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Looking for opinions and guidance:
I have invited my mom, sister, sister-in-law, neices, and my mom's 2 sisters and their daughters and cousin to visit/stay with me on Water Island April 8 - April 13th. And, they have all confirmed. 14 in all (including me). Yikes! (3 of which are smaller children that are big enough they don't require a car seat.) Most have never flown before. A couple of them have never crossed the Indiana state border. Mom & Aunts in their 70s. My sisters & cousins & I in the...ummmm......let's say...."young" 40-50 range.....then one 12 year old and (3) 7 year olds. They are all very thrilled to be flying and excited to be going to the US Virgin Islands. They all consider this to be an opportunity of a lifetime. As do I.....with the mom and Aunts getting on in years, this will be an extra special / unique experience for all of us with our moms.
None of them drink alcoholic beverages. We'll be on Water Island for the duration of their stay except one day we will take the 8:15 into the city and be back to Tickles in time to take the 4:00 (maybe 5:00) ferry back to Water Island. My "girls" are not poor; not rich; not stingy with money but will need to keep an eye on their expenditures. They all enjoy shopping ("window" or otherwise) and exploring. My mom and Aunts have good mobility but my mom is the oldest and "old arthur" sometimes aggravates her hips and her short term memory is affected if she gets over tired and, (maybe overly protective) I will be constantly worried that she will get over heated and dehydrated (that probably goes for everyone in our party) and I don't want to "over do".
Here's what I'm thinking for the STT "Town" Day experience: Shopping downtown. Lunch & shopping up at Paradise Point. ( I know it's kinda touristy but ....they are tourists and we'll have kids in the bunch so I was thinking Paradise Point wouldn't be boring for any age group.) Driving tour around St. Thomas - stop at Drakes's Seat, overlook at Megans and a milkshake/ice cream from Udder Delight on the way home/back to Crown Bay.
Here are the questions:
Would it be more economical to hire a taxi van to "drop and pick-up" at our shopping/lunch destinations, and the "island tour" OR rent a van and drive myself? What would the estimated price be? Could we even find a van to rent that would accomodate our girl party? How much of a problem would it be to find a parking spot downtown and Paradise Point for a large vehicle?
I thought about taking the $taxi. Too large group, too many novices, too hard to manage - bottom line: I'm not doing it.
I thought about taking that new water taxi/tour thing that goes thru Charlotte Amalia (I haven't done that yet so it would be a new experience for me.....I'm not a shopper so this whole "shopping" ting will be a labor of love on my part 😎 . Does anyone know how much pp? And, has anyone experienced it and can vouch for it? Is it worth it and would it be too long a trip to hold interest for 7 yr olds?
Any other points of interest you may suggest for a group with wide range of ages?
I just checked travelocity.com for pricing on renting van. The only selection in the "van" category was "mini-van". I selected mini-van and entered "Airport" as the pick-up/drop-off but I thought I have read on this site that one(?) of the car rental companies may be willing to bring the vehicle to Crown Bay and pick up the vehicle from Crown Bay (where we will be starting and ending our day). Which company was that? Here are the rates quoted on travelocity on Friday, April 10th.....which is the day I've targeted for the STT Shopping Day. (I am hoping there will be limited # of cruise ships on this day. The girls' big travel days are Wednesday, April 8th and Monday April 13th so thought Thursday and Sunday would need to be a 'relax & play on Honeymoon Beach' day. Planning Saturday also as relax & play on Honeymoon Beach day because a few of the girls have to leave/travel on Sunday.)
Company Daily rental TOTAL
Budget $91
Avis $100
Thrifty $108
Dollar $109
Hertz $93
Plus approximately.....$20(?) gas added on top of rental price
Pros of renting/driving transportation
Flexible schedule
No doubt lots of laughter and thrilling moments getting lost, and my audience watching me drive on the left (my husband usually drives so this will be an exciting experience for me to be the driver).
Cons of renting/driving transportation
Finding a parking spot
I would be driving and a little nervous
I don't think a "mini van" will hold 14 people but maybe I'm wrong! Frankly, with that big of a group I'd look into a private taxi tour operator so you can work with him/her to plan your itinerary and enjoy a much more stress-free day than you're likely to have trying to get everyone around yourself. I believe there are several mentioned on this site and you can also do a google for "taxi tours St Thomas" and find several. Good luck!
