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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: joeandholls]
#20940
06/30/2013 03:17 PM
06/30/2013 03:17 PM
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999 Macon, Georgia
GlennA
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999
Macon, Georgia
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Looks like Native Son has pressed the Lady Virginia into service on the Tortola runs. Saw her leaving West End at 12:30 yesterday. Usually she is tied up at CA to serve the cruise ships.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: joeandholls]
#20942
06/30/2013 06:13 PM
06/30/2013 06:13 PM
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213 GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
sail2wind
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213
GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
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joeandholls said: That's just a mess and has to get fixed! On Sunday? Locals need the weekend ferries for shopping trips to St. Thomas, and for tourists, it's a huge turn around day, I'm starting to smell a conspiracy <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" /> You are giving them way too much credit <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: sail2wind]
#20943
06/30/2013 11:41 PM
06/30/2013 11:41 PM
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Sorry to say this but I have 16 people on two catamarans coming in late July and they have to have some certainty in their return trip to St. Thomas so they can get home for important matters. This will most likely be the last time I do this. It has been yearly since 1981. I imagine that I along with my friends spend upwards to $70,000.00 yearly in the BVI and that will stop. I just can't feel responsible for their travel yet in the past I had "no worries". Wake Up BVI
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
#20945
07/01/2013 04:22 AM
07/01/2013 04:22 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 673 Lutz, FL
tangerine3
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 673
Lutz, FL
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Anonymous said: Sorry to say this but I have 16 people on two catamarans coming in late July and they have to have some certainty in their return trip to St. Thomas so they can get home for important matters. This will most likely be the last time I do this. It has been yearly since 1981. I imagine that I along with my friends spend upwards to $70,000.00 yearly in the BVI and that will stop. I just can't feel responsible for their travel yet in the past I had "no worries". Wake Up BVI that much money involved and that many ppl have you ever considered a private charter from bvi to stt? I have heard there are some from red hook? that was a long time ago though anyone else know?
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: tradewinds]
#20946
07/01/2013 04:26 AM
07/01/2013 04:26 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 673 Lutz, FL
tangerine3
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 673
Lutz, FL
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this has been going on for years. was just there a in early june. native son pulled through again. obviously a way of life. make sure you ask for one more vac day to get back to work . . . . if that's the way you plan to go by ferry that is
Last edited by tangerine3; 07/01/2013 04:27 AM.
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: tangerine3]
#20947
07/01/2013 07:29 AM
07/01/2013 07:29 AM
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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I had no problems yesterday(sunday). We landed at 1:45, Kevin was waiting for us and already had reserved us seats on the 2:45 RTFF and we were on Tortola by 4. Kevin is the way to go. Before you land he already has the ferry situation figured out. We are at Tamarand Club until monday, then we get on our catco boat. Cheers Hophead
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
#20951
07/01/2013 06:15 PM
07/01/2013 06:15 PM
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Anonymous said: Sorry to say this but I have 16 people on two catamarans coming in late July and they have to have some certainty in their return trip to St. Thomas so they can get home for important matters. This will most likely be the last time I do this. It has been yearly since 1981. I imagine that I along with my friends spend upwards to $70,000.00 yearly in the BVI and that will stop. I just can't feel responsible for their travel yet in the past I had "no worries". Wake Up BVI The ferries are no longer a scalable or practical solution to move airlift passengers between countries. The rigorous safety standards, the security of two independent nations, the price of oil, the cost of trained labor and the cost of modern boats doom the business case. In the BVI and STT combo the taxi politics further doom the practice of the past. The land in STT, that requires some to go through US immigration, get your bags, get a third world taxi, ride a taxi or van, to find and catch a third world ferry boat, then handle C&I on Tortola, to then find and ride yet another third world taxi to your hotel. Yes to some that is great fun and adventure. To so many other that is a BS way to add hassle and risk to family or group travel. Either get St. Thomas to allow simple ferry transport direct from the airport to a reasonable BVI ferry hub. Or go forward with a major jet port at EIS. The way I read the paper neither set of Islands want the cross border ferries to work? Without the full support and cooperation of both the BVI and USVI the STT as the air gateway is doomed. Today there is simply no way to determine how many hours a traveler must budget for the cross border airport. If the ferry is part of your flight plan you need to add a day on both ends just in case the ferries do not work out that day.
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
#20952
07/01/2013 07:21 PM
07/01/2013 07:21 PM
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,274 Vero Beach, Fl and South Sound...
tpcook
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,274
Vero Beach, Fl and South Sound...
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it seems to me that both the USVI and the BVI need to get the ferry system to work. Furthermore I don't see any reason why it could not work. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />
tpcook
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: sail2wind]
#20953
07/01/2013 08:12 PM
07/01/2013 08:12 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 72 Seymour, IN
indianaph
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 72
Seymour, IN
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sail2wind said: Anon, with 16 people take a water taxi, not much more then ferries and plenty of certainty. tangerine3 & sail2wind My wife and I are in the above referenced group and if it weren't for the fact that the group is coming in from all over the US, at different times and different days, we would definitely go the water taxi route. Our departure schedule is pretty much the same as our arrival schedule. Given our circumstances, we are in the same boat as most of the rest of the people on this board. I do appreciate the info, the anon post was from a regular on the board, they just weren't logged in when the post was made. Thanks, Chad
The next time you get mad, ask yourself the following question. Will it will matter a year from now? If it won't, breathe in, breathe out and move on. Life is short, remember to have fun along the way.
