Avis and Budget have offices across the street form the cruise ship terminal. I just booked Avis at $68.55 inc tax for the intermediate - 2nd smallest size car. I sent an email to Dependable (a loaclly owned svc that will pick up ~ and
Lets Go Steelers, I asked for a quote from them for you - they want a CC to guarantee so I am reluctant to do so but am still considering them)... and I am about to check budget. Oh boy... Budget has a convertible for the same price as the Avis compact... but I reserved a full size Taurus for $56.49 including the $2.50 license tax. Saved 8 bucks and got a larger car... or put another way... Budget is $19.19 cheaper then Avis... which makes me suspicious of Budget not actually being across the street from the cruise terminal. The Budget site says they will pick up - so if this is the case then they WOULD be cheaper... and there is the possiblility of losing a little time tansiting to and from their office or expense in hopping a cab to their office if their pick up is not on the bounce. SO - inadvertantly I have a reservation now for BOTH and will wait for the Budget pickup a few minutes and if it does not materialize I'll just walk a little further and get the AVIS or go with the nearly certain touts who will try to snag my business while I am standing around and waiting for the Budget pickup.
The prices of the Avis/budget cars were as follows on St Thomas for Wed the 20th from 8AM to 4PM.
Economy (B= Daewoo Lanos) = 48.85
Compact (B=Mitsu Miarage/A=Toyota Echo) = 49.99 / 58.80
Intermediate (B=Ford Escort/A=Chev Cavalier) = 51.99 / 64.80
Standard (B=Ford Contour) = 52.99
Full Size (B=Ford Taurus/A=Chev Malibu) =
53.99 / 73.80
Convertible (B=Sebring) = 64.99
MiniVAN (B=Merc Villager/A=Chev Venture) = 71.85 / 98.00
Wagon (B+Ford Focus Wagon) = $75
CDW were $19.95. My spouse always makes me consider this - and often buy it but I'm a pretty good driver having never hit another car before for a recorded accident. Now I was hit while I was in my car PARKED - and another car hit me. Does that count against me? I was not moving.
I'm gonna start checking the other islands now. ANyone know any good discount codes for these rental car companies.
If anyone wants to semi-tag along with our driving tour then PM me - we are just gonna do Coki, Sapphire and maybe Coral world. Here is a site for ST Thomas...
http://www.vinow.com/stthomas/ and here is a site for Coral World
http://www.coralworldvi.com with a
$3 discount coupon making admission $15. We are mixed on going as it is mostly an aquarium and we have a gorgous aquarium in our area (Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific).... so we might do beaches and fish for outher diversions. We've done Megan's Beach 2-3x in the recent past so - even though it is a known qualtity - we've never been to other beaches and herard Sapphire has gorgous deep blue waters, clear snorkling and iguanas in abundance. I am still researching the other beaches and have nixed some of the others. One near the airport was cited as vanilla in intensity so that's one which was nixed. I expect to see 2-3 beaches, and stop for many photo ops as I am an avid photographer. Coki - we are beginning to wonder about - as someone on another site warned of Coki being very very crowded. As such... we just might motor over to red hook for a ferry to St Johns now because all of those beaches are drop dead gorgous - and represent a new adventure for us. Plus this adds the novelty of the ferry ride. We've taken the ferry from red hook before but did not do beaches then. I think the first ferry over is at 9PM from red hook - so I think it is possible but tight. SO I still have to scope out the alternatives in case we MISS the 9am ferry - and confirm there is in fact a 9AM ferry. I know the Ritz Carlton is near red hook as that is where we stayed some time ago. it would be nice to sort of visit there again for a few minutes to remininesce.
Taxi from port to Coki is $9+1 grty pp each way. SO for a family of 4 a Budget Lanos and the CW $3 coupons versus a CAB would and regular admission wouold save about $41 - offset by fuel and the use of a car all day versus a single round trip to Coki by Cab. Or $38.50 is saved in a Budget full sized Tarus.
Versus a triangular trip by cab (+$27) I estimate you'd save maybe $65.50 less fuel and gain all day use of a Full Sized Taurus... or save $70.50 with a DaeWoo Lanos! Enough for a "fair" lunch on the island w/ alcohol... unless you just pick up a Costco pizza and salad - in which case you'd save money AND have $50-55 to shop or NO lunch and the savings easily covers the Coral World admission cost!
OK... hope this helps!
Below left is the view from the Ritz Carlton on St Thomas (I think) and on the right is the ferry from Red Hook.
(ABOVE) That's Julianna when she was maybe 1 year old on St John.
The worst flight segment ever was from St Thomas to Miami - she cried terribly and in Miami I overheard someone saying "you would not believe how rough that flight was". Otherwise she's been an easy flying baby/toddler/child. That flight it rained unbelieveably when we boarded and she really disliked
the run to the air stairs on American Airlines!
St Thomas Ritz on the left and the fabeled worst flight EVER for a crying Julianna on the right (below)
I'm still having to wear the stuff I want to take!! 
High today was 97º!!!!!
nice end to the Holiday weekend! It's back home tomorrow morning. 
Then I have to get into serious packing mode!!
OK - how about this - click da link....
