Opinions/Advice needed

[smilesfromMN]

Hi all-

Hubby, sons (12 & 9), and I have been on island several times since 1998 (the last being close to 4 years ago, just for a day as part of a cruise, son broke his arm- total break, not fracture- at Trunk. You can search through my posts for that story - what an ordeal that was! He's just fine now, btw.). We are arriving again with newbie friends (2 adults, one son age 11) in 31 days. 31 days!!!! AHHH! Too excited!!

I'd appreciate your opinions & advice on a few things:

1. I've tried to contact Noah's Little Arks several times with no response. Do we need to reserve a dinghy if we want to do that one day, or do we just talk to them once we're on island? I realize it's very weather dependent, but I've also read here that apparently the island is PACKED during the time that we will be there (Dec 26-Jan 4). If the weather does cooperate, we'd like to rent a dinghy one day and don't want to be told, "You should have reserved."

2. Reef Bay Hike - thinking of doing this on our own. I've read online and in FF4WD that the trail is well marked and there are informational signs to guide us through what we are seeing. I think we'd like the freedom to go at our own pace, and I think we'd be able to handle the hike down AND up. We are (thankfully) all able bodied and the kids are big, active boys. Am I being completely naive to think that we can handle this? (I've read some "horror" stories here of the hike back up.)

3. Sloop Jones Workshop - the other mom, the three boys, & I think this would be a fun morning activity (if there is availability on the Tues or Fri that we are there). Anyone on here done this? One of my sons is very artistic and the other two have the attitude that anything they do is a masterpiece , so I'm not worried about any of us getting frustrated or intimidated. Is it worth the cost in your opinion? It sounds like such a wonderful & unique experience, but I'd like opinions from those that have done it.

4. We've never done the cooler thing or villa provisioning thing, but I think we are going to go with both options this time. I have a 24 can polar bear cooler that we are going to fill with all of our frozen meat/cheese. Please reassure me that we can check it through and everything will end up still safely cold when we arrive. (Assuming no lost luggage, crazy delays, etc.)
I have corresponded with Blue Sky for provisioning and will hopefully nail down our shopping list this week. I've read good things about them. Any special tips or advice on the villa provisioning?

I think that's all of the questions rattling around in my brain for now.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

[nikkiki]

I've done the reef bay hike both ways. The hike back up wasn't hard for my group, and we had plenty of time to stop and catch our breath when we wanted to. Here's my thoughts on pros and cons:

Guided hike
Pros: We had a very knowledgable guide and really enjoyed his stories and his keen eye. He pointed out lots of things I probably wouldn't have caught myself. We didn't have to worry about trying to find the trail head and parking.
Cons: I felt like the pace was a little faster than I would have done by myself. I'm a horrible looky-loo I didn't have enough time at the ruins at the end of the hike, and there was no time to snorkel in Reef Bay. So many people at the petroglphys meant I didn't get to nerd out and stare at each one for hours. Our crowd was so loud they scared away all the wildlife. Also, our boat broke down and seasick me nearly had a heart attack (but I can't imagine that would happen again!)

Going it alone
Pros: We spent the whole day on this trail, with plenty of time for exploring, swimming, and pictures. Since this was my second time doing the hike, I actually knew where to park. We saw deer and lots of other wildlife and I had the bats at the ruins all to myself. I even saw cuttlefish in the bay. We had the beach to ourselves, and it was amazing.
Cons: I suppose the sweaty hike back up could be considered a con, but I was proud of myself for going round trip. It was a great day!

[iheartsj]

several years ago I hiked this trail after having broken my ankle. I was afraid I would slow down the group. (I also don;t like tour groups)

I signed up for the tour but told them we would do it on our own time, leaving an hour or so before the tour. We met up with the tour near the beach and road the boat back to Cruz Bay. The boat ride was a nice tour of the south shore from the water and we didn't have to climb back up the hill with my achy ankle.

[JohnM]

My wife & I did the 'full package' RBT hike in May. Boat trip back to Cruz Bay was certainly nice.

But, IMO, hiking the RBT up`n back is quite do-able. Just try to get a parking spot close to the trailhead (i.e., early!)

Enjoy!

[Teresa_Rae]

You won't get your money's worth in checked baggage fees for a 24 can cooler because you'll be hard pressed to fit 50 lbs of food in it. We take the 48 can cooler and always get right around 50 lbs.

