Hello everyone, and happy Monday! I am finally back from a little New England vacay, and I am super excited to let you all know that The Beach Bar’s ridiculously fun Bar Wars event is back! It’s happening this weekend, and if you are lucky enough to be on island, you are invited to participate!
Bar Wars is a zany little competition that raises money Island Health & Wellness, the island’s only non-profit primary care practice. Island Health is instrumental to us residents, and so many of us would be lost without it. St. John has the highest rate of uninsured individuals in the Virgin Islands, a number that is five times the national average. And it’s not because people are opting to be uninsured; it’s simply not easy to get health insurance as a Virgin Islands resident. Island Health charges $50 per visit ($75 for bloodwork), and they will not turn anyone away due to their inability to pay.
Bar Wars is happening this Sunday, July 16th, at noon on the beach in front of The Beach Bar. Teams of four (plus one alternate) will be tasked with completing an obstacle course that will include tasks like jogging in snorkel fins, hula hooping, making margaritas, and perhaps a quick little dip in Cruz Bay. You do not need to be a bartender or restaurant person to participate. Anyone, both residents and vacationers, are invited to participate.
Setting up the 2022 course…
Costumes are encouraged and can give you a leg up in the competition. There will also be an award for the best team spirit.
Last year’s winner was Dave & Jerry’s Island Steakhouse. Do you think they have what it takes to be the winner of the 2023 competition??!! We shall see!
If you’d like to participate, please call/text Mike Hedy (a man who happens to be my other half) at 340-771-0768. 🙂 The cost is $250 per team, and that fee goes directly to Island Health and Wellness. Each team member will receive an event t-shirt too.
Anyone can watch the competition by tuning into The Beach Bar’s beach cam. See that webcam and more than 20 others at www.ExploreSTJ.com/webcams.
Have a great day everyone! I hope to see you all Sunday!
Want to see St. John through the eyes of a resident? Book your Explore STJ island tour today! See beautiful sights & beaches. Visit centuries-old historical sites. See a turtle, a donkey or perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two! Explore STJ is rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. Visit www.ExploreSTJ.com/tour to learn more or email me for more information –> jenn@explorestj.com
Landing at the STT airport is always so exciting! Leaving = not so much.
The island is busy again! Woohoo! So I thought this would be a good time to repost the following story. The St. Thomas airport is a little different, so here is a quick post about how to best navigate STT when going home.
You’ve made it. You’re here! You just landed at the Cyril E. King (STT) airport on St. Thomas, and you are excited to get off the airplane and start your vacation. When all of a sudden, an airport employee comes on the plane’s intercom and tells you to arrive three hours before your departing flight. What??!! Can this be real? Well, unfortunately it can be for many folks. Today’s post is all about navigating the St. Thomas airport when it’s time to go home.
So let’s start with the three-hour protocol. Is that real? Honestly, it really depends. If you are traveling on a Saturday and are checking a bag, then yes, you should get there as close to three hours before your flight as possible. Are you flying out on a Tuesday with carry on bags only? Then you’re pretty safe with only two hours.
Tip #1: If you can download your boarding pass on your phone or print your boarding passes in advance, I strongly urge you to do so. This will allow to to skip the counter if you are traveling with carry ons only. Checking a bag? Then it doesn’t really matter, because you have to go to the counter anyway.
Step One: Checking Bags (Skip to Step Two if you plan to travel with carry on luggage only.)
If you are checking bags, the first thing you need to do it get your bag tags. Once you receive them, the airline does not take your bags. You actually keep them with you until you pass through Customs & Border Patrol, which is step number two.
Step Two: Customs & Border Patrol
Now you may be wondering why you have to go through Customs & Border Patrol if the US Virgin Islands are part of the United States. The reason is because we are outside of the “customs territory.” Therefore we have to pass through and answer some relative quick and easy questions. The agents will ask if you have any souvenirs, the value of the souvenirs, if you have fruits, vegetables, alcohol or tobacco, where you are heading, where you stayed, etc. Families or groups living in the same household can go up to the agent together.
You do not need a passport for Customs (or to visit the US Virgin Islands), but if you have one, bring it. You will get through Customs much faster with one. However if you do not have one, a driver’s license or state ID is fine. And for families with small children, just bring along a copy of your child’s birth certificate.
Have Global Entry? Lucky you! There is a special lane for you right in the center when you walk through the glass doors and into the Customs area. (Heads up: You must have your physical card with you to utilize Global Entry in St. Thomas.) Just lift up the belt, and let yourself in. There are two separate lanes – one on the right and one on the left – for those of us who do not have Global Entry.
Tip #2: Do not bring pork products to the airport in the USVI.Â
You cannot bring certain pork products through Customs, and those that you can bring, must be in a sealed container. Here is the official verbiage from the USDA:
The revised Federal Order also allows travelers to bring certain processed swine products and byproducts in passenger baggage. These products must be shelf stable, packed in hermetically sealed containers and cooked by a commercial method. Unprocessed swine products and byproducts in passenger baggage will not be allowed to enter any other States or Territories.
Step Three: Dropping off your luggage(Skip to Step Four if you have a carry on only.)
Once you leave the Customs area, you will see a sign indicating that baggage drop off is ahead to your left.
Step Four: Security
Ok, so the people dropping their bags go to the left. The people with carry ons only go in the middle. The people with precheck go to the far right against the wall. If you have precheck, and this is a service you can sign up for, you do not have to take off your shoes, belts or a light jacket, and you do not have to remove your electronics or liquids from your bag. It’s a real time saver. The application fee for precheck is $78, and it is good for five years. Click here to learn more.Â
Checked bags get dropped to the left.Passengers with carry ons only (and no precheck) go in the middle. Precheck goes to the far right against the wall.Precheck to the right.
