blue_water

Honeymoon Beach on Water Island is often suggested for cruisers docked at Crown Bay, it’s been a favorite for many over the years. But today it’s just too crowded like Magens so you wouldn’t be happy there… Your port date and how many ships are in port also makes a difference for suggestions…

“STJ” is St John, a sister island that some folks go to for the beaches. The East End beaches including Sapphire are beautiful and are a 30 - 40 minute taxi from Crown Bay. Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach) is a nice enough beach and is just a 5 minute taxi from the port. The Emerald Resort has a restaurant, restrooms, and a beach bar, and you can rent lounges and umbrellas there. That would be an easier day, as long as you don’t need to go into town and snorkeling isn’t important to you?

Not hard to find… Posts 12, 24 and others…

Depends on the experience you want of course… Our favorite beach is Sapphire, the amenities you want are there, and there is space to find a nice spot. You could head to a beach on STJ and include an island tour, just need to add ~1.5 - 2 hrs to your travel time.

We like to take the water taxi to Caye Caulker. Neat island to tour, then spend time relaxing with the view of The Split from the Lazy Lizard..,

Like St Thomas, St John, Grand Cayman, Belize, Cozumel and most other Carib ports, the best snorkeling is indeed from a boat that is moored/anchored in the most prime spots. Off-the-beach snorkeling is much easier and less expensive when in port, and you can find great snorkeling spots from beaches in all of these ports. But THE best are in cays and on reefs around the islands… For your Tortola stop, the best snorkeling option is with one of the day sails that include stops at the Indians, Norman Caves, the wreck of RMS Rhône, or other spots as weather permits. You will find Aristocat, Kuralu, and Patouche offer these tours, as well as tours to the west that include Diamond Cay and White Bay on Jost. There are also private charters, one mentioned in “The Gorgeous Beaches of the BVI” thread. For off-the-beach snorkeling, Brewers is probably your best bet, many avid snorkelers report decent snorkeling in a specific area there. We’ve not been in some time, but there is natural shade, there should be lounges available, and the restroom “facilities” are rustic if not updated. Nicole’s beach bar serves food and drinks… Gorgeous, old Caribbean vibe vs CGB that is very busy. I’ve read about snorkeling spots at CGB well away from the central area of the bay, but unless Brewers is not comfortable enough for your mom that would by my rec. But if you can get the daysail that is a great option!

Other areas of the island? I can say that we saw many of the Residencial neighborhoods, and the busier tourist areas like Cable Beach and Sandyport, and we were pleasantly surprised at just how nice and welcoming the residents here are! We’ve only experienced that kind of sincere friendliness while living in Mexico. And obviously the islands of the Bahamas are nothing like the Riviera Maya. These are primarily people who work in the service industry, as Nassau is all about tourism, but also elderly folks who are very respectful. For anyone who cares little about getting off the ship and staying near the port, we would highly recommend just taking one of the jitneys (not #10) that pass through the neighborhoods and see that part of the island, and meet locals who get on and off. For $1.25/p, it’s a very inexpensive way to see the island that your fellow cruisers will never experience. And you won’t have that experience in most cities if the U.S. 😉

Just an in any port - or US city - there are areas you don’t need to experience. We spent two weeks on the island and came into town a few times. We walked quite a ways from downtown once and it did get a little sketchy” that far out. But that is where the locals shop of course…It’s just like STT or SXM, the tourist area is quite safe while ships are in port, and definitely walkable within several blocks of the cruise pier. Since you’re not interested in a crowded beach, or trinkets from the market, there’s really nothing to walk the water front or Bay St for other than shops and bars. If you don’t want a water excursion to Rose Island or an island tour to see the history and perhaps a tour of the Graycliff Hotel and their chocolate, wine, and cigar factory for the family, you can now just enjoy the new facilities right at the pier…

You don’t need to be apprehensive about just hopping a taxi on your own. The drivers do this everyday and your driver will tell you what time to expect him back for you. Enjoy Brewers Bay! 😄

Yes, for sure… And don’t get me wrong - thousands of visitors flock to Tulum every week or month! It’s just gotten to be like Playa as that became one of the fastest growing tourist areas in the world…

But I should have added that the excursion to the ruins is not a problem and I would have no concerns going there. It’s just I wouldn’t suggest staying in the Tulum area to friends, there are just better choices today if looking for the Tulum of 25 years ago…

