Cell Service/Internet Westin St. John

[WI GAL]

Going to St. John for the first time on Jan. 27th. Very excited! I've read some post in past that Verizon doesn't get much reception there or it connects to tower in another location. Can someone who has Verizon update me on luck with service? I was going to pay about $40 for a set number of minutes through Verizon because I need to have for possible contact with family and also to make a timeshare reservation at another property that can't be made online. Would it work better to get a calling card and call from a wired line in the room, or is that dependable? Also is the internet decent for receiving email if they are unable to reach me by phone? Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[SandyPGravel]

Going to St. John for the first time on Jan. 27th. Very excited! I've read some post in past that Verizon doesn't get much reception there or it connects to tower in another location. Can someone who has Verizon update me on luck with service? I was going to pay about $40 for a set number of minutes through Verizon because I need to have for possible contact with family and also to make a timeshare reservation at another property that can't be made online. Would it work better to get a calling card and call from a wired line in the room, or is that dependable? Also is the internet decent for receiving email if they are unable to reach me by phone? Thanks for any suggestions.

Hello from Wisconsin!! I picked up a cheap AT&T go phone for cell service. (Last time we were there we had US Cellular. We also have Verizon now, would love to know how well it works if you would share after you return.) If the number you need to call is a toll free number you can call from the room, I had to make such a call too. Internet worked fine for us. We were in the hillside villas buildings 33/34. Enjoy St. John is beyond beautiful!

 

[bobpark56]

Watch out for calls getting routed through British VI.

I once placed a cell phone call on Sprint from Leinster Bay, only to find later that it connected through a tower on the British Virgin Islands...and we got charged at international rates. And there I though our "free roaming" was protecting us!

Other than that, it has been just like calling from home. But no longer for us, as we have switched from Sprint to Ting, with phone bills now $27.23/month w/o texting/SMS. Unfortunately, Ting's US pricing does not apply in the USVI, so we will be going back to magicjack while there...except for on-island emergencies.

 

[LisaRex]

Here is the info on St. Thomas from Verizon's International Trip Planner site for my iPhone 6S:

"Text Messages sent or received while in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are billed as though you were in the U.S.

Any data usage in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands is considered domestic and will deduct from domestic allowances when available or would be billed at domestic overage/pay as you go rates. See your current data plan or feature for details."

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/tripplanner/tripplannercontroller

FYI, when I traveled last January, I purchased an AT&T Go Phone and pre-loaded it with $25 because AT&T considered USVI as part of the US where Verizon did not. I guess that has changed.

I think $40 is overkill. I pre-loaded my phone with $25 because that was the minimum required to activate it. I think I used $3.

FYI, it's a minor PITA to get a cheap phone because you have to give everyone the new number to call, and vendors will ask for your contact number and I could never remember the new #.

As it turned out, the kids communicated with us via email. That worked fine.

 

[SandyPGravel]

Here is the info on St. Thomas from Verizon's International Trip Planner site for my iPhone 6S:

"Text Messages sent or received while in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are billed as though you were in the U.S.

Any data usage in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands is considered domestic and will deduct from domestic allowances when available or would be billed at domestic overage/pay as you go rates. See your current data plan or feature for details."

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/tripplanner/tripplannercontroller

FYI, when I traveled last January, I purchased an AT&T Go Phone and pre-loaded it with $25 because AT&T considered USVI as part of the US where Verizon did not. I guess that has changed.

I think $40 is overkill. I pre-loaded my phone with $25 because that was the minimum required to activate it. I think I used $3.

FYI, it's a minor PITA to get a cheap phone because you have to give everyone the new number to call, and vendors will ask for your contact number and I could never remember the new #.

As it turned out, the kids communicated with us via email. That worked fine.

I forwarded my regular cell # to the go phone. Calls will forward, texts will not. So if someone needs to call you will still get the call because it should forward to the go phone.

 

[Henry M.]

Be watchful of what cell carrier you are connected to, especially when at the beaches. I have AT&T, and often I could see that I was connected to one of the BVI carriers when out at the various beaches. You can turn off roaming if you don't want to risk international roaming call rates that are often well over $1/min. You should also consider turning off data roaming. Sometimes apps use data in the background and roaming can cost $20/MB. A simple app auto update can cost you a lot of money.

