A little Info would Be Appreciated.

Rob,
You are 23 and you will for sure kick yourself 10 yrs. from now if you don't take this opportunity. There is a wealth of information on this board. Just read through it.

My sister took an opportunity when she was in her mid 20's to live in Cayman Island working at a restaurant and it is an opportunity she will never forget. She lived there 2 yrs.
Your parents are worried about you and your girlfriend is jealous. Ask your parents for their support and they will give it to you. Take a deep breath and just know that there will be some obstacles but you have those in everyday life anyway.

Good luck and enjoy yourself

YL

Ex-Island Paul checking in (can't log in yet on my new "handle") but didn't want to miss an opportunity to respond to your post. I would give you great assurance, that you are going to have a great time. Why? The last week I was on the island I met one of the bartenders at the Ritz, at one of his other jobs. He is a great guy and when I have his e-mail I'll share it with you. He made the comment to me that he has absolutely no time of his own since he a: works so much, but b: and here's the good part for you - all of the 20 somethings all pretty much hang together and do stuff. My point - you will have no troble making new friends and will of course have a blast on the island, especially when it's 20 degrees or less back home.

Enjoy yourself.........nice long informative post by the way.

Dear Rob,

Don't worry at all - you'll be just fine!

Although the Ritz is highly "corporate" and regimented, it'll be a new learning experience for you and I'm sure you'll get the hang of the system very quickly. I know several young people who work at the Ritz and they're all delightful and have a lot of fun. Do things the Ritz way and they'll take care of you from good health benefits to paid vacations to opportunities to relocate to other Ritz properties all over the U.S. and the world.

As far as friends and family "freaking" is concerned, everybody's gone through that trauma at some time or another. Do take the time to really go through this forum in depth and you'll quickly discover not only answers to FAQs but also a wealth of information which will help you in your adjustment to the different way of life here.

The best of luck to you - and now start doing your homework!

Hello Rob,

Quick background, I am from Kansas City and know The Hereford House well and have eaten there many times out of tradition. I moved to St. Thomas one year ago with husband and three kids and we are loving it. I met my husband at Raoul's Velvet Room in O.P. and we used to hang out there quite a bit. You might know the place??? John the chef was absolutely the best (almost as good as my current boss:) We miss a few things about K.C., but not the weather!

My advice and biased opinion is to get the heck out of Dodge or in your case O.P. and come on down! My husband took all of a few hours to adjust to living on island so I am sure you will do fine. You already have the biggest hurdles covered (ie. job, place to lay your head, etc.) I will say that the ratio of single men to single women seems to be 5 to 1 here on island, so maybe some other advice is to stay in contact with friends in K.C. and have them come visit. 🙂 Board members correct me if I am wrong on that stat as I am married and do not know for sure about the dating scene on island. (NOT old just married)

You won't be able to find too much on-line for long term rentals, however since you have a temporary place to stay, just wait until you are on island. Renting sight unseen is not recommended here. We do not have apartments like the AMLI and renting does not work the same down here.

About geography, I knew the U.S. Virgin Islands were near the British Virgin Islands before visiting here, except that I thought the British Virgin Islands were somewhere near England! I was happy to find out that they were in the Carribean. Ummm, maybe the MidWest Education system is lacking in the Geography dept.? 🙂 Oh well.

Good luck to you and maybe we will see you down here!

Teresa

5 to one is generous! Haha! It's about 7 to one, last time I looked at any stats. Islander?

Hey Rob,
Like Teresa, we are also from Kansas City. Lived up near Gladstone. We live over on St Croix, and know of another family from Parkville that recently moved to St Thomas, and another couple from KC that are getting settled on St John. Our daughter bartends on the Plaza ! Small world!
Anyway, ...you will be fine. People are generally VERY helpful, and in no time your parents will be down here visiting you!!
(hey your mom can email me if she needs reassurance - I'm a mom of a 23 year old son and our daughter)
Good Luck, and enjoy! Its easier once you actually get here -the hardest part for me was the useless worrying before we moved.

Hi there,
Well, well, well, what's up with KC? My hubby and I just moved from the Plaza, along with "Island Ed" who moved from Parkville, "Twindomes" and "Travelwoman" (who moved to STX) and "Kellymac" and her husband who also moved from KC !!!! My advise is DO IT 🙂 You are 23 - you don't want to be 80 (or 30 for that matter 🙂 ) and say "I wish I had experienced ________" Our thought was if we hate it, we'll just move home. Good luck with your move, keep checking this board as it is a fabulous source to get all your questions answered (and just for some positive reinforcement, that at times you just need). Just a word of caution though - you are young and island living can be very tempting and if you aren't careful, too much of a "good thing" can be very addictive (if you know what I mean)

Rob, I'm the guy from Parkville that Travelwoman mentioned. Just do it. At 23 you can't pass up the experience or the opportunity of trying the island life. Keep anything of value you won't be bringing in your folks basement, then come on down! You'll make great money at the Ritz (I know a server that makes over $50K year), and you'll have great fun at your age... as long as you don't get carried away. All the KC transplants will even let you buy our first Bushwacker when you start!!!

