Given what you've said above, my advice would be:

1. Rule out the sailboat to the Baths. Yes - the Powerboat trip would be a great time for your family. The Sailboat will take much too long just to get there and back and your triplets will be completely bored after the first hour each way. The powerboat allows you to see so much more.
2. You'll most likely need to choose from New Horizons II or a private company. The cost will be relatively the same either way - so GO WITH THE PRIVATE CHARTER. Lion in Da' Sun would be PERFECT. The "group" trip will run you roughly $110 per person or $660 plus tip. The private charter will run you around $600 plus gas (maybe another $150) plus tip, AND you get your choice of timetable. You can spend as much, or little, time at any stop. Josh is awesome at Lion in Da' Sun and will help you plan a great day for your unique set of passengers.

Congratulations! You've got a great vacation planned!

Good Luck! Have Fun!

VI lover -

Thank you very much for you excellent advice...I think we will go with the private charter as you suggested...what do you think of palm tree charters? lion looks good too, but just want to explore all the options here.

also, how much do you think is appropriate to tip the captain of the boat.

again, thank you very much for your feedback!

bellman,

there is also Nauti Nymph in STT, and they pick up at the Westin in STJ. Capt Calvin gives a really good tour of STJ from the water than off to your destination of choice. You may find it a little more reasonable.

If it is rough it can be a tough ride to VG. You do not want to freak out the family. Most days are cool, but some days not so much.

I would recommend reading to or getting the kids to read (not sure how old they are) Treasure Island. (Norman Island) You can take them to the caves!

As for tipping the Capt. - absolutely
There is no right number - but if they are good - a better tip and recommendation on this board is definitely a good thing.

Most Capts get a set wage for the day, and you may think it is a good wage for living in Paradise. Really every day they get up with a smile on their face and deal with folks that have an expecatation to have the day of their of life. Pretty hard to live up to every day - but most do. The crew, if there is any, gets a very small per diem wage and live on tips.

There is also some great hiking (easy and hard) walks that gets the kids out of the sun for awhile.

Have fun

Go with a private charter 🙂

My recommendations are (in no order of preference 🙂 )
1) Lion in da Sun
2) Palm Tree Charters
3) Flyaway Carters

As far as a tip goes 15% to 20% is the "norm" for good service

Pia

Captain Kevin with Born to Rhumb is great too. Fast boat, great captain, very nice and a great day.

For what you get for the day, it's well worth it.

We've gone with Palm Tree Charters twice and have booked a day with him this July. He took us to the Caves, the Indians, Smugglers Cove, Foxy's, and White Bay. I'm not familiar with the other charters mentioned above, but I know you can't go wrong if you choose Capt. Brandi. Have fun!

Be careful. If you have more than six in your group. Six-pack rules apply!

stt: bellman said in his first post he has total six.

I would skip the Baths, that is a lot of travel time for the youngsters and there is a lot of other things to see. We've gone out twice with Capt. John of Palm Tree Charters and love him and his boat Palma Bella. The folks at Lion in da Sun and Born to Rhumb have very good reputations. Capt. John was great with my daughters and is very easy going and respected by the other captains.

We did an itinerary that was:
- Pickup in Cruz Bay
- Leinster Bay snorkel
- Check in at Sopers Hole, Tortola
- The Indians snorkel
- Caves at Norman Island Snorkel
- Lunch at the Willy T (rated G on the day we were there)
- White Bay, Jost Van Dyke
- Cruz Bay check in

We always tip 15-20% of the charter cost. Fuel was $144 for this trip, but we skipped Smugglers Cove and Sandy Spit due to the North Swell. When we've included that fuel was $160.

You can check out a video Capt. John made of our March 2008 trip at:

http://www.youtube.com/v/dmrWfeiNMvg

Cheers, RickG

Since Rick posted his video, I'm going to post mine. Hope it works. I just figured it out last night with a little help from my friends. 😉 Rick's right. Capt. Brandi is good with the kiddos. Smuggler's is nice place to stop for a fruity frozen drink. Steven (I think that's his name) runs his blender off a car battery. (tu) It's a nice little snorkel with clear water, a pretty beach, and wasn't crowded the day we were there.