USVI-On-Line

We're headed to StJ in 8 days. I can hardly wait. We've never been there before but I feel like an old pro after reading this forum for six months.

Here are a few questions:

1. Should we bring a few hundred bucks and plan to get the rest at ATMs or are travelers checks a better option? Are they widely accepted on STJ?

2. We found two cheapie Walmart floating loungers. Are there beaches where it's acceptable and safe to use them?

3. How many cans of bug spray will we really go through?

4. We bought a Go phone so we'd be sure to talk to our daugther back home each day. Will we have any problems with it on certain areas of the island?

5. How much do you tip your captain for a day trip to the Baths?

6. Is it easy to find a second day trip once we're down there? I haven't had a lot of luck getting one set up in advance.

Thanks in advance. I'm counting down the minutes.

I bring $500 cash and hit the ATM if that runs low. The fewer people on the trip the faster it seems to run low. Traveler's checks are a pain in my a$$.

GoPhone brand (Cingular/ATT) should be fine in most places. Salt Pond was the only dead zone for me. Coral Bay was better reception than DC.

I usually only use minute quantities of bug spray - ankles at dinner. First week of May during the plague of bloodsuckers I used a full container of Cutter Advanced and ran out in less than a week. That never happened before.

Cool note, Cutter now sells small spray bottles of Cutter Advanced - carry on!

Cheers, RickG

No problem using floaty loungers at the beaches, especially if it's a calm day.

Day trips are easy to schedule on island. That's the only way we've ever done it. There is a little stand across from Cap's Place and the post office that arranges things like that. And we usually tip the captain and mates 10-15% of the trip cost.

Side note, if you can edure time share spiels, the Westin will give you $125 "westin dollars" for doing a tour. Lasts about an hour or so, you get to see the resort, and you can use your dollars towards dinners/tours/etc. Westin has a stand close to the ferry dock i think....

Have a great time!

[quote="HawkeyeChick"]1. Should we bring a few hundred bucks and plan to get the rest at ATMs or are travelers checks a better option? Are they widely accepted on STJ? Bring cash. There are ATMs in Cruz Bay and at the Marektplace where you can refill.

2. We found two cheapie Walmart floating loungers. Are there beaches where it's acceptable and safe to use them? No problem anywhere.

3. How many cans of bug spray will we really go through? A lot. I don't know how long you are going for, but we went though 4 cans of off spray, plus 6 tubes of off active cream, half a small sprayer of deep woods off...oh, and a container of benadryl spray, plus a benadryl stick. That was for 20 days. Are you renting a villa? Sometimes there is a stash at the house.

4. We bought a Go phone so we'd be sure to talk to our daugther back home each day. Will we have any problems with it on certain areas of the island? Can't help you here.

5. How much do you tip your captain for a day trip to the Baths? 20% of the cost of the charter, preferably in cash.

6. Is it easy to find a second day trip once we're down there? I haven't had a lot of luck getting one set up in advance. Stop in at Connections in downtown Cruz Bay and they will set you up with something.

Thanks in advance. I'm counting down the minutes. Have fun!

1. Should we bring a few hundred bucks and plan to get the rest at ATMs or are travelers checks a better option? Are they widely accepted on STJ?

>>>>I think traveler's checks would be a pain...we use credit cards, which are accepted just about anywhere. We use cash for the ferry and the smoothie hut, but that's it.


2. We found two cheapie Walmart floating loungers. Are there beaches where it's acceptable and safe to use them?

>>>>Just don't fall asleep...my husband did that once as I was napping on the beach and he woke up on the other end of the beach If I want to use a float, I rig up an anchor by using a Wal-Mart bag filled with sand and a piece of twine...that way I stay in place. You will find though that sometimes certain beaches will be too windy for a float...I tried to use it at Jumbie last week and the ocean just spit me out onto the shore


3. How many cans of bug spray will we really go through?

>>>>It really depends on how prone you are to getting bit. For whatever reason the bugs love me (it's been a problem for my entire life!)...our first trip to STJ my husband got like 20 bites and I had 200....every year since I've averaged around 5 cans of bug spray for 10 day long trips...with profuse bug spray usage, I now get around 20 bites or so...a vast improvement.


6. Is it easy to find a second day trip once we're down there? I haven't had a lot of luck getting one set up in advance.

>>>>In my experience setting up day trips with short notice isn't a problem at all...at least not in the off-season. In fact, I know people who used to run day trips, and during the off season they constantly ate canned pork and beans b/c it was all they could afford due to the slow down in the summer.

Guys, thank you so much for all of the great answers. It was a huge help!! Thanks!

Hawkeye Chick,

Hello, from one Iowan to another. We just got back today from our first ever Virgin Islands trip. It was awesome! Will post a trip report later, but I can tell you we are counting the days until our 2nd trip! Here are my answers to your questions.

1. I personally would not take traveller's checks. Most every place takes credit card, including New Horizons II and Daybreak, if that is who you are using for your day trip.

2. You can use the loungers on any of the beaches, but you have to decide if you want to carry them or not. Depends on parking. Many of the beaches have nice close parking (Maho, Cinnimon, Trunk, Hawksnest), but some do not. If you have to hike to a particular beach, you may not want to carry the loungers.

3. We were there 7 days and did not apply bug spray one time. The only time we were even bothered by bugs at all was when we were having lunch at Caneel; the gnats were pretty bad that day. On the beaches we had no problems with bugs. That is not to say you will not have problems, just that we did not.

4. I have no idea about the Go Phone. We have US Cellular and it worked very well, but the roaming and network charges are very expensive with them.

5. We tipped the Daybreak crew $60 (bill was $240 for 2 people and we gave them $300), and we also tipped the daysail Captain $60 (bill was $190 for 2 and we gave them $250). I don't know if this the accepted level or not, but it felt about right to us.

6. We booked both of our day trips before we went, one with Daybreak, and one on a sailboat called Gypsy Spirit II. Both were excellent trips.

I am so jealous. I wish I was just leaving instead of just getting home. Have a great trip!

IA Joe

Joe, thanks! I'm glad you had a great time. I'd love to read that trip report.

Did you share your daysails with other people? If not, those seem to be really great rates!!

Daybreak holds maybe 25 people. The day we went it was not quite full. That was an excellent trip! First to the Baths, then to Pusser's on Marina Cay for lunch, then snorkeling, then to the Soggy Dollar Bar at White Bay for the end of the day. That was absolutely our favorite spot of the whole week. Too bad we were only there for an hour.

There was another couple on the Gypsy Spirit II (he can only take 6). Capt. Doug said most times he only has 2 guests on the boat, and the per person rates are the same whether you have 2 people or 6 people. This was also a great day. Capt. Doug is a colorful character; a crusty old sailer with great stories to tell.

Joe

That's great to know! I admit I don't want to shell out $600 for two of us to go on a day trip. I'm going to have to look into that. Thanks!

Hi Joe, do you have a website for Daybreak? Thanks,

Sorry, I meant Breakaway, not Daybreak. No wonder you couldn't find a web site. The website for Breakaway is www.visitbreakaway.com. It is a sister boat to New Horizons II, and you should know that they seem to reassign passengers from one boat to the other. So if you book one, you could find yourself taking the trip on the other one.

It is not a big deal, unless you are very specific about which of the two you want to take. Both have the same price and the same itinerary. We had a great day, the day we spent on Breakaway.

Joe