see a north swell that late in the year.

Still, given that this is your second trip, I would skip the dinghy and STJ day trip and get a jeep for the full period. You're going to get a more diverse experience. The ranger Reef Bay hike is fun with identification of plants and trees, but the trail from Waterlemon Bay to Brown Bay has better views and has a beach at both ends. For me, its about doing more with less work. You'll be hanging out in Cruz Bay every day so... put that later in the week if ya really gotta.

Either way will not suck.

Cheers, RickG

shoemak38 · Post by **shoemak38** » Sun Apr 06, 2014 9:53 am

My only comment about your itinerary is that Wednesday’s are normally a large cruise ship day in St. Thomas. The result of this is that you will have more people than normal at Trunk Bay on the day you plan to visit.

Beesmom · Post by **Beesmom** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 8:36 am

Sounds good - if you start jonesing for some beach time your first full day on island, hike the Lind Point trail to Saloman or Honeymoon. It starts right behind the National Park building in Cruz Bay.

Teresa_Rae · Post by **Teresa_Rae** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:55 pm

Wild horses couldn't keep me away from the beach on my first day on STJ

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 5:12 pm

Teresa_Rae wrote:Wild horses couldn't keep me away from the beach on my first day on STJ

Yep, I'm up at 5AM just waiting for the sunrise so we can head for Maho

IA Joe · Post by **IA Joe** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:24 pm

Thanks Everyone,

Based on your input, I have indeed canceled the dinghy day, and I moved the Calypso day trip up one day. That leaves only two planned days out of the seven full days we have on St. John, one for the Reef Bay hike and one for the Calypso trip to Jost Van Dyke.

RickG, what is the best way to do the trail from Watermelon Bay to Brown Bay. I assume you park at one end, hike to the other end, spend some time on the beach and then hike back to your car? If so, which is the best end to park on, and how long does the hike take?

Joe

michigan girls · Post by **michigan girls** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:36 pm

IA Joe wrote:RickG, what is the best way to do the trail from Watermelon Bay to Brown Bay. I assume you park at one end, hike to the other end, spend some time on the beach and then hike back to your car? If so, which is the best end to park on, and how long does the hike take?

I'm intrigued by this as well. Is it a hard hike - will I want to bring my good shoes? Will I want to leave most of my "stuff" behind at the first beach?

John LMBZ06 · Post by **John LMBZ06** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:06 pm

Yes, three cruise ships on Wednesday.

nikkiki · Post by **nikkiki** » Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:56 am

That's exactly how I structured my last trip and my upcoming trip - 1 day for the Reef Bay hike, 1 day with Calypso, and the rest is up to the weather and the whims of our group. It seems to work - have a great time!

Beesmom · Post by **Beesmom** » Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:54 am

Teresa_Rae wrote:Wild horses couldn't keep me away from the beach on my first day on STJ

Neither could wild donkeys in my case

usvi-on-line