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There are more than 17,000 people visiting St. Thomas by cruise ship today, and this will undoubtedly affect St. John. If you’re planning on visiting Trunk Bay today, I would highly recommend picking another beach. 🙂

Five ships are docking in Charlotte Amalie today, including Icon of the Seas which is the largest cruise ship in the world. Icon of the Seas left Miami on its maiden voyage over the weekend. St. Thomas is its second port stop. (It visited St. Kitts yesterday.)

None of these ships are docked in St. John; however, all offer excursions over here. Several of the ships hire their own ferries to shuttle people into Cruz Bay. These ferries arrive at the bulkhead in the Creek, which is near the National Park Visitor Center. Taxis are waiting to pick them up and provide island tours and typically dropoffs to Trunk Bay.

Numerous passengers will likely make their way over on their own using the regular ferry to Cruz Bay. I’m sure the restaurants and shops along Cruz Bay beach will be very busy today.

So where should you go if you’re on St. John today? I would suggest Hawksnest or Jumbie because there are not any food or beverage offerings. That isn’t as appealing to people visiting by ship. Trunk is going to be crawling with people, so I would avoid that at all costs. It’s quite possible that Cinnamon and Maho will be a tad busier than usual too today considering that those two beaches are easy to taxi to, and both have food and beverages for sale. All other beaches should be normal, but our normal right now means rather full.

It’s a busy time of year, folks!

Not on island, but want to see some of the action? You can see what’s happening by checking out some of our webcams. Check out the St. John Spice Cam around 8:45 a.m., 9:15 a.m., and 10:15 a.m. to see how many people are coming in via the regular ferry. (These times are AST, which is an hour ahead of New York City time.) You can also check out The Beach Bar’s barcam to see how many are visiting the restaurant today. See these webcams and more at www.explorestj.com/webcams.

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

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I am so happy to share that a new restaurant just reopened at Concordia. This is the first time that a restaurant has been operating at the popular eco-resort since Hurricane Irma forced it to close in 2017. I popped in Sunday morning with some of my repeat tour guests, and we all agreed that the place looked incredible! (Thanks Amy & Steve for checking it out with me!)

Let’s start with the location. Concordia is located near Salt Pond which is in the southeast corner of St. John. Coming from Cruz Bay, you will drive down Route 10 (Centerline Road) and then you’ll take a right when you reach the Coral Bay Triangle. From there, the entrance to Concordia is almost four miles down the road and on your left-hand side.

The new restaurant is called The Lookout at Concordia. It wasn’t open when I stopped by Sunday morning, so I can’t share too many details about the actual food (although I’m excited to try it!), but what I can tell you is that it has an incredible view and great breezes. The restaurant is very spacious. There is a large, covered bar, ample seating on the deck, and even barstools on a rail that overlooks Salt Pond Bay and Ram Head.

The Lookout at Concordia is currently open Friday through Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. They plan to open for lunch and Sunday brunch soon. Check out their current dinner and drinks menus:

Want to get a better view? Check out this quick video I took Sunday morning:

Want to know exactly where The Lookout at Concordia is located? Please visit www.ExploreSTJ.com/restaurantmap to find its location and to search for all of the restaurants located in St. John.

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

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Who loves a day on the water? I know I do! I am super excited to tell you all about an amazing new boat that’s available for boat trips both here in US waters and over in the British Virgin Islands too.

Picaroon’s Parlay is a brand-new, dual-console World Cat that splashed down into our waters just last month. It’s the newest boat in Flyaway Charters’ fleet, and she is an absolute beauty. Flyaway Charters is one of the longest-running charter boat companies in St. John, and its owners Colin and Leah Hanson happen to be good friends of mine. Flyaway Charters is based out of Coral Bay. Their fleet also includes three 27-foot Glacier Bay power catamarans, which are available for both US and BVI charters, and a Molly Cove Harbor Tender, which is used as its Lime Out shuttle boat.

At 32-feet long, Picaroon’s Parlay can comfortably accommodate up to 12 guests. I’ve been on a lot of charter boats over the years, and I have to say, this one is designed perfectly! It’s not only spacious, but it’s extremely comfortable too. I took a quick trip on it a few weeks ago, and I was beyond impressed!

From the moment you step onto Picaroon’s Parlay, you can immediately see how it was designed with comfort in mind. Its deck is made by SeaDek, which is a non-slip, skid-resistant, padded floor. It’s cushy and comfy, and I just loved it. When it comes to seating, there is a ton. There is a comfortable and shaded, l-shaped seating area across from the captain in addition to two comfortable bench seats up in the bow. You can add a third cushion up front to make one large comfy seat too. It’s a pretty nice touch.

For those of you looking to get into the water, there is a door on the side of the boat, as well as a large deck on the stern which makes getting into and out of the water that much easier. It even has a freshwater rinse for people like me who don’t enjoy the stickiness of the salt water after a dip in the ocean. And lastly, there is even a sink, refrigerator, and a small restroom on board.

Picaroon’s Parlay is available for half-day and full-day USVI trips, as well as trips to the British Virgin Islands. Because it’s a faster boat, you can easily take it up to Virgin Gorda for the day. If you are unfamiliar with this island in the BVI, it’s home to the Baths, which are very cool rock formations that you can climb up, over, and around. The Baths are a beautiful spot and even hosted a Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot years ago. You can even visit Necker Island, which is Richard Branson’s private island. This is an amazing spot where you can take a private nature tour that allows you to interact with lemurs, large tortoises, and more.

Half-day USVI trips on Picaroon’s Parlay are $945 and a full-day USVI trip is $1,495. A full-day BVI Jost trip is $2,2025 and a BVI trip to Virgin Gorda is $2,215. The Necker Island trip costs $2,875, plus the cost of the Necker Island tour which is paid directly to Gumption, the tour operator. All of Flyaway Charters’ prices include fuel. BVI trip prices do not include BVI customs fees, which is $85 per person. Customs is paid directly to the BVI government.

Now who is ready to book a trip on St. John’s newest charter boat? You know you are! Please visit www.flyawaychartersvi.com to learn more and to book. You can also see what they’re up to by following them on social media. Click here to follow them on Instagram and click here to like them on Facebook.

Looking to take a St. John island tour?

Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.

Follow Explore STJ on Social Media

–> www.facebook.com/explorestj

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