Ferry to take for flight

Barney&barbara · Post by **Barney&barbara** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 3:10 pm

Hello all ....I am leaving on Tuesday on a JetBlue 2pm flight , can I take the 11:15 to CA or should I take the 10am to Red hook ...
Thanks
Barbara

david@va.beach · Post by **david@va.beach** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 3:38 pm

I would take the redhook...c.a. ferry is not reliable...travel day

kklay · Post by **kklay** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 5:44 pm

Take the 10AM to Red Hook.

Barney&barbara · Post by **Barney&barbara** » Sat Feb 27, 2016 9:45 pm

I guess I knew this answer ... 10am it is

Coconuts · Post by **Coconuts** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 7:29 am

I'll play devil's advocate here; noonish traffic on STT on Tuesday isn't that bad, so there is another strategy that you could consider. Get to Cruz Bay at 9:30 AM or a bit past, and ask at the ferry dock ticket counter if they are selling tickets for the 11:15 AM CA ferry. If they aren't, you can always take the 10 AM to Red Hook as you already plan to do now. If she sells you a ticket for the 11:15 to CA, that makes it very nearly certain that it will be running. Find a nearby (ideally waterfront) restaurant, and enjoy a leisurely breakfast. You can also check back in and bail for the 11 AM ferry to Red Hook if the 11:15 looks any less likely; with a 40 minute passage, it will have had to be en route to St. John well before you would need to decide. So, you get to skip the taxi ride and enjoy a water tour of the south side of St. Thomas, passing by Great St. James. We did so once the morning after Festival (July 5th) years ago; that ferry ride was unique in that we passed a ferry that had grounded on Great St. James the night before due to a wee bit too much "Festival spirit(s)":

: Ferry aground on Great St. James; Ferry aground I.jpg (158 KiB) Viewed 5523 times

I should point out that this was a different (St. Croix) ferry heading out in darkness at the height of Festival, and that you really don't have to worry about a grounding. The night before, we had been enjoying a view of the Cruz Bay fireworks from a neighbor's home on Gifft Hill, when we saw flashing lights out on the water, and our neighbor, who is with St. John Rescue, got a page and had to leave to help with the passenger rescue. A CBS news report is here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNKD2QQ4axo

Anyhow, assuming that the 11:15 ferry to CA is running, you will be at the airport by about 12:10, plenty of time for a 2 PM Jet Blue flight in my opinion. If you have to bail for the 11 AM to Red Hook, which is fairly unlikely, you will still get to the airport around the same time. If there is a slow line for customs, just hire a porter and scoot to the front of the line, which is a great deal. So I suggest that you go for it!

All the best,

Kevin

poidog · Post by **poidog** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:43 am

Plenty of time taking the 11am RH ferry.

cliffnchristi · Post by **cliffnchristi** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 8:46 pm

We have done the 11:15 for a 2:45 flight and had plenty of time to kill and that was on a Saturday.

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Tue Mar 01, 2016 9:51 pm

Nope, leave Cruz Bay no less than four hours before your flight. The other options will have you missing your flight if there is a setback.

Cheers, RickG

usvi-on-line