I'll answer as many as I can remember. The Westin's ferry is a great deal and can be used for shopping trips as well at no extra charge. We have loved staying at the Westin for many years. Their pool is to die for, but their beach is not. We've always rented from Conrad Sutton and can recommend them as well. They have free parking for customers, although the driveway is very steep, so be sure the passenger gets dropped off at the top of the driveway. With your rental car, you can easily tour the island and get to the excellent north shore beaches. One is more beautiful than the next.
We took the Limnos trip to the Baths on Virgin Gorda and although I am subject to motion sickness, I was fine with the help of Bonine. Your husband should also take this before the ferry to the Westin as it can be choppy at times. If he is OK on the ferry ride over to STJ, he should be fine going to VG, unless there's a storm.
My wife is not a big shopper so we dont waste a day going over to STT, although many many folks do, and they seem to enjoy it. It's all what works for you.
Have fun!

Joe, are you sure you aren't my husband?? You just wrote exactly what I would have written- STT- we don't shop either and I don't know what else there is to see there, Conrad Suttons is great- we've rented from them 4 times and will rent again from them in November. We also took the Limnos Charter to the Baths-Buzzy, what's great about the Limnos trip is that they go to Spanishtown which gives you a chance to see their one town and drive over to the top of the Baths area- I don't think you can do this otherwise but maybe the regular ferry does this. Get your husband to get some motionsickness meds- I just got something called Meclazine which was recommended for me to be able to read on our sailboat in Buzzards Bay, reading being the one thing that makes me intensily ill!! Meclazine worked GREAT and after about one hour, I could read without problems and didn't notice any side effects, including no drowsiness.
Keep asking, the people on this Board are VERY sweet and helpful!

I've taken the public ferry to the Baths. We very much enjoyed being away from the charter crowds and doing it on our own. I would NOT recommend doing the "two for one" island combo offered by the ferry, with Tortola and Virgin Gorda (Baths). We tried this and felt that, in the end, we had too little time on each island. They each need their own day of exploring.

Do you not want to take the charter because your husband will need time alone to recover once you've reached Virgin Gorda?

I am not sure which ferry boat takes you directly to VG from STT and STJ. We did the stop in Tortola, so we changed boats. The boat that took us from STT to Tortola was the Bomba Charger, an old ferry that I recall riding on as a young child - 30 yrs ago......and it looked like it. The Ferry from Tortola to VG was nice and new looking......good A/C....cushy seats that recline......I really think I recall TVs inside, but that could have been the painkillers telling me that 😉 There were either TVs or music playing, I just can't recall which - I really think TVs because I think I recall watching CNN on the ferry.

I do have a couple of pics that we took of the inside and it looks like the inside of an airplane, but much wider. If you can get a ferry like this all the way from the USVI, that would be great!

Some of the ferries are really fast (nothing like the STT/STJ ferries) and they do sometimes lift over the waves and give that little stomach drop feeling (Bomba, I recall particularly). Not sure how your husband would feel about that.

On your fare from PHL, I am a regular PHL to STT flier and $468 is an average fare....not good, but not bad. Try to get onto the non-stop, not the Charlotte or San Juan connection.

If you decide to visit STT, do have lunch in Charlotte Amalie. I highly HIGHLY recommend Amalia Cafe in Palm Passage. It is a little pricey, but well worth it! The cuisine is Spanish / Portuguese....excellent service.....fabulous environment.....generous portions. If you enjoy paella, order it here.

Also, if you come to STT, there is more in CA than shopping and eating. Try a museum and visit the art galleries.
Enjoy.

KarrieB, I also take meclizine (Antivert) for a chronic problem with vertigo for a few days after flying. Unfortunately, it makes me really sleepy.

Thanks for all your help everyone. To answer the last posters question, we were thinking of not doing a charter because we did not have much interest in snorkeling because we will be doing so much of it on St. John and was thinking we would rather explore the island vs. snorkeling which is why we were thinking of trying to do it on our own.
Thanks so much!

Buzzy- sounds like the ferry is the way to go for you. There are taxis at the ferry landing and you can get them to tour you around the island. On our last visit (a sunday) we arrived while church was going on......just imagine little dirt roads, goats and cows roaming around, and then you come across this little white church that looks like it is a million years old......with little girls in little white dresses outside.....and the most glorious singing coming from inside. A trip around VG is really a trip back in time.

Just got back from St. John, stayed at Gallows Point on Cruz Bay (which you really should try next time... so easy to walk into town for dinner). Wanted to comment on the day trip back to STT... We traveled with another couple and they wanted to go over and do the shopping in CA thing but we decided to skip it. We had already blown our money on this wonderful trip and weren't in the market for diamonds or watches so... They took an early ferry to CA and nothing was open yet... there were no cruise ships in port that day so nothing much opened after that because it was a Sunday. They rode the sweaty ferry back had lunch in Cruz Bay and met us at the beach that afternoon. WE, on the other hand, had relaxed in our condo that morning listening to the waves and feeling the breeze and soaking up the quiet morning to the point where we took a nap before lunch! You'll have to decide which one sounds better to you but I know what I'd choose again!!!!

While on STJ, go to Caneel Bay and snorkel the sea grass beds over to the right of the reef and you'll see giant sea turtles and lots of sting rays!!! Their beach is kinda yucky but we didn't hang out there, just snorkeled and then headed for Cinnamon or Trunk for their awesome sandy beaches.

Kathleen and everyone: It is a good idea in the Caribbean to call before you go- shopping, dining, etc. People keep strange days and hours and it is good to be forewarned about store and restaurant closures.