Car barge to STJ or rent there?

Travel discussion for St. John
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bulldoglover
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:42 pm
Location: TN

Car barge to STJ or rent there?

Post by bulldoglover »

Hi. Do you think that its better to rent a jeep on St. John or get one from St. Thomas and bring it over? Thanks...
Xislandgirl
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Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
Location: Slightly left of center

Post by Xislandgirl »

You will find people on both sides of the issue. I will not debate them, but just tell you why I choose to rent on STJ

I can park in their lot when I am in town.

I get instant service if something goes wrong.
Many will say that it is rare for things to go wrong, but on our last trip, our batter died while we were driving down a switchback. I managed to get the jeep of the road and STJ Car rental was there in less than 20 minutes to replace the battery and we were on our way and only a few minutes late to meet our day sail capt. That would not have happened had we rented on STT.
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Steve S
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Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:31 pm
Location: Southern Adirondacks

Post by Steve S »

There are alot of postings on this subject. Bob and Anita had a very good pro/con.

http://virgin-islands-on-line.com/forum ... ght=#46999

For 2, it's a matter of preference. The STT rental option becomes more attractive $-wise as the # in your group increases.
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RickG
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Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:06 pm
Location: Coral Bay, St. John

Post by RickG »

We now rent on STT for convenience - it gives us 6-12 more hours of vacation. Time is the only commodity I cannot buy.

Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
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bulldoglover
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Joined: Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:42 pm
Location: TN

Post by bulldoglover »

Thanks for the info, does anyone know how much the car barge costs? I can't seem to find any info on it.
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flip-flop
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Location: Northern VA

Post by flip-flop »

I am with X on this one. Well, first of all I am afraid of the car barge. Let's be honest. But in 5 trips we've had issues with 2 of our jeeps. The first issue, before I discovered Conrad Sutton, was a jeep with bald tires that just felt old and unsafe - we were easily able to trade for a different jeep.

On our most recent trip we ended up exchanging jeeps because the battery in ours (though it looked very new) wouldn't hold a good charge. When the Jeep died in the Westin parking lot I called Conrad at home and had a fixed jeep by the next morning.
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FlaGeorge
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Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 7:41 am
Location: The Sunny South

Post by FlaGeorge »

I’m one of the folks that like to rent on STT. It is so much easier. We rent from Dependable and they are a great operation. We exit from the airport – Dependable is waiting with out Jeep – go sign the papers – hit Cost-U-Less (Booze) on the way to Red Hook – hit the Food Center for food supplies – then the car barge to STJ. All the time, out baggage is in our Jeep.

Going home is just the reverse (No Food Center stop). Simple, no taxi to Red Hook – no baggage transfer to the ferry – no baggage transfer to pick up a Jeep on STJ – no storing baggage with the taxi on the way home if we want to see STT before the flight.

Plus, on the way home – I like having wheels on STT to do a little exploring/shopping before the flight.
FlaGeorge

"Swim Against The Current - Even a Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow"
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RonUSVI
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Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:50 pm
Location: St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Post by RonUSVI »

Cost is between 40 and 50 dollars roundtrip. You may want to buy a one way ticket so you are not limited to coming back on the same barge or with the same company. The black and white ones are cheaper.
RL 8)
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