Dear Rob,

Piaa and Island Ed's advice about temptation are right on the mark but I'll say it more bluntly. Drugs and cheap alcohol abound here. I've known many a bartender who, having made good money, got into the "going out after late shift" routine and basically wasted their money on late-night drinks and VLTs at late-night bars. And then they wonder why they don't have enough money to fix their car when something goes wrong with it or pay their rent. Be prepared to be wary, sensible and moderate!

Drugs? Ouch. Way too many awful stories to tell and that entails writing a book. Coke and crack can be easily found. If you're dumb enough to get hooked it's a downward spiral. I've seen enough drug tragedies in 21 years here to last me a lifetime but unfortunately they never end and it's heartbreaking to say the least.

Hope you're doing your homework!

Hey There,

Rob Here again. Wow, Its wierd to see so many people from the KC metro that have gone through the same thing. I have already managed to score tons of useful stuff by studying this board. The Staff and the HR dept at the Ritz has been very helpful as well.

My car is a complete POS so I am definatley not gonna take the time or effort to ship it down there. I have had it since I was a senior in high school and there are days that I can barely trust it to get me from my apartment on Metcalf to downtown on grand where I work. still its been old reliable so I guess ill either bury it in my parents backyard, or possibly play taps for it with a harmonica as I throw it in neautral and push it off a cliff. 🙂

I am not gonna have a huge chunk of change with me when I get down there either (about 2500 or so), so I was wondering what the possibility of picking up a used car when I get down there? It can be a beater, I dont care. So long as it fires up gets me from point a to point b.

It seems like the Ritz is kinda outta the way from everything based upon its location on the map. Are there any residential areas close by that I would be able to find an apartment at? Staff Quarters are fine initially, but Others employed by the Ritz say that it gets old fast. I can Imagine that living and working in the same location would make you feel like your in a cage. Since I work in the service industry I was also curious about how much buisness the Ritz gets. Does that place stay busy enough that I will be able to make a Phat bank roll, or will I be living like a hermit in a glorified dorm room apt with a poster of Paris Hilton duct taped to the wall?

I had another question about banking. I use Commerce Bank here in town, but I am pretty sure that they dont have a location there. How hard would it be for me to open up a bank account down there?

I am really not planning on taking much in the way of belongings with me, with the exception of my clothing and I cant live without my XBOX naturally. For those of you who havent played Madden 2006 yet, be prepared to sacrafice a good 3months of your life.

Since many of you are married, I was also curious about the nightlife/chics situation. I am sure there will be lots of hotties that work at the Ritz, but I have found that it is a very bad Idea to get involved with co-workers. I have found that out the hard way. Trust me!

I am also very into aggressive inline skating. I have been doing it for many years. Does ST. Thomas have any skate parks, or at least a half pipe so that I can get my dose of Adrenaline?

Sorry to ask so many questions guys, but it seems like that every day that goes by another variable pops into my brain.

Thanks for all your words of encouragement!
Rob

By The way for anyone interested in whats up at the Ritz, their online website is pretty cool. its at http://www.ritzcarlton.com/resorts/st_thomas/

I am shocked to hear how many people are from the KC area. I too grew up near there. Actually in a tiny town called Lamar, although no one has probably heard of that. Anyways, I write because my boyfriend is flying down this weekend for an interview which means we could be headed that way soon.
Sounds like I have all the same concerns...housing, jobs, safety, etc. And I haven't found the courage to mention this possible move to the parents yet so I hear where you are coming from Rob.
Anyways, thanks for all the great info. I check in daily for the latest.

Hello Rob here again. I truly appreciate everyone that took the time to write to me in an effort to make me more comfortable. It helps me out alot. I send out mad love to all the KC locals. You guys are awsome, and I am sure that we share many similar experiences. Please believe that when you come visit me @ the Ritz I will have a double Tall jack and coke with your name on It! This board and the other information I have been able to find here has been very helpful. If I am not at work, I am stuck in front of my commputer reading all that I can. If anyone has info on the pervious questions that I listed above, I would sure love your help. If any of you KC people are football fans, KC will be playing the redskins this weekend coming off of a bye week. I would be happy to send you a webcast of the game if you dont have NFL Sunday ticket! MAD LOVE!
Rob

Jack and Coke? Don't you mean RUM and Coke?!? 😉 Haha!