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: Lcrich]
#20957
07/02/2013 12:46 AM
07/02/2013 12:46 AM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720 Massachusetts
maytrix
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
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Lcrich said: They are all a crap shoot. Doesn't change daily, it's by the minute!! We called from hotel and were guaranteed a ferry at a certain time. Taxied over in ten minutes and the ferry was cancelled. Stay at the BW Emerald on both ends and just chill!! Great hotel! That being said, we are flying straight to Beef this next trip. We put the extra hotel and ferry cost into the airline ticket. Well worth it!!!! I think more people are going to start doing this. Its one thing to plan a day on each end because you want to. Its another to have to just to have a buffer. At most we pay $200 more per ticket to fly into EIS. If you factor out the ferry and added taxi, its not much more at all and we get in by noon on our first day unlike end of day if we went through St Thomas. Just makes the most sense. Although I o till check STT flights just to make sure there isn't a huge difference.
Matt
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: LauraTheTshirtGal]
#20961
07/02/2013 12:33 PM
07/02/2013 12:33 PM
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,678 An island state of mind
tradewinds
OP
Traveler
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OP
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,678
An island state of mind
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Actually, Kevin has had a great handle on what was running/not running when he picks us up, especially this last time. Coming back from Tortola, we would have been screwed if I hadn't called him and he told us to take the earlier ferry to Red Hook. He was gonna be late to pick us up, but sent one of his friends. Galeaux's crew was in the same "boat" as us, and hopped a ride, too. You can reach him by email or cell, but give him a couple days notice: 340-643-0025 kevintaxi101@yahoo.com
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: LauraTheTshirtGal]
#20962
07/02/2013 12:41 PM
07/02/2013 12:41 PM
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,557 Boston
leahb
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,557
Boston
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When we were there a few weeks ago Kevin was on the phone with someone at the ferry who was updating him on when the next boat was leaving. We waited an extra 10 minutes or so for another couple and he got us to the ferry with only a few minutes to spare but they knew we were coming. I emailed him the night before we left and just told him my name, how many passengers we were and when our flight arrived and then I went to bed (we had to leave home at 3am) without waiting for his confirmation. When we arrived he was standing there with a a big smile and a sign with my name on it. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> Nice guy. I'd definitely call him again.
Last edited by leahb; 07/02/2013 12:42 PM.
It's a round trip. Getting to the summit is optional, getting down is mandatory. ~ Ed Viesturs
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: Charlie2001]
#20965
07/02/2013 03:02 PM
07/02/2013 03:02 PM
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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How is that ever going to scale. Sure you can try and many do get away with the plane, baggage claim, taxi, ferry?, immigration, then taxi again dance. Why would you plan well in advance for that BS?
To me that is the same Russian Roulette planing as traveling in two different airlines with two different tickets. Just because someone thought they had found a deal. Yes, you can save a few bucks on a holiday that costs thousands. KaBoom one hiccup and you are trying to glue Humpty Dumpty together again with little help from the other parties.
Good luck with your BVI plans and the plans of your traveling partners when you BVI bag does not show up at STT baggage claim.
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
#20967
07/02/2013 03:32 PM
07/02/2013 03:32 PM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720 Massachusetts
maytrix
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
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Anonymous said:Good luck with your BVI plans and the plans of your traveling partners when you BVI bag does not show up at STT baggage claim. We had that happen one time due to Delta having issues and us having them move us to an AA flight. Worked out well for us as it ended up being direct, but our bags didn't make it. Wasn't a big deal except it was January and I didn't bring a change of clothes in our carry on so I was wearing jeans and rather hot. Fortunately however our bags arrive the next morning. We just had to take a taxi to the ferry dock to get them. That was the last time we used the ferry, not entirely because of this, but in part. With prices being pretty similar for us, its easier to not have to worry about this - had we flown into EIS, bags would have been delivered to the moorings base. Needless to say, I always have some extra clothes in my carry on now
Matt
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: maytrix]
#20968
07/02/2013 03:37 PM
07/02/2013 03:37 PM
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 517 Michigan
SoakInSaltwater
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 517
Michigan
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maytrix said:Needless to say, I always have some extra clothes in my carry on now Matt, that is a standard no matter where you travel. Going from warm to cold or cold to warm, always bring a change of clothes in your carry on to match your destination. I think we have all found that one out the hard way <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />
Norma
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: SoakInSaltwater]
#20969
07/02/2013 03:43 PM
07/02/2013 03:43 PM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720 Massachusetts
maytrix
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
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Yeah, it was a foolish mistake, that I am not going to repeat <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />
Matt
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: maytrix]
#20970
07/02/2013 03:48 PM
07/02/2013 03:48 PM
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,976 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,976
Central Florida!
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Even when we go from 'warm to warm', we always put a change of clothes and a bathing suit in the carry on. Nothing worse than arriving at your destination with no clean clothes to change into, after a long, trying day traveling..
Carol Hill
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Re: Ferry Mess Again Today
[Re: Bella]
#20974
07/03/2013 03:22 PM
07/03/2013 03:22 PM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720 Massachusetts
maytrix
Traveler
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Traveler
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 5,720
Massachusetts
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How well can you swim?
I always thought the Ferries to Anegada we're reliable?
Matt
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