Chill Out Charters v. Dolphin Water Taxi?

We are a group of 8 heading down next week. Originally booked Dolphin for a total cost of $448/per person round trip. One of our crew has found Chill Out Charters that looks to be $328 per person round trip. Has anyone used Chill Out recently?

Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. There are various Customs and departure fees which can really add up.

Make sure they are adding all the costs on the Chill out estimate. They make these water taxi’s estimates like reading a phone bill.

Trying very hard to compare apples to apples. Chill Out quote says

"The prices below show both the “one way” cost and the total round-trip price if required. A round trip booking attracts a 10% discount on the return journey (excluding international processing fees).
International processing fees cover: Clearances in & out of the BVI, St. Thomas dockage, BVI port fees, cruising permits, environmental levi, USVI port fees & USVI port passenger tax. They do not cover the covid arrival tests required for all passengers at the Port of Entry"

As mentioned, be sure you have all fees in your quote, i.e. customs processing fees, as well as expected tips. Our folks used Chillout Water Taxi twice this year with excellent service and beautiful high performance boat (actually two of them). They are based in BVI, therefore a local business (if that makes any difference). They are a smaller company, whereas Dolphin Water Taxi is a larger operation with a large fleet of boats, and they are based out of St. Thomas. Either way, the pick-up and return drop-off is Red Hook on St. Thomas, so be sure to consider the taxi fare between STT and Red Hook each way. If you decide to obtain a quote from Chillout, mention to Rachel & Deane you want the 'Noel' fare, as well as Captain Shady on Midnight Express (and complimentary cold Carib on board). I believe both will take you to West End to clear customs and immigration, so be sure your BVI destination is the same for each quote.

CottageGirl - I don't believe an arrival Covid test is now part of the new protocol? Wasn't that changed just recently? Seems I read you only need to arrive with proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test taken within a few days of arrival. It was $50 upon arrival last month, but thinking that test is no longer required. Don't forget you will need a Covid test before returning to St. Thomas, so need to have a plan. The Abbott eMed tests worked for us.

I don't know anything about Chill Out, but we have used Dolphin. Although Dolphin is expensive, we have always been very happy with their service.

Thanks for the feedback! Noel - yes, that quote from the email was before they lifted the test on arrival if you're tested negative within 48 hrs of arrival. And, yes, we are all traveling with Binax self-administered proctored tests for our return to USVI.

We took Chill Out today from Peter Island to Red Hook. Pick up to dock @Red Hook in 2 hours. That includes clear-out at West End, clear-in at Cruz Bay. Unfortunately there was a squall on our way to West End and we all got soaked. Our captain, Ricky, did the best he could and provided some dry towels once we got to West End. Mostly dried out by the time we got to Cruz Bay. Very fast, sweet boat. However, it was pretty bumpy ride at 30+kts....I think Ricky was trying to make up the time we lost slogging thru the squall.

There were 8 of us. $100pp for the ride plus $50pp in fees. $120 gratuity.

I would def use Chill Out again. Easy to book. More reasonable cost than some of the others. Had a similar experience with Island Times last July (less the squall). Probably less chance of getting wet in bad weather on one of the other taxi services....perhaps less bumpy as well.....like Dolphin.

Great feedback. We’ve gone ahead and booked with Chill Out. It’s $300/pp vs $448 round trip.

We (6 of us) just used Chillout roundtrip between Red Hook and Road Harbour (via West End and entry testing on way to BVI and via Cruz Bay for USVI entry on way back) and greatly enjoyed their service.

If we water taxi from Road Town to St Thomas(Red Hook), do we have to stop at Cruz Bay(STJ)?

yes. Cruz Bay is where you clear-in to the USVI.

We LOVE Chill Out Charters. We paid $150 per person for 6 or more people (all fees included and no charge for luggage) with a pick up/drop off at Moorings base and Red Hook. They will pick up/drop off in Charlotte Amalie for an additional fee but it was cheaper for us to have Kevin drive us to Red Hook. Shady was our captain and he made everything so fast and easy. We decided on the water taxi this time because we were bringing the dog and the ferry has iffy rules for dogs. It was so nice that we will do this from now on. Since we were there for 3 weeks, my kids met us halfway through and took the ferry. Their cost was $70 for the one way ticket, $10 for clearing in fees, $10 for each bag and $10 per person for the cab from the ferry to the base. The ferry was also over an hour late. So, for $50 more a person you get to leave when you want to, get there faster and have a much nicer experience.

Sue - Totally agree! If you can swing the extra $50 bucks, it is well worth it. We've used Chill Out and Island Times. Both were great and happy to accommodate pretty much any pickup spot and time.