Bucket Lists-- everyone has one or at least has thought about one and everyone is trying their very best to cross each item off before they... well, kick the bucket. I have always had a fascination for airplanes. From small 4 seater airplanes to jumbo jets, I find them all very interesting and intriguing. So, while planning activities for our Virgin Island vacation this past year, I came across Seaborne Airlines based out of St. Croix.
After some basic Internet research I found out that there are multiple flights each day that take you from Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas to Christiansted, St. Croix by SEAPLANE. This is something I have always dreamt about, and of course was something that was on my bucket list.
When we arrived to St. Thomas we began to ask the islanders about the seaplane experience. Nobody really seemed to have too much insight into the experience. We decided to book round trip tickets for my mom, grandma, and myself to go to St. Croix for a few hours. The experience wasn't about exploring St. Croix, well for me it wasn't at least. I was all about the seaplane experience.
A "seaport" is much different than your typical "airport," in a very good way. Each passenger is allowed 1 bag and you are not allowed to bring any bags with you aboard the seaplane. This rule eliminates the headache of going through security. The seaport experience was very different. It was open air (as was almost everything in the Virgin Islands.) You look out one direction and you see the crystal-clear "runway" (water) and the other way was the busy streets of Charlotte Amalie.
Once we heard "flight 140 service to St. Croix will now begin its boarding procedures, please make your way to the door," we couldn't wait for the experience of a lifetime. As we proceeded to the door, the gate agent led us out the door to the an area where we watched our seaplane land. As the plane taxied to the dock we were instructed what our seat assignments were. Seat assignments were based upon your weight.
Walking aboard the seaplane you had to basically duck way down to be able to fit through the tiny door. Once we reached our seats I looked around the cabin in awe. This was going to be great! There were a total of 15 seats aboard the seaplane. Most of the passengers were business people or locals. My mom, grandma and I were obviously the only tourists and we stuck out like sore thumbs. Think we cared? No way!
Not wanting to miss out on capturing every moment of this bucket list event, I had my camcorder in one hand and camera in the other. Once the pilot and co-pilot climbed aboard they took their seats which we had full view of from the cabin as there was no door separating them from us passengers. The security procedures consisted of the co-pilot turning his head and informing us where the exits were and the location of the life vests. Funny how close you pay attention to the emergency information when you are aboard a seaplane.
As the plane taxied from the dock the roar of the propellers deafened our ears. All of a sudden the plane sped up and we glided over the Caribbean ocean. It was so smooth you barley could tell we were on water. Then the plane lifted from the water and up we went. We had wonderful views of the cruise ships that were in port as well as a great view of our resort. It was such a thrill.
The flight lasted about 20 minutes before we started our decent toward St. Croix. As the plane defended toward the water we were anxious to see how the landing would be. We soon found out that landing on water was much better than any other runway landing on land. Flying on a seaplane such a great experience.
After spending a couple hours roaming around Christiansted we repeated the procedures and flew back to St. Thomas.
Here is a video of our experience aboard Seaborne Airlines.
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