I would forget any possibility of getting off St Thomas Friday night. I also feel like trying to catch the 7:45 is an early morning rush for you and the kids. Remember, you are on vacation. I suggest using a combination of what Manpot and GeorgeC1 suggested. Spend the night at Emerald Beach (just off the airport property). The hotel is decent. The food is decent and the kids can enjoy the beach. Then catch the 9am ferry from CA for the reason GeorgeC1 said above. I believe this option is the most stress free start to your vacation. I realize that may get you off the dock later than you had hoped. But stress free.
What about your return?
Thanks, ndfaninnc! The 9am ferry out of Charlotte-Amalie was our original plan and would be our preference for all the reasons you stated, but when the Native Son & Smith's ferry schedules came out with no 9am CA option listed, we assumed there wouldn't be a ferry offered at that location/time because it's not the busy season. Good to know that the 9am ferry still runs on Fridays in May/June! Hopefully RTFF will update their schedule in the next few weeks so we can buy our ferry passes!
I went back and forth about whether we should stay at Emerald Beach or Windward Passage. Ultimately, I decided I'd rather be closer to the CA ferry dock since we'll probably be too exhausted to enjoy the beach for long anyway (we get up at 4am to catch our flight to STT). It was a tough choice, though.....the online reviews of Emerald Beach were pretty tough (claiming it is in dire need of repair, rats in the rooms, etc.), but some folks also complained about noise and the "rough neighborhood" behind Windward Passage. So I booked a WP room with an ocean-view so as to be on the quieter front side of the building and I figured we could walk down to Stone House Cafe or someplace for dinner before an early bedtime. I am open to any and all critiques of this plan!
The return journey has it's own ferry/cab dilemmas. We return our charter boat on Sunday 6/4 and are staying that night at Lighthouse Villas on Cane Garden Bay (CGB is not on our cruising itinerary right now, but we wanted to take the kids there). Our flight home leaves the next day, Mon 6/5, from STT at 3:12pm. So we're trying to figure out our options. Do we take a cab to Road Town for the 8:30 ferry to Red Hook (Aquatic Rentals) or the 10am ferry to CA (Native Son)? Or could we wait for the 11:30 Aquatic Rentals from the West End to Red Hook since we have carry-on luggage only? I'm all about minimizing stress, especially travelling with kiddos, but I'd rather spend more of my extra time on a beach chair in CGB than at the airport if possible!
