Getting Around St. Thomas
Many of you know that St. Thomas is a popular destination for tourists by cruise ship, airplane or ferry. Here we want to touch base on the ins and outs of transportation in St. Thomas and getting around St. Thomas once you are here!
If you are traveling to St. Thomas by air you will most likely fly into Cyril E. King Airport with the airport code “STT.” There are many major airlines that fly in and out of St. Thomas including: Delta, United, American, Seaborne, Virgin Atlantic, Jet Blue and British Airways. We highly recommend keeping an eye on Sky Scanner as we continue to find great deals that may help to dictate when you come or from where if you have the flexibility! Many of our friends, family and guests are loyal to South West Airlines who does not fly into St. Thomas but DOES fly into San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) which is just a 16 minute flight away via Seaborne or Americans into Cyril E. King or Seaborne seaplane into downtown waterfront, St. Thomas.
Cruising to St. Thomas
St. Thomas has 3 ports, 2 of which are major, for cruise ships to dock and boy do they! On any given day there may be anywhere between 1 and 6 cruise ships in St. Thomas. With the largest ships carrying up to 6,000 people these numbers really amp up tourism and the need for transportation, which we will follow up with later in this article. When cruising to St. Thomas you will likely dock at Havensight, known as West Indian Company Organization, or Crown Bay Marina. Havensight has many shops, restaurants and bars dock side. Of course, we always recommend hopping in a taxi right away and heading our way to allow us to showcase the natural beauty of the islands. Here is an example schedule showing you some of the ships that dock in St. Thomas and where:
We think that cruising has a lot of benefits and many of our guests we sail with are off of cruise ships giving the feedback that “they do not feel like they have as many people on board as they actually do,” often- sounds good to us!
Ferry to St. Thomas
If you are staying on St. John you likely ferried from St. Thomas TO St. John so you may have that commute down. You have 2 options when traveling by ferry between St. Thomas and St. John; the ferry from waterfront Charlotte Amalie and the ferry from Redhook on the east end of St. Thomas. Both options arrive/leave from Cruz Bay, St. John. The ferry from Redhook runs every hour on the hour until 11PM/Midnight and the ferry from Charlotte Amalie runs 3 times a day. While closer to the airport and cruising docks the waterfront ferry is 45 minutes and harder to match up with transfer day or cruising schedules. Check the schedule that best suits you HERE
If you are visiting our neighboring British Virgin Islands you can ferry from Road Town, Tortola to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Great Harbor, Jost Van Dyke to Redhook, St. Thomas. Check that schedule out and call ahead to confirm the schedule prior to your travel day.
Taxi and Safari rides
When you arrive in St. Thomas, whether by plane or boat you will still need to get where you’re going. If you are not renting a car then you are going to need a taxi. Taxis are available and waiting at both the airport and the cruise ship docks. They are all a part of the Virgin Islands Taxi Association and have their own organized methods to filling taxis based on destinations and routes on the island. If you have not arranged a taxi ahead of time you will find the concierge (* typically in a Redshirt with clip board and radio*) and let them know where you wish to go. They will either point you towards a taxi or radio to find you one right away. This is not always the..hmm ..warmest of experiences however it is efficient in it’s own way with little “fluff.” The rate is per person and is typically $11-$13 per person (suitcases are additional costs) depending on where you are going. This IS the only option for taxiing on St. Thomas as they have only a certain number of medallions and keep the association at an across the board rate.
If you are staying on island you may find yourself in one of the open air taxis on the $1 safari route. This route is circular, one way and as stated $1.00 whether you ride it one mile or around the whole island- a pretty good deal! The dollar safari can be picked up on the left side of the road from Airport Road entrance to Tutu Park Mall and then to Redhook.
How Morningstar Can Help!
If you are traveling to St. Thomas and have questions about transportation, transfers, travel times or any other questions please feel free to reach out to us! We have a lot of experience, links to private taxis and more tips to make your travel days a breeze!