mstubby

Hello all,

I'm hoping I can get some help. My fiance and I are planning on traveling to St. John for our Honeymoon at the end of July in 2011. At that time, both of us will still be 24. I've noticed that a lot of the car rental places have a minimum age of 25 in order to rent their cars. I was wondering if anyone knew of a place that we could rent a car on St. John (or even St. Thomas if they would let us take the ferry to St. John) since we're under 25. Also, could we have one of our parents rent the car and then just have us drive us? I'm not really sure, and any help would be great.

Thanks!!!!!

RoamsAround

I don't know of a car rental company on St. John or St. Thomas that will rent to people under 25 - perhaps others might be able to help. To answer your other question, if the rental companies won't rent to you because you are under 25 they certainly won't let you drive a car rented by someone who is older. It's a matter of insurance liability. Besides, what you are suggesting is not legal - the person renting the car has to pick it up in person and show a valid driver's license (I'm assuming your parents are not accompaning you on your honeymoon).

mstubby

RoamsAround,

Thanks for your help in clearing that up. I just wasn't sure if that would even be an option. Apparently not. If anyone else could maybe help me figure out some alternate means of personal transportation other than a taxi that would be great.

Thanks!

mrssparky

mstubby,

Perhaps you could ask your rental managers if they know of any outfits that rent to 24 year olds.

I hope something works out for you.

Great spot for a honeymoon!

Congrats and good luck.

doug_stallings

A while back there was a very similar thread, and we couldn't identify a single company that would rent to someone under 25. But do you really need a car? What are your plans? If you're staying in a villa, this may be a problem, but you stay in a resort like the Westin or Caneel Bay, it may not be such a big deal. You have a LOT of time to plan this trip and are going in the off-season, so I think you may have some other options available to you even if you have already made up your mind what you want.

brenandg

Although I don't really recommend it, St John can be done without a rental car, we did it our first trip. I recommend something near Cruz Bay such as Gallow's Point, Grande Bay where we have stayed. Also Lavender Hill is right in Cruz Bay or The Westin has taxi's readily available. Coral Bay or a villa really will not be doable. You just won't have the ability to explore the whole island as taxi's mainly go to the North Shore Beaches. There is a $1 bus that goes to Coral Bay but the schedule is iffy. From Cruz Bay, you can hike to Solomon and Honeymoon beaches and go further on to Caneel and taxi back. And, you can always spend one day hopping over to the BVI's by ferry. We always rent our vehicle the entire time, but there are some days we don't even use it.

virginia

is it possible to rent mopeds on st john?? maybe they wouldn't require age 25.

doug_stallings

With all the hills, I'm not sure that's the best idea, particularly with driving on the left. And then there's the cost, which might actually be more than the cost of renting a car. But I think it's possible, though I just don't think it's safe unless you are an experienced moped or scooter rider.

mstubby

Thanks for all your help guys, I'm definitely gonna be looking into all of these things.

Thanks!

wliwl

Be sure to check rental car agencies on St Thomas too (maybe Dependable?). Some of them will let you take the cars on the ferry over to St. John.

hawksbill

Yeah, I don't know if renting a moped is an option, but if it is, you shouldn't do it anyway, for the reasons Doug_Stallings mentioned.

Plenty of people do visit St. John without renting a car. I personally wouldn't do it that way, although, given the choice, I'd definitely prefer to be 24 again, without a car! Without a car, you'd end up being dependent on taxis to get around. They're not expensive, but they're not so convenient either, even if you're only going back and forth along the North Shore. If I were going to St. John without a car, I'd want to stay at Caneel Bay, which would afford the greatest variety of beaches and meal options without needing vehicular transportation. But of course, Caneel is very expensive. You could also stay at Gallows Point and walk into town for restaurants and bars and so forth, but I think St. John is more about the beaches than about the town.

Let me just throw this out there: If your parents rented a jeep, would the rental agency necessarily ask who'll be driving it? Maybe they won't rent to a <25 person, but they don't mind if one drives the jeep. Also, although I would never suggest doing something illegal, I would note that law enforcement on St. John is pretty much nonexistent.

virginia

well that's just plain bad advice. in any event the renter must show his/her drivers license to any rental agency - in person.

hawksbill

It's bad advice to ask a car rental agency what their policy is?

Virginia, have you ever rented a car on St. John? Have you ever been to St. John?

brlyhe

My fiance and I are going in June and were running into the same problem. Budget rents cars to under 25 for an additional fee. http://www.budgetstt.com/about.php This is what my fiance and I are planning on doing.

rburgess55

I would call Discount Car Rental at 877-478-2833. They might rent to you and they don't have the bad reviews that Budget has. I've used them last time I was on island and they were very good.