So as you can see, if you are checking a bag, it’s a four-step process. If you are not checking a bag and have your boarding passes ahead of time, it’s only a two-step process.
Tip #3: Avoid Saturdays, if possible
Saturday is the busiest day at the St. Thomas airport. This is due to the fact that most villas rent Saturday to Saturday. Also, it’s because it’s easier to travel on the weekend for many. If you are traveling on a Saturday, I would arrive as close to three hours as possible, especially if you are checking a bag. The St. Thomas airport is packed on Saturdays, and oftentimes there are more people than actual seats inside the terminal. Fridays and Sundays are pretty busy too, but not as bad at Saturdays. So if you can travel Monday through Thursday, the airport will be a bit better.
Tip #4: Hire a Porter
If you get to the airport and the Customs line is out the door, you can always hire a porter. They charge a nominal fee per bag, and they have the ability to bring you to the front of the Customs line. You can find them outside of the Customs area and near the airline counters. The porters can be easily identified by their red shirts.
Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourÂ
Hello everyone, and happy Thursday! Need a new St. John view to check out every day? Well you’re in luck because I just added a great new webcam, courtesy of our friends at St. John Brewers. Their webcam overlooks the car barge area and has great, seasonal sunset views too! Check it out!
Our friends over at Mare Blu Villa and Villa Circe updated their webcams also, so their views are now better and much clearer. Here are the updated views:
As always, you can access these and all of our webcams 24/7 at www.ExploreSTJ.com/webcams. We have more than 20 live-streaming webcams, including streams from The Windmill Bar, The Beach Bar, Soggy Dollar Bar, and a variety of villas around St. John. Enjoy!
Looking to take a St. John island tour?
Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourÂ
Last night’s fireworks – Image credit: Steve Simonsen Photography
I hope you all had a fantastic July 4th yesterday! I know I did! Let’s be honest, today is not going to be a super productive day in the work world. So here are several things that will help you pass the time today… Enjoy!
Wish you were taking the ferry to Cruz Bay today? Well here’s the next best thing! Check out this video that I recorded in 4k.
Trunk Bay consistently ranks as one of the top beaches in the world and with good reason! Here is a video we took at one of St. John’s best beaches.
Want to know where a certain restaurant is located on St. John? Visit www.ExploreSTJ.com/restaurantmap to view our searchable map.
Looking to explore a new hiking trail? Visit www.ExploreSTJ.com/hiking to learn about several of my favorite hikes, including Ram Head, Murphy House and the Lind Point Trail.
A view from the Ram Head trail
Well folks, I hope some of this helped you pass the time. Have a wonderful day!
The Freedom statue is located in Cruz Bay, in the park across from the ferry dock.
The Fourth of July is a day of nonstop celebration on St. John. It typically begins with j’ouvert – a street party that begins at daybreak – although j’ouvert was held a few days early this year. So this year, the festivities will begin with the celebration parade, which will start around 11 a.m. in Cruz Bay. Fireworks go off just beyond Cruz Bay harbor at 9 p.m. and music will continue in the Village well past midnight.
The Fourth of July is a big deal on St. John, but the reason it is celebrated in such grand fashion is so much different than why it’s celebrated in the United States.
The enslaved people, who were brought to the island by the Danes who controlled St. John from 1718 through 1917, were finally freed on July 3, 1848, and word of emancipation first reached St. John on July 4, 1848.
J’ouvert celebrates the first sunrise of freedom, which is why it is typically held at daybreak on July 4th. However, this year was celebrated a few days earlier on July 1st.
St. John’s 2023 J’ouvert celebration – Image credit: USVI Festivals
Captain Ingjald Mourier was the owner of the Lameshur plantation in 1848. He arrived in Cruz Bay from St. Thomas to alert everyone about the pronouncement of Emancipation. He quickly informed Police Master Carl Hanshell of the news, and the pair set off on horseback to inform people across the island. The enslaved population on Estate Adrian – which is about three miles up Centerline Road – were the first to learn of their newfound freedom.
So please join us all in celebrating this momentous event. If you are unable to be on island, you can check out some of the island’s webcams to see the celebration. View them at www.ExploreSTJ.com/webcams. You may be able to catch some of the fireworks on St. John Spice’s Spice Cam.
Tonight’s & Tomorrow’s Music Schedule
Image credit: USVI Festivals
Parade Details
The parade is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. Think island time, my friends. It will start behind the ballfield in Cruz Bay. It continues in front of Mongoose Junction and toward Cap’s Place and the Post Office. It takes a right at the Post Office and goes toward the ferry dock. It then takes a left up the one-way past Connections. It will then continue up the hill past Woody’s, Quiet Mon and Extra Virgin until it reaches the roundabout.
Fireworks Information
The fireworks are usually set up from one of the barges in front of Cruz Bay harbor. Cruz Bay beach is a great spot to watch them. The Cruz Bay overlook is too. Cruz Bay Watersports is having a sunset fireworks sail, and The Terrace is having a streetside party in addition to a special four course prix fixe menu. I’m sure there are other fun things going on too!
Enjoy everyone! Happy Festival! And Happy Fourth of July! Stay safe!
It’s been a pretty soggy morning on St. John, so I figured I’d brighten everyone’s day with a little Beach Break.
Frank Bay is located in Cruz Bay, just down the hill from Gallows Point. It’s a beautiful, rocky beach with great snorkeling. There are at least a dozen peacocks that call the area home, and you will even hear a few in the video below. Enjoy!
Get to know St. John. Visit beautiful beaches & centuries-old plantations. Perhaps stop at a tiki bar or two. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor. 2023 & 2022 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Winner. Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tourÂ
The 2022 Bar Wars competitors
Setting up the 2022 course…
