TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Sunday BVI to STT

One of our group needs to make a 2pm departure from STT on a Sunday.
Based on "what is happening now" what ferry do you recommend? Our sailing stops are very loose so we are willing to go wherever to get the most dependable service.
THANKS

Get the first ferry going..7 am..

How about the 10am

I agree with Mal. Especially on a weekend (you didn't mention time of year but high season can be nutty) We usually have a 130 out of STT and take the 7 am. Have had the 10 delayed/cancelled a bit more than I care for.

Another option depending on how long your trip is - you could head to St. John. Check in that morning in Cruz bay and have them take a ferry from there, then spend a couple days in St. John.

We actually did this our last trip, although we picked up friends there rather than drop them off. Worked out great and we had a couple great days in St. John.

This summer is the time of year.
Mal, in looking at schedules I am not finding 7am Sunday departure, could you point me in that direction.
THANKS

"we are willing to go wherever" , really, then take them to STT and make a day of it. as Matt said St.John is a great stop

They are running 7 am's right now and Native Son seems to have got more reliable again..

We're in the same boat in a couple of weeks and will be taking the 7am.

Thanks Mal, local knowledge is irreplaceable. Does the 7 o'clock depart from West End?
We will certainly consider St. John having not been there in 3 or 4 years. We used to charter from there and spend 2 or 3 days before going into BVI.

There has been a 7/7.30 out of WE and , I believe a 7.15 to St John and on to Red Hook..gives you a couple of options..after that..if there is a problem with the 10 /10.30 you are screwed!

On Sunday, June 7, there was no 7:00 am RTFF out of Road Town. There was an 8:45 am NS, and a 9:00 am RTFF. Both had 40-50 passengers. The NS arrived at CA first, and the RTFF waited near the dock for 20+ minutes to allow the NS passengers to clear. Unfortunately, we were on the RTFF. Didn't matter though, because the Petite Pump Room was not open on Sunday.

If you are charting with Sunsail or Moorings, they have an RTFF ticket agent at the base. Saves time standing in line for tickets at the ferry dock, but she only takes cash. There are two lines at the Road Town ferry dock. One family member pays the exit tax for the group. Have another member stand in the security line.

By the time we cleared C&I in CA, there was no time to go into town, so direct to the airport, which was mobbed. Hint: At the airport, you can buy the same beer and cold sandwiches quickly from little kiosks that you can in the restaurant, without waiting in line for 20 minutes.

And the food at the kiosk is as grossly over priced as the restaurant.

they are the same as the restaurant, same kitchen and it's very mediocre

Leeguice - always remember that ferry schedules can be sporadic, especially in the "slow season" - but right now, the first scheduled ferry on Sundays is the 9:00am Road Town Fast Ferry from Road Town to Chartlotte Amalie, St. Thomas - there is no "scheduled" 7:00am ferry on Sundays, though sometimes if you call the day before you will find that there is, indeed, a 7:00am! The 9:00am is even pushing it a bit. If the ferry leaves on time, it's a 10:00am arrival in Charlotte Amalie, then possibly up to an hour, or even more, to get through customs and immigration depending on the crowd, plus time to taxi from the ferry to the airport. This means perhaps arriving after 11:00 a.m. at the airport and then waiting in line on a Sunday (busiest day to fly out of St. Thomas) to check in. That amount of time may sound reasonable, doesn't it?? BUT . . . depending on your airline, you may be "required" to check-in at the airport on St. Thomas a full THREE hours prior to flight time (American Airlines for sure . . . check the fine print on your ticket for Caribbean travel requirements - or better yet, call the airline and speak with a representative!)! Seems a bit ridiculous (and it really is!), but the main reason the airlines do this is because Caribbean flights are notoriously overbooked (though they won't admit this!), so if you arrive even 2-1/2 hours ahead and a full complement of passengers happen to have checked in ahead of you, it is YOUR fault for being "late" and now up to you to rebook on another flight, meaning YOU have to pay the change fees and the additional $$$ if the fare on your rebooked flight is more than the fare on your original flight (which it likely will be) - PLUS you have to consider a hotel (again, at your expense) if the next flight out isn't until the following day! It is rare that the flight will be filled with checked passengers three hours in advance (especially in the "off season"), but I believe it is better to be safe than to be sorry! If I were you, and your guests seem to have the option, I would check into Cruz Bay, St. John the day before the flight; enjoy the day/night there and then take an easy ferry (easy meaning no customs/immigration in St. Thomas when they ferry from another USVI - cutting travel time down considerably!) on Sunday morning. A great vacation can be ruined by a (possibly very expensive) problem flying home! ENJOY!

....yet another reason we try never to fly in/out over a weekend if we can avoid it...particularly on the way out....that said, I have flown American many times and have never arrived 3 hours ahead and have never had a flight overbooked...but I suppose it could happen. We also almost always plan for a night in St. Thomas on the way home to avoid the ferry shuffle <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Last couple of times we have stayed at The Windward Passage across from the ferry dock..very nice rooms..funky hotel layout..and then splurged on a great meal at Oceana out on the point in Frenchtown..nice relaxing way to end your trip..then early lunch at " Hook, Line and Sinker" and off to the airport..

If you get to STT early, we like to head to Tickles at Crown Bay. They have a good breakfast/brunch 7-days with good drinks.

Cheers, RickG

Hook, Line & Sinker is pretty good, too.

If you have tickets and a boarding pass you will be allowed to board, even 1/2 hour early. Gates close 10 minutes before departure, then your late. Otherwise if you are bumped, the airline must get you a room and a meal voucher. We have never been to STT more then 1 1/2 hour early and never missed a fight.

Same here, Evan - we are usually there 1.5-2 hours ahead max - it's just such a lousy airport to hang out in. We typically stay the night before our flight at the Best Western Caribe Beach so we're literally across the street from the early morning flight.

if they has an Admirals Club, we might get there early. If they had a club like the one in Madrid, we could live there <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I, too, have been lucky never having been bumped off a flight from STT during all my years visiting the BVI before I moved here permanently, but just this past January four friends arrived at the airport in St. Thomas on a Sunday (yes, peak season AND a Sunday), 1 hour and 45 minutes before flight time and were told that the flight was full. They had printed boarding passes the day before, but had to check in at the front counter in order to get their checked luggage tags and they were told their seats were "allocated to other passengers" because they did not check in with their luggage 3 hours before! Knowing one of the friends, it must have been quite a scene! He put up enough of a stink that they were rebooked on a connecting flight through Miami and his subsequent scathing letter to the airline resulted in a refund to his credit card of the extra fees plus 5,000 airmiles for each of the four passengers! Again, HIGH season is when this happened!

This Sunday there was a 9.15 to St John and Red Hook and a 9.15 to Charlotte Amalie..I must say they have done a great job of renovating the ferry terminal..get tickets from outside windows now so everyone is not jammed inside etc.Good move at last!