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Rental car on St. John - need a 4WD?
Rental car on St. John - need a 4WD?
We will be vacationing on St. John at the end of November. We would like to have a rental car the whole time we are there (7 nights), but we also want to save money too. I was thinking of renting a car, not a 4-WD vehicle, on STT and bringing it over on the car barge; since most places (if not all) on St. John only rent 4WD vehicles. This would be cheaper that renting an SUV or jeep. My question is: Do you really need a 4 wheel drive vehicle on St. John? I have never been to St. John, but I've been told it is very hilly. Just wondering if it's absolutely necessary. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
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Xislandgirl
- Posts: 4163
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 4:03 pm
- Location: Slightly left of center
I know that there are many people that would tell you that you don't need one, but I disagree. There are very steep hills and sharp turns on the island and they can be very tough if it has rained. I lived in an area that you would have a hard time getting to without 4WD. The Northshore road has steep switchbacks that can be tough when the road is dry.
One other thing is that if you bring a STT rental to STJ and have a problem, you are on your own until they send someone over to help you.
One other thing is that if you bring a STT rental to STJ and have a problem, you are on your own until they send someone over to help you.
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Jan&MikeVa
- Posts: 1084
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:32 pm
- Location: The Chesapeake Bay
Yes, you need 4WD on STJ. The roads are steep, narrow, with lot's of turns (that's an understatement) and switchbacks. Tropical rains come fast and hard, you don't want to be trying to get up a hill in the rain without 4WD.
Plus, some villas are tough to access without 4WD, again, especially in the rain.
Happy Planning!
Jan (aka Charlie)
Plus, some villas are tough to access without 4WD, again, especially in the rain.
Happy Planning!
Jan (aka Charlie)
I agree--you will be much happier and more comfortable driving if you have the option of four wheel drive. You don't need it everywhere, but sometimes, it is very handy. Plus, a 4WD vehicle will do better on the dirt roads or the ones with heaves, etc. since it is higher off the ground.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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Bob & Anita
- Posts: 611
- Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:20 pm
- Location: Charlotte, NC
Here is a copy of our usual posting for some of your questions:
The renting a car on STJ versus STT is a question that gets asked quite a bit on this forum; in fact we were asking the same question ourselves a couple of years ago. There are opinions (sometimes strong) for both ways; our preference is for renting on STT for the following reasons:
1) A lot less baggage handling – the car rental company (Dependable) picked us up at the airport and loaded our bags into our rental car. The next time we touched the bags was unloading them at the villa,
2) Avoid the whole taxi thing and its associated costs,
3) Avoid the bag handlers/handling at the passenger ferry and the associate cost and tipping,
4) We buy most of our groceries for the week on STT on the way to Red Hook from the airport at lower cost then STJ; same with the booze,
5) When we drove off the barge, our villa rep was right there and we kept driving straight to the villa; we never stopped rolling,
6) Some STT car rental companies (such as Dependable) have no issues with the top being removed from the jeeps, unlike the STJ companies. If fact, Dependable evens boast it as one of their features, and
7) Flexibility when returning to St Thomas to drive around, find a lunch spot, etc, before returning the car and flying home.
Some of the positives on renting on STJ are:
1) Some companies will let you use their lots when parking in Cruz Bay (we never experienced a parking problem in Cruz when we went in June, but some note it as an issue during the high season),
2) It is easier to get your STJ based car fixed if you have an issue. We consider this possibility remote and willing take the risk. I’ve been driving for 35 years, have rented many cars and never had a breakdown while driving.
3) Some people have noted the difficulty in dealing with car barges (lines, getting on), but we found the whole barge loading (backing on) and unloading to be very easy. The hardest thing was finding the Red Hook car barge location off the main road. The signage to the entrance was poor and the entrance looked like a dirt parking lot with a little shack out front.
4) Passenger Ferries run later; so if you have a late flight or if your flight is delayed, then you might not be able to get your vehicle across if you rent on STT, but some of the STJ rentals can make arrangements for late vehicle pick-up.
5) You generally will have more time on the day you return to STT. This is because you have to allow for more time if you are taking the car barge.
