It depends on if you are checking luggage or not we got in last Sat. at 2 and just made the 4 red hook it took over an hour to get our luggage and then 3 stops on the way to red hook

Are you renting a car and do you have checked bags?

We were planning on checking one bag. We have rented a jeep from St John Car Rental.

Even if you miss the 3:00 ferry from Charlotte Amalie they have another one at 4:00. It's probably not worth the extra $20 per person to hurry over to Red Hook.

Thanks IAMolly, the last thing that I want to do is to be in a rush.......thanks for your help.

We've found that just asking our cab driver to take us to whatever ferry is leaving first usually works well. We've found that they tend to know if one ferry is running behind on that day or something. We've even had one guy call someone at the ferry to tell them we were right down the street and ready to board. I would plan on making a 4pm ferry. The 3pm ferry will be a bit of a stretch unless all the stars align perfectly!

The 27th is the last day of Carnival...give yourself plenty of time for traffic that day in and around Charlotte Amalie!

KenT-

Lucky you! Make sure you take your snorkel gear. The Retreat has some great snorkeling right below and to the left if the surf isn't too rough. If the surf's rough, go to the south side, to right for some good snorkeling. Both are rubble beaches. For a nice sand beach, check out Vie's, just two more hills over on the main road. Vie has a small fee, but a great, close to your villa sand beach.

Don't worry about which ferry you catch, the above replies are excellent. Remember to just relax! The drive on STJ out to the far East End will be an adventure if you've not done it before.

Have a great trip!

Liz

Liz -

Thanks for the insight, makes our choice of The Retreat all that much better. Snorkel gear is the first item being packed. This will be our first trip to STJ, and from what I've read, the drive out to the East End will definitely be an adventure. We can't wait.

Ken