Please please please do your research. Our infrastructure is failing, we are struggling. Power is unreliable at best, we have just had 3 days straight of blackouts that resulted in our elderly and ill being hospitalized or moved to hotels or relocated off island. Schools were closed, many of us were not able to work because businesses weren’t open. Some hotels and many air bnbs lost generator power and tourists were left in the heat and dark with nowhere to go. Traffic was terrible because all stoplights were out.

Planned blackouts will continue until January at the earliest. Be aware of whether your accommodations have backup power and expect that the island will not be at its best. If your food takes longer to come out it’s probably because the cooks have no power in the kitchen and are cooking in the heat and the dark. If your bartender looks tired it’s probably because they were getting eaten alive by mosquitos with no fan all night.

After 12 years of living here this is the first I’ve thought about leaving. You are all welcome, but be prepared and have patience for those of us that are sticking it out through season, and remember if you do come, your tips are our lifeline through this.

ETA: our current governor has refused to declare a state of emergency because it’s the end of his term and he doesn’t want to deal with it.

Curious to know! Not sure if I should travel with my passport or not. And my spouse has a greencard/DL

Just curious. Has anybody noticed that the amount of European travelers is very low to these islands?

10 days, 2 people, splitting the islands.

almost everything is booked, but idk how much I should bring cash for random stuff, food, gas, etc!

i was thinking $300 total?

Hello! I am turning 30 on January 4 and I am looking to escape the cold of New York and enjoy a long weekend trip in the Virgin Islands with my boyfriend to celebrate. I don't have a preference for which Island we stay on, but would appreciate any tips/suggestions for airfare, lodging, activities, etc.

I am fully content with just spending the majority of the three days relaxing at the hotel pool/beach. But, wouldn't mind some sightseeing if possible.

We’re a family of four and none of us can drive a boat, so we’d need a captain. What I can’t figure out is the difference between hiring a captain on a bareboat and booking a crewed yacht. The price gap looks big. If we go with just a captain, are we the ones buying groceries, cooking and doing dishes all week? Or does the captain help with any of that? What should I ask before comparing the two?

Complete newbie here. Partner and I are looking for a quiet, cheap, and boring place to lay on the beach for a week and read and swim. Been looking through this sub and there's a ton of great discussion. Definitely want to avoid the drunk and loud American scene. We are super low maintenance. We really just need a roof over our head for sleeping and a place to get food. Don't want to shop, don't want to go to a bar, just want to chill. What would you recommend? Thanks!

As someone from the Mainland US, I think it’s terrible how our territories aren’t able to participate in our democracy outside of Presidential primaries. Territories should be able to send someone to congress who can vote since you guys are part of the United States. Instead of granting statehood which will be unlikely, would you support making your Non-voting delegate be able to participate in voting for bills in the House of Representatives?

NASA is calling for student tech ideas! 6th-12th-grade educators & students affiliated with U.S. schools are invited to enter the NASA TechRise Student Challenge. Winning teams receive funds to build an experiment and a spot on a NASA-sponsored test flight: https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise

My husband and I are looking to do our honeymoon and stay on St. john. Our biggest things we want to do is relax on the beach (with some drinks), and see the national park. We also want to do some hiking!

I am looking for any and all recommendations on what to do, customs, how different it is, anything we should know to truly enjoy our time. We will be flying in from MI (first time either of us will be flying, and leaving mainland US) and staying for 7-10 days. Timing hasn’t been decided as we want to go when it isn’t stupid busy, and not have to worry about hurricane season, but we are looking at June 2027-January 2028. We have a budget of $7-10k pending where we pick to stay. If this is way too low I would also like to know!! We have no idea what to expect, only “tropical” place I’ve been is Sanibel Island many many years ago, and he has never been to one. What do we bring? What are the must sees? Anything you wish you had known before you went for the first time?

I have been looking at air bnbs and found some truly beautiful ones at Coral Bay (?). I think we want to stay in that area, and we definitely will be renting a car.

TLDR;
Two first time flyers/travelers looking for recs on places to stay, eat, what to bring, etc to enjoy a 7-10 day honeymoon on St. john sometime between June 2027-January 2028.

For context I’ve been to stt and stj a good bit of times. It’s just the best especially when spirit was around it was affordable to get to from Georgia.

Anyways has anyone been to Aruba before?? Is it pretty different than USVI? Worth trying something new? Could anyone compare the two or have a preference. Thanks 🙏 trying to plan a trip for my boyfriend’s graduation in May and thinking of switching things up this year.

Since both are US territories, PR doesn't feel like the US. It has its own culture, language and traditions and they don't feel American themselves.

Do the USVI feel like this too? or do they feel part of US?

My wife and I are planning an anniversary trip from around Nov 25–Dec 6 (11 nights). We’re considering the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, but I’m wondering how to structure the trip and which places to choose. We have these options -

1. USVI: St. Thomas + St. John + St. Croix
   
2. USVI: St. Thomas + St. John + Puerto Rico
   
3. USVI: St. John + St. Croix + Puerto Rico
   
4. St. John + Puerto Rico only
   
5. Another combination?

St. John’s beaches seem incredible! We love beaches, hiking, snorkeling, and nature.
What would you choose? Would love advice from people who’ve visited!

Nothing is going on but trip coming up in a few weeks and I lose sleep over it. I wake up at 3am every day.

I'm really nervous even though I should be excited :(

I'm putting the Virgin islands on a pedestal, maybe it's my fault, and am scared that if it's not the paradise I see in my mind I will feel bad about having spent $10k in a week.