‘Tis the Season: Time to Start Thinking About Your Ferry Reservation

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Although summer may seem to be light years away, now is the time to start making your vehicle reservations with the Steamship Authority.  It may be hard to believe, but space is limited and to help guarantee you a spot now is the time to book!

Beginning on January 19, the Steamship Authority will be allowing customers to make pre-paid reservations for travel dates starting May 20, 2010 through October 30, 2010.  All of this can be done online at www.SteamshipAuthority.com. Once there, you are able to complete a vehicle reservation application and obtain any other  information you may need.

What better way to help pass the snowy days of winter than by starting to plan your Vineyard getaway! As always, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have on vacation rentals or questions regarding your Steamship Authority reservation.

Click here for more information on getting to Martha’s Vineyard.

Fall Checklist for Summer 2010 on Martha’s Vineyard

The kids are back in school, the days are getting shorter and cooler…and it’s hard not to start dreaming about next summer on the Vineyard! Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re crazy, I think you’re very, very smart because planning for a fantastic 2010 summer on the Vineyard really does need to start now!

Here’s my checklist to keep you fully on top of things:

1. If you want the house of your rental dreams, book it now! The fall is actually our busiest booking time as folks scramble for primo houses. Our inventory is huge, our site has been updated and is beautiful, and we get new listings every day!

2. Make plans with friends and family as soon as possible. It’s much easier to plan a vacation for two, or even a family of five (who all do exactly what you tell them because three of them are kids!), than it is to plan for your extended family or groups of friends. The sooner you all get your schedules set, the less stress you’ll have. No one should have their summer planned yet – so you’ll be asking them to commit before you have to dance around everyone else’s commitments.

3. Ferry reservations. Yes, I know you can’t actually book your ferry reservations until February, but let me remind you how much less stressful it will be to plan the times you would like to sail (and sync them up with any other travel you need to do to get here) when you aren’t under the gun of opening day on the Steamships Advanced Reservations Line!! I recommend that you plan it out on paper and clip it to your February calendar. On the big day, just go online and book those tickets!

4. Same with the plane. You can book your plane reservations now and they do fill up! Also, unlike the ferry, airline fares are cheaper if purchased in advance.

5. If you’re really eager, create a list of all of the things you love doing on the island – include beaches to visit, restaurants, festivals and stores. This can be especially fun with the whole family as you reflect on the summer of ‘09 and get ready for the summer of ‘10. Then make a big calendar and start jotting down activities you don’t want to miss. You can even decorate it with pics from summers past. When the snow starts to fall, this beautiful calendar and homage to Martha’s Vineyard will be sure to warm you up…

Any other questions, concerns, delightful memories to share? Don’t hesitate to ask me!

Image credit: WillPosh

January brings thoughts of summer on the Vineyard and beyond

January, for those of us either on the Vineyard or biding our time until we can get here, means one thing: getting our summer vacation plans in order and booked. Seriously, the excitement of the Steamship Authority opening their summer vehicle reservation lines is enough to blast any post-holiday blues clear away.

There are two things that folks who plan to rent a vacation home on Martha’s Vineyard need to do in January:
1. Book your ferry tickets. The Steamship Authority tickets for vehicle passage go on sale January 20th. And they go fast. In no time at all, you’re looking at long standby lines – especially in July and August. Though, I must admit, for some people this is part of the adventure! Remember there are no longer stand by spots available from Friday to Monday during the summer.
2. Find the house you want. We’re starting to book rather quickly now! I’ll tell you that every year, August is booked solid in no time. You’ll have a little more leeway in July. With the Ag Fair, the Oak Bluffs fireworks and concert and the weather – August goes fast. But July is also divine – and so are June and September! Also, because August is such a popular month for rentals, weekly rates are often lower in July – and absolutely lower in June and September.

For the other essentials, like linen rentals, bike rentals, dinner reservations…you’ve got plenty of time – and I’ll be sure to blog you a reminder this spring when it’s time to take care of more summer prep business!

Which Should You Book First? Your Vacation Home or Your Ferry Reservations?

It is a frequently asked question!  Most renters that make the Vineyard an annual vacation destination are now in the decision making process of when, where and how.  Because The Steamship Authority will be opening up vehicle ferry reservations for the summer months soon, many regulars are now trying to fit together the puzzle pieces.

Historically the primary turnover day for weekly rentals has been Saturday.  We now see almost half of our owners use Sunday as the turnover day.  This has occurred for a couple of reasons.  The steamship authority is no longer able to handle the volume of cars being brought back and forth on Saturdays alone and owners have also been having difficulty finding a cleaning crew that can turn over that number of rental houses in one day.

