Dawn,

Since nobody responded the first time you asked I'll give it a shot.

When you arrive the last week in May, kids are still in school so there are few families on vacation and a great many of the cruise ships will have been repositioned for their summer itineraries in Alaska and Europe. Visitors still fly in and ships still stop here but many fewer than in the winter months. I don't think you need to worry about reservations for a day trip to the BVI at the edn of May but if it will give you peace of mind to have one, go for it. For specific day trips recommendations you can use the "search" feature on this site.

Check with Limnos, limnoscharters.com. They can tell you how far in advance you would need to reserve a trip. They are probably one of the more economical ways of doing what you want to do. Any time I've used them I've called a day or two before I wanted to go and there was no problem.

I wouldn't worry about the day trip to the BVI (they leave too early and get back too late for the cruisers) If you are there for a week you can check the cruise ship schedule and do STJ on a day when there are three or less ships. Where you are staying may also come into play with who you go with to the BVI. New Horizons sails out of Sapphire Marina (really nice at 7:am just to walk down the beach to board)

I am going to assume that you are staying for a week in May and not a cruise ship passenger. I think you may be a little like me and like things planned out before your trip. I started back in August for my first trip coming up this April. I can't recommend any place or trip based on experience but I'll give you some links and names.

First, I was able to find a Cruise Ship Calendar schedule at http://www.cruisecal.com/dnn/default.aspx.

Just type in your dates and they give you a list. I printed it out and counted for each place I wanted to visit and started working my schedule from there. If there is a cruise ship that goes to Virgin Gorda that would make The Baths crowded on that day. I don't think the cruise ship passengers in St. Thomas can get to the Baths during a day stop because of travel time and the time spent in customs - they may miss their ship departure.

I'm not sure if you want to do a trip to both St. John and the BVI/Baths in one day. I would recommend spending at least a day to enjoy St. John on its own. You can get from St. John on the passenger ferry boat pretty cheap. Look at the ferry schedule above. According to the rates currently posted there, you can get there and back for $10 from Red Hook and $23 from Charlotte Amalie. From Cruz Bay you can jump on a bus and get to lots of beaches, trails, ruins etc. You can also hire a taxi driver to take you on a tour of the island or take a tour with the National Park. You do need reservations for the National Park tours. PHONE: 340/776-6201, http://www.nps.gov/viis/

We are going to rent a car while staying on St. Thomas. We are renting from Budget at the airport only because Budget offers a coupon book. New Horizons II is in their coupon book and when I called them they said a couple would save $50. I think it was a savings of about $25 per person up to max of $50.

You can sail to the BVI but then there is little time left for exploring and you are paying more for the experience of sailing. If you just want to get there, a sailor told me to take a motor boat to the Baths because of the time constraints, unpredictable water conditions, and ever changing customs proceedures.

If you want to sail, this board has a list of DaySails under St. Thomas.

There is also a ferry boat that you can take to Virgin Gorda. The rates and info are on the top of the board under Ferry Schedules. From the Ferry stop you could get a taxi to take you to the Baths and back again. The ferry service seems to be the least expensive way to go.

Most of the motor boat trips I checked with ran $125 per person for a non-private day trip/ plus $20 customs plus lunch. Don't forget to add a gratuity for the boat drivers/tour guides as well.

The other poster who recommended Limnos charter seemed to be the least expensive option I found with a tour guide. They include lunch too.

Otherwise check with the following:

1) Stormy Petrel/Pirate Penny - this is who we reserved for April based on the reviews from this board. http://www.charterboat.vi/stormypetrel.html

2) New Horizons II
http://newhorizonscharters.com/

3) Captain Nautica http://www.captainnautica.com/

It sounds like you are just doing this on your own. I was looking for a trip for just two people and this limits you on choices if you don't want the expense of a private charter. A few boats I checked with said to the Baths and back from St. Thomas the gas alone would be around $200. If you don't have others to split the cost with, the private charter to the Baths was going to cost the two of us between $600 and $700 for the day. If you have four or more going than than there are a lot more options.

I hope this helps.

Kraushaus-

For someone who has never been, you sure hit the nail on the head with that post.

I agree with Kraushaus. 🙂

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yes, I am a planner & have been dreaming for many years of taking this trip. I will be staying at Secret Harbor for 1 week based on the many messages I have read from this board from 5/23 to 5/30 over the Memorial Weekend. My husband and I love to snorkel so that is the main focus of our vacations and of couse the landscape. We were thinking about renting a car at the airport while on St. Thomas but I am concerned about finding Secret Harbor late in the evening since our plane doesn't get in until 8:45 p.m. We do want to spend an entire day in St. John so the Baths would be a seperate day. I was considering using the car bardge to get to St. John but I have been reading that it is a real hassle. It is nice to know there is a bus system that gets you around the island. Do you know when the bus drops you off at the beaches do you have to hike down a hill to get to them?