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Hi
I will be going down to St Thomas in October & brought my air separately & resort through their web site. Usually I go with package deal but this came out far cheaper but I am wonder since some have experience problems with US Air with lost luggage . Should I get trip insurance? We are only going down for 4 nights & most insurance companies will cover delay luggage two days into trip, husband said it isn't worth it. I am trying to figure out if I can put all I need in a carry on & use a small backpack as my purse so I can just have carry on or do you think that is pushing it? What do you all think? We never had a problem with US Air before & connecting in Charlotte NC. Thanks !
PS
I did asked at Dulles International in Washington DC & the person at counter said she would allow it but maybe not at the gate or another airport. She said it depend on the person checking you in. She also said not to risk it but she would but she said she wasn't going to be at gate or on the plane.
Caught in the middle lol
I think it depends on how "fancy" you need to be. We go down for usually 6-7 nights to STJ and put everything in a roller board and a knapsack so we do carry on only. But we also only bring toiletries, snorkling gear (counts as one of our personal items), and very basic easy going clothes for the week. If anything, are you covered in the rare event of a hurricane screwing up your plans- if your trip is cancelled due to that (again rare), would you get your money back? I just bought trip insurance for the first time for a 3 week trip to Cambodia in January (!!!) but I got it ($74 through AccessAmerica) because I wanted the other stuff included like medical evacation, trip delay coverage (hotel and food), and refund of my plane fare in the event I couldn't go due to a family crisis or something. If you can bring all your stuff as carry ons, I say forget it as long as you have cancellation insurance thorugh the hotel and airline in the rare event of a storm.
USAir will evacuate you out at no charge in the event of a named hurricane and a call for evacuation. However, if a hurricane hits prior to your departure from home or is affecting flights so that you can't depart for your destination, that's not refundable. You could reuse the tickets later, minus a change fee, which I think is $100 per ticket.
Your hotel's policy should be checked to see how they handle last minute cancellations due to weather, etc.
For the short duration of your stay, and the fact that you'll be going in October, I *personally* wouldn't bother with trip insurance. Are you going at the beginning or end of October? Either way, I probably wouldn't bother even if I was going in September (and I haven't in the past in September).
You should be alright to get everything into a carry on and use a backpack with your purse in it. That isn't pushing it at all. I do that myself....I use a converting roll-aboard that turns into a backpack when the flap on the back is opened - but it has a telescopic handle like a roll-aboard. It expands with an exterior pack, which is removable via zipper, to carry a laptop - now THAT might be considered pushing it 😉 LOL
With the laptop pack attached, it won't really fit into the overhead - so once I am on the plane, I have to detatch the laptop part and put the main pack into the overhead and the laptop part under the seat. I really end up with three carry ons - but the gate agents only see two because two are attached when they see me. I carry the backpack on my back and then roll another full sized Samsonite roll-aboard.
All of this is my long-winded, round the barn way of saying not to worry - pack it all in your carry ons and whatever doesn't fit, don't take. Take your favorite comfy T shirts and your favorite shorts and flip flops. You'll look like everyone else. If you show up looking fancy, you'll stand out like a sore thumb....and people will think you've never been anywehre before or, worse *gasp*, you're off the ship!!! Heaven forbid 🙂
Have a great time!!
Hey Bluwater- I should have defined "fancy"- we have met people staying at Caneel Bay who were wicked dressed up and had a ton of baggage at the ferries but I didn't want to insult Barb by asking if she was staying in one of these "fancy" places. You're right- sandels, shorts, tshirts and you're set.
No worries !
I am more of a T-Shirt person. I don't go on vacations to dress up a waste of time & space lol. I am hoping to get all I need on a carry on but US AIR limit you to 51inches total & 40 pounds. I am not packing make up only blush & a lipstick. But fitting all the other things I do need I am not sure of. I was thinking of my carry on & a backpack as a purse but a friend just got back from St Thomas & used US Air & had to check one of her carry on both ways. They didn't consider the backpack as a purse. Darn they get you every way they can. I wish it was how it was before 9-11, 2 carry ons if I could just have another smaller bag I would get everything in there lol. Thanks for both of your posts. The only reason why I worry about losing my luggage even though haven't as yet on US Air or AA or United, my husband who came back last Friday on Airitalia lost his, left it in Milan took them two days to get it back at 2am. It wouldn't have too bad but he had his dress clothes in the bags as he had meeting to go to. I told him to watch how they tag the bag but did he listen to me no. LOL. Thanks, oh we are staying on St Thomas at the Morningstar which close to town & we have friends that live near by who will let us use his third car. And only 4 nights first day wasted so to speak.
" That some Catch that Catch 22" From movie Catch 22
