Landing in STT is quite fun, especially if you have a view. Otherwise, take your landing gummy as it can be a bit rollicky. Once you feel that rush of warm island air as you get off the plane right onto the tarmac, you will be all good. You will walk into the arrival area, where you typically get a wonderful island greeting. Baggage is then just a few steps away. It may take a bit to get your luggage, so go change if you need to, grab another drink or water, visit the (brand new and REALLY good!) liquor store and take some minutes to just acclimate. You are on island time now and there's no getting away from it! Once you have your luggage, you head to where all of the van/cabs are (next to baggage claim) and they pretty much cattle round up everyone as to where they are going. CROWN BAY ferry is all you need to say, unless you are taking the ferry from RED HOOK (don't go to Charlotte Amalie) More on Ferry info next! NOTE: Check your cell phone carrier's story with texting and calling in St. John. Verizon is TERRIBLE. AT&T is better. WhatsApp is the BEST. St. John is full of mountains, has no cell towers and just a few nautical miles from the British Virgin Islands. You will likely 'roam' when on the beach, so turn roaming off unless it doesn't matter. We communicate via WhatsApp for group messaging as it doesn't roam and always works. When you land in St. Thomas, you will be fine turning back on service. It's when you get on the boat and head to STJ, it can start getting wonky.

FERRY: There are 3 ferry companies and routes to and from St. John. Crown Bay is the best to use and is 5 minutes from the airport and a 45 min boat ride to St. John. Ferry boats always arrive in Cruz Bay. For those arriving on December 31, note there are only 2 departures from Crown Bay: 3:30p and 5:30p. Do NOT wait to get your boat tickets if you are arriving on December 31. It will sell out. Get them now. Adults are $20, 1 carry on personal item free and bags cost $5. While you may not know how many bags you will have in advance, guess and purchase anyway. You can add bags online once you purchase your ticket, but it is a PITA. You can purchase bag tickets onsite, but as with many things with island living, it can be a tremendous hassle. And...it can also be nbd. THE OTHER FERRIES: you can also take the ferry from Red Hook (about 30-40 min away by cab from airport and a 15 min boat ride over to St. John $8/adult, $4/bag) and Charlotte Amalie (don't go to CA - trust us) https://www.vinow.com/travel/virgin-islands-ferry-schedules/stjohn/. NOTE: if you are arriving anytime from 2:00p+, take the 5:30p CROWN BAY boat. Luggage can take a while to come off the plane and there's a bar/restaurant at the ferry dock to give yourself some time to decompress your stateside stress away. It is not worth the stress of rushing. You are on ISLAND TIME the moment you step off that plane. Embrace it. The more you fret...the longer it gets! Drinks are also for sale on the ferry. Get your ferry ticket for your return trip at the same time. We can help you with timing for that based on your departure.

The departure ferry dock (just a bit separated from the arrival dock) is collectively known as 'the saddest place on earth'. It's where you start praying your flight is cancelled and you start putting the, 'I'm going to run a beach bar for the rest of my life' plans into action. The FERRY from CRUZ BAY to CROWN BAY and then cab to AIRPORT takes about 60-75 min. Plan on being at the airport 3 HOURS before departure. You will go through a series of check points, including customs. Having your passport will help you a lot (even though you are still in US territory). We can help you choose the best boat to take from Cruz Bay. Helpful link: https://explorestj.com/2024/07/19/st-thomas-airport-update-new-step-requires-extra-time/