Carnival in St. Thomas

[habby]

Hoping somebody can help with this. When we were on St. Thomas in April 2004, it was "carnival time". Because of that, there were no rental cars available.:( Does anybody know when "carnival" is this year? We'll be on St. Thomas on Monday, April 24.

 

Thanks much!

[Betsy's Mom]

Carnival is the last week in April/first week in May. I am not sure of the exact dates for this year. Looks like you will be here again this year!:)

B.

[habby]

Thanks B. That's what I was expecting. I'll check the St. Thomas govmnt site again before we go.

 

In 2004 we rented a scooter. Told the DH that was a once in a lifetime. If we can't rent a jeep or car, I am taking a cab!

[The Islander]

Hello Habby,

 

As Betsy mentioned it’s annually in April and sometimes runs into the first 2 or 3 days of May.

 

For 2006 St. Thomas...

 

April 29th - Adults Parade (which is the finale)

April 28th - Children's Parade

April 27th - Jouvert

April 26th - Food Fair

The village, various calypso shows and musical shows will take place in the days - week prior to the above four major events and then the pageants for queen and prince/princess will take place the week or two prior to that. I don't have the full schedule as yet.

 

It’s the final week with the parades, fair etc. that is the height of Carnival.

 

--Islander

http://www.*****

[richtersl]

We were in St. Thomas during Carnival last year. It was very hard finding a rental car anywhere! We kept calling and found a guy near the Ritz Carlton and Secret Harbour who still had cars available. As far as finding one at the airport, or anywhere in the vicinity of town, forget about it!

[habby]

Linda, We'll be in St. Thomas on the 24th. When did you call about rentals? Was it months, weeks, days before the cruise? I'm assuming that the Ritz is not near the port. (Haven't checked map yet). How did you get the car? Did they bring it to you or did you have to get it? Renting the cars is the DH's job, so I'll have him start making inquiries now. Otherwise, it's a cab for me!

 

Thanks so much for everybody's help. I love these boards!

[richtersl]

The Ritz is not near the port. We started calling about 3 weeks prior to our arrivial, thinking that should be early enough. But it wasn't. Every place we called said, "it's Carnival, mon." LOL

 

I can't remember the name of the outfit we used but they were a small 2 man outfit. We were picked up at the Wyndham Sugar Bay and given a brief lesson on how to drive in St. Thomas. The guy was nice but a bit on the anal side when it came to his cars but we didn't mind because it meant the vehicle was clean and in good shape. He gave us good tips on what areas to visit and not visit on the island and we appreciated that. I don't know that the larger companies on the island take the time to do that.

 

I can tell you that downtown will be a bit crazy around Carnival time and congested. Parking will be next to non-existant.

 

If all you're doing is staying the one day, I would compare cab prices and car rental prices and see which one will be better for you economically.

[habby]

Thanks Linda

 

I'll mention this to the DH. Howver I know that if I leave it to him, he'll be looking, oh, probably the week before we leave!:eek: My vote is, since we're probably only going to Maegan's Bay and Charlotte, to take a cab. It was next to impossible to find a parking spot downtown last June. It wasn't so bad in April 2004 as we had a scooter. (Definitely not doing that again!!)

[richtersl]

I don't know that you even want to venture into Charlotte Amalie with your own car. Period. It depends on what Carnival events are going on the day you arrive. The parades are fun but all you really need to do is just let a cab drop you off -- beats trying to find a parking spot.

 

The day we flew in it was crazy. We sat in traffic for a good 30-45 minutes before we even made it through town and then we still had to get to our hotel. :eek: But we weren't on any schedule so it didn't matter. We just sat back and enjoyed the sights.

 

If your vote is to take a cab, why don't you leave the car renting up to your husband. ;) :D ;)

 

(Did I say that? :rolleyes: LOLOLOLOL)