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A very practical question for my first post! My husband & I are making our first trip to the island in late June. Flights from SXM are in the $650 r

A

AES

SBH Member
A very practical question for my first post!

My husband & I are making our first trip to the island in late June. Flights from SXM are in the $650 range for 2 (with very limited options on our dates), St Barth Commuter from Grand Case around $325 (plus $100ish for RT taxi to Grand Case), and ferry from Oyster Pond around $250 (plus taxi).

I'd prefer to spend travel money on a fabulous dinner on island, but have read that the ferry can be awful. We've done the Marigot-Anguilla ferry and thought it was fine. Neither of us are prone to sea sickness and this appears to be a 40 min ride on a boat larger than the Anguilla ferry.

Am I crazy to be considering the ferry? Anything I'm not factoring in?

Thanks much!
 
ok...well I run those types of boats for a living so this is my take on it


there is no way to say how it is going to be comfort wise...it can range from flat calm nothing at all to a wild and crazy rough ride.....the boats they use are older and smaller than they should be....the good news is in June the trade winds have eased quite a bit and it generally isn't as windy which equates to not as bumpy offshore.....the earlier in the day the better as winds in summer are convection winds which don't get going until the heat of the day has a chance to get the whole convection cycle turning....

its less than an hour over, 20 minutes of which is in the lee of the land...so you're looking at 40 minutes of hell as the worse case scenario.....

take a motion sickness pill an hour before and you should be ok..

BTW the price difference between St Barts Commuter airline and Voyager isn't that great
 
Mike R said:
ok...its less than an hour over, 20 minutes of which is in the lee of the land...so you're looking at 40 minutes of hell as the worse case scenario.....

BTW the price difference between St Barts Commuter airline and Voyager isnt that great
Click to expand...

The website is telling me the entire trip is only 40 minutes b/c it's an Oyster Pond depature rather than Marigot (which shows 75 minutes). Is that wrong? If so, I'm less inclined to take the ferry.

The actual price difference isn't that much, but I anticipated that we'd have much more travel time to/from Grand Case and the flight times don't work as well for our arrival & departure in SXM.
 
if its flat calm...yes..thats correct...if there is any kind of sea running it will slow him down a bit to keep it as safe and comfortable as possible....
 
AES,

Welcome to the forum. Mike's advice is dead on. My favorite sea sickness remedy is Bonine. Think Dramamine without the drowsiness factor. I carry it with me every time I travel to SBH in case I miss the plane and have to take the ferry.
 
If you decide to take the ferry, Voyager I or Voyager II, take the seats aft (rear) and it will be tolerable even if the seas are running rough.

The more you move towards the bow of these boats, the more motion you will feel, especially pitching.
Do not even think about sitting above (the second deck by the flybridge), guaranteed you will loose your cookies if you sit there.
 
Excellent advice, all.
FACT: 90% of our Villa Guests who have rode the ferry tell me next time they will fly.

Dramamine II (non-drowsy) = Bonine/Anti-vert.
 
if you think of a boat as a pendulum on the water...which is basically what it is....then as close to the center of the boat, center both fore and aft and side to side, will be the place which will experience the least amount of swing because that point is at the lowest point of both the fore and aft and side to side pendulums
 
guess i'm the only one in here that loves the ferry ride. especially from captain olivers, (oyster point) its so fast 40 minutes til st. barths. It reminds me of when i was working in hong kong and taking the star ferry every day, but there was more people on the star ferry.

the airplane ride is nice and i do recommend it to first timers because its such a thrill ride, better than any roller coaster. something you will tell your friends about.
 
A follow-up question then: has anyone flown into Juliana but then to SBH via Grand Case?

I haven't been to SXM since 2005, so while I think my recollection is correct that we'd need about 2 hours from landing (2:15pm) until takeoff at Grand Case (4:30pm), I'm worried I might be cutting it too close.
 
AES,

On what day of the week are you traveling? If you aren't going on the weekend, two hours should be enough. In 2007 we traveled on a Wednesday. We retrieved our checked bag in Juliana and taxied over to Grand Case in less than two hours. The taxi ride was just under 30 minutes.
 
I've done that many times. you have an arrival at 2:15, if you arrive on time, should be out of the immigration and picking up your luggage and out to a taxi by 3, but no later than 3:15. its around 45 minutes from sxm to grand case. there are taxi's waiting outside. I normally call Lucky's car rental from the states, ask for sherman, and they meet me outside with a car.

If there are more than one of you, saves lots of money as he will only charge you 25 dollars for the short time you have the car. but you also have to know your way around st. maarten, so maybe not a good choice for you, stick to the taxi ride.

sbc only requires you to be at the airport to check in 30 minutes before your flight. If your flight is 4:30, you should have plenty of time, unless your plane is delayed on the other end, then you will have to take the ferry, there are always options.
 
stbartslover said:
Excellent advice, all.
FACT: 90% of our who ride the ferry tell me next time they will fly.

Dramamine II (non-drowsy) = Bonine/Anti-vert.
Click to expand...

I always find that a six-pack helps queezy stomachs!
 
Have you double-checked the flights for St. Bart Commuter from the Princess Juliana Airport (SXM)? They offer several flights a day during the week, and it's about $325-350 for a couple round-trip. By the time you pay for a taxi, pay for the ferry, and possibly lose vacation time to sea sickness, it's worth the little bit extra to fly if you can.
 
My husband and I took the ferry last November for our 2nd trip thinking we could save a buck or two. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. It is not 40 minutes!! It put a damper on our first and last day on the island...which is supposed to be relaxing. We promised ourselves that regardless of price, we will always fly from here on out.
 
you are wrong, it is 40 minutes if taken from oyster pond. if departing from the french side, it takes about an hour and a half, sometimes less.

If you go back from st. barths in the same direction towards oyster pond, also 40 minutes. if you go towards french side, then again it will take much longer. depends on departure zone here.

to each his own, if you like to fly, then that is what you should do, if you like boats, the ferry is no better or worse than most.

saving a few bucks............sbc verses the ferry......sbc is around 130 euros round trip....... the ferry is 72 euro round trip, unless you are a citizen of st. martin or st. barths, then it is a little cheaper.
 
didier said:
saving a few bucks............sbc verses the ferry......sbc is around 130 euros round trip....... the ferry is 72 euro round trip, unless you are a citizen of st. martin or st. barths, then it is a little cheaper.
Click to expand...

Yes, SBC is the way to go IF they are flying and have availability when you need to travel. Since we are leaving on a Sunday, SBC was not an option and the AC and Winnair prices were over $600 USD for the two of us. Ridiculous for a 10 minute ride. I was willing to pay the $550 (for 2) price that had been listed a few days before I made my reservation but they had to go and up the price again and I said "That's too much Bob".
It may be the first and last time we take the ferry but we were willing to try it.
 
So how was it? Does it live up to its name, "The Vomit Comet?" I guess we're lucky our timing always works out for the SBC. I can get such bad vertigo from boats sometimes that it lasts for weeks at a time, so my entire vacation would be ruined by the ferry.
 
Love the flight over....but I'd do the ferry if I had to...we took the Rapid Explorer from SBH last summer and it was great...about 30-35 minutes...quick!

Bev
 
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