Trip report

[Lionsgate]

While en route to the States, just a few observations from our 2 week stay on our favorite island: SJU to SBH is impeccable-their SJU lounge sets the perfect tone; rather pleasantly surprised that we didn’t encounter any sargassum; a little rainier than usual-but as others have stated, you’re still on St. Barth’s; dinners at Tamarin and L’Esprit were tremendous-dinner for two with cocktail, appetizer, wine, and entrees aren’t that different in price than back home; waves were high at Gouverneur Beach except for a few days. Overall, while we’ve observed many changes since our first visit in 2007, it will remain our twice a year preferred respite.

 

[EC Traveler]

Thanks! We’re heading down in mid-March and treating ourselves to Tradewind from SJU to SBH. We’ve signed up for the VIP service in San Juan, so it’s good to know you enjoyed it.
Looking forward to it, it’s been a fridge winter here in New England.

 

[Max1030]

Thanks! We’re heading down in mid-March and treating ourselves to Tradewind from SJU to SBH. We’ve signed up for the VIP service in San Juan, so it’s good to know you enjoyed it.
Looking forward to it, it’s been a fridge winter here in New England.

VIP service in San Juan?

 

[PeterLynn]

It's an additional service ($$) offered by Tradewind. They meet you at the gate and escort you to their lounge. They collect any checked baggage, take your passports and prepare your boarding pass. All you do is relax and they do the rest.

On the return, there isn't a VIP service, but they do escort you to the customs area. You're on your own after that.

 

[cec1]

VIP service in San Juan?

Tradewind has a “VIP service” — i.e., a “meet & greet” service in which a Tradewind rep will (a) meet — for a fee — clients disembarking from an arriving flight . . . (b) escort them to the Tradewind lounge to comfortably wait while the rep checks them in at the Tradewind counter . . . and, (c) as needed, will retrieve checked luggage from the passenger’s arriving plane & transfer it to the client’s Tradewind flight.

While the service is very nicely executed (an earmark of Tradewind), in my experience it’s an unneeded expense except when an arriving passenger has luggage checked with his/her arriving carrier. In such circumstance, it’s a worthwhile luxury, IMO, to have a Tradewind rep wait for arrival of the baggage, retrieve & transfer it to my scheduled TW flight, & deal with any issues that might arise (e.g., in recent travel, one item of my AA checked luggage didn’t arrive . . . the TW rep dealt with AA’s lost luggage office & arranged for it, when found, to be transferred to Tradewind & delivered to me on SBH).

 

[shihadehs]

VIP is worth it. They get your checked bags so you bypass going out of security. And if your incoming flight is delayed they monitor it and adjust the SBH flight accordingly and meet you and escort you.

 

[cassidain]

Doesn’t TW do their own security screening ?
And not TSA ?

 

[cec1]

Doesn’t TW do their own security screening ?
And not TSA ?

TW has dedicated security screening at SJU, but I have the impression that it is under the auspices of TSA -- i.e., if not TSA employees, at least a company that is independent of TW, operating pursuant to some sort of arrangement with (and likely supervision by) TSA. Similarly, in entering SJU upon TW arrival from SBH, there's dedicated immigration / customs screening by Federal agents (whether TSA or another branch of government, I'm not sure).

 

[EC Traveler]

We will have checked baggage.so we figured it would be worth it to do the VIP service.
SJU is a huge airport and negotiating thru it can be challenging. Last year we went to Guana Island in the BVI. We connected thru San Juan which involved collecting baggage, extensive walking and rechecking bags at Cape Air.
SVG Air has a similar concierge service, for free, when connecting thru Barbados going to The Grenadine.

 

[JEK]

Similarly, in entering SJU upon TW arrival from SBH, there's dedicated immigration / customs screening by Federal agents (whether TSA or another branch of government, I'm not sure).

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are the passport and import delcaration folks and then USDA scanning for the forbidden fruit. Then TSA screening to board.

 

[KevinS]

USDA is sometimes in Baggage Claim before CBP. Sometimes there are dogs present. Most of those dogs are not drug dogs, they are USDA dogs, sniffing for the forbidden fruits, meats, etc.

 

[cassidain]

. . . best to avoid fruit from certain trees

 

[amyb]

And never take directions from a serpent.

 

[PeterLynn]

USDA is sometimes in Baggage Claim before CBP. Sometimes there are dogs present. Most of those dogs are not drug dogs, they are USDA dogs, sniffing for the forbidden fruits, meats, etc.

A few years ago, we actually had our ham sandwiches confiscated by CBP.

 

[davesmom]

A few years ago, we actually had our ham sandwiches confiscated by CBP.

No meat, no fruit.

 

[PeterLynn]

I asked if I could remove the ham as even a cheese sandwich is better than the SJU offerings. Nope.

 

[cec1]

I asked if I could remove the ham as even a cheese sandwich is better than the SJU offerings. Nope.

I think, BTW, that the agent was overzealous & just didn’t want to deal with a piece of ham!