You know......I just thought this through again and STT Res, your advice is right in line with my thinking. The mini-van won't be large enough. Plus, it will be like herding cats (14 women/girls) and I think the less stress on me - we will all be the better. I've got a great private taxi gentlemen that I will call. He has a large van that will hold the 14 people comfortably. It will force us into more structured schedule - which I'm thinking will be a GOOD thing. Where we could do 2 hours STT downtown shopping, 2 - 2.5 hour Paradise Point lunch/shopping, then a couple hours tour STT & icecream. By that time we'll be ready to get back on the ferry. Those "set" shopping times would allow the 14 to split up if they want (not everyone going to have the same likes) and we just designate a meeting place and time to rendevous. Just......now I need to call Lew /taxi gentleman and ask for price.
One comment about your days- Thursday, Friday and Monday are all government holidays. That may impact some of your travels. Also, the PR Navy will be ubiquitous- and don't they love Honeymoon?
Did you consider Coral World for the younger folks? The older ones will enjoy it too!
I agree with having a driver for the day. Seems much easier on everyone.
EE, I forgot about PR Navy. Geez. I also forgot that is Good Friday. Increased traffic & people. arrrrrrgh.
Coral World is a good idea. $21/Adult and $12 per child. Would it take "all day" to see everything they have there? I've got some ladies in the mix that LUV to shop so.....will need to designate some time for the downtown shopping. Is it usually big crowds @ CW? What about crowds then on Good Friday? Do you think it will be packed? I readily admit that though I've had a home on WI since 2003, I haven't done a lot of the local area attractions. Of course, I've also lived in Florida since 1983 and the last time I went to Sea World, Disney, Ebcott was over 20 years ago. Guess it's pretty obvious....I don't have children and I don't much care for "tourist traps". But, in this case I have to keep an open mind.
Also, I'm thinking about scrapping Paradise Point now. Maybe do few hours downtown shopping & lunch and then either (1) Coral World OR (2) island tour - then back to the ferry.
Whatever I do, I need to be sure taxi rates don't break the bank. Got a PM msg suggestion as well as Lew. Have to start checking that $ now.
Thanks for all the guidance.
The younger and even the older may enjoy the adventure of catching the ferry from CA to STJ.
Taxi to Trunk Bay - great beach for kids and shade for the elders
If they get tired of the beach a taxi always available for the shoppers back to Cruz Bay
And some one can stay and play with the younger set...
Food and showers available at Trunk also.
So have you designed a Girls gone wild T shirt yet? 😀
Re: Coral World. It is fairly small, and you can see it all in a couple of hours. I am a big fan, as it is small enough to see with youngsters. We always take any children of visitors! 😎 I would check their website and see if they don't have a group rate. There is a yearly pass for residents- some friends go there like other people go to a park. Check the feeding schedule and arrange to see them- especially the stingrays and the Caribbean Reef Encounter! There is a nice shady area to sit with a snack bar, for those who wish to rest a while! I don't see it as touristy, but more educational. I don't have any personal stake in it, as I said, just a fan. (tu)
I think you should do lunch at Yacht Haven Grande so they can see the "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" side of St Thomas. There's a kids' store there - Kool Kidz, with some unique clothes. There's the How 'Bout Your Pet which is fun if anybody in the group has a dog. Plus the designer stores like Coach, Gucci, etc which are fun to window shop.
BUT, you should try to be at Paradise Point by 1:30, because there's a live bird show, which should be fun for everybody, too.
The Pirate Harbor Tour is only available for cruise passengers and maybe hotel guests. Locals can't buy tickets.
If somebody doesn't want to shop, they can take the Blackbeard's Castle tour while you're in town. That's an interesting tour for anybody who likes history/antiques. The tour is $12 pp without a live escort, but there are hosts in each property that will tell you about the house and its contents.
Thank you all for your ideas and advice. I have transporation secured and now also have lots of "activity" options for our "Town Day" to propose to the group.
Here is another idea to add to the mix. Shop at Havensight and the kids can go to the Butterfly Farm or spend some time at Paradise Gate (I think that is the name). That way the shoppers can do their thing and kids will be able to enjoy something. Then all could walk over to the Tram to Paradise Point and enjoy.
