Do we have to go through customs coming from the U.S. into USVI? If so, since we are from here is there a faster line than for foreign travelers? We have an arrival time of 4:07 pm and had hoped to get on the 5 ferry from Red Hook. If we have to go through customs we probably won't make it.

no, only when you come back. It wasn't so bad.

Hi Docrox! Just returned from 3 glorious weeks in STJ. No customs going in. As Teton630 says, a small form to fill out when leaving, nothing major. I don't know if you will make that 5 p.m. ferry, but there should be one shortly thereafter. It does take a little time to get your luggage together and for the taxi to get over to Red Hook, but don't worry, it is neither a long or unpleasant wait. Make sure your car rental folks know though. By the way, just experienced a great little place in Coral Bay called "Sweet Plaintains" overlooking the harbor and a very neat, West Indian feel to it. Not your typical fried foods, burgers joint.

Would you recommend taking the 5:30 ferry from Charlotte Amalie if it looks like we won't make the 5:00 from Red Hook? Or is it just as easy to wait for the next (6:00) one at Red Hook? Would love to hear more about your trip T-cat. The concierge for our villa is the one who said there is customs. Guess I'll have to set her straight.

i just can't see making the 5:00 ferry with a 4:07 arrival. you will be trying to drive through CA during rush hour. ships will be uploading. the traffic is unreal. you can take an alterate rte. heading across the island and down the center to get to the east end but still tight on the timing. i think i might try for the last ferry out of CA. get out on the water and on your way .. just my opinion...
isn't tuxcat lucky to have enjoyed 3 weeks of paradise..

Docrox: Yeah, set the concierge straight. You get off the plane into the glorious sunshine, and descend the stairs onto the warm tarmac, walk to the terminal where the ladies at a booth will have set up wonderful little welcome rum punch samples in little dixie cups. Don't let the size fool you, they pack a punch. You walk around the corner to retrieve your luggage. There are plenty of taxis waiting just outside to take you to the ferries. Dependent upon the time, you can decide if you want to do the Charlotte Amalie downtown ferry. It is about a 5-10 minute ride from the airport and it is on the way to Red Hook anyways. You have to pass it to get to Red Hook. If you think you can make it, go for it. Bear in mind, it is a 45 minute ferry compared to a 20 minute Red Hook ferry. The two ferries go to the same dock in St. John. I'm afraid it'll be getting dark by the time you get to your villa. I'd suggest snapping up a couple of bottles of rum at the airport store which is right next to the luggage area. That way you can have cocktails on your porch watching the sunset. We had a terrific trip. I lost about a week of water time with an unexpected ear infection, but tried to make up for it the rest of the time. We tried out a couple of new restaurants, we discovered a remote bay which was overrun with starfish. I swam with 2 eagle rays at Little Lameshur bay. I chased a large silver fish thinking it was a tarpon only to be confronted with a 4 foot barrecuda. All the while, we worked on the landscaping at our house. I can't wait for you to go to StJ which is happening soon, right? You are going to have such a great time. When you are taking that shortcut from your Southshore villa up to the Centerline road and you are going up those curvy, incredibly steep hills and your eyes are big as saucers, think of ol' Tuxedocat smiling in spirit at all of that fun! Nevermind my trip, I can't wait to read your take on StJ. Please feel free to ask any more questions, though before you leave.

It is so good to know that CA is on the way to Red Hook. If the weather is questionable and I think the water may be rough, we will go on the Red Hook. You made me laugh this morning reading your message about driving up the windy roads. I will be the one doing all of the driving and we rented a big Montero to get all of us around. I will be thinking of you and all of your advice. Do you want to share any secret places you have found with me? I have your other Rec. on beaches ,etc. printed off.

DOCROX it does seem unlikely that you'll make a 5:00 RH ferry if you're only landing at 4:07. Get into the island pace (slow down) right away and don't make yourself crazy trying to get there in time. There will be another ferry shortly.

Instead use a few extra minutes to hit the duty free liquor store at the airport to stock up on provisions!

