USVI-On-Line

Hi everyone - I have started researching flight for our family of four. Right now there are no direct flights out of Philly so looks like our next option is EWR on Continental. Leaving EWR at 7:45am and returning from STT at 12:55. I was so hoping we could get a later flight but as of right now that is what is posted. My question is what time will we have to be on the ferry to get to STT. This will be for July. Right now the fares are around 382.00.

Next question - I know the jeep rental places have been posted but are there any that are great to work with.


What size vehicle should we get with two kids 14 and 10. I hear that you should get a smaller jeep for easier travel on the roads? So what kind would that be?

I know in the past I have heard mention of a "neat" sheet for the beach. What is it?


We still have not figured out if we will rent snorkel equipment or buy. I am trying hard to be able to do carry on which for me would be amazing if I can do it, I always over pack.


Thanks for your help!







I

How big is your 14 year old? We usually get the smaller jeep but our 13 year old girl is not as crazy as she used to be about stepping on the tires and crawling into the back. There is not a lot of room back there, especially when we have all of our beach gear.

Hawaii wrote:Hi everyone -
I was so hoping we could get a later flight but as of right now that is what is posted. My question is what time will we have to be on the ferry to get to STT.

I'd be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight. The absolute latest ferry I'd try to catch would be at 10 am.

Hawaii wrote: Next question - I know the jeep rental places have been posted but are there any that are great to work with.

You'll get all sorts of opinions on that one. I've never had any problems with any company I've rented from, whether on St. Thomas or St. John.

Hawaii wrote: What size vehicle should we get with two kids 14 and 10.

A 2 door Wrangler, at least. Your first trip with luggage, if a lot of it, may be fun. We rented a 4 door Jeep once and had tons of room and no problems with the roads.

Hawaii wrote: I know in the past I have heard mention of a "neat" sheet for the beach. What is it?

Nifty sheets that sand does not cling to! I loved the one I bought (at Walgreen's). Great for on the beach or over the Jeep seats to keep the sand invasion at a minimum.

Hawaii wrote: We still have not figured out if we will rent snorkel equipment or buy.

If you are trying to save space, buy masks and snorkels (because a used snorkel is kind of icky) and rent fins because they are the real space eaters.

-Sandy

DJMom - Actually our son will be turning 14 on island. Right now he is almost as tall as me at 5'7 or so and his foot size has gone from an 8 to 10 1/2 in about 5 months so is still growing. Thank goodness the cleats lasted thru football season.

One more question and if I do not get responsed I will post separately but our son has a sprint phone will that work with texting in the Bordeaux Mountain area? Not sure how kids lived before without their cell phones!

10am ferry

St John Car Rental

Anything but a 2 door jeep, the back seat is a nightmare and there is no storgae for beach stuff for 4 people. We like the Jeep liberty for 4 people

http://neatsheetstore.com/

Buy a mask and snorkel and rent fins on island.

Spirit Air flys out of Atlantic City..Prices don't look bad for mid week flights.
Not sure about the extra taxes and fees.. !!

Scoob

I would definitely get a 4 door vehicle. The 2D Wrangler will be way too cramped with luggage or beach gear. We also really like STJ Car Rental. You can buy a neat sheet at Babies R' Us. We just bought a couple of parasheets from Amazon.

Don't know how well Sprint works but keep in mind that there are certain places on the island where you will get hit with international rates due to where tower signal is coming from.

Those are all good questions. I am more careful about the ferries than some of the others. I would not go any later than the 9 am ferry. They are not reliable enough to wait until 10 am (IMHO). If you do get there too early, you can wander around CA. The taxi driver will keep your bags, meet you at a certain time and place, and take you to the airport. So what if you have time to kill? You’re on vacation! If you have spend all of your time on STJ (which is a good thing), Why not spend even an hour or two experiencing CA and the shopping on Main Street. $382 is a good fare.

We have had good experiences with Courtesy and St John Rental. I will not list the agencies that we did not like.

With this size and age group, I suggest a 4 door Jeep. You will be far more comfortable than with a 2 door model.

Neat sheets are great for the beach. We found ours at Toys R Us.

I strongly recommend that you buy your own masks and snorkels. They are really personal equipment in terms of fit and comfort. You can buy them in the US or STJ. I doubt that you will find a big difference in money (+/- $5). The reality is that you must go someplace and see how they fit your face. You can buy one for $20-30 or you can pay well over $200. One is not necessarily better for snorkeling than the other. The $200 mask is probably designed for 100 foot plus diving and will not enhance your snorkel experience any more than a $50 mask would. Mom and Dad need to invest in good masks ($60-80) that will last for many trips (after this, there will be many trips). The kids’ faces will change and the mask may not fit well in a year or two. A big investment may or may not be wise at this time. We bought our masks with snorkeling in mind. When we took up SCUBA, we had to buy different masks. There are features you want on a SCUBA mask that you don’t have to have for snorkeling. Snorkels come in a variety of forms. Some are little more than plastic tubes with mouthpieces and others are “dry” and “semi-dry” types that keep (read limit) water from entering the top of the tube. Go to a dive shop, ask a lot of questions and see what’s available in terms of price and styles. Let them show you how one tests a mask to see if it fits well. Then you can buy from them or shop around.

I agree with some of the others. For this trip, rent fins on STJ.

JIM

Nothing much to add, but prior to my most recent trip in October, I searched for neatsheets, but could not find any at our local Toys R' Us, Babies R' Us or Walgreens. The link up above takes you to Drugstore.com and I couldn't find them there anymore either.

Try Wegmans grocery store for a neat sheet.
Hope that is not a seasonal item for you.
they had them last summer..

Scoob

Hawaii wrote:
Not sure how kids lived before without their cell phones!

Not sure about the kids but dads sure had more money in their pocket before cell phones.

If possible,make sure roaming feature is turned off.
We were on Bordeaux the past summer with 3 texting young ladies.OH BOY! Still paying for that one.
Watch out because towers change up there for no apparent reason.

Hawaii, are you sure you can't get a direct flight from philly and back? I fly U.S.Air and it's always been a direct flight. I leave and return on a week day rather than a week-end so maybe that's the difference. Also, July might be too far off for them to post flight schedules yet. Good luck.

Thanks to everyone for all the help. Will have more questions soon.

I have a comment about fins.

They are, without a doubt, the snorkel item that poses the biggest obstacle to being able to go carry on only. That being said, on our last three trips, I successfully carried on, and stowed in the overhead bins with no problem, our mesh snorkel (dive really) bag with two sets of full size fins (three on the trip this past July). When there were three of us we each packed our masks in a different bag, but on the other trips our gear bag had snorkels, booties, and masks, as well as my rashguard.

The only reason I bring this up is because after reading so many posts that said renting fins on island is the way to go, I was thinking that I may go that route in the future. I looked at Low Key Watersports' web site, and their fee to rent a pair of fins by the week was $25. Since Leslie and I use fins just about every day we are on island, on our recent trip we would likely have racked up a fin rental tab in the neighborhood of $75.

It may be well worth that to some folks to not have to worry about/hassle with carrying their fins on. Some may decide that it's worth paying a checked bag fee and bringing their fins in that. Some, like me, may decide that I'll save the $75, deal with lugging them around, and have equipment that I'm familiar with available for me to use, and not have to be concerened about turning them in at the end of the trip.

Purely a matter of personal preference, but it never hurts to know what all of your options are.