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Comparing Two Ferry Services Between St Thomas and St John

The short hop across the Pillsbury Sound between St. Thomas and St. John is one of the easiest, most scenic sea crossings in the Caribbean. Travellers heading to the quieter beaches and hiking trails of St. John almost always begin or end their day at a ferry terminal, watching turquoise water slide past the hull as the islands drift closer together.

Australian visitors planning a U.S. Virgin Islands holiday often underestimate how much ferry choice they will actually have. The route is short, only 30 to 45 minutes depending on which boat you catch, but the experience, ticket price and overall convenience can change quite a bit between operators.

I rode both ferries on a recent trip with my family, leaving Sydney on a long-haul flight with a connection through Los Angeles. By the time we boarded our first boat at Red Hook, we had already burned through half a suitcase of snacks and a small fortune in airport noodles, so I paid close attention to every detail of those crossings.

This is a personal comparison of the two main ferry services between St. Thomas and St. John, drawn from notes scribbled on the back of a rum punch menu rather than pulled from a glossy brochure. If you are weighing up your options before booking, hopefully it helps you pick the boat that suits your day.

The crossing and why it matters

The body of water between these two islands is small but central to daily life for residents and tourists alike. Locals commute across it for work and school, while visitors cross for snorkel tours, dinner reservations and overnight stays. There is no bridge, no tunnel and no longer-distance alternative, which is why ferries run almost back to back from sunrise until well after sunset.

The busiest terminal on the St. Thomas side sits at Red Hook, the easternmost point of the island. From here, the shortest crossing delivers passengers directly into Cruz Bay, the main town on St. John. On a calm day, the trip takes about 20 minutes. On a choppy day with rolling swells, those 20 minutes can feel much longer if you are prone to seasickness, so the type of boat you pick really does matter.

The larger car ferry out of Red Hook

The workhorse of the route is the inter-island car ferry that runs between Red Hook and Cruz Bay. These bright blue vessels carry passengers, cars, jeeps and oversized luggage, making them the default choice for visitors with a rental vehicle. Tickets are sold at the terminal kiosk and the queue moves quickly, especially with exact change in U.S. dollars.

Boarding is straightforward. You walk up the gangway, hand over your ticket, and find a seat either on the upper open-air deck or inside the air-conditioned cabin. The crew are efficient and unfailingly polite, calling out destinations and reminding passengers not to leave valuables unattended. The crossing is short and brisk, with views of the surrounding cays and a decent chance of spotting a sea turtle near the channel markers.

For Australian families used to catching ferries around Sydney Harbour or the South Bank services in Brisbane, this boat feels reassuringly familiar. The seats are cushioned, the windows are large, and there is a small restroom onboard. What surprised me most was how stable the ride felt, even on a windy afternoon when our captain warned passengers to keep one hand free.

The smaller passenger ferry from Charlotte Amalie

A different option runs out of Charlotte Amalie, the cruise ship capital on the southern side of St. Thomas. These smaller passenger-only ferries appeal to visitors staying in town, those without a rental car, and anyone heading out to St. John for a beach day. The boats are narrower, lower in the water and noticeably more bouncy than the larger ferry from Red Hook.

Because they carry passengers only, loading is faster and the per-ticket price is usually a few dollars cheaper. The trade-off is the ride itself. With fewer stabilisers and less hull beneath you, every wave is felt more sharply, and the journey stretches to around 45 minutes because the route arcs around the southern shoreline of St. Thomas rather than cutting straight across.

For someone travelling light with a daypack, it is a perfectly pleasant trip. For families with small children or anyone uneasy on boats, I would lean toward the bigger vessel. My niece, who tackles the Manly to Circular Quay ferry in Sydney without blinking, gripped her handbag a bit tighter on this smaller boat.

Pricing, tickets and currency for Aussie travellers

Tickets for both ferries are priced in U.S. dollars, rarely good news for Australians watching the exchange rate from Melbourne or Perth. At the time of our trip the Aussie dollar was hovering around 65 U.S. cents, so a $7 ferry ride really cost closer to AUD$11 once the conversion kicked in. Across a family of four doing two round trips, that becomes a meaningful dent in the daily budget.

Most terminals accept major credit cards, but cash in small U.S. denominations is faster and avoids any surprise decline on a worn-out travel card. I learned this the hard way when my debit card was flagged for unusual activity and I had to rely on crumpled dollar bills from the bottom of my bag. Keep some spare notes on you, the same way you would for parking at a Melbourne football game on a Sunday.

Schedules, queues and practical logistics

Ferries from both terminals run frequently during daylight hours, roughly every hour, with reduced services in the early morning and late evening. The car ferry from Red Hook stays open the longest because of commuter demand, while the Charlotte Amalie service wraps up earlier. We never waited more than 20 minutes for a boat, but we also avoided cruise ship days when the pier crowds swell and queues form at the taxi ranks.

If you are travelling with checked bags or large suitcases, the Red Hook ferry is far easier. There is real space to stash luggage near the side rails, and the crew are used to divers with full kit bags. The smaller boat has very little room for anything bigger than a backpack, and I watched one family squeeze a folded-up pram into a corner that already held two coolers and a beach umbrella.

On arrival in Cruz Bay, taxis line up right outside the terminal and fares to popular beaches and resorts are set rather than metered. On the Charlotte Amalie side, expect to take a taxi or a local safari bus from the ferry terminal back into town, particularly if you are staying near the harbourfront.

Comfort, scenery and the overall feel

Both crossings offer lovely water views, but the experience of looking at them differs. From the upper deck of the larger ferry you get a panoramic sweep of the channel, with St. John's green hills rising steadily on the horizon. The breeze is stronger up top, the photos are better, and the salt spray is more honest.

Inside the cabin, the air conditioning is a blessing on a humid afternoon, and the bench seats are wide enough for two adults or a parent with a sleeping child. The smaller ferry has fewer seats and no enclosed cabin, just shaded bench rows under a canopy. You feel more weather, more motion and more of the actual ocean, which some travellers love and others find exhausting.

For me, the choice came down to mood. On days we had a hire car and full bags, we took the Red Hook ferry without question. On days we were heading to Honeymoon Beach for a quick swim and a snorkel, we caught the smaller boat from Charlotte Amalie and walked back to our guesthouse.

Helpful booking pointers before you sail