[jimg20]

There are several strategies that we have used for carrying the cooler. We never check it as baggage itself. We have carried it on the aircraft. You will get some funny looks from TSA, but it can go on as long as you have only solids in the cooler. And I don’t mean liquids that have been made solid by the miracle of refrigeration. Don't wrap the meat in foil. Paper is OK, but clear wrap or zip lock bags are better. We have also checked it inside of our dive bag. The equipment doesn’t fill the bag, and by rearranging it we can get the cooler inside. Perhaps you have a bag that you can use to place the cooler and fill it with other belongings. If you are going to pay a bag check fee, make it work for you instead of he airline. Make them take the whole 49 pounds.

JIM

[PA Girl]

2. Reef bay trail hike- if the boys are curious and like to ask questions, I think there is value in going with the NPS program. We have done it twice and never would have gotten as much out of it had we walked alone.

4. I agree that the 48 can one would be the way to go. Checking it is no problem as long as everything is frozen solid. We have done 36+ hour door to door trips and the items remained frozen.

I was happy with Blue Sky and are using her again in February. No particular advice. We ordered a lot of items and our order was correct. The prices were comparable to the stores. Her fee is what it is. I know I am paying for the convenience. We ordered all our beverages for the week and that was nice to have so eons else do the heavy lifting. Cold drinks on arrival is lovely.

[ArkieLovesSTJ]

I agree with Jimg20 about packing the cooler inside another bag you are already checking. We have a 24 can Polar Bear that we use around home and take to our daughter's softball tournaments. However for trips to STJ, we typically take a cheaper canvas sided cooler that has a hard plastic insert. Sometimes we bring this cooler back and sometimes we leave it at our villa. We bought the Polar Bear with STJ in mind, but soon realized that the Polar Bear weighs quite a bit without any food in it. The coolers we take typically can be found for around $20. We had one trip where we missed a connection and wound up being 33 hours door to door and our food was still frozen solid.

[chicagoans]

If you don't hear back from Noah's, you could try Calypso. http://www.calypsovi.com/dinghy.htmlhtt ... inghy.html

We've rented from them twice and like the center console dinghies.

I've traveled to STJ at that time of year (twice) and would recommend a reservation. It could be that you're still too far out to get their attention, but a response would be polite, right? Did you email and call? If you don't hear back closer to your date, I'd try elsewhere like Calypso. Although even with a reservation in advance we had to rely on luck and a cancellation on our last trip, since high surf knocked us off our reserved date and another day. So I'd recommend reserving for early in the week in case you have to get pushed back.

[Teresa_Rae]

We bought the Polar Bear with STJ in mind, but soon realized that the Polar Bear weighs quite a bit without any food in it.

I just happen to have a baby/pet scale and own 4 Polar Bear coolers ...

12 can: 1.9 lbs
24 can: 2.6 lbs
48 can: 4.0 lbs
backpack: 3.1 lbs

[lorijo068]

We have the Polar Bear backpack cooler and we fly Delta so at the gate they always ask if your baggage is "too big" I take it up there and they will "check" it for you. Otherwise we will put it overhead no problem. I had mine PACKED FULL and put the whole thing in the freezer for 2-3 days and it was out for 32 hours and no problems at all. I packed tshirts in it on the way home! On the way there security didnt look twice at it.

49 days for me!!! I cant wait!!

[toes in the sand]

4. I agree that it would be best checked inside a larger piece of luggage. Freeze everything to go in it for at least 48 hours. Longer is better. If you can fit it, freeze the cooler also. Pack it tight so as not to leave any air pockets. Do NOT use dry ice. Pack clothes and or towels around the cooler when you put it in the other luggage. You should be good for at least 24 hours before any thawing starts to occur.

[augie]

We always traveled with a 24 can polar bear and always carried it on. It will fit in the overhead or under the seat, even packed to the gills like we did.

Unless you have a large group you can get everything you will need in there. I love to grill at the villa, but there's always a day or two that eating out "just happens" that weren't planned and we always seemed to have something left over at the end of the trip.

One other factor - the 24 is the perfect size to take to the beach with you. I ain't carrying no fully packed 48 can cooler down to Salt Pond Bay - just sayin'

[dctac]

We did the hike from the end of beach I forget where except by a telephone pole. Highly reccomend as the hike along the beach was fun and we only had to hike up to the petroglyfhs was easy.