blue_water

Yes I don’t see the HC perks in the Premium Vista wraparound cabin descriptions…These corner cabins on the Vista are a separate category… I’ve read that grand suite guests also have HC pool access..

Update - We currently have 5 couples booked, with two other couples interested.

Yes we’ve stayed in aft cabins on Carnival, and privacy on the balcony is nonexistent…We like the idea of having access to the HC pool and outside bar, even though it looks like it can still get pretty crowded…

So all passengers have access to the inside bar area, and only HC and Premium Vista corner cabin guests have access to the outside bar/pool area…

Aah, I didn’t realizes you had access to the pool and bar from the corner Premium Vista cabins… And are you saying any guest on the ship can go to the bar? Not just the HC and corner vista cabin guests?

Yes the wrap balcony or Premium Vista cabin is great! Especially on a Panama Canal cruise. I was looking at them, but my wife likes the idea of the Havana pool and bar on a Carnival cruise… Thanks much for your insight! 🙏

My mistake, looking at the HC AFT balconies on decks 6 & 7. Ok, I see the pool and bar are on deck 5 (Promenade). So I was wondering about noise on deck 6 aft cabins coming from the pool and bar, day or night? And there must be a stairway for HC guests from decks 7 & 6 to the pool…? Thanks for the details!

Looking at images for these deck 6 cabins, there is a “patio” for each cabin, and there is a gate that opens to a walkway. Do all passengers have access the this walkway? Or only those staying in the Havana Cabana cabins? And how do guests in HC cabins get to the HC bar and pool? Are these on deck 5? If so are the patios noisy at night? TIA!

It’s certainly understandable you would feel safer on a cruise line excursion, no question. For others, Nassau is one of those ports where folks wanting to try something other than a cruise line excursion can do so with little concern…with common sense, of course! 😉

I don’t think you have anything to worry about as far as the water being deep, and how long it takes really depends on how big the crowd is that is with you. Maybe plan 1 hour in the boulders + the hike down and back up to the Top of the Baths, or 1.5 hrs? The ferry is ~30 minutes each way, and a taxi between the ferry dock and Top of the Baths is 10 - 15 minutes each way… The Baths is a unique experience and very popular with cruise ship passengers, and there’s no easy way to avoid your fellow cruisers wanting the same experience. Having said that, with longer port times you can often avoid the biggest crowd by going on your own, versus the cruise line excursions, and use the services of a taxi driver to guide you while on Virgin Gorda. But with your 9AM arrival your ferry options are limited to the Speedy’s 10:40AM over, and 3:30PM return, giving you ~3.5 hours of useable time on the island. Definitely enough time to experience the Baths and get back to port well before BOB time. I don’t know if the cruise line charters an earlier ferry, or if those folks will be going with you…An answer to that would help guide your decision… But you would be fine if you choose to go over. If you decide on a beach day, Tortola would be our choice between Tortola and St Kitt’s, especially with your port times. Smuggler’s Cove would be our first choice, Brewers Bay our second… [EDIT] I would read @pyropoodle’s post from March, 2023, very informative post on the Baths!

Sorry, meant to add that swimming between Spring Bay and the Baths is not recommended. There are often strong currents as well,as top tides reported. We’ve seen strong swimmers coming into shore from a moored cat totally exhausted once they reached the beach at the Baths…

A shooting occurred on Friday, April 5, 7.5km from the cruise port, 8 were shot, 4 died. Appears to be gang-related as in previous shootings outside the tourist zones… In a separate shooting, a politician was killed on March 28 during an armed robbery at an undisclosed establishment…

What are your port times, and date you are on Tortola please?

For a shared safari taxi (3 or more people) from the Tortola cruise pier. The vast majority of day visitors will take one of these 20+ passenger taxis at this cheaper rate. Brewers Bay $12/pp each way Cane Garden Bay $12/pp each way Long Bay, Beef Island $12/pp each way Long Bay, West End $12/pp each way Nanny Cay $10/pp each way Smuggler’s Cove $15/pp each way West End ferry terminal (Horizons JVD ferry) $16/pp each way 15 - 20 minutes each way, the shared taxis will return. If you want a “private” taxi the fare for 2 will be $16/pp, the fare for 1 will be $24.