We’ve been getting a ton of emails on the car barge situation, so we thought we’d put out a quick update…
As of today, February 24th, the Mister B is still out of service. We’ve heard rumors that it may be coming back online soon, but unfortunately I think they are simply rumors. We just chatted with a woman over at Boyson, Inc., the Mister B’s owners, and she said they were not certain when their operations would resume.
In the meantime, the two other barges are running and have really stepped up their game in my opinion. Yes Saturdays may still be hectic due to it being turnover day for most villas, but it hasn’t been too bad when I’ve taken the Jeep over to St. Thomas. So in my opinion, there’s no need to worry. If you happen to be stuck waiting for a bit, grab a cocktail and enjoy the view. 🙂
In other ferry news, the one-way fare for both the Captain Vic and Island Vic are about to go up. Effective March 1st, the one-way cost will be $35. The round trip price will remain at $50. One of the nice things about these ferries is that their tickets never expire.
We’ll keep you posted on what we hear about the Mister B…
be careful if you have a flight to catch, we waited almost 3 hrs for the barge last Thursday afternoon
If you always rent your vehicle in St. John, you never need the car ferry.
Bill, I totally agree with you. I have been coming to St. John for the past 18 years and always rented a vehicle locally. St. Jon Car Rental is the best to my opinion.
I think it is unfair to the local rental companies that some of the villa management companies recommend the vehicle to be rented from St. Thomas. Besides, if you have a problem with your vehicle, who is coming to help you. Nobody, is my guess.
I visit with small children and repeatedly loading them and everyone’s luggage onto a cab, then a ferry, and finally a car is not fun. It’s easier and cheaper to load them once at the airport and unload them the next time at your villa.
Finding an available rental on STJ isn’t always easy.
That’s why you have to make the arrangement well in advance.
It’s a personal choice as to what works best for the car rental user. Having used rentals on both islands, I can tell you that if your car breaks down on STJ, and you are renting from Amalie, they have service accommodations on STJ as well.
It’s best to always plan in extra time when traveling just in case the unforeseeable happens. Happy travels!