Help! STT (free lodging) or GC (inexpensive)

[navi_jen]

Hi SB....

So, I'm in a quandry. I need a vacation, and I need your collective advice.

I'm newish to diving (20 dives) with my open water certification. However, I was a collegiate swimmer (translation: very aggressive with depth, bottom time) and my previous experience has been Belize (2x) & Grand Cayman. I like big fish, and while I enjoyed several wrecks in GC, it (wrecks) didn't do it for me. My dad is part of a timeshare club, and thought I could use his benefits for an inexpensive vacation. Will be traveling with a work friend who is also a diver..more experienced than I (both on East Coast). I welcome your advice on which might be a more enjoyable week.

So, my options are:

Saint Thomas: Bluebeard Beach Club, last week of September. Free lodging. Flights around $350. Pluses: Very inexpensive, and my dad would feel like his timeshare is being used. Minuses: Small condo for 2 ppl (studio), pod people & wreck diving.

Grand Cayman: The Reef (East End). Dates are flexible (late Oct to Late Nov) and 1bd condo is $800. Flights, same price. Pluses: I love the Reef and GC, East End is virtually pod-free. Minuses: Dad's timeshare week is wasted (it would be booked as a timeshare company 'getaway', rather than a timeshare trade). and my wallet is a bit lighter.

In a perfect world, I'd take a long weekend to STT (warmup), plus an entire week in GC. But the flight BOS-STT flight is 8 hours, and I don't think I can convert the timeshare week to a long weekend. Seems like STT wouldn't be worth it.

Any ideas???

Thanks....

Clueless Jen

 

[tajkd]

I'd go for the least expensive and family-friendly option. Save your cash for a big trip. Plus, you've been once to GC. There's a great big world full of water out there.

 

[navi_jen]

Taj,

Thanks for the response....I guess $400 difference doesn't seem to be a huge amount...particularly when the Reef is nicer than Bluebeard (and a bigger room). And a family friendly option isn't a high priority, since it's just me and a work buddy.

Guess I'm leaning towards GC, unless the diving in St Thomas is expotentially better than GC...which I don't think it is, is it???

I know there are worse problems to have....

A tangential question...How do people do long weekend diving trips? Doesn't the decompression sorta kill the timing? I guess it would have to be a long weekend, right? (fly friday night, dive Sat & Sunday, snorkel Monday & fly back)....

 

[Jersey]

Hi Jen ~ is there a reason the TS/you are limited to either StT or GC? What is your objective? If it is to use dad's ts (generous dad BTW!) StT is the way to go (FREE is for me). As a ts owner at Pelican Resort, St. Marten, my unit is placed with Interval International for trading purposes and I can pretty much go anywhere in the world. I searched today for Carib/Atlantic islands, Sept - Oct and found 34 different resorts in Aruba, Bahamas, Curacao, Grand Cayman, St. Mart, St. Thom. Plus there are timeshare excess inventory brokers where you may be able to get a better rate and/or negotiate directly with a resort . It never hurts to ask 'is that the best you can do?' All they can say is no discount. I am all about discounts and cheap vacations!

...Personally, I prefer GC over StT, but that is just me... Good luck and let us know what you decide!

 

[mikerault]

My wife and I will be in STT last week in Sept at Bluebeards, maybe we will see you there!

 

[navi_jen]

Hi all,

Thanks for the notes. My dad actually got the TS as part of a divorce...if he could sell it, he would. He's offered it to pass it along to the kids, but it seems like there are alot of hoop jumping & extra charges. So I thought I'd try it out a few times first.

My travel partner can't go until October..and my dad's exchange is only good to Oct 2...so I thought I'd have him bank the week for future use (not that I have any idea how to use a banked week).

Jersey, I've never heard about 'excess inventory brokers'. I like cheap vacations (typical champagne taste, beer budget, particularly during home renovation season). Any that you like?

Mike, who do you use for diving on STT? It's my understanding that the 2 major companies on that side of the island (Blue & some longer name) cater to cruise ships...not my speed. I would like to visit the island eventually, but would prefer to dive the north coast. Any ideas?

Thanks, Jen

 

[RJP]

However, I was a collegiate swimmer (translation: very aggressive with depth, bottom time)

Not to hijack thread, but seeing someone with 0-24 dives suggest that the fact that they were "a collegiate swimmer" translates to being "very aggressive with depth, bottom time" is very concerning. I was a competitive swimmer many years ago, and am swimming a mile a day currently. I don't recall ever going very deep or staying down for very long. I certainly never breathed compressed gas at depth while doing laps.

Translation: a nitrogen bubble or an empty tank don't give a **** whether you were a swimmer in college or a member of the glee club. Hopefully you understand why that's the case.

Please be safe - wherever you decide to travel.

 

[navi_jen]

RJ,

Thanks for the concern...but I do dive safely and I do not exceed recommended dive times and/or depths. However, I don't think I'm a typical newbie/vacation diver who likes to stay at 40 feet. I am in good physical shape (swim 2 miles 3x per week, heartrate in the 50s), and when I dive, I clear my ears early and often, check my gauges religiously and actually enjoy my safety stops.

Again, thank you for your concern.

Jen

 

[mikerault]

I don't know, this will be my first trip there!

Mike

 

[A2K]

Jen, I lived on STT for a year and there are enough reefs around the island that you would not have to dive wrecks if you did not want to. Why do you think you want to dive the north side of the island? I don't know of any operator that dives anywhere north of Coki Beach. The south side is where most of the diving is done. As far as operators go, I go with only one on STT, Admiralty Dive Center. They do not do the cattle boat thing. If there are divers from a cruise ship, they are typically someone trying to avoid other cruisers. Duane and Laura are the owners and they will take extremely good care of you. I would also suggest renting a car for your stay. There are so many places to go and see on the island that taking a taxi just wouldn't be the most effective way. And you must eat at Havana Blue. Amazing food.