I can see you will need some serious adjustment to 'island time'. Sorry...but the thought of Rush Hour on STJ (other than the initial 5 minute rush to board the ferry) makes me 🙂

June is the Low season so 'rush hour' does not exist and the wait for tables at most restaurants is non-existent also. Having said that, service will be much slower than what you might expect back home. That's just the way it is so be prepared to keep your kids occupied longer than normal.

Once you've visited, you'll laugh at the very concept of "rush hour". It doesn't exist on STJ. You're probably going to find that the usual dinner hour with kids, 5 ish?, will find most places without huge happy hours very quiet, particularly off-season. Just avoid tiny places with 2 for 1 drink offers etc (you'll sniff those out in a heart beat quickly) and you'll be fine. And erase the rush hour mentality from your mainland brain as no one rushes anything on STJ and if you try to hurry someone, particularly a local, you won't make alot of friends. You will LOVE this island, on island time.

Use the same rules you should use at home when you go out: bring the "bag" - you know, the one with the coloring books etc. (stash a few new things and spring em when needed), get there before 6pm, and first encounter with wait person dropping off menus or taking drink orders, order some food like fries for the kids to pick at. Makes you and everybody around you extra happy!

On the other hand, you should call ahead to check. While June may seem like low season, it is the season for weddings! If there is a place you really want to visit, make sure they can take you.

Ok guys, I know I need to motate to island time the minute I step off the plane and I plan on it. Maybe I'm just too use to showing up at Chili's, Olive Garden or Applebees and having to wait for an hour that it's what I've come to expect (city girl mentality)? I was really just wondering what the busy hour for dinner was so that we could arrive before or after that time. Want to have as much precious "island time" as possible. BTW, DD is 18 (her graduation trip) and probably won't want to color. DS is 8 so maybe I'll have him tote his gameboy along. They are my rugrats though!

Making a reservation will assure you that at any "rush hour" time, you will not wait more than 5 minutes. Your son will not be the only one with a Game Boy either. Have fun, and will you be there through CARNIVAL? I will!

Rugrats?
At that age they have both graduated to couch potatoes like the rest of us 🙂
You will not have any issue unless you come across a large Wedding party as East Ender mentioned. If that happens, walk along to another restaurant and try back the next day.

Thanks for the replies. We will be there the 13-20th so I think we're going to miss all the fun stuff. It was the only week available for the villa we wanted. I hate the thoughts of having to make ressie though. I was hoping to just show up a little "early" before the dinner rush and hit whatever place strikes our fancy. Maybe I should do a little more planning?

Don't plan, you'll be on island time. There's food everywhere. Just be.

Chrisn, we usually went for dinner around 6:00 and found that we were fine without reservations. We also found that by the time we were done eating, the restaurants were much busier than when we got there.