My prior message ("Island Advice Sought" d. 8/30/06) paid off. We have decided that St John is the place to be -- now getting there is the problem. We live in Rochester NY (charitably described as a "non-major metro" market). Flight options are very limited and we are thinking of flying down to NYC a day ahead, and jumping on direct service to STT (with ferry to St John the same day). I would like to hear from people who have experience in getting from a non-major metro to STT / St John, particulary during peak travel periods. Any tips/advice to get semi-affordable (i.e. less than $1200/person) during peak times? Any experience with charter airlines? How about connecting from the STT airport to the ferry -- how is that accomplished: from Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie; how do you get to the ferry; do you need reservations; and how much time should be budgeted to get from the airport to the ferry terminal? Depdening on the the time our flight lands, we might need to stay over on STT and catch a ferry the following morning. Any suggestions on strategy --where to (cheaply) stay on STT, and which ferry termninal we should use?

I have spent a bunch of time on line researching airline connections and fares, and have found some attractive airfares advertised on Orbitz, Expedia etc., but the listed flights are not availabe.

I will enlist the help of a travel agent next week; they're all closed for the holiday weekend.

In the mean time, can anyone give us some practical advice on the questions presented, especially with respect to airfare -- other than quit your whining and pay the big bucks.

Thanks very much for your help.

David

Depends on what time of day you get to STT whether you get a ferry from Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook. You don't need reservations on the ferries. Just get a taxi at the STT airport which you'll share with others either staying on the east end of STT or will be going on the same ferry as you to STJ.

I can't help you with the air portion of your question. I doubt you would have to overnight in STT though. The ferrys run on the hour until midnight from Red Hook. The last one leaves CA at 5:30pm. Have you decided where to stay yet?

The prices you give are very expensive. Most STT flights are via San Juan - or do you have direct to STT? I've flown to STT three times in the past through years (granted through a major airport - Boston) and only paid around $250 to $400. Two times through San Juan and once direct. All 3 times American.

Getting to St. John is easy. As mentioned you do not need a reservation. It's shorter (and likely cheaper) from Red Hook, but downtown is closer to the airport.

Overally, I think you may be worrying a bit too much. At worst, if you arrive late, spend a night in STT and take the ferry the next day.

alright dave enough with the whining... no just kidding! i fly from bangor, maine so i know the non-major thing well. you might look at a hartford departure or even better is toronto. i'm seeing some prices from $950-1000 from YYZ.
your travel agent should surely be able to help with this, but, you are traveling in high season during an american holiday week....
now about the ferry. most ppl seem to take a taxi to red hook to catch the 20 minute ferry. no reservations are available for the ferry. normally it takes about 45 mins for the drive from airport to red hook, but if there are ships in the day you arrive, charlotte amalie will be a mess to drive through and the journey will be more like 90 mins. so be sure to instruct your cab driver to take the interior route. he will know what you mean! the ferry runs on the hour from 8am to midnight and is $3/pp.
if you are renting a car it may be easier to pick it up on st.john. the car ferry stops running earlier but i can't recall what time.
i must recommend an excursion that i thoroughly enjoyed and i think you and you kids will love it. go to www.newhorizonscharters.com the boat leaves from st.t but stops on st.j to pick up passengers. small, Very fast boat which will take you to the baths, then lunch, then a super snorkel spot with a last stop at white bay beach for the soggy dollar bar. (ice cream down the beach too and t-shirts) its a fabulous trip. book it as soon as possible if you want to go (like email them tonight as they fill up fast!!!) - does require passports.
in general: i would try like crazy to get on st. john all in one day. waking up there will be so much better than repacking and moving and you only have a week. if you must stay on st.t you could look at www.secretharourvi.com its very close to red hook ferry and they have 2 bdroom condo units and a full restaurant. not to much further away is wyhdham sugar bay which is all inclusive.
where are you staying on st. john?

I took a quick look myself at flight prices during this week out of Buffalo (I happen to live in Buffalo) - they are insane! I hope you are able to find something more reasonable. Have you considered having the kids miss a day of school and flying out on Friday, or Thursday afternoon? What about using priceline? They quote prices for around $1000 a ticket on the fixed price portion of the website.

It is such a shame that the low cost carriers do not fly to STT. Jet Blue has added Aruba, maybe STT will be next...

Thanks fellow travelers. Priceline worked out -- $800/RT ticket (departing and returning on Fridays), with generally convenient connection times. We arrive STT 7:30 pm and plan to catch a ferry over to St John the same night. Now, where do we stay? We surfed a million villas on the web looking for: (a) 2BR (with kids in separate beds); (b) convenient to north shore snorkeling; (c) water view (d) clean and nice but not extravagant; (d) pool or jacuzzi a plus but not required. And, oh yes, we hope no more than $3,000 for 7 nights.

One villa in Coral Bay (Calypso by the Sea) appears to fit the bill -- but seems somewhat remote from north shore. Any suggestions on villas with proximity to north shore snorkeling spots? Also,how good/bad are the roads on St John and is Coral Bay an OK spot from which to access north shore beaches?

Thanks (again)!

David

David, congratulations on your excellent decision! You and your family will love St John.
For villa ideas, here's a site you may not have seen. This page lists number of bedrooms and prices, lowest to highest. You'll be there in "high" season. It looks like the Great Cruz Bay area above the Westin will yield the most resonable priced 2 bedrom with pool (which I recommend) villa for you and the kids:

http://www.caribbeanvilla.com/3aindex.html

E.g. check out Jasmine and some of the others in your price range. That area (hilltop above Great Cruz Bay) is very convenient and the roads are all good. It is NOT the quietest part of StJ, but you're very nr the main town (Cruz Bay) and just past there, no more than a ten minute drive to some of the gorgeous north shore beaches (eg Hawks Nest, Gibney, Trunk). You can stop at Deli Grotto at Mongoose Jct for a great cup of coffee, to take with you to the beach.

