{"id":7819,"date":"2017-09-22T09:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-09-22T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=7819"},"modified":"2017-09-22T17:35:22","modified_gmt":"2017-09-22T21:35:22","slug":"island-to-island-by-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=7819","title":{"rendered":"Island to Island…By Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 2017 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Going to St. John while on St. Thomas is an absolute must!<\/p>\n

But, how do you get there?<\/p>\n

Yes, there is a passenger ferry that operates from St. Thomas’ Red Hook Harbor every hour. \u00a0This entailed parking our car and paying the daily parking rate of $5 as well as the ferry fare for the four of us…$6.00 per person, each way, plus a luggage surcharge for carrying our cooler and beach chairs.<\/p>\n

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St. Thomas passenger ferry and terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After our arrival in St. John, the question remained…how would we get around?<\/p>\n

We could walk from Cruz Bay to the nearest trail and then hike to the nearest beaches, Solomon or Honeymoon. \u00a0If we chose this option, however, it would mean only bringing snorkel equipment and a towel. \u00a0No cooler…no chairs.<\/p>\n

We could rent a car…approximately $80-$100 for the day.<\/p>\n

Or…we could hire a taxi. \u00a0We knew we wanted to visit Trunk Bay, which would cost $6.00 per person, each way. \u00a0We also wanted to visit other beaches, adding to the overall cost and eliminating spontaneity.<\/p>\n

So…the grand total for taking the passenger ferry for the day would be well over $100-$150, depending on the method of transportation and number of destinations.<\/p>\n

There had to be a better way.<\/p>\n

We already had a car on St. Thomas…was there a way to take it to St. John?<\/p>\n

Love City Car Ferries to the rescue!<\/p>\n

Thankfully, we investigated this option early on in our trip. \u00a0Love City Car Ferries, takes reservations for cars and trucks up to three tons and must be booked three days before your trip. \u00a0The total cost for the car, its occupants and luggage is $50, plus a $3 port fee. \u00a0That’s it…we drive on…we drive off.<\/p>\n

The day of our trip, we were up early and arriving in Red Hook Harbor, following the signs to the car ferry loading apron. \u00a0Directed to back into lines for organized loading onto the ferry, we realized that we were actually a bit early. \u00a0After asking the attendant if the ferry we were about to back onto was Love City’s 9:00 am ferry (it was currently 8:15), we were informed that we needed to move to another line. \u00a0The ferry we were in line to board was Boyson’s Inc.’s Mister B.<\/p>\n

Moving to the first line, we watched cars, delivery vehicles and even a dump truck back onto Mister B. \u00a0We definitely learned what to do and what not to do!<\/p>\n

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Loading of Boyson’s Ferry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, Mister B departed and Love City’s Captain Vic pulled up to the loading apron. \u00a0Being the first to back onto the ferry was a plus as we only had to watch out not to back into the ferry, not other cars. \u00a0Slowly, other vehicles filled the ferry and it was time to depart.<\/p>\n

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Mister B’s Ferry, unloading before we backed on<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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First car on the ferry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Though my husband and children opted to stay in the car for the ride over, I climbed to the top of the wheelhouse and watched Red Hook Harbor grow smaller and the neighboring islands pass by…Great St. James, Little St. James, Dog Island and finally Steven Cay as we pulled up to the Car Ferry Dock at Enighed Pond. \u00a0The trip was a mere twenty minutes.<\/p>\n

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Top of the wheel house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Arriving into St. John’s Enighed Pond<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Departing the barge was a less complicated affair since all we had to do was drive forward off of the boat and make our way onto the island.<\/p>\n

When we booked our trip, we had elected to return on a 7:00 pm ferry. \u00a0Around 3:00 pm, we were getting tired from being in the sun all day and checked the ferry schedule. \u00a0It appeared that there was a 4:00 pm and then a 6:15 pm departure time. \u00a0Not seeing the 7:00 departure that we had booked (and was on our reservation), we were a little nervous about waiting and not making it off of the island. \u00a0We all agreed that we would make our way quickly back to the car ferry dock and inquire as to whether or not we could take the early boat.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, we did not wait until 7:00. \u00a0Apparently, Love City has an agreement with Global Marine ferries and travel with the two companies is interchangeable. \u00a0On this day, however, Global Marine was not operating. \u00a0So, our only two options were 4:00 pm and 6:15 pm and there was no problem with our taking the early ferry.<\/p>\n

Once again, we lined up and backed our car on to the ferry…my husband was becoming quite proficient! \u00a0This time, we all stayed put inside the car and luckily for us we did…it started to rain!<\/p>\n

A short time later, we were back in Red Hook Harbor and ready for dinner!<\/p>\n

Although it was quite difficult to figure out the ferry situation in St. John, we are glad that this is the way we approached it. \u00a0Though we were only able to contact and book with Love City Ferries, it appears that Boyson was operating regularly at the time. \u00a0After numerous unsuccessful attempts to reach Boyson for their schedule and procedure to book, we decided on Love City. \u00a0A bit confusing, it seems that Love City has been the only operator that has offered reliable service over the past few years.<\/p>\n

If you decide to utilize the car barge for a trip to St. John, I would suggest taking a trip to the ferry pier prior to your trip to inquire as to the ferry schedules and operators. \u00a0I understand the Boyson may be a bit cheaper, but whichever company you decide to use, be sure to ask the attendant for scheduled departure times for your return trip later in the day.<\/p>\n

Have a great time!<\/p>\n

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.<\/p>\n

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St. Thomas to St. John Passenger Ferry<\/strong><\/p>\n