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Hi all,
We're booked on a day sail to Jost during our upcoming vacation to beautiful STJ. We've done this in the past and the customs fee was $20 a person. When booking our upcoming trip, I was told it was $25 a person for the customs fee now. When I asked if that was a recent increase b/c I was pretty sure everything I'd still seen online was still $20, he told me that "most of the sailing companies" down there had increased to $25/person b/c of electronic filing and other work they have to do to get us taken care of. And so since everyone else was charging $25 a person, they started doing the same.
Anyone else found this to be true in their recent or planned day sails?
Just looked at the calypsovi.com website and noticed it was only 20.00. But the money is for entry to the BVI's right? So why would that impact the electronic filing.
It's amazing. If it's an extra 5.00 burden, then just add it to the daysail fee. People don't like to be nickel and dimed. People remember when they show up with the expected 20.00 and are told, oh, it's 25.00. And when do they remember? Well, they remember when the tip jar is taken out at the end of the trip.
/but what do i know, I only run a business.
Love your comment, promoguy. I agree that they might've just included the add'l $5 a person in the cost of the sail so we didn't feel we're paying more for customs than we should or would elsewhere. I'm afraid that what we'll find is other sails who ARE still charging only $20 in actuality, but is that worth canceling our trip for? Starting all over again in a search for the right sail for us? Not a thought I relish. But we'll certainly consider this extra $20-30 paid to them overall when considering what to tip in the end. Maybe they're charging more b/c folks AREN'T tipping what they think they deserve?
I don't know. Hate to start on wrong foot with them and we're very much looking forward to going and the guy I talked seemed very nice. But not having seen higher than $20 anywhere else, I thought I'd put it out there.
You did know that you don't pay anything extra when on the ferry? We have for about 10 years always find a catamaran trip to go on, but wait till we get there. Last time we also decided to take a day trip by ferry to Tortola, rent a car and just drive around. I had a couple of 20.00's ready to pay the customs inspector. He took nothing but stamped the passports.
So the question I really haven't asked since last year was, does BVI customs get the 20.00 while we're all having lunch at Foxy's.
I went on a BVI trip last March with a friend of mine who lives on STT. He told me the customs fees are "flexible" depending on who is working that day and if they know you. We had to pay 7.00 per person for customs. Go figure????????
When we took the ferry to Jost last month, I thought we had to pay $5 for customs, but we didn't. It was $50 for the ferry, and that was it. Now maybe the $20 fee you are charged when doing a charter is just so you don't have to stand in line to fill out your paperwork ?? in that case, it may be worth it to some.
