Since this is your first time to the VI, I would recommend that you skip Virgin Gorda/The Baths this trip. Explore St. John.
Regarding ATT, I have the "nationwide" plan and never had any roaming charges while on St. John. I guess it does sometimes happen though you should be able to tell from the display on your phone......wouldn't the display indicate that you're in "roaming" mode? At least my phone tells me on the display when I've snagged a BVI tower. I just move around a bit until I get a strong US signal.

Thanks for the info. I just wasn't sure if the ferry over and back would kill a full day and whether it was worth it. Not much into shopping.....just looking to take in the beauty that this part of the world has!

On your first visit to St. John, you will find great beauty and splendor in so many places. Time will fly by so quickly. I assume your crew will call you on your cell phone to agree on a place to rendezvous? I would pick up the taxi at the airport and head to Red Hook, hop the next ferry to Cruz Bay, St. John and tell the others you'll meet them "on the other side".....at Cruz Bay ferry landing on St. John at the appropriate time. There are lovely places in Cruz Bay to explore or just simply sit, have a cold drink, and watch the world go by.

stay on STJ, and enjoy, you might find your phone will roam on the east side of the island if it has a straight shot to the BVI's

enjoy and slow down when you arrive, honeymoon beach is great and close by Caneel, take a day there, you will not regret....

chrism: I don't know what you do at home, or if you are in need of some serious "away" time, but I could stay a Caneel from Wednesday through Sunday and never leave the property! There are seven beaches, wonderful lawns (okay, so we don't have a lot of lawns in the VI!;) ), peace and quiet with room to ramble around...To me running from pillar to post would be a waste of relaxation. IMHO, of course!

I was just about to post exactly the same as East Ender. Caneel is a phenomenal destination. When you consider that you arrive on Wednesday and leave on Sunday, it seems to me you only have three full days to do anything. I would use those three days to explore all the beaches at the resort. You might not even have enough time to do them all justice. On your next visit (and you'll likely be back) you can check out other beaches and other islands.

Perhaps I'm just a different kind of vacationer, but I can never understand the reasoning of those who take a vacation to St. Thomas or St. John and can't wait to get to another island. There's always so much to do right where I am.

Ditto, ditto and ditto. Redundant?

Our first trip to STJ was to Caneel in 88 (before Gore invented the Internet) and we have always come back on our own and with kids. They really take care of you by getting out of the way. EE is correct about the beaches. If you want to snorkel, Hawksnest is the ticket at Caneel. Honeymoon and Salomon are just plain beautiful and never crowded this time of year ('crowded' is a relative term even during the high season).

If you do venture of the resort, take some time to visit Cruz Bay to get the flavor of the place. Coral Bay is on the other end of the island and more 'old island' feel.

Take time to feel the wind, hear the water and recharge the soul. Be prepared for the addiction soon to come. 😎

Stay on St. John. Take the time for a drive around the island. The combination of ocean and mountain views is beautiful. Make sure you do have an AT&T signal. If I am getting another signal, I don't use my phone. Fought AT&T regarding a $3,000 bill one time since before the trip I had called them, and they told me I could use the phone on St. John. My phone was picking up British towers since we were staying on the East side of the island. They did take most of it off the bill, but I don't plan on putting myself through that again. That was the day that I called Skinny Legs for their painkiller recipe.

Thanks to all! That's exactly what I was feeling (staying on STJ) but just wanted other opinions. I haven't even arrived, but I feel like i'm ready to book the next trip! Looking forward to tomorrow. Will probably venture off of the property maybe late Friday after noon to catch Cruz Bay and some of the local flavor.

Once again.......Many thanks

Re; Roaming -- on my Sprint phone I was able to select "Roam Sprint Only" and that alleivated any concern about picking up BVI towers. This is what Sprint advised me to do when I called them and presented this question before my trip. Perhaps AT&T has a similar function/option.

Re: Where to spend time -- I visited STJ for the first time this past March. I did a boat trip one day and visited other islands. I thoroughly enjoyed the day on the water. However, given your time constraint, I'd suggest focusing on STJ. There is SO much to do and see right there on the North Shore, not to mention the rest of the island.

Have a glorious time!