hoyas1

We are a family of four visiting St John for 3 weeks in December-January. Any recommendations on car rentals agency (reasonable price?) in SJ? Is a 4 wheel drive necessary or can we get by with a traditional car? Also, is it possible to rent a car in St Thomas and take a car ferry to SJ? Thank you

joan

I did a bit of research on this, as I am going there also in February. And the concensus seems to be: rent the car from Amalie car rental at the St. Thomas airport. This saves $$ and the hassle of transferring luggage from taxi to eventual rental car (if you wait til you get to St. John), and you can even shop for supplies on St. Thomas (cheaper than St. John) if you have time before catching the Red Hook ferry. Then ride the car ferry (be careful about the timing as I believe they stop around 6 PM). Only get a one way ticket because there are several barge companies and they do not honor each other's round trip tickets.

There are endless threads about this subject on the "other" travel board. There is true love for Amalie car rental, as they have no hidden fees and they meet you at the airport both ways. (I think my response will be deleted if I mention or link to them directly.)

Have fun!

hoyas1

Joan, thanks much. As the rates for a 4 wheel drive jeep type vehicle are quite high why not rent a traditional car on St Thomas and take that onto the ferry and drive that on St John's? Am I missing something? Are the roads on St John bad enough to require a jeep type vehicle? Thank you

joan

Hoyas, I do believe that the switchbacks are numerous and difficult for 2 WD vehicles, especially after a rain. Also, some roads are unpaved and you will appreciate the high clearance of a jeep. So if you plan on lots of exploring, or are renting a villa in the hills, then you will need a 4WD.

On the other hand, if you are staying in Cruz Bay and willing to take buses and taxis, then you won't need a rental car at all!

Bassguy66

You will 100% want 4WD. I rented a jeep, and on two occasions, if I didn't put it in 4WD, we wouldn't make it up the steep grades, and that was on dry roads. If you rent from a company on STJ, many will let you use there parking lot to park in Cruz Bay, where parking is almost non-existant.

DebitNM

If you rent on St Thomas and need service, you will be S.O.L. They(car rental ) won't come help.

janisj

Some agencies allow their cars to be taken across on the Ferry and some don't. It is not all that unusual.

Th VInow website addresses this in their FAQ's

>>I am vacationing on St. John but heard that car rentals are cheaper on St. Thomas. What are the pros and cons of renting on St. Thomas and taking the rental over to St. John on the car barge for the week?<<

>>Answer: The pros: the dollar value/savings as rentals on St. Thomas are often cheaper than on St. John, Budget Rental Car on St. Thomas is the only one that will rent a vehicle to persons under 25 (addition fee charged) and if you’d like to grocery shop on St. Thomas it is convenient to get your vehicle at the St. Thomas airport and head to the store and then to the barge. The cons: if you need road assistance for one reason or the other (locked keys in car, car trouble…) your assistance is a water crossing away. Some frequent St. John visitors also point out that when renting a car from a agency on St. John often you are allowed to use their parking lot in Cruz Bay. Parking is tight in Cruz Bay so if you plan on dining and shopping there often, this could be a plus.

Note Not all rental car agencies on St. Thomas allow their vehicles to go over to St. John. And no rental car agencies on St. John allow their vehicles to go over to St. Thomas.<<

joan

I wanted to respond to DebitNM. I have been assured by Amalie Car Rental that they have 24 hour service on both islands, and indeed have mechanic/help living on St. John. So hopefully I won't be SOL if anything happens. The owner told me that since they have new vehicles, most calls are either lost keys or flat tires, so I'm not going to worry.

Have you had a bad experience yourself, DebitNM? Which car company was it?

DebitNM

We have only ever rented from: http://www.conradcars.com/

We visit friends that live in St. John and it's who they recommend.