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I've found this message board to be an invaluable source of information while planning my trip and appreciate everyone's posts.
My problem is in regards to car rental. I have gone over & over the boards and still am not sure as to the right decision. I will be arriving 7/10 for a 10 day stay at Cinnamon Bay. I have the opportunity to rent a Jeep Wrangler for that length of time for $345.00 from Avis at the airport. My party consist of me, my mom and my grandmother, both who have stayed at Cinnamon Bay many times but had my uncle to rely on. Now it's me making the decisions and I'm a bit unsure. So, here's what I need an honest opinion on:
1. Flight arrives at 12noon on a Sunday. How difficult is it to follow the road signs & map to Red Hook?
2. Being that its off season, with 3 car barges running till 6pm,
will there be a wait or problem getting on one. One poster complained that they were packed in so tight they couldn't leave the car.
3. If the barge leaves for STJ on the hour or the 1/2 hour will I have to return to STT on a barge that also leaves at that same time (ie on the hour or 1/2 hour?)
4. July parking in Cruz Bay - will it be very difficult to find a space keeping in mind we don't mind walking/parking at a distance?
I had thought it would be easier loading up the car with our luggage so as not to have to carry it around and some had advised to load up on bottled water and anything else in bulk or heavy before heading over to STJ. I just don't want the worry of getting lost, or the anxiety of rushing to meet the car barge schedule. I think that I would feel more confident if they ran a bit later.
5. Also, does anyone have any recommendations on either "Lion in Da Sun" or "Ocean Runner" power boat rentals? We plan to rent a captained boat for a full day to head out for snorkeling at the Baths, the Caves, the Indians and anywhere else the captain recommends.
I have purchased the vacation planning package from VINOW and it has been a great resource. We are going to spend our mornings hiking, days snorkeling and kayaking (will be bringing a sit-on-top inflatable) and evenings reading: our idea of paradise in Paradise.
Thank you in advance for all of your help!!!
Corinna
Dear Corinna:
I hope this is a good start to the answers you need -
1. If you follow the airport road out to Route 30, make a right and stay on that road until you get to the east end (it will change to Route 32 in the "homestretch"), you should be OK
2. I am not sure it will be that busy, traffic-wise on a Sunday, but I have never used the car barges then. My guess is, it will not be as congested
3. The car barge schedules and phone numbers are posted on this web site, here is the page: https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/ - click on "St. John Car Barge" link. I mix and match instead of buying a round trip ticket so I can have my flexible pick on the "first thing smokin'" *smile*
4. You can feel comfy going straight to the car barge, as there are a number of markets in Cruz Bay to make food purchases once you land. It's less expensive to shop on St. Thomas, but on your way to the Red Hook area (where the car barges are), you can always stop at the Food Center, it's on your left in the Frydenhoj area. You cannot miss it, big warehouse-looking building right before the yellow Domino Gas station
5. I will have to defer to the experience of others when it comes to the boat rental
Wow! How did you go about getting a Jeep rental for that price?
Corinna, If I were you I would double check directly with the Avis office in St. Thomas (rather than relying on information you might receive from the 800 number) because I don't think Avis lets their STT rental vehicles on the barge to STJ.
Have you considered renting your vehicle on St. John? That way if there is a problem the rental agency is available to help and you do not have to worry about catching the car ferry.
One too many painkillers...my memory is shot (and I'm not even 40 yet!)....but I think we rented from Avis on the last trip....and took the car to STJ with their OK. The stipulation was that if anything happened over there (breakdown, accident, etc), we were on our own and would have to get the car back to STT without their intervention.
I'm pretty sure that was Avis.
Yes, I know the price is fantastic. I have a sister-in-law that is an Avis employee so I get the employee discount. And I had even contacted the STT Avis office in Febuary questioning their policy about ferring over to STJ. They replied that it is allowed but in the event of mechanical breakdown, flats etc, all responsibility is assumed by the renter. So, yes, that is another factor that I have to consider. It's the "what ifs" that make me crazy. What if it breaks down, what if it doesn't? UGH!!!
When I come into town to do grocery shopping, how is the parking at the markets?
Thanks again for all your help!!!!!
Corinna
Corinna,
Just got back from 10 day in St John. We rented on St John and I was glad we did. I had read a lot on this message board about the possibility of breaking down with a St Thomas rental and didn't want to chance it. Well, we (two females) had a major blow out of our front wheel tire late at night and ended up hitching a ride to our villa. (Hitchhiking felt very safe on St John) Our rental agency fixed the tire by 1130 the next day and we received a free day rental. Not bad by island standards. (We probably would have fixed it but there wasn't a jack or a safe place to change the tire.)