Some options that I would consider with AT&T, maybe Verizon has similar packages:

1.) A one month Global Connect plan - they have a few tiers of fixed data usage and they include discounted international dial rates as low as $0.35/min and free texting. You can use something like 300 MB of data for $60. I think calling is then $0.65/min or something like that, with free text messages. 800 MB of data and $0.35/min calling cost $120.

2.) Carry the phone for emergencies only, but call using only the internet back at the resort. Most of my family use iPhones, so we use FaceTime audio or FaceTime video a lot. Audio often works better because it doesn't need quite as fast a connection. I also use Skype to talk to those that don't have iPhones or to call landline numbers. Skype credit costs $0.02/min to call most places. A little more to call cell phones. It is free to talk to other Skype users. Using Skype on my iPhone is almost the same as making a regular phone call, though the connection quality is not always as good.

3.) Use iMessage, Skype or Whatsapp to chat with other people with your phone, instead of using text messages. Even with international roaming, it is cheaper that sending text messages.

I found Internet service at the resort adequate for web browsing and e-mail. I don't stream any video when I'm on vacation (never even turn on the TV), so I don't know how well that would work.

 

[czar]

Like others I've found the internet speeds slow but adequate - I did find success using the Internet portion of my iPhone (messages, face time audio) with little issue. As others have posted do be careful of roaming. Certain spots on the resort like the beach flick back and forth and other areas like where the rental car parking lot is and children's playground have little if any cell service.

 

[czar]

3.) Use iMessage, Skype or Whatsapp to chat withI found Internet service at the resort adequate for web browsing and e-mail. I don't stream any video when I'm on vacation (never even turn on the TV), so I don't know how well that would work.

We only watch TV there in the mornings to keep the kids occupied for an hour or so while we get up, and we found that the streaming speed was often too slow to stream shows for them reliably.

 

[WI GAL]

Thanks everyone for the info! I guess I will verify with Verizon what they have to offer. I will also bring my calling card along to make a call from the room for my timeshare reservation I need to call in, and family emergency contact in case I don't have good Verizon reception.

 

[SandyPGravel]

verizon St. John

Landed in St. Thomas Verizon text came through $1.79/minute. Called verizon from the villa phone. First said I was not eligible because account wasn't open for 90 days yet. What?? Bizarre reason for denying service. Then they asked me security questions to approve the "upgrade" I asked how much for service...$40 for 100 min, unlimited text and some data. Declined upgrade, sticking with my at&t gophone with 7 days of service for $15 through Net10 wireless. (Unlimited talk text and some data.) I had checked the Verizon service map showed service, I don't understand why it is now "international". Oh yeah the $40 was per line too!

 

[Sea Six]

Just pay attention to the banner on your screen. If it says VERIZON, no problem. When it says ROAMING, check settings to see who you are connected to. I noticed when we toured the old sugar mill we started getting welcome messages from the BVI. When in doubt, just turn roaming off for cellular and data, then turn it back on IF you want to use it, and verify who you connected to.

 

[Henry M.]

I have AT&T, and it works fine at the resort, but at most of the beaches, my phone was connections to towers in the British Virgin Islands, and this roaming internationally. I have an international data plan due to my business travel, so it was not too big a deal. However, it can get pretty expensive if you're not careful. Best turn off data roaming and be careful making or receiving calls.

 

[WI GAL]

Sorry SandyPGravel wasn't able to update you on how Verizon worked before your trip because we ended up canceling our trip as my mom was in the last few days of her life. We actually have been able to secure another reservation and will arrive this Friday March 4th. Sounds like you are enjoying your week! Any tips for us? Anyone out there looking to dispose of beach chairs this Friday or putting them in the freecycle??

 

[SandyPGravel]

Sorry SandyPGravel wasn't able to update you on how Verizon worked before your trip because we ended up canceling our trip as my mom was in the last few days of her life. We actually have been able to secure another reservation and will arrive this Friday March 4th. Sounds like you are enjoying your week! Any tips for us? Anyone out there looking to dispose of beach chairs this Friday or putting them in the freecycle??

