USVI-On-Line

Another question....yes the obsession has begun....well, it started awhile ago. Anyways, I am wondering if on the Red Hook ferry back to St Thomas there is ever a time when the ferry is to full to accommodate all the cars waiting to go? What are any suggestions about this, if in fact it happens? Our plane, Cape air, leaves for San Juan @ 12:30pm on a Monday? How soon do we need to catch the ferry to get to the airport? Our car rental is to be returned to the airport. Also our connecting flight is Jet Blue, we have an hour and 20 minute layover in San Juan, please tell me thats enough time? We don't have to go back through security do we? Are we already in the terminal? I think I already know the answer but just seeing what other say. Thanks? I'm such a planner, I never like to be unprepared. Obsession!

One thing is for sure, you are asking all the right questions. I would be on the 8 AM barge leaving STJ to get to the airport and return the car, but you never know what can go wrong. Leaving earlier as a newbie would be wise. I never had a problem, but there can be 4-5 cruise ships in Charlotte Amalie that cause traffic jams. Making the STT island crossing take 1.5 hours, add car return, check in, and Customs process and security... you can see how time slips away. I doubt the barge would be full at the time you are leaving.

An hour and twenty minutes is too much time in San Juan. IE: not much to do. Not sure about Cape Air transferring your bags through.

IF you rented from Budget, I suggest you have a couple of other car rental places phone numbers with you when you arrive...just in case.

alsea wrote:Another question....yes the obsession has begun....well, it started awhile ago. Anyways, I am wondering if on the Red Hook ferry back to St Thomas there is ever a time when the ferry is to full to accommodate all the cars waiting to go? What are any suggestions about this, if in fact it happens? Our plane, Cape air, leaves for San Juan @ 12:30pm on a Monday? How soon do we need to catch the ferry to get to the airport? Our car rental is to be returned to the airport. Also our connecting flight is Jet Blue, we have an hour and 20 minute layover in San Juan, please tell me thats enough time? We don't have to go back through security do we? Are we already in the terminal? I think I already know the answer but just seeing what other say. Thanks? I'm such a planner, I never like to be unprepared. Obsession!

hi alsea, just to echo what puddlejumper said-- even though I've made the trip many times, I'm still always surprised at all the possible delays that can happen between leaving St John and arriving at the STT airport. but still, even playing it safe, I think you could go as late as the 9:30a car barge and be fine. the barge can fill up (I've seen it that way a couple of times) but my experience is that it is a last-minute rush... if you get in line on St John about 10 min before it leaves, you should be fine. worse case, go for the 9a and if you miss that, you'll be first for the 9:30a.

re the San Juan airport, I don't know the specifics for getting from your cape air gate to your jet blue gate in San Juan, but I guarantee you that an hour and 20 minutes will be plenty. cape air comes into the downstairs of concourse B, and I believe jetblue is in concourse C right next to there, so you will not need to go through security again in San Juan. (and, there is no "sky train" or anything similar at the airport-- all the terminals are next to each other and connected with walkways, so "worst case" you'll have a bit of a stroll to get from one gate to the other, but again, 1 hr 20 min will be plenty to get ya there.)

hope that helps... safe travels!

Eric

Not a fan of cape air flying back to West Coast. In December son and wife had problems getting home.
As we were leaving, on the car barge heading over to ST Thomas they cancelled his flight and he spend the next hour lining up flights.
Be careful that if one flight gets delayed or cancelled that they reschedule all flights coming back.