Food for Thought,
Gail
Gail,
What agency did you use?
Thanks
Ellie,
The agency we used was Sun & Sand rental. We were happy with them changing the tire in a timely manner, but... because the jeep was in poor condition we really were not that surprised it happened. Poor condition meaning: balding tires, soft top with half the zippers not working, dirty… we even turned our first jeep in because it wouldn’t steer correctly. I really wouldn't recommend them. There were a lot of other vehicles on the island that looked in good shape from other car rentals. Prices are very comparable. We booked so late we didn’t have much chance to be picky as the jeeps were not available. Just trying to be honest.
Gail
Corinna,
For that price I think I would chance the possibility of a break down. We rented from Dependable on STT and took it to STJ. What they (and Budget) told us was if we had a flat or dead battery we would need to deal with getting it fixed. But for a major break down they would help us out. Might want to check with Avis to see if their policy is the same.
We rented on STT because we didn't want to deal with dragging a very tired 5 year old, a cooler full of food and all of our luggage on a taxi and a ferry, especially after traveling for 12 hours. It was much easier to rent in STT and load all of our stuff there. Also we were spending a few days back on STT at the end of the trip so it just made sense for us. We decided it was worth taking the chance. We had no problems by the way.
So, if you can save alot of $ by renting on STT I'd go for it. That price is easily $20-30 less per day than you will pay on STJ for a Wrangler.
Corinna,
I have used Ocean Runner on several occaisions and was very happy with them. Great Boats. I would be as flexible as you can on what day you rent. July is not a very busy time, so availability shouldn't be an issue. I'm not sure he's still captianing but Shay Mulcare (he's a private chef, which is also useful information www.stjohnchef.com) did a great job for us. You may want to e-mail him and check his availability. Let him pick your day (waether seas etc.) Go to the Baths, Willie T, Foxy's, Soggy Dollar! Have fun!
We are arriving 7/19 at 3:00pm and counting on renting a car and making the ferry in time. We are renting (as of now) through Thrifty. I may consider renting from someone else because Thrifty does not have a site at the airport. They provide a shuttle.
I noticed one ferry's last run is at 7:00pm. I called them to check what the availabilty is like. I'm counting on making it in less than 4 hours. They all but assured me that they will NOT be full at that time. I'm nervous too.
Hey, I plan on renting a boat from the same place. I have a small boat here in Maine and plan on operating this one myself. We'll see you at Cinnamon Bay your last day. We'll be the family with three young boys. We'll be the ones that are tired and lost.
Anyone who thinks that we will not make the ferry in time after landing at 3:00pm let me know. I'd hate to miss it.
You'll be somewhere drinking painkillers and gazing out over the sunset by 7pm, thinking "ferry? What ferry?" - don't worry.
You all are fantastic! and of course this message board has been fabulous! After packing the inflatable kayak and snorkeling gear, I think I'm leaning in favor of the STT rental. I'm really trying to pack as lightly as possible (mostly books,bathing suits and sun block), it would be nice to stop and load up on lots of water on the way to the ferry, but if that plan goes south, it can just be bought on STJ.
I just got a response to an e-mail from Maho Bay regarding their night-time snorkel excursion and the excitement is mounting!! You don't have to be a guest there to take part, just call and reserve a spot.
I will definitely ask for Shay when I call OceanRunner to reserve the powerboat. We are looking to pack as much in as we possibly can; the Baths, Norman Island and the Caves, the Indians, maybe the Pelicans and anything else Shay recommends.
Here's a odd question - the charters that take people out fishing, some of them I would think are cruise ship passengers. Do you think they all have their catch put on dry ice to be shipped home? Or is it "catch and release"? My mother is a vegetarian but does eat seafood; one of her bigger sources of protein. In addition to the markets in town,I think that the Fish Trap now sells fresh seafood. But wouldn't it be fantastic to purchase catch right off the boat? We hope to be grilling a lot of fish at our cabin. I know I'll be searching out conch fritters and johnnycakes. I also have a list of "must eats" - places and foods.
I hope to see many of you as we hike, snorkel and kayak our way around STJ & Cinnamon Bay. If you see us, the mother, daughter and grandmother from NY, give a shout out! (especially if our jeep has a flat ;).........Corinna
