SwimVacation

and

Promenade Sail Dive Charters

A valid passport with an expiration date not less than 6 months after your return is required for all trips to the British Virgin Islands and return to the United States.

ARRIVING:
You may fly either into St Thomas (STT) and then take a 40 minute ferry ride over to Roadtown, or fly directly to Tortola’s Beef Island (EIS) in the BVI. The best flights to Beef Island from Puerto Rico don’t always appear on the big travel websites like Travelocity. You may be able to piece together a flight using a big airline like American and smaller carrier, like Cape Air or Air Sunshine. It is often possible to fly to Puerto Rico the night before we set sail, spend the night in Puerto Rico, then fly to Beef Island (EIS) early the next morning. We generally find unless it is more than a $125.00 difference per person to fly into St Thomas, the extra “hassle factor” is usually not worth it and it is best to come into Beef Island. If you fly into St. Thomas and need help making sure your connections over to Tortola line up with ferries, we are more than happy to help. There are often more direct flights from the states to STT, and some guests may want to stop there and shop! If you are coming into St. Thomas, you will be able to get a cab outside the airport to take you to the Tortola Ferry dock. Please make sure that we have flight arrival details. Email them to hopper@swimvacation.com. If your arrival into the islands is delayed for any reason, please call us at 1-284-499-2756 and we will make the appropriate arrangements.

HOTELS
We have a listing of hotels at http://www.saildivebvi.com/staying.php.

PORT OF BOARDING
Our port of boarding is the Village Cay Marina in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Click here and scroll down for a map of Tortola to orient yourself. Your SwimVacation guides and the Promenade will be waiting for you at 12:00 p.m. to welcome you aboard. If you are arriving on the island earlier in the day, arrangements can be made to drop off your luggage ahead of time.

INCIDENTALS
Although your charter fee will be paid in advance, there may be some additional charges along the way. If you are calculating what cash and traveler’s checks you may need, please see the notes below. There is a 5% surcharge for using credit cards.

Meals and drinks not on Promenade are also extra. At the end of the cruise, you may want to leave a gratuity for your crew. Service charges are not included in your charter/SwimVacation fee. The customary amount is 15% to 20% but this is completely up to you and how much you enjoyed your charter. If you leave your gratuity with the Captain at the end of the cruise, he will share it evenly between crew members.

COMMUNICATION
You may use 284-499-2756 as well as 734-714-0678 as an emergency contact number for your family. We are usually within range of one of these numbers. There is a wireless internet connection on board, so you are welcome to bring your laptop with you. Tortola has a GSM Network which will make your cell phones from home useable here. We also pick up the US networks when we are line of sight of St Thomas, usually AT&Tand Sprint. AT&T in the US Virgin Islands is part of the nationwide free calling network, if you have an ATT plan. We usually recommend that you call your cell phone company before you leave and make sure you have an International dialing plan, otherwise the roaming charges while in the BVI quickly add up. You may also consider a Skype account.

Insurance
All SwimVacation customers must be self insured for medical and repatriation costs, and for all activities you will pursue on your vacation. Many health insurance policies to not cover costs related to these activities. SwimVacation has teamed with a multisport insurance company to provide you with coverage for the length of the trip at a very reasonable cost ($20 to $30 covers the whole week). Click here for more information.  For more comprehensive trip insurance, including trip cancellation coverage, we recommend Insuremytrip.com

WHAT TO BRING AND PACKING
Dress is very casual in the islands. Promenade is a casual yacht. Cotton is recommended. Shoes are not worn on board, and must be washed and taken off before coming aboard from shore. We suggest perhaps one pair of sandals for going ashore and a pair of wet shoes for climbing over rocks in the water. A long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt is handy for breezy nights. Storage space is limited, and almost all the guests tell us that they packed twice as much as they needed. SOFT COLLAPSIBLE LUGGAGE is essential on board, for easy stowage. Also, please no spray mist lotions, suntan lotions with PABA in them or bronzers – they stain the deck and upholstery badly. Our swimming guests should pack one pair of tinted and one pair of clear goggles.

MUSIC
We have an IPOD docking station that is hooked up to our stereo system that you can plug your IPOD into. We also have SIRIUS satellite radio about half the time, when the satellites are in range.

When you arrive, your SwimVacation guides and the crew will welcome you aboard and introduce themselves. You will be given an orientation and safety briefing. We have lots of helpful hints about Promenade. This is also a good time to let us know what other activities you would like to do, and anything special you would like to visit. We can then plan your itinerary together…of course; it often changes from day to day due to weather.

On behalf of SwimVacation and the crew, we look forward to welcoming you aboard Promenade.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 207- 975-5489 or by email to hopper@swimvacation.com

Best Regards,

Hopper, SwimVacation