We also now see a few owners consider mid week turn over days for the same reasons.  Many of our tenants tend to like this as it gives them a full weekend on the island instead of having to pack and leave on one of the busy Saturday or Sundays.

When making your Martha’s Vineyard vacation plans you should try to book your rental home in advance of your ferry reservation so you know what days you will need to travel on.  If this is done far enough in advance you should not have a problem come travel time!  Many of our owners will try to be flexible on the turn over day as it gets closer to season if they can.  Many of their weeks will be boxed in with prior bookings.

It always pays to plan ahead for your Vineyard vacation!

How Does the Steamship Authority Work?

For those of you that have been to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, you know that the process of bringing a vehicle along on your Vineyard vacation can be very trying if you don’t know the process!  Our island population goes from around 15,000 year round residents to 100,000 August visitors.  You really do need to take a ferry to and from the island.  It is a 45 minute ferry ride from the Cape.

Once you have booked your Vineyard vacation rental, you will need to work on making arrangements for getting here.  The Steamship Authority does not take reservations for the summer season until sometime in January.  This year they open reservations online and via mail on January 20th.  Mark your calendars!  They will open the phone lines up on January 27, 2009.

Sometimes it feels like you have won the lottery when you get just the right times for your reservations for your August vacation.   The process can seem unbearable much of the time but following are some tips that might help:

• Go online to the Steamship Authority and sign up for your profile number and pin prior to making your reservation.
• Go online as soon as you can on January 20, be patient as you may get bumped off the site due to high volume.
• Book any time you can on the day of travel or as close to the day of travel and request to be wait listed for your preferred times.

You should know that the wait list system does seem to work out for most travelers that are reserving their tickets this far in advance.   The steamship has represented in the past that they do not completely book all of the boats so they will have some flexibility.  Things do shift around but you may not know for sure right up until travel time.  They do also have a day of sail number you can call to try to change your reservation while you are on the road.

I once had a customer call and book a house one Saturday in August, drive down and get right on the boat and arrive at my office to pay for their vacation home and pick up their key, all in the same day.  This is not the norm and I do not recommend you wait to see if this works but, please realize that some of the systems that may seem very flawed can work well in the end!

When Should You Book Your Vineyard Vacation?

On Martha’s Vineyard, we begin booking rental homes for the following season before the current one ends!  Many families decide they like coming to the island every year for a least one week.  If they like the rental property they are staying in, and know they will be back, it makes sense for them to commit to the same house while they are here.

Rental home bookings continue through the fall and right up until the beginning of the season.  Critical things to consider when trying to decide when to book your vacation home:

• Most owners know whether their repeat tenants are coming back by the end of September.  If you are a new tenant or looking to change houses it may be difficult to get a commitment prior to that.
• Steamship Authority (vehicle ferry) opens up ticket sales for the summer months around mid January.  Tickets sell out quickly for the weekend turnover days during the season.
• January is a strong booking month because of the ferry ticket sales and many popular houses will book up quickly.
• Rental homes are listed through out the season, to a certain degree, making last minutes bookings a strong possibility.

All in all, you should consider booking your Martha’s Vineyard vacation home ahead of time, especially, if you have specific criteria, price and dates in mind.  If you can be somewhat flexible, any time is a good time!  We have a house for you with over 500 listings in our inventory.

Traveling to Martha’s Vineyard: Ferries and Planes

How Do I Get to Martha’s Vineyard?

You have two choices for mainland to island travel – by air or by boat. Planes are small, fast and uncrowded. Boats are big enough to walk around in, have a snack bar with clam chowder, some carry cars and all provide the experience of traveling over water and past beautiful seascapes to reach the island.

BY AIR

Cape Air flies direct to Martha’s Vineyard from Boston, MA, Providence, RI, New Bedford, MA, Hyannis, MA and Nantucket. The Boston – Vineyard flight is the longest with a total flight time of 35 minutes. Cape Air operates year round, and flights depart frequently during the summer season and bit less during the winter. Flying Cessna 402’s, Cape Air is the largest independent regional airline in the United States and is employee – owned company. (p.s. each flight, someone gets to ride shotgun next to the pilot!) For more information and flight schedules visit: www.flycapeair.com or call 800.352.0714.