As far a costs go, we believe the costs for two people are fairly equivalent whether you rent on STT or STJ. Renting on STJ you have the costs of 1) the taxi, with tip, from the airport to the dock and then back again, 2) ferry bag handling fees & tips, 3) passenger ferry fare, 4) possible taxi on STJ to the car rental company and 5) higher car rental rates on STJ. Renting on STT you have a 1) lower car rental rate, 2) higher ferry cost with the car barge, and 3) some possible savings if you purchase food/booze on STT. The cost of renting on STJ goes up with the more people in your party since the taxi, passenger ferry, baggage handling fees & associated tips will all be based on the number of people/bags. Renting on STT stays the same since the car barge is the same cost regardless of how many people are in the car.
We rented from Dependable, as mentioned above. They were very nice and helpful throughout the whole process – reservations, instructions, picking us up at the airport, rental paperwork, directions, maps, car return and taking us back to the airport. You avoid the airport tax with Dependable since they are just off of the airport property.
If you use the car barge you have the option of purchasing a one-way ticket or round-trip ticket. The one-way gives you flexibility on which car barge company to take back. A round-trip ticket will be less expensive, but will restrict which barge you can take. A two of the barge companies (3 in total) use to except each others tickets, they still may. The loading area and process is the same no matter which company you use – it’s just whichever one is at the dock and available to drive onto.
The renting a car on STJ versus STT is a question that gets asked quite a bit on this forum; in fact we were asking the same question ourselves a couple of years ago. There are opinions (sometimes strong) for both ways; our preference is for renting on STT for the following reasons:
1) A lot less baggage handling – the car rental company (Dependable) picked us up at the airport and loaded our bags into our rental car. The next time we touched the bags was unloading them at the villa,
2) Avoid the whole taxi thing and its associated costs,
3) Avoid the bag handlers/handling at the passenger ferry and the associate cost and tipping,
4) We buy most of our groceries for the week on STT on the way to Red Hook from the airport at lower cost then STJ; same with the booze,
5) When we drove off the barge, our villa rep was right there and we kept driving straight to the villa; we never stopped rolling,
6) Some STT car rental companies (such as Dependable) have no issues with the top being removed from the jeeps, unlike the STJ companies. If fact, Dependable evens boast it as one of their features, and
7) Flexibility when returning to St Thomas to drive around, find a lunch spot, etc, before returning the car and flying home.
Some of the positives on renting on STJ are:
1) Some companies will let you use their lots when parking in Cruz Bay (we never experienced a parking problem in Cruz when we went in June, but some note it as an issue during the high season),
2) It is easier to get your STJ based car fixed if you have an issue. We consider this possibility remote and willing take the risk. I’ve been driving for 35 years, have rented many cars and never had a breakdown while driving.
3) Some people have noted the difficulty in dealing with car barges (lines, getting on), but we found the whole barge loading (backing on) and unloading to be very easy. The hardest thing was finding the Red Hook car barge location off the main road. The signage to the entrance was poor and the entrance looked like a dirt parking lot with a little shack out front.
4) Passenger Ferries run later; so if you have a late flight or if your flight is delayed, then you might not be able to get your vehicle across if you rent on STT, but some of the STJ rentals can make arrangements for late vehicle pick-up.
5) You generally will have more time on the day you return to STT. This is because you have to allow for more time if you are taking the car barge.
As far a costs go, we believe the costs for two people are fairly equivalent whether you rent on STT or STJ. Renting on STJ you have the costs of 1) the taxi, with tip, from the airport to the dock and then back again, 2) ferry bag handling fees & tips, 3) passenger ferry fare, 4) possible taxi on STJ to the car rental company and 5) higher car rental rates on STJ. Renting on STT you have a 1) lower car rental rate, 2) higher ferry cost with the car barge, and 3) some possible savings if you purchase food/booze on STT. The cost of renting on STJ goes up with the more people in your party since the taxi, passenger ferry, baggage handling fees & associated tips will all be based on the number of people/bags. Renting on STT stays the same since the car barge is the same cost regardless of how many people are in the car.
We rented from Dependable, as mentioned above. They were very nice and helpful throughout the whole process – reservations, instructions, picking us up at the airport, rental paperwork, directions, maps, car return and taking us back to the airport. You avoid the airport tax with Dependable since they are just off of the airport property.
If you use the car barge you have the option of purchasing a one-way ticket or round-trip ticket. The one-way gives you flexibility on which car barge company to take back. A round-trip ticket will be less expensive, but will restrict which barge you can take. A two of the barge companies (3 in total) use to except each others tickets, they still may. The loading area and process is the same no matter which company you use – it’s just whichever one is at the dock and available to drive onto.
Bob & Anita