Rental car from St. Thomas to St. John

[ender1019]

My soon to be wife and I are renting a villa on St. John for our honeymoon in a couple weeks. We have a reservation with Budget at the airport location on St. Thomas.

Which barge company should we use to cross over to St. John, and how long does it take to get from the airport location to Red Hook? Our flight arrives at 3:50PM, and I worry that we won't be able to reach the ferry in time. Thanks for any help!

[ender1019]

We are both 24 years old, so that somewhat limits out rental company options.

[Carib Mark]

First, congratulations on your impending nuptuals! Okay, the barge situation is that it take just about 20 minutes for the barge ride from Red Hook to Cruz Bay (as long as the long awaited new docking facility doesnt open this week because that may add 5-10 minutes). You need to be at Red Hook 20 min before launching and the ferries make last runs from St. Thomas between 6 and 7 PM depending on the company, so you shouldn't have a problem as its about a 30-45 min ride to Red Hook from the airport..usually. But, don't stop to shop, save that for another day and take the inexpensive passenger ferry from the St John passenger pier to downtown Charlotte Amalie when you do. As for which ferry to take? Jump on the first one you can get on when you get to Red Hook. They are all about equal and prices are pretty much the same. Be sure you ask for a round trip ticket when you pay (after you've parked on board they come around to collect) as it's cheaper and the return doesn't expire (don't lose the receipt). Also, you will have to use the same ferry company (they each run alternately every 15-30 minutes) when you return to St Thomas as the receipts are only for the barge company you bought it from. I think that about covers it, if you have other Q's, feel free to ask or email. Again, congratulations and enjoy my special island, and be sure to stop at Woody's for happy hour and hoist a cold one for me. Cheers!

[stjohn2912]

Pack light so that you have everything in carry-on luggage. When the plane lands, hop off, take the nearest cab to Red Hook Bay, then the ferry to Cruz Bay. Since the ferry leaves once every hour, you'll be there at least an hour before the travelers who had to wait for their luggage to be unloaded off the plane and two hours before the people who waited for their luggage and then had to take the cab to Charlotte-Amalie to take that ferry to Cruz Bay.