Is it worth it to take a private water taxi?- what to tip?

[naturegirl]

It will just be the two of us unless we can find anyone at the airport that wishes to share a water taxi with us. Now that the ferry issye is straightened out do you think it is worth the extra money to take a private water taxi? Is the ferry a hassle? What do you have to tip the water taxi- is it your typical 20%?

[flip-flop]

If it were just my husband & I (or even us w/ 1 kid) I would and have just taken the regular ferry. Its not a big deal.

With the group we are taking 3 adults 2 kids (1 under 1) there is NO way its worth the $$ saved to take the public ferry vs. the water taxi. I think it just depends on your group.

I am not sure about the tipping myself. Its $20 pp or $100 so I am thinking I'll give them $120. But I am not 100% sure.

[naturegirl]

Yeah flip flop- 2 Days to go! Do you have all your packing done?

We reserved a water taxi just in case the ferry thing didn't work out but it's just too much money for the two of us so I will probably cancel today.

[flip-flop]

I am almost packed! Can't believe I have just 2 more days. Denver left me with a cold! Hopefully I will survive the cabin pressure on Wednesday.

[naturegirl]

Join the group FF. My husband and I both caught terrible colds that went from our heads and have now settled in our chests. Haven't had a chest cold in years and it's no fun. If we survive the flight, I'm sure sunny St John will cure us!

3 Days for us! Will see you at the Flavors event!

[flip-flop]

We should exchange a picture so I know who I am looking for!

[jayseadee]

Hi,

The regular ferry is no big deal; just be patient as they fill up your van. Sit back and relax.

Have a wonderful trip!

[Ksea]

I thought the regular ferry was just fine. We had gobs of luggage and a party of 5. We had a short wait for our luggage at Cruz Bay, but nothing terrible. The ride over was actually very nice!

[Xislandgirl]

I have a friend that is a private taxi driver. You will have to call her ahead of time but she is great- send me a PM if you would like her #

[PA Girl]

From a post over at TA a while back -

Half my family would walk barefoot to Red Hook to save a dollar. (only a slight exaggeration) This half is "already on vacation" so they don't mind the extra jostling/baggage handling/waiting, etc.

The other half doesn't think twice about spending extra $ on services that result in less hassle/stress/time. This half doesn't "start vacation" until they are settled and don't need to think about taxis, ferries times, etc.

Hubs definately falls into the second example so we have been using Dohms for the past couple trips but it is all a matter of personal preferance.

[BPT]

nature girl,
just my thoughts but...we've used private water taxi's and usually fly from STT to Virgin Gorda. We're all about ease/avoiding irritaion. I really don't see a huge benefit to a private taxi to Cruz Bay though. The public ferries are great and run on schedule. By the time you get your luggage, fill a van and get to Red Hook for your private water taxi, you could be pulling out of the bay and following the public ferry to Cruz Bay. Gulp! The most time you could possibly save would be an hour. I vote for saving the money and using it to buy me a cocktail at the Beach Bar on Sunday!!

Have not been at the new ferry dock but someone might be able to tell you what services are available if you have some time to kill. If nothing else, there are plenty of places to grab a cold drink across the street from the ferry dock. Have a safe trip down! Cheers, BPT (Ellie)

[sea-nile]

I thought it was worth it. We got to STJ a lot faster!

[flip-flop]

My problem w/ the public ferry and a big group is I know that someone's bag would be left behind! Or worse some kid! I can see my husband and I now. "Where's Max?" "You had him" "NO, you had him!"

I'll find out when we go and give you all the real skinny. Again, I do not like to throw my money away & if its not getting more for more I won't be a happy girl. I am thinking the convenience and minimization of confusion will be totally worth it. I am going to be herding the entire crew, not just the kids, so I try to make it as simple on ME as possible!

[BPT]

flip-flip - I agree if it's a big group & has multiple kids involved, then yep, private water taxi would be money well spent! But if I were alone with my hubby, public's fine.

[PA Girl]

the size of the group definately impacts our decision. Because we travel with friends and family and way too much luggage, it ends up costing us around $7 more per person to take pre-arranged land and water transfer.

If it was just the two of us, I would probably put my foot down and let him drink the difference at the new ferry dock!