TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands FAST FERRY

Can anyone shed some light on the fast ferry from Road Town - Charlotte Amalie Service we have a 2pm flight from st tomas airport and were thinking of taking the 10am that arrives in charlotte amalia @ 10;50am i assume that will leave plenty of time to clear customs and get to the airport. just was not sure if that ferry has same delay issues that some of the other ferrys experience any help much appreciated thanks

Much too tight IMHO..take the earlier ferry to be sure and relax! One glitch or a long line and C and I and you are in trouble..

We too prefer the early ferry for the reason Manpot indicates above. You can leave your bags with the taxi stand at the ferry and have a nice breakfast.

I always take the first ferry...

I also Have a flight that leaves STT at 2:35. If i take the 10am Road Town Fast Ferry, and it is supposed to get in at 11am, that leaves 3.5 hours to get through customs...even if the Ferry is an hour late Id think that the 10am ferry will be fine--please Im looking for comments

If the ferry is late, you still have to go through Customs at the ferry dock and then again at the airport. Sometimes you breeze through and sometimes you don't.

Whenever I've taken the RTFF we have had to wait at the dock for the 930 West End ferry to completely clear customs before we are allowed to disembark. So while it may arrive to the dock on time, it is often a lengthy wait to get off and pass through customs.

Thanks tradewinds. I will just be bummed having to catch the 7am ferry as it basically takes our last night away (was planning on Norman last night). that 7am ferry would mean our last night would be spent in RT which is pretty far from ideal

You can take the 9:30 ferry (Tortola Fast Ferry, aka Smiths) and be ok. Arrive at the ferry terminal by 9:15, walk past all the crowds waiting for the big power cat express ferry (RTFF), board the almost empty 9:30, stop at WE to pick up more, then arrive at CA before the RTFF does. Stake out a seat near the boat's door so you'll be positioned near the front of the line for C&I upon arrival at the dock, take a taxi immediately to the airport, and you'll get there in plenty of time. Same for the OP's 2 PM flight.

We're usually off the ferry in CA, checked through C&I, and upstairs at Petite Pump Room having our first beer while the RTFF is still idling in the harbor waiting to come in.

Since I leave Virgin Gorda on the 8 AM Speedy ferry, I get to Roadtown around 8:30AM Have breakfast across the street and take the 10 AM RTFF ferry for a 2PM STT flight. Have done this for years and never missed the flight.

Thank you Rob and tp cook. Unrelated question regarding Leverick Bay. I will be in VGS on Thurs July 2nd, and wondering if you'd suggest Leverick over BE or Saba as a place to grab a mooring/slip. The restaurant sounds nice, but I will have a 12 and 13yo aboard and am wondering if they'd enjoy the commotion at BE better.

Leverick no doubt..get a slip with the TTOL discount..introduce yourself to Nick and Monica and have the time of your lives..BTW the Restaurant at Leverick is terrific..

nice-I had no idea TTOL was more than simply a great source of smart info! Thank you

Have them arrange a rental car for you at Leverick and tour the island. Much cheaper than a taxi.

Check out the TTOL Sponsors tab, BVI Sponsors,for additional TTOL specials/info. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

Two weeks ago had a 4pm out of SST, took the RTFF at 10am which didnt leave until 10:40, Power out at ferry dock in CA US C&I a complete embarassment, took almost 1 1/2 hours to get through. Had C&I issues on arrival into RT as well the week before. I've been to BVI 11 times since 2009, this will be my last trip until I hear they can fix C&I and ferry system.

Just skip the ferry and fly into Tortla via San Juan DaveZ. Not sure where you are coming from, but depending on where, flights are often more convenient into San Juan.

when flying into beef island from sju which airline are you all using??

I use Cape Air. Mainly because they have a 10 ticket commuter book that locks in that price. I also love the small aircraft and views you get from it. They also have a decent number of flight options which helps too.

For us, going to Tortola via SJU gets us in at the beginning of day 1 instead of the end and allows us to leave mid day the last day instead of first thing. This gives us 2 extra nights in an anchorage. Clearly its more expensive, but given what we get its worth the extra cost.

So my advice - look a the cost (don't forget to look at all of them - ferry, extra taxi..etc) and consider what other benefits there may be. For some this means STT is better, but I think a lot of people over look SJU.

We are on Seaborne, out of SJU, which is a codeshare with American, so it is the 3rd , and last, leg of our trip. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />