USVI-On-Line

Us Michigan girls are concerned about arriving at 3 PM in St Thomas on 4-10-12 and getting a taxi soon after arriving so we can get the people ferry by 4 pm. Is that an unrealistic goal? How far is the ferry dock from the airport and what is the approximate time that is will take to get there - any thoughts? Sherry and Heidi

I would say its gonna be close ......traffic can be really bad and it can take a half hour or more to get to red hook from the airport. Another issue is waiting for your bags. My husband and I waited hour for our bags the first time we came to st. John so now we only take carry ons so we are more likely to catch the earlier ferry. dont worry about it too much....you can relax and have a cocktail while you wait for the next ferry if you don't make the 4:00. What part of Michigan are you girls from? I'm in Rockford which is north of grand rapids. have a great time...you're gonna love it!

I think it's pushing it- especially if you are waiting for luggage. It will also depend on the amount of traffic and stops the driver makes along the way (usually not many, if at all). Hope for the best, and the worst case scenario will be catching the next ferry. Make sure that if you are renting a jeep, who ever you rent it from will be open or make arrangements for a later arrival No worries, Mon

If you land at 3 pm and have to wait for luggage I'd say that your chances of getting to the 4 pm ferry are slim to none. It's possible if every single thing goes right (they get the luggage off the plane quickly and yours is first out and there's minimal traffic), but highly unlikely.

I agree with the others, but wanted to add that if you don't check any bags, I think you have a good chance of making the 4:00.

Thanks to everyone for the imput. We were thinking it was going to be close, but you're right, no worries, we will just sit and have an adult beverage while we wait for the next ferry. We are renting a vehicle and our rental place is open until 6 PM so I think we should make that. They (the rental company) knows we are landing at 3pm, so we did talk to them about that already. We live in Grand Rapids and this is our first trip to the VI's. We are pretty excited.
Thanks again! 22 days and counting......

Although it is certainly no guarantee, you could take a private taxi. That will do two things for you. First, you will leave when you are ready, not when the taxi is full. Second, there will be no stops. You will go directly from STT to RH.

There is no risk to taking the regular taxi and getting the 5 pm. In fact, the rest stop at the RH bar is a good way to get on Island Time.

JIM

With any luck with your luggage and traffic you will have to rush to get a ticket for the 4pm.

You will have to get used to "island time" and the trip to Red Hook will likely be your indoctrination. Nothing seems to happen as quickly as you would like it in the islands, except somehow departure day seems to happen quicker than you think it should.

Slow down...you move too fast, you have to make the experience last( with some assist from Simon and Garfunkle) and changing the lyrics a tad

Chances are good your flight will be early as the airline will pad arrival times to hit their 'on-time' percentages.

But it's time to think Island Time...ready, breath deep, exhale slowly, feel the heart rate slow, enjoy the ride to Red Hook, have the taxi driver take you along the ridge and enjoy the views. The ferry will soon come and you will soon be on STJ

Our recent flight arrived at 3:15. We collected our luggage (had a beer from the bar while waiting for the luggage to come out) and took a regular taxi to Red Hook. Got there about 4:15, got our tickets for the ferry, bought another beer from the bar at the ferry terminal and sat back and relaxed while waiting for the 5:00. It's just easier to do it this way rather than stressing about making the 4:00.

Have fun, enjoy your trip. No hurries, no worries.
Cheers from Muskegon!
~ Nancy