Was Our Christmas Vacation in Paradise Worth Going Through Hell to Fly There and Back?

It was the week before Christmas and I had just received a giant 5 figure bonus from the advertising agency I had worked so long and hard for all year. The bonus was much larger than I had expected, so I decided to surprise my wife and five year old daughter with a Christmas vacation to the US Virgin Islands.

The only tickets available were 3 first class seats on an American Airlines flight to San Juan with a connection a little over 4 hours later to St Thomas. The flight departed at 10:30 pm Christmas night and arrived in San Juan about 1:30 am. Even though the time wasn't ideal, we were flying first class and I assumed we could rest in the first class lounge during the time between our connecting flights. My wife and daughter were thrilled with the surprise.

When we arrived in San Juan at 1:30 in the morning, the airport was empty and we were informed by an American Airline employee that the lounge and club room were closed. I told my family we'd just have to "rough it" and sleep in chairs at the gate for the next 4 hours until our connecting flight to St. Thomas. Just as we were finally getting comfortable, the same airline employee told us we couldn't sleep at the gate for "security reasons" and that we would have to stay out in the main terminal.

The area where the airline employee led us to was inhabited by several drunks, transvestites and prostitutes who approached us for money, cigarettes or "a light". It smelled of cheap rum, cheap perfume and urine. The floors were urine-soaked and dirty, there were no chairs and not a restaurant or shop open. Needless to say, the bathrooms were also too filthy to even use. Was this the airline's idea of "first class" amenities.

We met another family who was also stranded and waiting for the connection to St. Thomas. While the other husband, Bob, kept watch on our families and carry on luggage, I searched the airport for anything or anyone who might help us. All I could find was a large stack of newspapers. I took these, so we could at least put them on the floor and sit on them.

With newspapers on the filthy floor and our carry on luggage as pillows, our two families settled for a "long winter's nap" in the American Airline terminal at San Juan Airport. Our American Eagle connection arrived on time and had us in beautiful St. Thomas in 15 minutes.

After a very bumpy start, our Christmas vacation was perfect. The hotel was fabulous, the food and drink was great and the weather was picture-perfect ... until the day before we were scheduled to depart.

An intense tropical wave blew in an it poured non-stop for our final day and evening in St. Thomas. The next morning at breakfast, we were informed the rain had caused heavy flooding and a mudslide at the airport and the airport would be closed for a day or maybe even longer. St Thomas' airport is on the windward side of the island so it took the full force of the storm.

My wife and I had to get back to work, so we couldn't afford to be stranded in paradise for a few more days. But there was one ray of hope. We could take a seaplane ... or "goose" it's known locally ... over to St Croix. St Croix's airport is on the leeward side of the island so it would be sheltered somewhat from the rain and wind.

We raced to the seaplane dock by cab, boarded one that was just getting ready to depart and said our prayers. When we arrived at the dock in St. Croix, a cab driver told us the airport was open and he could take us there quickly. At the terminal, we were put on stand by and fortunately got seats on the next flight back home.

Our vacation in St Thomas was beautiful. But we still ask ourselves if it was worth going through hell to get there and back home.