Hey no need to apologize, sorry to hear about your mom. Hope your trip is fantastic, saw a lot of rain was forecasted for this week, hopefully it is at night. Sorry I didn't see this message sooner, no we didn't have any beach chairs to share anyway. We did the Hurricane Hole kayak and snorkel trip last week. It was awesome, I can highly recommend it if you still can fit it in your schedule. Arawak in Mongoose Junction runs it. Matt was our guide.

 

[DavidnRobin]

We did the Hurricane Hole kayak and snorkel trip last week. It was awesome, I can highly recommend it if you still can fit it in your schedule. Arawak in Mongoose Junction runs it. Matt was our guide.

Thanks for that recommendation. We tried to snorkel from opening in the mangrove trees from the road at the NP border, but Robin was too nervous to swim that far - it was quite shallow, and hard not to disturb the surrounds.

 

[SandyPGravel]

Thanks for that recommendation. We tried to snorkel from opening in the mangrove trees from the road at the NP border, but Robin was too nervous to swim that far - it was quite shallow, and hard not to disturb the surrounds.

If you can get some, take along some PFD's,(real boating ones, not the ones for snorkeling) they asked us to wear them when we were at the first snorkel stop, because the area was so shallow. The PFD's keep you afloat and you don't have to kick to maintain buoyancy. In fact at the first snorkel stop they specifically asked us not to wear our fins. Another option would be to rent a stand up paddle board I am pretty sure two could sit on the paddle board to get over if the swim is too much. Or rent a two person kayak, the paddle over is very easy and the ideal snorkeling spot is directly across from where we put in. I have the GPS coordinates if you are interested in knowing where to put in at. I think it was farther down the road than the NP border.

 

[DavidnRobin]

If you can get some, take along some PFD's,(real boating ones, not the ones for snorkeling) they asked us to wear them when we were at the first snorkel stop, because the area was so shallow. The PFD's keep you afloat and you don't have to kick to maintain buoyancy. In fact at the first snorkel stop they specifically asked us not to wear our fins. Another option would be to rent a stand up paddle board I am pretty sure two could sit on the paddle board to get over if the swim is too much. Or rent a two person kayak, the paddle over is very easy and the ideal snorkeling spot is directly across from where we put in. I have the GPS coordinates if you are interested in knowing where to put in at. I think it was farther down the road than the NP border.

We have done HH a few times from a boat (Island Roots) and familiar with shallow floating (and not disturbing surrounds). The distance was too far from opening on road - made Robin nervous - so we turned around.

I would be interested in the GPS coordinates for the kayak entry - I could see it from the boat, but couldn't find it from the road.

 

[LisaH]

I would be interested in the GPS coordinates for the kayak entry - I could see it from the boat, but couldn't find it from the road.

Me too. Thanks! We did the Mangrove snorkeling in Princess Bay from road. Very interesting. Lots of juvenile fishes. Water is indeed very shallow. Many conchs and starfishes within easy reach. I think we will try Kayak next time...

 

[SandyPGravel]

Me too. Thanks! We did the Mangrove snorkeling in Princess Bay from road. Very interesting. Lots of juvenile fishes. Water is indeed very shallow. Many conchs and starfishes within easy reach. I think we will try Kayak next time...

Sorry, been trying to get back in the swing of things, I will get the GPS out tonight and post the coordinates. I marked it a bit farther east down the road than the entry because others were parked there, but probably within a hundred feet or so.

 

[SandyPGravel]

Hurricane Hole Kayak GPS coordinates

N 18 21.367'
W 064 41.629'

There is supposed to be a "degree" symbol after the 18 & 064, but I can't figure out how to add that. I marked this 100 feet or so farther east, but you will see the break in the foliage.

Hope you have as much fun as we did.

Gina

 

[DavidnRobin]

Thanks - I will save these in my iPhone. I saw the kayak entry from water, and saw truck-trailer for kayaks another time. Where we went in was easy, but too far away to get to mangroves in deep enough water - by the thumb of HH (if thought of as a hand). Anyway - ended up at Angel's Rest - so it was all good...

Countdown <90 days. Got a charter date with Island Roots - thinking about a 'round STT' excursion - I hear there are great spots on STT accessible by boat.