Will a GPS work on USVI?

I have had vacation guests in the past attempt to use GPS to find their way around. It was always a fail. Maybe others have had better luck?

The islands are small tho and one can always find your way back to a main road.

It seems that on the main routes they work just fine - but really on the main routes you don't need them! On the other, as Alana notes, they're not consistent at all off the main routes. A prime example personally was when friends came over to my place for dinner. I'm good with directions and gave them really concise ones as they're not familiar with the North side where I live (directly off a main North side route) but they opted instead to use their GPS from the East end. Lord knows where the GPS took them and by what route as it took three 'phone calls from them to figure out where on earth they were and they finally reached an hour late after taking a ridiculously long and circuitous journey! It was pretty darned funny.

I am really bad with getting around, I’ve lived in Albuquerque for years and still, if I don’t know the area, I use my GPS. The vast majority of the time, my GPS works just fine. I have a Garmin nuvi 3590LTM, it talks to me and tells me where I am and where to go. Only a few time in Europe did it give me an experience like your friends had, which sucked big time.

I was hoping to hear something different, that I could depend on my GPS to help me. When I arrive I’m going to be going to different locations checking out apartments, O’well, I’ll have to rely on trial and error till I figure things out and know my way around the block.

Most people will give you directions to get to their location, and they just automatically start rattling them off. Make sure your phone is working so you can call if you have questions.

If you're renting a car, make sure they give you a road map.
AT&T cell phones work pretty well here but there are some dead spots. Ditto for dead spots for internet so best to ask what options are available for a rental.

The GPS will get a coorinance fix. If your mapping software covers USVI you will be able to get turn by turn directions. Having said that my car mapping software covers North America only. I use my iPhone in Carib for nav guidance.

STTsailor; thanks for the input, I was hoping that might be the case with a solid coorandances fix, Sometimes, getting a correct fix with the right format is a little difficult, a format converted is needed. I had this problem in Europe, a location was given with a format that was different from the format my GPS was using. Just being a freckle off makes all the difference in the world.

I had to buy a GPS map for coverage in Europe, but it was money well spent. If I have to, I'll make sure my GPS has USVI coverage. Thanks for the valuable information, a point on coorandances will work.

Try the app maps.me. It's free and does not use any cellular data. The maps you download are free as well. I use it regularly when I travel abroad or to an area I am not familiar with. I've had really good luck with it.

Thanks for the tip CF.
Hope all is well.

GPS and online mapping programs are unreliable here. I've had several vacation rental guests try using them, against my strong advice not to, and all got lost trying to find the house. One guy works for Google Maps!

Nope! Down here we are very much a directions by landmark society. Get used to terms such as speed bumps, mailboxes, guts, painted utility poles, the rusty water tank that is now blue, and where (fill in the name of a business) used to be. It adds to the adventure.

And oh yeah...keep left!

My Garmin GPS served me well on both STX and STJ, except a few cases where it directed me to take non-existing roads. A GPS which is occasionally wrong is better than no GPS.

Ha.
Yes, we have antiquated location system here. 90% based on dumpster location and broken utility pole.
Streets have no names. Usps doesn't deliver to the house. That is why burglars can't find us. I meet my vendors at the corner. Between 4 corners and Sibs. I give them exact mileage from Sibs but it's not always helpful. Annoying but true.

That is why burglars can't find us.

What happens if you need paramedics, fire department, or police?

That is why burglars can't find us.

What happens if you need paramedics, fire department, or police?

VI had started a few years back to convert to emergency road names and addresses. I've personally only seen one or two changed on STX. I suppose the project is being done on island time. Fortunately, the police we've dealt with have been familiar with the landmarks we gave the dispatcher.

Keep in mind that St. Thomas is roughly 35 square miles.
There are only a few major roads (south side of the island, north side of the island, and down the middle of the island). All the small roads feed off of the main roads. It does not take long to find your way around and it is best to rely on locals providing directions rather than getting frustrated with a GPS.

I also had a potential tenant refuse my directions and insist on using his electronic mapping ---- He got here after 2 phone calls to clarify locations and he circled half the island (1 hour driving per his mapping instead of 10 minutes with my directions). He was in such a bad mood by the time he arrived.

What happens if you need paramedics, fire department, or police?

You give them the best directions you can. If, when they get to the area they can't figure it out, they stop and hit the siren every 15 seconds or so in the hopes someone will come out to flag them in.

You give them the best directions you can. If, when they get to the area they can't figure it out, they stop and hit the siren every 15 seconds or so in the hopes someone will come out to flag them in.

What about mail? Does everyone have to have a P.O. box?

My old Garman with North American maps loaded works as good in STX as back in North Carolina. A compass works too.

What about mail? Does everyone have to have a P.O. box?

There is home delivery in many areas, otherwise residents rent USPS or private mailing company boxes.

I have found that an app called Waze works very well. Google Navigation works but doesn't give voice guidance like it does in the states. Waze does and even found all the restaurants and retail stores by name.

All;

This forum is amazing! I want to thank all of you for your very useful and informative information. I like the tip about the burglars not being able to find you. Because of the help you all gave me, I think I’ll do just fine with finding my way around, nothing is perfect but some help is better than none.

butchCondor

My wife and I were in St. Croix for the month of July on our pre-move experiment and used a GPS. Initially it was not useful but went online and downloaded VI maps from Garmin for $10 and it worked like a charm and was very helpful.

On a side note, part of the experiment included being able to receive an Amazon package. Being a locale where directions do often include turning right where the old mahogany tree used to be, I actually felt pretty confident that my package would find me. I didn't have an actual street address but simply put my name, the Unit number I was staying at and the name of the complex and my package arrived about 5 days later, no problem. I did the same a couple more times and no poblems then as well.

On our very first trip to St. Croix, the airport had to deliver out luggage the day after we arrived on island. I didn't have an address but told him we were in the 4th house on the left past Cocnuts on the Beach (a beach bar) and within minutes the driver was there. I think that's when I knew I was home.

a gps had some people from up near the airport who were on their way to the home depot after it was built ,end up at the casino

STX it will work OK. On STT - no.