by Theo Alleyne
SCARBOROUGH, Tobago, April 05 2015 – So imagine you plan an all-inclusive vacation for three days to a great island destination. While having a drink at the bar, you overhear someone speaking about another island nearby that is just a ferry ride away. What do you do? One option would be to do nothing, and enjoy the vacation. The other option, if you are like me, would be to get more details, and head off on a day trip adventure to the nearby island. Is it really possible? Of course it is. Here are some examples. Your vacation to Dominica could result in an excursion to Martinique or Guadeloupe. A stay in St. Kitts and Nevis could be interrupted to explore St. Maarten. You may also consider taking a ferry from St. Lucia to Dominica.
Ideally, on the day you choose to travel by ferry, the Caribbean Sea will be asleep. However, if Mother Nature tries to give you excitement and stories to tell your children and grandchildren, accept the challenge and be prepared. Let me be clear, the excitement I am speaking about is the rocking motion or the combination of the rocking motion with your butt occasionally being separated from your seat (four to nine inches in the air) as the ferry climbs wave after wave. First, avoid eating until you arrive at your destination. If nothing goes down, there is nothing to come up.
If there are multiple sailings, travel early in the morning, preferably the first sailing. One of the most attractive features of a vacation is the luxury of sleeping in late. If you can resist the urge for a late start, the “first light” ferry will be the best, and you will have a great excursion event by staying longer on land. One of the biggest advantages of the first light ferry is that less travelers will be on the ferry, and you will have more space. Now, I can hear my readers in Trinidad & Tobago saying, not our ferry; it is most crowded early in the morning. I agree. Here is the difference, the primary reason for the crowded Trinidad and Tobago ferry is that it is not designed for tourism, rather it is designed for commuter transportation. The fact of life is that commuter transportation, regardless of the type, bus, train, or ferry is always full because it is designed to serve less people than need it during peak periods.
So if we assume that you have space on the ferry, you now have a choice to make. Do you want to enjoy the scenery or do you want to arrive at your destination comfortable enough to enjoy the destination. If enjoying the scenery is important, you should sit in one of the last three rows close to the right or left windows. If being comfortable upon arrival is most important, then occupy the center of the last three rows, and if possible, make it a bed. You would find that lying on your side minimises the impact of the motion of the ferry. In fact, many people who adopt this position sleep through the journey. Travelers have found that sitting facing the direction of the starboard or portside from the center of the ferry also helps.
If all else fails, as counter productive as it may sound, you need fresh air. Simply put, the Caribbean Sea demands a personal audience with you. Sick travelers are usually surprised that after a few minutes on the deck of the ferry they start to feel much better. On a recent ferry crossing, Crewman B. Browne regaled me with stories of sick travelers who recovered after sitting on the open deck. Now, there is someone reading this article who just concluded that a ferry and a cruise ship is the same. Let me assure you, a cruise ship is significantly different from a ferry. A ferry has a Skipper and a cruise ship has a Captain.
(Theo Alleyne is a travel professional and consumer advocate with more than 15 years of experience, pioneered No USA Visa Cruises™, and Layaway Cruise™)
