Jaunted

The high speed ferry is, for the most part, uneventful. Plenty of NY, CT, NJ, and MA representation on board, some reading, many on their cell phones, and a fearless few trying to see how many Coronas they can chug down before the boat gets dockside.

The most important part of the Nantucket ferry transit occurs right after you disembark on the island. Your fellow passengers will begin to dart towards wheeled carts covered with blue tarp--this is where your luggage is. It is your responsibility to locate your own luggage in one of the ten or so tarp-covered carts, pull it off the cart, and begin the trek towards your hotel.

Many VIPs, who stay at top dollar places like the White Elephant or Wauwinet Inn, will be met by a driver, who will whisk them back to island luxury. However, if you are not staying in one of these few places, you will be part of the luggage-pulling mob who heads up the cobblestone streets, directly through town and to their hotel of choice.

Three things to note here. First, don't let the mob intimidate you into choosing a hotel based on shame distance--plenty of hotels are within walking distance of Straight Wharf, thus all the guests will be walkers wheeling their bags along.

Second, plan accordingly. Meaning, turn off your Blackberry for a minute or two during the ferry ride over and map out how you are going to get from the wharf to your hotel. That way you won't end up, map in hand, in front of one of the happy hour bars along your post ferry walk of shame.

Third, pack accordingly. We used a combination of a wheeled suitcase and an Air Boss bag. Red Oxx, the company that makes these bags, was nice enough to send one in to Jaunted headquarters (thanks guys!) so we packed it up before we left. The nice thing about this bag was that we could pack our clothes and our laptop in one bag. We strapped the Air Boss to the top of our wheeled bag and did the Nantucket walk of shame with pride.

Ferry Choices To Nantucket
·Hy-Line Cruises ·Hy-Line Cruises

Ferry Parking
Will cost you between $12-$15 per day, and yes, Friday late afternoon still counts as a full day. These parking lot owners must take their cues from the lots around Fenway Park.

Hotels in Nantucket
·Hotels in Nantucket [HotelChatter]

Packing We used a Air Boss, courtesy of Red Oxx, on this trip to blend in and be able to pack our lap top and clothes in one bag.