U.S. Airways Express seasonally serves the Martha’s Vineyard Airport from the following locations: New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL), and Hyannis’ Boardman-Polando Field (HYA). For more information and flight schedules visit: www.usairways.com or call 800.428.4322 (Reservations) 800.943.5436 (Flight Arrivals and Departure Information)

MVY Airport
The Martha’s Vineyard Airport is conveniently located in West Tisbury, and supplies bus, taxi and car rental transportation. For more info, visit: www.mvyairport.com.

BY BOAT

The Steamship Authority ferries passengers, cars, pets, bikes and dogs to Martha’s Vineyard all year long with increased trip service from Memorial Day to Labor Day and every weekend. The boats run about hourly and travel from Wood’s Hole to either Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs. The Steamship Authority also runs ferries between Hyannis and Nantucket, including a fast ferry.

The ferry is a classic Vineyard experience, whether you are standing on the deck getting your first bit of island sun, or watching the game on the big screen tv’s inside (some boats only!). A snack bar boasts chowder, baked goods and wine and beer, and the seagulls provide the entertainment. The ride is 45 minutes long…and the ferries are always on time. For more information, schedules and fees, visit their website at: www.steamshipauthority.com or call 508.477.8600.

Hy-Line Cruises is a Cape Cod family-owned and operated ferry company with more than 40 years in the cruise business. This seasonal ferry travels between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs five times per day during the high summer season and four times per day in May and October. For the 55 minute ride, Hy-Line strongly recommends that you make reservations for their passenger ferry (no cars!). For more information, visit www.hy-linecruises.com or call 800.492.8082.

The New England Fast Ferry carries passengers (no cars!) from New Beford to Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs throughout the summer season. With special trips added for weekends, you have your choice of up to 10 trips per day from May – October. The trip takes one hour and offers incredible scenery as you move up the Sound. For schedules and fare, visit www.nefastferry.com or call 866.683.3779.

NOTE: Both Hy-Line and the New England Fast Ferry have added a $4 one-way and $8 roundtrip surchage to all tickets for the 2008 season due to fuel prices.

On MVY
Once you step off the boat, busses and cabs will be at your service, and rental cars and bikes are steps away….or you can always walk to your rental if it’s in downtown Vineyard Haven or Oak Bluffs.

Pre-trip Checklist: Martha’s Vineyard Vacation Rental

Renting a house on Martha’s Vineyard for your vacation is, of course, a fantastic idea. You’ll have a whole house to spread out in and really relax – by yourself, with a loved one or surrounded by the whole family. This pre-trip checklist will help you be prepared so that you can have a wonderful and stress-free getaway.

LINENS & TOWELS. Check your lease to see if linens and towels are provided by the homeowner or tenant. Most houses do not provide beach towels, so plan to bring your own. If packing linens is a hassle you don’t want, you can rent from Takemmy Linen Rental. They’ll deliver a bag of clean linens to the house on the day of your arrival and pick up the dirty linens on your departure day.

BABY EQUIPMENT RENTAL. Don’t feel like you have to lug it all along! Baby Bear Equipment Rental will deliver and pick up whatever you need, and their equipment is kept clean and up to date.

ARRIVAL TIME. Double check your lease for the exact time of check in and try to schedule your travel plans accordingly. Your House Info Packet will be available at the rental office at this time and then, you will be able to go to your house.

CHECK-IN DIRECTIONS. Be sure you have directions for your initial point of contact on the island for check-in (usually the Rental Office). You may have directions directly to the house but most agencies require you come to their office to pick up a check-in packet with keys and directions.

FERRY TICKETS. It is best to book your ferry reservations as soon as you have secured your island rental. Summer weekend boats sell out very quickly if you are bringing your car. Summer tickets typically become available for purchase in early February. Contact The Steamship Authority or the New England Fast Ferry (remember no cars on the fast ferry!)

GROCERIES. If you can, you may want to travel with a cooler full of food staples because rental house kitchens and fridges are usually left free of any food, including condiments.

CAR RENTAL. There are cars available for rent on the island, but this is not the Hertz lot at Logan! – supplies are limited. It is best to reserve a car at the same time you book your Martha’s Vineyard house rental. Try A-A Island Auto Rental (they have Smart Cars – great for our environment!) or Budget.

BICYCLES. With miles of bike trails and beautiful roads, biking on Martha’s Vineyard is extremely popular – Bring your own or rent bikes on the Vineyard.

BEACH GEAR. Like you need a reminder! Unless your lease states otherwise, you will need: towels, chairs, sandals, boogie boards, umbrellas, coolers, tote bags, frisbees, etc.

I’ll see you soon!