Is it worth renting car for the day?

Looks like cost for a family of 4 would be $80 for taxi to a beach.

I could rent a car from Budget for $45 for the day, or Avis (which seems to have better reviews) for $60.

I'd hate to waste time waiting at rental place and the chance of no availability (even if I reserve in advance), but it's cheaper and there is more freedom.

We'll be there Jan 4th and there will be 2 ships in port. We could get there close to 8am when the rentals open.

Does anyone have experience renting car for short day?

No comment about the pros or cons, but I want to point out that on STT they drive on the left, not the right. I don't know if that would impact your decision but I wanted to point it out for you.

Be sure to ask if they have cars with automatic transmission or only manual. When we were there AGES ago, our only choice was manual.

And with all the hills .... :eek:

Following we are cursing in feb and thinking the same thing.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

No comment about the pros or cons, but I want to point out that on STT they drive on the left, not the right. I don't know if that would impact your decision but I wanted to point it out for you.

Driving is on left in St Thomas and some roads might be narrow.

The rental cars are now mostly all automatic. You must have rented quite a few years ago.

Plenty of car rental agencies close to the ports, and I have seen people going from the ship directly to the rental agencies for a vehicle.

Have done this a few times and although need to be aware with driving on the left, it is cost effective and lots of fun. We can get to various beaches and if one crowded do another. Have one rented for our Allure cruise end of the month. If do Hertz, they delivered the car to the cruise ship (although the airport is very close to port). Also, roads not well marked in many areas. :cool:

There are 2 cruise docks. Hertz and Budget have locations at Havensight/WICO dock. There are others within walking distance of the Crown Bay dock.

I think renting a car in St Thomas is a great idea. Tours and taxis seemed a little pricey. It's a beautiful island. I wish I could have seen even more of it.

Just to give a balanced perspective to the discussion: if renting a car while in St Thomas there are a few things to consider that are rarely mentioned. On the one hand freedom, flexibility and financial considerations are certainly good reasons to consider this option. However there are several other considerations that should be taken into account.

1) As has already been mentioned in St Thomas we drive on the left in cars that are made for the US market so the steering wheel and the driver are on the shoulder side of the road. This is not usually an insurmountable problem but it is a little weird to get used to in a short period of time. Drivers experiencing this for the first time may be so focused on the road that they don’t actually ‘see’ much of the island.

2) In the downtown area it is very difficult to find parking.

3) It is crucial to pay attention to pedestrians. Because many people are visiting from areas where cars are driven on the right side of the road, visiting pedestrians tend to look to the left out of habit and step into on-coming traffic. When driving through areas with heavy pedestrian traffic drivers have to be constantly alert to avoid hitting someone.

Hope everyone has a safe and happy day on St. Thomas! :)

I would never rent a car in St. Thomas unless I was staying on the island. Too much downside to save a few $. Just my opinion

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I like to rent cars on a lot of islands but St. Thomas driving and parking look like more hassle than it's worth. Driving on the left is easy enough but judging the far side of the car is always tricky. Add that to the to the very narrow roads and it doesn't sound ideal. The closest beaches are $8 a person by "taxi" so $64 for your family.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

I like to rent cars on a lot of islands but St. Thomas driving and parking look like more hassle than it's worth. Driving on the left is easy enough but judging the far side of the car is always tricky. Add that to the to the very narrow roads and it doesn't sound ideal. The closest beaches are $8 a person by "taxi" so $64 for your family.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We rented a year ago, it was great. Picked out car up right at the pier, swing by Kmart for adult beverages and snacks, then off to the oh so quiet Lindquist (less than fifty people on the whole beach, only two or three within shouting distance) restrooms with showers at the entrance, and a great snapshot of island life as we drove. It's probably what we will do again when we go back in November.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

Well we ended up taking a taxi to Sapphire beach. It was $40 for the 4 of us in the open air taxi. On the way back there was a taxi driver (just a car) at the resort and took us back to cruise port. She asked us which way we came so she could take us a different way to see more of the island, and she took us to a liquor store near the port. Super nice.

With tip it was $45. I could've rented car for less than that but we just wanted to stay at beach anyway so wouldn't have done much driving.