Hey Rob,
Sounds like you're getting pretty excited about this move.....:-)
I can't answer the skteboard, or women questions; but we also had commerce bank in KC. They are not here, but First Bank here was easy to open an account - and they have ATM cards which isn't always the case here. But we had to have 3 types of ID with us to open an account. We have found business places here are very big on seeing as many ID's a person can possess before doing anything (Water, Power, Satellite tv, etc).Bring anything you have (and leave copies of it with your parents in case it would get lost or stolen on the islands.)
There are lots of 'island' cars for sale all the time. We sold ours in KC and bought an older Jeep here.
I'll let others answer about STT living, since we're on St Croix... Good Luck!

And more specifically CRUZAN! 🙂

Hello Rob,

Yes you can find used cars here. Ritz is out on a point on the eastern end of the island. There are residential areas fairly close by. No Commerce Bank here. You can open a bank account once you are on island; they ask for I believe photo id & social security card & local address/contact info & intial deposit. A lot of the young people that move down to work in restaurant/bars hang out together at various bars so you should find people to hang with. No skate parks or half pipes here. You could skate in flat areas like along the waterfront. You can take up something new - like kite boarding! 😉

--Islander

hey guys just thought i would throw in a little update. I told Hereford house here in KC that dec 7th would be my last day before the last schedule came out and surprise surprise, they fucked me. they cut out my sat night shift as well as my sunday brunch. They may as well just open my wallet and take my money away by doing that to me. I have been a loyal employee for almost 2 and a half years now and it pisses me off that I should have to suffer just because I found an opportunity elsewhere. I could have been a pric and just left with no notice afterall. sorry i know that this is unrelated and petty, but I just hate the feeling of being taken advantage of! I look forward to brighter days on St Thomas.
Rob

Just a word of advice - hope your contract with Ritz is specific where "staff housing" is concerned, as in what are the actual accomodations and for how long...

Hey! My name is Matt Garvey and am 21 years old. I live in Boulder, CO and have been planning to go down to St. Thomas for sometime now. (About 3 years!) That is totally awesome how you got that job down at the Ritz. I am looking to go down there and get a similar job but I only wish I could be as lucky as you. I would love to have the job before moving down. As of now I look at spending a month in St. Thomas over the summer and trying to secure a job and apartment for around September 1 2006. Questions I have are the following:

How much money should I plan on having to move down there?

How could I find a job prior to living there?

Alot of places say you need permission to work in the Virgin Islands, what is that all about and how do I acheive that?

Where are the best places to live on island?

Is it absolutely necessary to have a car?

I own a small business marketing firm here, any need for marketing companies in the islands?

If anyone knows of jobs now, let me know, I would be highly interested in moving down asap!!

THank You

Look forward to your responses

Hi all! I am the Kansas Citian who Piaa was talking about. I worked for Houstons on the Plaza for years and also helped open the Morton's of Chicago. Most recently, GM of Einsteins in the lovely Crown Center. My husband was a Regional Manager for First Watch Restaurants. Well, I don't know much about the Ritz. In fact, I work at the Adventure Center at the Marriott. Once you are here a place to live is not too hard to find. I found a job, a place to live, a vehicle, a bank account (first bank), a post office box, and my car licensed in the first two weeks. I was by myself for a month and on top of that, pregnant. Things are very expensive here so choose what you bring carefully. We sold everything and took for granted a lot of things we could've brought down and had to replace once we were here. (not cheap!)
It is amazing what you can accomplish just through word of mouth here. Everyone has been very helpful in getting our needs taken care of. The message board was an excellent source. In fact, have met our favorite buddies on this message board!!!!

Hey there Matt,

I would be the soon to be ex Hereford house employee from KC that recently was hired by The Ritz Carlton. I wish I could be more helpful, but I am still in the Discovery phase as well. I got my job on ST Thomas via dumb ass luck, but I am sure that there are opportunities abound in the Hospitality industry there. I only say that because I know that the economy there thrives on touroism. It would certainly be helpful if you had some sort of experince in hospitality, however dont waste your money on those silly bartending schools as they are a waste of time and money. I have managed to a aquire a short list of contacts at the Ritz Carlton on St Thomas and I would certianly be willing to speak on your behalf.
Good Luck Bro!
Rob

Dear Matt,

Your PMV should, if properly planned and carefully balanced between Caribbean time and real time, afford you the answers to the majority of your questions.

If you are a US Citizen you don't need permission to work in the USVI. We are U.S. with a bit of a twist.

A car is a good thing to have here.

Finding a job here from off island is a rarity and doesn't always work out very well.

Marketing companies abound and the VI government and its employees don't always make the process very easy for newcomers.

Matt, take a deep breath, do your research on this forum and then revert. Cheers.

Hi Kellymac
Good to hear from you - we were wondering if you guy's made it ok. Will you be at the get together? it will be good to catch up on things - hope to see you there.