Don't Leave Home Without It

Important Notes About Your Arrival!

Scheduling Your Flight: Please plan to arrive on St. John by 8PM. If possible, take a flight that arrives in St. Thomas no later than 6pm to give you time to get to the 7pm ferry.

Arrival: Please call (776-6641 extension 101) after you have collected your luggage and are ready to leave the airport. That call will help us determine which ferry you will be on. Please state the time, villa name and your last name. We need advance notice for someone to meet you at the Cruz Bay dock our greeters monitor the voice-mail. We ONLY meet the ferry when we have been called. If your flight is delayed en route you are required to contact us.

We can ONLY meet the ferry when we have been called.

Lost luggage: The airline will advise you that it could be on the next flight. If you decide to wait for your luggage, find out when the next flight arrives and call us at once. If your luggage fails to arrive on the next flight, file a claim at the airport using your villa phone number as the delivery contact; and call and advise us that you are leaving the airport. Do not wait for more than one flight.

Getting to St. John: Either the Downtown or the Red Hook ferry (including the taxi ride) will get you to Cruz Bay, St. John in about the same amount of time and for about the same price. The downtown ferry is always a rougher ride. Also, if you should miss the boat, there’s nowhere to wait except in the hot sun amidst downtown traffic. If you have prepaid your taxi through Freddie Lettsome, www.dynamictoursvi.net look for him as you walk into the baggage claim area.

Getting to the Ferry: After you have claimed your luggage, proceed to the taxi stand just outside the baggage claim area. Tell the dispatcher you want to go to the St. John Ferry at Red Hook or the St. John ferry from downtown at the water-front. We advise heading for Red Hook.

Due to Homeland Security Regulations: ALL PASSENGERS MUST CARRY PHOTO IDS, and SHOW THEM TO THE DOCK OR FERRY PERSONNEL, Upon REQUEST. Also all luggage put on ferries MUST be tagged with name, phone number and address.

Ferry Ride:

Red Hook Ferry: 30 - 50 minute taxi ride from the airport ($12-15 per person). 20 minute ferry ride. Departs from Red Hook ferry dock every hour on the hour from 6 am to midnight. The Fare is $5 per person and there is a $2.00 charge for each additional bag excluding carry on items. You buy tickets at the ticket booth.

Downtown Ferry: 10 minute taxi ride from the airport ($7-9 per person) It’s a 45-minute ferry ride (can be a poor choice for those who tend to get sea sick - especially if the sea looks choppy.) Leaves from Charlotte Amalie waterfront at: 9am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 3pm, and 4pm, 5:30pm. The Fare is $11.50 and there is a $3.00 charge for each additional bag excluding carry on items. They collect the fee on board; no Red Caps.

Disembarking the Ferry: After all passengers have disembarked, your bags will be handed down by the deck hands. Do not attempt to remove your luggage from the ferry yourself. Red caps can take your luggage to the end of the dock where your greeter will be holding a Catered To Vacation Homes sign.

Your Greeter: After meeting your greeter you will be directed to the rental car agency to pick up your pre-arranged vehicle. You or your porter may place any excess luggage that will not fit in your rental vehicle into the greeter’s vehicle. Your greeter does not handle luggage either at the dock or at the villa. Remember you are responsible for getting your luggage to the dock on the day of departure. Make certain you have rented a vehicle large enough to handle your luggage and group or be prepared to make two trips.

At Your Villa: Upon arrival your greeter will give you your keys and an island and villa orientation. Each home is fully furnished and equipped with bed linens, bath and beach towels, beach chairs and a picnic cooler. Snorkel gear is not provided. You can bring your own or rent at one of the dive shops on the island.

Provisioning: Kati Lady can do this for you www.katilady.com (340) 693-8500

What to Bring: Dress is informal with shorts and shirts the standard daytime attire. Both the custom and the law say that bathing suits are not to be worn anywhere but on the beach. Casual clothes are suitable for evening; Daytime temperatures are in the high eighties to low nineties, you may want to bring a jacket or sweater for cooler evenings.

Groceries: We now have four stateside style mini-markets on St. John that provide a more than adequate supply of fresh and frozen meats, staples, and an array of basic frozen and canned foods. We also have an excellent bakery upstairs from our office. We do not think the small saving in cost is worth the aggravation and loss of vacation time that a trip to a St. Thomas supermarket entails.

Useful Info: We speak English in the Virgin Islands and use the American dollar. Passports are preferred but immigration control will accept a Stateside Photo ID or certified birth certificates. (Be aware that this may delay your passage through customs and immigration) Passports are required for travel between the U.S. to the U.S.V.I. and to the islands outside the U.S. jurisdiction.

Departure: Check out time is 10am. You must vacate the villa at 10 am so the maid can prepare the home for the next guests. Due to airlines regulations they ask you are at the airport 3 hours before your departure time. By either route, plan at least one-hour traveling time from Cruz Bay to the airport. Baggage Check-In is cut off 45 minutes before the flight departure time.

Red Hook Ferry: Every hour on the hour from 6 am-Midnight to Red Hook.

Downtown Ferry: Leaves at 7:15am, 9:15am, 11:15am, 1:15 pm, 2:15pm, and 3:45pm.

We look forward to greeting you on beautiful St. John!