We had been to St Johns several times but always via ferry after a big ship dropped us off in St Thomas. An advantage of sailing much smaller Seabourn Quest, the ship docked in Cruz Bay requiring just a short tender ride to shore. It’s one of the most popular destinations in the US Virgin Islands and arriving by small ship provided some distinct advantages.
Right off the bat our first tender from Seabourn Quest arrived well ahead, like two hours ahead, of the first ferry from St. Thomas. That put us in shopping areas as stores were just opening or taxi stands and tour operators well before finding a cab can be a challenge or tours fill up for the day.
When you travel to St John in the U.S Virgin islands, it will be hard to miss Cruz Bay, the hub of commercial activity and transportation away from the area. We had always done just that too; headed to Trunk Bay or some other area away from where a ferry would drop us off when St Thomas was our port of call. Looking to maximize time on the ground rather than spending time in a ferry to get to St Johns then in a cab on the way to a destination, we chose to just walk around the area and see what it had to offer in a leisurely manner.
I’m glad we did. For some of the island’s best shopping, the Mongoose Junction is a short walk from the pier and what Seabourn calls “a beautiful little intersection of Spanish architecture and Caribbean panache that really sets the place alight” in its daily shipboard newsletter, the Seabourn Herald. Like other lines, Seabourn provides one every night for the next day. Unlike other lines, featured front and center is information about the port we will visit the next day in a few paragraphs of current, interesting information.
Seabourn also provides a fold-up map of the destination that can be seen in the hands of passengers making their way around the port. Since rain was forecast, guests were encouraged to take along the large umbrella provided for each suite. It never rained but made for an easy way to recognize fellow passengers ashore.
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