USVI-On-Line

Hi everyone - Have a few questions for our first trip in July. We will be arriving on a Thursday around noon so wondering how long everything takes. Hopefully, our family of four will be just doing carryon. How long is the taxi ride? Which Ferry will we be on 1:00? How long is the ferry ride? We are renting from STJ car rental and Marc Miller is our property manager for our villa in Bordeaux Mt. area who will hopefully take us there. Should we shop before our villa or after and where should we shop? It will be a long day so will want to probably relax in our villa with a couple of drinks while the kids swim. Yes - I know our trip is in July but am very excited and just was wondering how long everything takes - and yes I know we will be on Island time. Thanks so much for all your wonderful help!!

Hey there! It depends on where you want to take the ferry out of...if you want the Charlotte Amalie ferry..then 1:00 is do-able...not sure if/when the CA ferry runs though. YOu'll have to check that out. The Red Hook ferry runs regularly....or hourly..whatever that means on "island time"...but it will take you longer to get to Red Hook. Either way...you will be on st john in no time! The Red hook ferry takes about 20 minutes and the CA ferry will take a good 45 minutes. What I would do is call you villa rep when you are getting on whatever ferry you choose/make...then he can meet you at the ferry dock. He might tell you where you can stop on the way up to the villa for food...(star fish...etc)....or do what we do...we bring one carryon as a cooler of food! We basically bring stuff that the kids will eat...mac-n-cheese..hot dogs, cereal bars, etc...to tide them over. You can get Joe's BBQ at the ferry dock and take it with you! Or a pizza or whatever. Being on Bordeaux it will take you a bit to get to a market...so maybe get provisions for the night/morning delivered? Then go do a bigger shopping the next day? For ferry service, you will want to call closer to your arrival in July to confirm what ferries are running in the low season and what cruise ships are in port the time you want to get through town! We usually take the car barge but the traffic in town can be a bear if you are trying to hit a particular ferry!

I have read many recommendations to hire a private taxi for transportation to the ferry terminal on St Thomas. Specifically, Rachel Brown, 340-771-2986. We hope she is available for our upcoming trip in May. Last time we were in a shared taxi. Only a couple of stops were made on the way and it was fine, but we would be willing to pay a little more for our own private ride.

We too are renting a villa from Marc Miller. I've read trip reports posted here that talk about Marc being willing to wait while you make a stop at Starfish Market to pick up some groceries, so I believe he will be flexible in working with you.

Since you are arriving early in the day, it may be worthwhile to pick up your car and spend some time in the Cruz Bay area. St John Car rental is just a short walk from the ferry dock. Grab a bite to eat and do your shopping, then arrange to meet Marc later in the afternoon to lead you out to your villa.

If one hires a private taxi from the airport to Red Hook, it may be worth stopping for groceries on the way. There are several options, including K-Mart, Pueblo, Marina Market, and Cost-U-Less. One clear disadvantage would be transporting the groceries on the ferry, especially being charged for each "bag."

It takes about one hour to get from the airport to Red Hook, depending on traffic in town, number of stops, etc. The ferry ride takes about 30 minutes to Cruz Bay.

Making a quick run in Cruz Bay seems more reasonable; either at Starfish or Dolphin. From Cruz Bay to your place takes about 20 minutes, depending on how comfortable you are navigating switchbacks.

I just thought of something...how "early July" is it? The reason I am asking is that it is Carnival time and the traffic and ability to navigate around Cruz Bay will be tricky.

We will be arriving after Carnival on Thursday July 7th. Hopefully, the traffic will be gone by then.