I'm giddy with glee and bouncing out of my office chair!!

LandLockedBeachLover · Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:47 am

After three years of racking up the AA and Marriott points with business travel - - we finally booked our "free vacation"!!! We (me, hubby and 8 and 10 yr old children) will be going on 6/27 - 7/4, staying at the Marriott Frenchman's Reef for 5 free nights and then 2 nights at the ole' BW Emerald Beach. It was an incredible feat of organization to use these points, let me tell you. AA and Marriott sure don't make it easy to coordinate!

Now a couple questions:

1) Anyone interested in sharing a powerboat charter on any of these dates. We plan to go to the Baths (for at least a couple hours) and then JVD (Soggy Dollar/White Bay). Sandy Spit and Sandy Cay for sure. Let me know. It should run about $500 total with the boat rental and gas/oil - - so $250 per family.

2) What rental car company do ya'll recommend. I'd like a Jeep Liberty or something like it.

I CAN'T WAIT!!! YIPPEE!

Tracy in WI · Post by **Tracy in WI** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:37 pm

The charter boat sounds interesting - we'll be on STJ from June 23 - 30th with our 8 and almost 11 year old boys. I'll check with my hubby. And, hopefully the kids passports will arrive prior to our trip!

Tracy

sea-nile · Post by **sea-nile** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:05 pm

Congrats on your trip! I am sorry that we won't be there at the same time.

LandLockedBeachLover · Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:35 pm

Tracy - Please let me know on the powerboat trip! Your kids sound like it would be a perfect match to ours (soon-to-be 9 yr old girl and 10 yr old boy). We also ordered passports, but they are not necessary to go to the BVI's at this point from what folks have said on the forum. Your boys would just love the Baths on Virgin Gorda! We could do the 28th or 29th. It sounds like you're headed back home on the 30th.

Exciting! PM me if you have any other questions.

cat · Post by **cat** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 10:37 pm

I can definitly understand your excitement! Congratulations!

martini girl · Post by **martini girl** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:31 am

Landlocked - - I think you do need passports for the BVIs. We did in Feb. when we went to the Baths.

waterguy · Post by **waterguy** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:16 am

You don't need Passports for sea travel yet but check with your boat operator the might require it

pipanale · Post by **pipanale** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:25 am

You must have a gazillion points. One hand, that's a good thing. On the other, that means someone is away from home a lot. My Marriott Rewards balance looks like an odometer. Keeps going up. Not to those levels...just yet

MIke · Post by **MIke** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:07 pm

Thrifty by the airport rents Jeep Libertys.$391.00/week

LandLockedBeachLover · Thu Mar 29, 2007 12:37 pm

Thanks for the tips, all. It sounds like Thrifty is the way to go.

Actually, not a ka-zillion Marriott Points needed. 110K for 5 days as they FINALLY started with PointSavers for Frenchman's Reef. We lucked out. I only travel about 20% of the time for work, but I always stay at a Marriott and fly AA. I have a goal!!

We ordered passports for our kids about a month ago. It's a good idea to have them anyway, no matter how much of a pain in the keyster (and $165) to get them. Now I hope the 10 week leadtime isn't any longer...

RevStu · Post by **RevStu** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:38 am

Hi LLBL I hope you got my email, because I'd be more than happy to take you guys out for the day. And if you can't find someone here I'm sure I can find a few locals willing to chip in.

If you read cypress's trip report her half was $193 including gas not too shabby... So just let me know the daate you guys pick and I will start asking around.

I'm going over on Sunday!!! Yipee! With just a drivers license again because I can't find mine UGH, but I never have had a problem.

LandLockedBeachLover · Fri Mar 30, 2007 9:32 am

No I didn't get your email yet! Thanks SO MUCH for doing this again!! Tracy in WI was interested in going with us, but I called See and Ski and couple others yesterday and they said it is 6 passengers max no matter what size of the boat. Do you know of a boat where we could fit 9 (our two families and you)?

At any rate, I will send you an email (not PM) to work out the details. I'm thinking WAY ahead! It likely won't be as wild

as our last boating expedition since we'll be with our kids, but they are lots of fun too!! We will all have passports by then, so hope it will be an easy customs clearance. Can't wait - - get here, get here, get here SOON!!

usvi-on-line