Well, I'd have to say that it's mostly a matter of personal opinion as to which is better...and which island you may want to visit. I always suggest taking a day trip like New Horizons II or Captain Nautica for the first time, so as to be able to get an idea of what the other islands are like, so you'll know which ones you may want to spend more time on. For example, NH II www.newhorizonscharters.com goes to The Baths on Virgin Gorda (with a guided tour thru the Btahs), then to Marina Cay for Lunch, then Guana Island for snorkeling, then to Jost Van dyke for drinks and the beach at the Soggy Dollar Bar (so named because you have to swim in and your money is all wet). The boat has an open bar all day long, with snacks, included in the price. All you have to do is buy your lunch and pay Customs fees. When my Mom brought my Step-dad down for his first visit last month, that's the trip I took them on. They really enjoyed it. Capt. Nautica http://www.captainnautica.com/ is very similar, in that they go to the Baths, then Village Cay for lunch on Tortola, then snorkeling at the Indians before they return to STT. Both are GREAT trips. You could also do something in a larger group, like on the Limnos. These are much larger boats (double-decker cats), but still go to the Baths. You've got a sun deck and a shade deck, fresh water showers, bathrooms, full bar, food on board. They do the Baths and snorkeling at the Caves on Norman Island (Treasure Island by Rober Loius Stephenson was written about this island). That's a great trip, too. There're lots of others, too, but I'd probably choose one of those 3 (as evidenced by my trip with the 'rents! haha!). JMHO, of course.

Different experiences. If you want to combine some snorkel stops with a visit to one of the BVI, you'd go for a day trip. If you mostly just want to get to Jost or Virgin Gorda and have a look around the island, the ferry would probably serve you quite well. The ferry is a good bit cheaper and you wouldn't be travelling about as part of a group.

Lana: It is the difference between taking the Grayhound bus and a private limo. With the ferry you get transportation from here to there. With a day charter, you get crew that caters to you, drinks, snorkel gear (and help if needed), information about what you are seeing, etc.

Well, I may as well weigh in with the perspective of a control freak and a person who is no longer very social when given the choice:

I, of course, prefer the "do it yourself" trip. I like to come and go as I please......according to my own schedule. If I am having a great time, I want to be able to linger.....if I am not enjoying it so much, I want to be able to move on.

I like that I can explore the baths without the guide determining how long the group can spend and without having to be with the group. I like having a little solitude in such places....hearing nothing but the echo of my own footsteps splashing in the water while in the baths....a sense of calm and serenity. This is what I come to the VI for.

Must sees include: Baths, White Bay, Foxys....and something I have yet to do...a hike to the other side of JVD, through the lavender field, to visit the Bubbly Pool.

We booked on New Horizon's II because of the $50 off per couple coupon we got outta the Budget rent a car booklet. When we got to the Sapphire Beach marina, we were put on the other boat cuz they were over booked. I can't remember the name of it, but it was a clone of New Horizon's II. AND they let us still use the coupon, so I was a happy camper.
It was AWESOME & we are soo glad we did it. It couldn't have been a more perfect day & all the people on the boat were soo nice. We all had a great time & we highly recommend it to anyone!!

Well Blue you just shot down my fantasy of us meeting and moving to the island to live happy ever after since your not very social any more ha ha.

I actually had the same question but for a different reason. We want to go to BVI however my husband gets extremely seasick very easily. Medication does not work for him. I was thinking that the ferry would make him less seasick. Do you all think this is the case? Also, do you just keep getting back off and on the ferry to see different islands and get their schedule ahead of time?

Waterguy - I can be very social for the right person 🙂

Buzzy, the ferries do not go from island to island. There is a specific route for each island, so you don't have the chance to get off and on at various islands. I think the only time a ferry visits multiple islands is the case of one going to the BVIs and it will stop at STJ to pick up STJ passengers after the STT departure. However, i am sure that if you get off on STJ after STT, you can not get back on without another ticket purchase. Plus, there aren't that many islands. Virgin Gorda take a while to get to - so going there and back is a full day's excursion. You won't have time to ferry over to VG and then see other islands. The only way to do that is to get with one of the tour boats (New Horizon, etc) or hire a private charter (Nauti Nymph, etc).

I am not sure that your husband would be less sick on a ferry. You might know best. The ferries move pretty quickly and I have been on a ferry that jumped waves and gave us that roller coaster feeling. Also, on the ferries you are forced to ride inside on ferries with no outdoor seating (only some ferries have outdoor seats), which can make seasickness worse. I think you can check out their web pages to see which ferries offer exterior seating. I would go with larger ferries with exterior seating for your husband's sake. Definitely avoid ferries like Bomba Charger - it is small and only has interior seating.

Thanks Blue for keeping my fantasy alive

Hi Buzzy,
I get seasick easily too. We took the ferry from STJ to JVD and I did fine. I think the name of the boat was Caribe? It did have 3 - 4 rows of seating in front on top. I sat on top/outside on the way there and 'inside' on the way back and didn't have any problem. ...lots of fresh air circulating. I did have a concern when we arrived at JVD and had to wait about 10 minutes to get off of the boat because they were waiting on the customs/immigration people to arrive. The boat was rocking in the waves and if I had needed to wait one more minute I was going to ask to stand beside the boat on solid ground. The ferry captain seemed nice. I'm sure he would have let me off. We were satisfied with using the ferry overall -- had a great day. We'll do it again next time, but will go over on Saturday, spend the night and return on Sunday. Have a super trip! =)

I was sick just traveling from STT to STJ. Now I get the patch and it works great. Mom wears two patches to help with her seasickness. It works for her.

I never knew I got seasick till after I turned 40 & went on a cruise.
EVERYTIME I travel now & wear my "Transderm" patch so I don't ruin my vacation...except this time. I thought I would try it without the patch.....and I did just FINE! We did the car ferry over to St. John.....did the passenger ferrry, & did the BVI boat trip. NO PROBLEM....I'm cured!! (Or lucky!!)
There was a guy on the BVI trip that had his head hung over the side of the boat the whole day....but he was ~yawning in many colors~ before we even left the dock. Musta been from the night before??

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess I just need to get educated before we leave next month about which BVI to do and how we are to get there. I know there is Jost Van Dyke, Tortola and Virgin Gorda we were interested in seeing but I guess we shoud narrow it down and find a ferry that takes us there with outside seating. Are any of the islands worth renting a car to site see around the island and which island is a must see? (we would rather site see and not snorkel.) Thanks!

I think you may like the links below on the BVI islands. They are loaded with info and pictures.

http://www.b-v-i.com/

http://www.bareboatsbvi.com/bvi_information.html