You’re right, Tulum became the new “hotspot” 3 - 4 years ago, and the cartels follow the $$. The cartels are very active, especially in the beach area. In Playa the cartels are pretty well entrenched, or established, and we still see shootings right on 5th Ave and elsewhere. The cartels are still turf fighting in Tulum so yes, we don’t recommend Tulum to friends. We talk to folks who own there or stay every year and they are very defensive of course. But you do need to be aware of the situation, and of course the vast majority of visitors are not. The odds of being caught up in the violence is slim, but…And it’s now sooo expensive there as well. Not the Tulum we knew…

Agree with your choice of doing this through the cruise line. There can be a delay for any number of reasons, including traffic getting out of and especially back into Playa centro. And since our first visit to the Tulum ruins 20+ years ago when there were only a very few vendors and a couple of restaurants, the vendor complex has exploded in size and it takes awhile just to get to the entrance to the ruins. It’s worth the time and effort IMHO, the vast majority of day visitors never get to see this Mayan city…

For first timers to Nassau, if not the adventurous types, you would want to at least explore the port area and that part of town. With succeeding port calls Nassau is a great port in which to enjoy the ship, although many do that so the ship may not be as quiet as in other ports… The closest beach option, Junkanoo, is a bit crowded with Senor Frog’s, Margaritaville, and British Colonial catering to day visitors, but definitely serves a purpose, especially for families looking for a convenient 🏖️

Yes, the only we could do the private charter is by sharing the cost… Is this an NCL cruise?

Hi Shelly, thanks! 😄 The ferry has 5 departures from West End, Tortola, which is a 25-minute taxi from the cruise dock, and 5 departures from Great Harbour, Jost. Times are listed here - https://newhorizonferry.com/schedule/

Yes, Knowing Kim’s history she would probably love one of the east daysails that include the Indians, Norman Caves and the WT or the Bight… One way of making that happen with these port times is by taking a private powerboat charter, and finding others on the Roll Call forum to share the costs. This is definitely a challenging port time for many… Patouche offers that option, as does Sunshine Powerboats. https://patouche.com/ https://sunshinepowerboats.com/ Dive BVI is a popular outfit, and I’m sure you’ve looked at them…

OK. You’ll want the driver to return at an agreed upon time as you probably know…

Taxi fares for cruise ship passengers on Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada, and Jost Van Dyke were revised as of December 7, 2022, the updated prices are in the link below. https://bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/si_no_106_of_2022-road_traffic_passenger_fares_amendment_regulations_2022_1.pdf

Taxi rates for cruise ship passengers in the BVI are based on the number of people - 1 person, 2 persons, and 3 or more persons. Taxi fares increased in December, 2022, and I will share the revised fares in a separate thread on this forum… Taxi fare for your group to Smuggler’s Cove will be $15/adult or $60 each way, the toddler will likely be free.

A private charter like https://sunshinepowerboats.com/, perhaps find others on your Roll Call to share the cost…

Just saw this post! The ride to CGB and Brewers Bay is along steep, winding roads, usually in a 20+ passenger safari truck. The ride to Long Bay, West End is along the flatter south shore and then over Zion Hill Road to Long Bay. So not as bad a ride. Same with the ride to Long Bay, Beef Island to the east.. LB, West End is a picture postcard beach near the West End with limited amenities, There is a resort there, and also a public restaurant/bar, unsure about lounges. LB, Beef Island had no amenities but now cruise lines have excursions here and provide amenities. Not sure if you can rent lounges if you go on your own…

Just a heads-up if you are considering going on your own to Cable Beach… We stayed on Cable Beach next to Baha Mar, and the only public beach access we saw between there and Sandyport was next to Bob Marley’s hotel. But that hotel has since closed so no amenities there. There may be another access point, but in all our walks along Cable Beach we didn’t spot them… Cable Beach is now lined with hotels and condos. We met two couples who had taken the $1.25/pp bus to the Baha Mar area looking for a public beach or just beach bars to enjoy. Nothing like that there, and we suggested they take the bus back to Goodman’s Bay which is an easy bus ride from the cruise pier area.

Sure! I’m sure others who have taken this excursion can give you better feedback on the cenote that is included…

We’ve not taken that tour but it looks great. I just posted a thread describing the more popular beaches that I had shared with friends visiting the islands, this is the link if you want to take the time to read that…