Villa Booked - Now What???

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:16 pm

Hi everyone - I am so excited and have so many months till our trip. Since this is our first time I will have many questions but thought I would just start off with a few.

1. Our trip is in July when is the best time to make plane reservations? I really want to wait till after the holidays but if I find a good rate then I would consider. Do they even have all the flights published yet? Not sure where we will fly out of but seems that Newark (EWR)has better rates then Philly. I am not a big fan of flying so we need non-stop.

2)Jeep rental - How far in advance for this time of year?

3)First time snorkelers for all of us. The kids stuff I will probably buy at sports authority but where should we purchase - online or a dive shop?

4)I am hoping to do a boat trip with Palm Tree Charters. Is this something we should do for our first trip as non snorkelers or should we wait till next time. Again, our kids will be 10 and son turning 14 on our trip.

Ok - I am going to end now but I am sure there will be lots more questions to come. Thanks so much.

Gigi · Post by **Gigi** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 8:33 pm

I would register with Kayak or Bing travel and start getting daily flight alerts. This will give you a feel for what airfare is doing. If a great fare comes up, you can jump on it. You probably don't need to reserve a jeep yet.

Muhaha · Post by **Muhaha** » Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:20 pm

I would go with a local dive shop. They can better guide you thru what's best for you, especially since it is your first snorkel. There is not much worse than being in paradise with a crappy/leaky mask

Regarding the snorkel, the first time I ever snorkeled was in the South Pacific and was on a snorkel tour. It was an awesome way to start...having a guide to help show you the nuances of snorkeling will give you confidence and make your subsequent snorkels so much more enjoyable.

In fact, I would recommend scheduling it for your first full day if your calendar permits. The first time you lose track of things and gradually find yourself hovering uncomfortably close to an urchin or coral, it can be a bit intimidating. Having some coaching first would definitely help.

My two cents, I'm no pro so take with a grain of salt!

NJsurfsup · Post by **NJsurfsup** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:33 am

I second the Other posters opinion to take a guided snorkel first. You can book a trip 1st day with Low Key watersports in Cruz Bay then rent quality equipment from them for the week. Check out their site WWW.divelowkey.com. This saves you from lugging the equipment while traveling and purchasing gear before you know what to look for.
Also highly recommend getting a copy of FEET FIns and four wheel drive and St John off the beaten path. Both books describe the different beaches, snorkeling sites, hiking trails etc... In the mean time a fun and informative site is http://seestjohn.com/beaches
select a beach from dropdown menu and it will give you pictures, discription, snorkeling and even how to get there.
Happy planning we leave for our first trip in one week and are so excited.

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:36 am

njsurfsup - Which airport are you flying from. I have just started checking around and seems most flights leave from EWR in our area.

NJsurfsup · Post by **NJsurfsup** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:45 am

We are taking Spirit out of Atlantic City, but as far as I know there are no direct flights from Spirit.

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:22 am

Thanks - Have a great vacation!!![/i]

Beesmom · Post by **Beesmom** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 9:57 am

Hawaii wrote:
2)Jeep rental - How far in advance for this time of year?

3)First time snorkelers for all of us. The kids stuff I will probably buy at sports authority but where should we purchase - online or a dive shop?

Hi, Hawaii:

For the jeep rental it's never really too early to reserve a jeep. If you put this off it may become too late.

For snorkel masks, always buy one where you can try it on. The secret to a good mask is to put it over your face without putting the strap on, and inhaling just a little bit to basically 'seal' the mask to your face, then bend at the waist until you are looking at the floor then take your hands off the mask. If the mask doesn't fall off, it's a good fit.

Dive shops can be more expensive, but a good salesperson would be able to help you with this as well as help you decide what kind of tube and fins to get.

-Sandy

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:36 am

In July, we couldn't find a non-stop out of Philly. Also, the prices never really came down.

It is not too soon to book your Jeep. I wouldn't wait.

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:48 pm

Hawaii wrote:Hi everyone - I am so excited and have so many months till our trip. Since this is our first time I will have many questions but thought I would just start off with a few.

The first thing you have to do is book a reservation for me. I will go with you and answer all of your questions. No? Well, it hasn't worked yet, but I thought I'd try.

1. Our trip is in July when is the best time to make plane reservations? I really want to wait till after the holidays but if I find a good rate then I would consider. Do they even have all the flights published yet? Not sure where we will fly out of but seems that Newark (EWR)has better rates then Philly. I am not a big fan of flying so we need non-stop.

It is NEVER too early to look for plane tickets. Most airlines will book flights up to 330 days in advance. That doesn't mean they will not change or cancel your flight. It just means you can TRY to book a flight in that time frame.

2)Jeep rental - How far in advance for this time of year?

July is not a high demand month for Jeeps, but earlier is better than later.

3)First time snorkelers for all of us. The kids stuff I will probably buy at sports authority but where should we purchase - online or a dive shop?

On line is not a good way to purchase a mask unless you are buying an identical replacement for one you have. The fit test described above is excellent. The rental idea is also good.

4)I am hoping to do a boat trip with Palm Tree Charters. Is this something we should do for our first trip as non snorkelers or should we wait till next time. Again, our kids will be 10 and son turning 14 on our trip.

Another alternative to Palm Tree is the Wayward Salor. Captain Phil will get in the water and teach snorkling to all of you. Your problem with the kids will not be teaching them how to snorkle. It will be keeping up with them. Once they get the basics they will be gone.

Ok - I am going to end now but I am sure there will be lots more questions to come. Thanks so much.

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:12 pm

jimg20 - If I had the money, you would be our personal guide - that would be great.

Thanks to everyone for all your responses so far. Keep them coming, we will need all the advise we can get.

By the way, I already purchased both books last year when we were looking so have read alot of information.

mconnors1 · Post by **mconnors1** » Thu Nov 11, 2010 8:09 pm

I always buy my airline tickets the day they go on sale for my travel dates. I seem to save hundreds doing it this way.

NJsurfsup · Post by **NJsurfsup** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 8:00 am

Hawaii,
Did you check if there were flights out of Allentown or Harrisburg? Not sure what airlines operate from these airports but maybe worth a try.

Hawaii · Post by **Hawaii** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 9:15 am

njsurfsup - Thanks - I will check later today. I might have checked Allentown before but not sure if they have non-stop flights and I am willing to pay more for the non-stops. Can you tell I do not like to fly but it will be worth it when we get there.

chicagoans · Post by **chicagoans** » Fri Nov 12, 2010 10:35 am

Hi Hawaii,

Our first trip where my kids tried snorkeling was when they were 8 and 10 (went to Maui.) They did a snorkeling class at a local Park District because I wanted them to get the hang of it (not necessary, but they had fun.) Even so, I think I made a mistake by making our first on-island snorkel experience part of a boat trip. When it came time to jump off the boat into that deeeeeep water, they were NOT happy!

They were much happier snorkeling from a beach entry, where they could take their time and gradually go deeper as they saw cool stuff.

So I would recommend doing a few snorkels from the beach first, before your boat day. I DO highly recommend a boat trip (we've used Sadie Sea and had a blast)! And like others have posted, I recommend purchasing only masks that you can try on, or rent on island. DH surprised me with a snorkel set, which was sweet, but honestly the mask is uncomfortable.

If the thought of sticking a rental snorkel in your mouth grosses you out, you can consider just buying the snorkel + mask, and renting the fins on island.

Also, pick up some Sea Gold somewhere (at home or on island.) It's a great help to keeping your mask from fogging up.

And finally, be sure to get some rashguards and use lots of sunblock on the backs of your legs. It's easy to get sunburned while snorkeling.

Have fun!

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