Tux - 3 weeks! I'm so jealous! I'm off to Calgary (brrrr) next week and can't wait for our 2 weeks in STJ in May! Tell more about new restaurants...we're bringing friends this time so we'll eat out more than usual. Sorry about the ear troubles but better to suffer in Paradise than at home!

You are so right about slowing down and relaxing. I tend to have to remind myself. Can we still do duty free even though it is U.S. virgin islands?

Yes! We fly from NJ to STT and have no problem buying as much liquor as they let us on the way in...and out.

When are you going? I'll be there in May! Can't wait! Trish

Minor hijack here. On the return home, do we have to get our bags at our connecting flight in the US and go through customs? Might be a stupid question, but we have not been to a Caribbean US territory. Thanks

You'll go through Customs here in St. Thomas before boarding your plane for the mainland so your bags will be checked through from here.

Trish: We tried Aqua Bistro and Sweet Plaintains in Coral Bay (the two new spots). Aqua Bistro is a lively setting in a newish complex right across from the harbor. There are some shops and the restaurant itself is in the center and is more a tiki bar and outdoor grill than restaurant. Casual and decent food. Sweet Plaintains was really neat. The owners are former New Yorkers and live on site. The food is West Indian and East Indian which is different from the rest of Coral Bay's offerings. The setting is very nice and the food is great. Of course, you'll impress your friends with Miss Lucy's. We didn't hang out in Cruz Bay much this go around. We did a lot of grilling at home and inviting a few neighbors over. Nothing like watching the sunset with a cocktail or three!

Trish- We leave in 12 days. But who is counting? I have the picture of our villa on my screensaver so I see it all day. Can't wait.
Does anyone know if Verizon picks up any towers down there? The company says "maybe".

Verizon...I'm hoping their service has improved from last time we were there in May 2004. My phone worked somewhat in Cruz Bay, but just about everywhere else on the island I had no service.

Hit reply too soon...

Tux - thanks for the restaurant update. Looking forward to trying Sweet Plantains. We'll definitely take our friends to Miss Lucy's. We too tend to do alot of grilling at home & spend less time in Cruz Bay.

92 days to go...

You'll never make the Red Hook 5:00. You don't have to deal w/ customs, but the wait for your luggage, and securing a taxi will take time. Plus, the driver will wait until he gets a full taxi. We tried to rush for that same ferry once, with 4 in our group. We told the driver what we wanted to do, but he's used to hearing that from everyone. Island time prevails. Traffic hour takes extra time. Even so, we'd rather wait for the next ferry, which wasn't very long by the time we got there & got the luggage out. The wait is not bad considering you have St. John in your sights by then.

Docrox: Verizon works on about a third of the island, basically the third that faces St. Thomas. I had to drive to Cruz Bay a couple of times a week to pick up my messages. The weird thing is that in the southern part of the island, you will most often get some service. I once answered a call while sitting at Salt Pond. As I recall, you guys are staying somewhere in the southern part looking towards St. Croix. You might be able to get service right at your villa. But Cruz Bay is usually good.

Docrox: I think you mentioned previously that you folks are thinking of renting a boat. If you do, I would take the opportunity to explore the beaches which are difficult to access from land. It's difficult to explain how to find some of these neat places, for example, the beach/bay we refer to now as "Starfish Beach," but it is in the northern half of Hurricane Hole. I think you may also just want to book a snorkeling trip with one of the local operators who would be able to take you to such remote, special places. Check with Crabby's in Coral Bay. The added advantage if you are not that familiar with boating is you won't run into coral heads and rocks. We had a few tense moments when we could have punctured a hole in our inflatable which had drifted unexpectedly onto a big coral head. Thank goodness we didn't actually hit it.

We will be in Hart Bay. I think with the inflatable boat we will stay close to home but will also do an excursion. Do you know about how far Hart Bay is from Cruz Bay? On the map it is a small distance but what is the travel time? We will plan on taking the advice given here and pick up our duty free liquor and get the next ferry. 8 days and counting!