There will be many more chances for advice from Fodorites prior to your trip. Meanwhile, check out the many StJ trip reports for ideas. One i wrote in July has experiences i had with my kids and grandkids on St J.
Re: another question you wrote, i felt completely safe there.Take the usual daily commonsense precautions you'd take anywhere,and you'll be fine.
A few thoughts and choices re: your arrival time of 7:30 pm to St Thomas' airport--note that many St John car rental companies close at 6 pm. But some make special arrangements if they know you're arriving late.
You'll have to take a taxi to Red Hook for a ferry that late.It might be worth looking into a private car service to meet you at the airport and get you to Red Hook.
Or--you could stay overnight at the hotel across the road from the airport--the Best Western Caribe. A short walk uphill across the street from STT. It was after 9 pm when I arrived first trip there. Hotel is simple, but fine, and MUCH cheaper ($100/night i think?)night than one at the villa, where i suspect you''ll be charged $400 or so as if you had a full day there--even though you won't arrive at the villa 'til 10 pm. You could get up refreshed the next morning and take the ferry from Charlotte Amalie, rent a car in Cruz Bay, and have the full day to enjoy the beaches and get to your villa.

Re: your ? about Coral Bay...I love the Coral Bay area. Quieter than Cruz Bay, more of a countryside feel. But it is a longer and more winding road uphill to the North Shore. However, my favorite breakfast place on the island is there (Donkey Diner) and you are nearer to an area you should NOT miss, out at Haulover (Vie's Snack Shack and Beach) which will give you a diff. feel for StJ than the area around Cruz Bay, or nr Great Cruz Bay/Westin Resort (which is great in a different way). IF you don't mind the longer drive to beaches and can get a place in your price range, and you don't miond being farther from the activites of Cruz Bay--pesonally, I'd go with Coral Bay side of StJ for a villa. The ride from there to No Shore if i recall right (correct m, otehr Fodor folks!) is about 30--40 minutes. But oh, the view as you leave Coral Bay and head up toward Bordeaux Mt!!!!
Have fun planning, and keep asking questions!!!

BTW, David, I love your home town: Wegman's, Park Ave, those gorgeous old homes of the executives in Kodak's heyday!

So many villas, no? Another Coral Bay possibility is

http://www.bookitvi.com/pinkhorses.htm.

In your price range, and "bookit" is a
reliable company, owned by the local Dove family.

Have fun!!

Zanabill: AA runs a direct flight everyday out of JFK to STT around 8 a.m., arriving by 11:55 a.m. How far is Rochester? We have driven from the Hartford, Connecticut area and actually prefer this flight even if we have to start driving at 4 a.m. (Others may require more time, but we've now gotten this process down to a science.) It is an effort, but it's not everyday, and we love getting on the plane and getting there in one flight. Also, this flight arrives earlier than most, and you still have half the day. These flights are running about $400-550 per person roundtrip. The return trip is around 1:30 p.m. so you're back at JFK around 5:00. Once on St. Thomas, the process is less arduous than it may appear. Whether you choose Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook, it should take you about an hour and a half to set foot on St. John.

Tuxedocat, you are *brilliant*!! Hopefully David will see this soon.
It'd be a hop, skip, jump for him, as JetBlueflies frequent daily direct flights between Rochester and JFK.
So much better than arriving late... as I experienced my first trip from Calif to STT.

My sister takes those very AA flights. Knowing how St John attracts "small world" stories, I wouldn't be surprised if you've seen each other once or twice!

Wow, Carib, this is the third post I've read from you which is disturbingly "troll" like. I hope you are at least democratic and warning people off of every part of the planet that is experiencing crime. What's the answer? Cut and run? No thanks. No one's going to drive me from this little rock of paradise.

cairb - enough with the article already. Everyone read it the first time. Thanks.

We traveled to St. John from Rochester a few years ago. We basically took a flight from Rochester with one connection and then landed in St. Thomas. We then took a Shuttle water-taxi from the port near the airport (Charlotte Amalie) directly to the resort (Caneel Bay). I recall that we left early in the morning and were in our room late afternoon. It was a pretty easy trip. Coming back the water taxi went to Red Hook (20 min ride), so it was a litte longer on land getting to the airport.

Coming from Rochester, we're pretty used to not getting direct flights (and having to pay higher fares since Rochester is expensive to fly in and out of), however we usually try to limit our connections as much as possible. I was just looking into flights to St Thomas so I know that US Airways goes there with one connection through Philly. If you're traveling during a peak time, there's probably not much you can do to avoid very high fares.

It seems like a big hassle to spend an extra night in NYC (?both going and coming) ... You have to figure hotel, meals and transport from airport to hotel. Would you really save that much? Sometimes you can get better rates on US Airways from Buffalo or Syracuse. I would try that first before NYC.

Try Spirit Airlines. Great airline. Not sure where they fly out of. Also, if you get into St. Thomas after 5:00, you'll miss the last ferry from Charlotte Amalie and will have to go to Red Hook. Book a taxi through Freddie at Dynamic tours - tell him Cheryl from Chicago recommended him. He'll take you straight to the ferry at Red Hook. Otherwise, you will have to stop at all the hotels along the way to Red Hook.

We are visiting St. John (will be our fourth time) and we are Rochester residents. We are using FF miles out of Buffalo. We fly into St. Thomas and ferry over to St. John. An issue would be if you were going to St. John expecting to pick up your rental car after the rental stores are closed. Their hours are definitely different than ours. Fortunately. It is one of the many nice things about the island. We are most disappointed about not being able to stock up at the duty free in St. Thomas.