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My husband, sister, and brother-in-law were in St. Thomas from 1/24 to 1/31. I call this a bitter sweet trip because my brother-in-law has brain cancer and this was a bucket list trip. It was supposed to be their 10th anniversary trip in December 2009. His situation has changed dramatically since January 1st. He was working full-time, driving, and had a side business that was booming. On January 5th he started his disability. That is when I started planning this trip. At first we were looking at the middle of February. After much thought we moved it up. With the ok from Duke University and SCOA we planned the trip.
We had an all inclusive at the Wyndham at Sugar Bay. They were wonderful. My sister's handicap room over looked the pool. After seeing our room she decided that the only difference was the width of the door. It did not have a shower but a tub which all rooms had. She requested to be moved to a room over looking the bay and it was done immediately. I was sure glad as this was my brother-in-law first and last trip to St. Thomas. By the time we left home (he used a cane to get from he house to the car) and arrived at St. Thomas (5 hours later) he was too weak to use the cane and was in a wheel chair for the whole trip. I had checked with several medical rental agents in St. Thomas and could not find a beach wheel chair. The Wyndham did. We had it for the last two days but that was better than nothing. The Wyndham had a shuttle to take us to the beach and the pool side restaurants. Even though there were times we had to wait for the shuttle it was not bad. We did rent a Jeep Cherokee and that was a blessing. We rode around the island which I did not find difficult getting used to the left hand change but the road signs were awful. To try and turn around when you realized you were going to wrong way was a challenge.
We took the barge to St. John and was gravely disappointed. We road over in the Jeep, found a parking place, ate lunch, and returned to the dock for a 2 hour wait on return to St. Thomas. We didn't even get to shop because we could not get the wheel chair any where in the shopping district. My husband, sister, and I do plan to go back to St. John. I just wish someone could come up with a better situation (elevators?) for the disabled.
As expressed at St. John, I don't believe the islands are handicapped ready. We guess that there are few to none on the island because every where we went the handicapped parking spaces were empty. Of course we forgot our Handicapped Tag but made do with parking next to an empty space. If a resident of St. Thomas and St. John is reading this please help future travelers to have the handicap facilities. I never understood this until this trip.
I thank everyone at the Wyndham at Sugar Bay that made this trip a success. We will be back. I know it will be without my brother-in-law (in 4 days he is almost bed ridden) but it will be in memory of a wonderful man.
Wow.
What an unbelievable shame.
God bless him.
I'm going to have to agree with you as far as the inefficiency and difficulty that is found for the handicapped on STJ.
My sweet Amy is handicapped due to an unfortunate motorcycle accident years ago, but thankfully, she's a little more mobile than others.
It's kind of peculiar how many times locals have yelled at us when parking in a handicapped parking spot. Maybe they thought we were trying to just "get a good spot", and being ignorant. Then they see her tag, and watch as she hoists her cane out of the backseat. We're usually then met with an apology involving how they frequently ticket cars that park in the handicapped spots.
Honestly, I think that people just don't think about these type of things until they touch them personally. How is someone going to "protect" a handicapped parking spot, yet a handicapped person can't enter the store/restaurant that they're parked in front of because of inaccessability?
I'd like to think that %99 of the people on STJ would give someone a hand, if needed, but what if noone does? What if noone is around?
All that said, I'm happy the folks on STT were able to accommodate your party, and my heart truly goes out to your family, your sister, and your brother in law, especially.
I wish you
Smiles-
MJ
cwmc,
I'm so glad for you and your family to get the chance to visit the islands. Sometimes when tragedy or illness strikes, you realize just how short life is and there is no better time than now to sieze the day. I lost my beloved mother to brain cancer last year, it progressed very quickly and she was gone 8 weeks to the day she was diagnosed. My prayers are with you and your family during this difficult time.
Molly
So sorry to hear about your brother-on-law and am praying for you and your family. That is so sad. Life is definitely way tooooooo short. Glad he got to go on a trip and see the islands.
I've been reading the USVI website as my sister and i are going at the end of this month and have heard good and bad about it; that people there are unfriendly, etc, and don't like tourists, and treat Americans terrible, so I sure am glad that they treated you decent. We are actually staying at Secret Harbour, so if anyone has any input, please message on the site.
Best wishes to you and your family at this most difficult time. Remember, God needs good people, too.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I'm really glad you all got to help your brother-in-law take in this trip - you must be a very special family! God bless all of you.
VI
What a wonderful story. Glad you will have these memories.
I'll say a prayer for you and your family.
Connie
cwmc,
all the best to you and yours at this difficult time...
i am so glad that everyone was able to glean the gold from this most precious visit. there are many persons with disabilities living in the islands, who encounter similar issues. as time goes by, i expect that the islands will become more accessible. it's a matter of education. of course, due to our topography (most homes are in hillsides, because the islands are composed mostly of hills) and limited ability to alter historical structures/cost prohibitive, etc., it's going to take a bit of time.
for those who may wish to visit, please check out
access vi (st. thomas), http://www.accessvi.com/
accessible st. croix (st. croix), http://www.gotostcroix.com/accessible.php
placestostay (st. john), http://www.stjohnplacestostay.com/vacation-rentals/handicap-accessible-rentals.cfm
hope this helps! we are long from totally accessible, but with some planning (as you demonstrated), it's possible!
Perhaps every trip has its high points and low points. I have lived on STT for several years and still don't have enough knowledge to understand all that happens down here. But it is different in so many ways from the main land. You need to remember that there are just a 110,000 people here. And they are just making it like other places. I have noticed that there are not many places that are truly handycapped assessable. So you need to pay particular attention to where you go. But on the bright side you, and you family, got to experience some of the islands and the people.
As to the people I find the majority as good, help full and wonderful. There are a few, just as in any place that simply are difficult to deal with.
I truly hope that you will remember the positives, accept the negatives, and come back soon.
Billd
Thank you for sharing comments on your family's special trip. Best wishes for strength and comfort to all of you.
--Islander
St Thomas has more facilities for the disabled, because the cruise industry hosts so many passengers with limited mobillity. Most of the streets in Havensight accommodate wheelchairs. Dial-A-Ride provides transportation and tours for the disabled, and they have wheelchair accessible vans. There used to be a tour company, Accessible Adventures, that catered to that segment of the population, but I haven't seen their vehicles lately so they may have folded.
The hilly terrain of St Thomas and St John makes it difficult for people with mobility problems - even fully mobile people have difficulty navigating some of the hilly streets and frequent stairs, but until we have consistent, reliable power, I prefer to avoid elevators for fear of being trapped. But, isn't there an elevator in Wharfside Village??? Back near the Beach Bar?
Maybe sightseeing by water would be the way to go for someone with physical limitations? It would be interesting to find out if there are any handicapped accessible water vehicles offering public tours.
I could be mistaken, but I think the point was about 'ramps', and/ or wide enough doorways for a wheelchair to enter.
Smiles-
MJ
jan_murray wrote:
I've been reading the USVI website as my sister and i are going at the end of this month and have heard good and bad about it; that people there are unfriendly, etc, and don't like tourists, and treat Americans terrible,
WHAT? Absolutely OPPOSITE my experience (except for one bartender). The people of STT & STJ were so friendly and polite they put my native South to shame! AND, the USVI is full of "Americans". Thus the name "US" (United States) VI
