usvi-on-line
car barges & advice on...
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Kathyzhere
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:04 pm
- Location: Cape Cod & SW FL
car barges & advice on...
Okay so I've been reading on different forums
that the car barges are down to 1 or 2 a day
Would anyone know if this is just temporary or
for the season??
Also, I need some advice from some "novice" group
travelers...Okay, so there are 5 couples staying
together at Vistaero, hubs and I will take the
master bdrm as the "hosts". Now for the other 4 couples;
what are your ideas as to how the bdrm choice
should go down?? I've read somewhere that the rooms
were chosen by when your deposit was rec'd.
Which is a great idea but too late now.
I really only worry about 1 person getting their
back up
Any ideas as to how I could do this prior to the
arrival day??
Thanks in advance for ANY input
Kathy
that the car barges are down to 1 or 2 a day
Would anyone know if this is just temporary or
for the season??
Also, I need some advice from some "novice" group
travelers...Okay, so there are 5 couples staying
together at Vistaero, hubs and I will take the
master bdrm as the "hosts". Now for the other 4 couples;
what are your ideas as to how the bdrm choice
should go down?? I've read somewhere that the rooms
were chosen by when your deposit was rec'd.
Which is a great idea but too late now.
I really only worry about 1 person getting their
back up
Any ideas as to how I could do this prior to the
arrival day??
Thanks in advance for ANY input
Kathy
Can't help with the barges but we did a family reunion type think on the Outer Banks and had a 9 bedroom house. Like you, we did all the planning and booking so when we got there the group collectively decided we would get the master. We then numbered all the other rooms and put pieces of paper with the #'s in a bowl and just picked. Purely random and any switching could be done one on one there after. Worked well for us. Was kind of fun as well. Got to do it when all are together and at the Villa is best IMO.
BOB
The number of running barges can vary if there are mechanical issues... and there is usually no prediction for that. If a boat is down the wait between departure times will get longer than one hour. It can be frustrating, but you usually get where your going and have fun along the way. If you're running late be sure to let your greeter on the other side know.
<p> Half the fun of the travel is the esthetic of lostness.</p>
It seems like one or two trips a day, but in reality its as long as the barge takes to load up and head to STJ and then load up again and back to STT. Around 90 minutes if there is a full load of vehicles waiting at the docks. There really isn't a "schedule" anymore since they are just going back and forth.
can't help u on the barge info but let's discuss the room selection.
I'm a big fan of Rick G's suggestion about order of pick based on order of deposit. BUT since that's out I would suggest trying to deal with this BEFORE you get down there.
After looking at the web site this concerns me:
All of the bedrooms are fully air-conditioned and four bedrooms have queen-sized beds. All bedrooms are nicely furnished. Two of the bedrooms have separate living areas, including sleeper sofa TV/VCR/phones.
THAT's going to be a problem.
It doesn't specify if one of those BR is the master or if 2 of the 4 aside from the master have this feature.
I can tell you the easiest option logistically would be to draw #'s -- if everyone can agree to be happy with that -- HONESTLY HAPPY-- then you're golden. But that's not how it usually works.
When Flip Flop and I work this stuff out we have to be brutally honest with one another and very fair.
In this case she and I would determine which BR's were premium BR's and assign a slightly higher price to them since they are larger. So that somoene getting the lesser room doesn't feel like they're getting gipped and supplementing someone's suite while they have an average BR.
In this case it would be helpful to see the floorplan too.
Certainly you can 't KNOW exactly what things are going to look like until you're there.
Keep in mind that views matter to some, while space and proximity matter more to others.
Again, my advice is to get the floorplan and get together and discuss BEFORE you go. Even if it's uncomfortable to do so.
If you wait until you get there you risk someone getting there boxers in a bunch and a dark cloud looming over the first days of your trip if folks aren't happy.
This way you have time to work through the plan and come to an agreement about who gets what room.
Honestly I would seriously consider upping the rate on the larger rooms (with the exception of yours - since you're doing all the work) and slightly reducing the rate for the smaller rooms. That just seems fair.
Good luck!
I'm a big fan of Rick G's suggestion about order of pick based on order of deposit. BUT since that's out I would suggest trying to deal with this BEFORE you get down there.
After looking at the web site this concerns me:
All of the bedrooms are fully air-conditioned and four bedrooms have queen-sized beds. All bedrooms are nicely furnished. Two of the bedrooms have separate living areas, including sleeper sofa TV/VCR/phones.
THAT's going to be a problem.
It doesn't specify if one of those BR is the master or if 2 of the 4 aside from the master have this feature.
I can tell you the easiest option logistically would be to draw #'s -- if everyone can agree to be happy with that -- HONESTLY HAPPY-- then you're golden. But that's not how it usually works.
When Flip Flop and I work this stuff out we have to be brutally honest with one another and very fair.
In this case she and I would determine which BR's were premium BR's and assign a slightly higher price to them since they are larger. So that somoene getting the lesser room doesn't feel like they're getting gipped and supplementing someone's suite while they have an average BR.
In this case it would be helpful to see the floorplan too.
Certainly you can 't KNOW exactly what things are going to look like until you're there.
Keep in mind that views matter to some, while space and proximity matter more to others.
Again, my advice is to get the floorplan and get together and discuss BEFORE you go. Even if it's uncomfortable to do so.
If you wait until you get there you risk someone getting there boxers in a bunch and a dark cloud looming over the first days of your trip if folks aren't happy.
This way you have time to work through the plan and come to an agreement about who gets what room.
Honestly I would seriously consider upping the rate on the larger rooms (with the exception of yours - since you're doing all the work) and slightly reducing the rate for the smaller rooms. That just seems fair.
Good luck!
*Another fine scatterbrained production
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Kathyzhere
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:04 pm
- Location: Cape Cod & SW FL
Hey "guys" thanks a bunch for the great
suggestions. I still haven't decided
yet but have some ideas thanks to ya's!
I wasn't referring to only 1-2
trips via barge per day...meant only
1-2 barges operating per day. In the
height of season when we'll be there could
be a looong wait Well we can always
change to jeep rentals on STJ if need be.
Thanks again, and Gromit I'm looking for
a floor plan now...ENJOY your stay in
paradise!!
Kathy
suggestions. I still haven't decided
yet but have some ideas thanks to ya's!
I wasn't referring to only 1-2trips via barge per day...meant only
1-2 barges operating per day. In the
height of season when we'll be there could
be a looong wait
Well we can alwayschange to jeep rentals on STJ if need be.
Thanks again, and Gromit I'm looking for
a floor plan now...ENJOY your stay in
paradise!!
Kathy