blue_water

Thanks for the contact info. Do you remember the price, and how many people in your group? We’re a group of 4 looking for a private guide with a smaller vehicle…

“ This is how most "medical travel insurance" works (and most non-medical travel insurance). One needs to pay first, and get reimbursed later.” That is correct in many instances where you are treated and released, for example. But for more complicated situations, like hospital overnights or lengthy evals if you choose a policy with PRIMARY medical/medivac coverage the insurer can step in and work with the provider immediately. They will reimburse you for any immediate out of pocket expenses, thus eliminating the need to later file a claim. If you have Secondary coverage you will be filing a claim… Just want to clarify or point out the difference in Primary vs Secondary medical coverage… We’ve had two medical emergencies while traveling, both involving brief hospital stays. Allianz was our insurer in both cases, and customer service was amazing. The rep took over the case that night, and reimbursed our initial $6,000 outlay the next morning for diagnostics/admissions/treatment and the room… Even with Primary medical coverage, you always need to have access to several thousand $$$ for immediate expenses. For example, if being diagnosed/treated or admitted to a facility and released before the insurer has time to become involved…

Sorry, just realized you already cruised! 🙈

www.insuremytrip.com is a great first start for comparing some insurer policies. But not all of the best policies are included in the list there. We look at Allianz, Trawick, and other insurers. They offer different plans, and we always look for PRIMARY medical/medivac coverages with at least $50k/$1m limits. So do your due diligence by reading the various policies, and then it’s just a matter of price…

Thanks for your feedback, that helps!

Currently there is a “Norte”, or storm system impacting the area, and all ferry activity and ports have been closed. No boats have been allowed to leave any ports so all daysails have also been cancelled. Not sure if that is the reason your excursion has been cancelled (an abundance of caution), or something else… 8 ships in port…well that really sucks for someone that had a great day planned to avoid that…if I may be so crude…☹️ When are you in port? We introduced two women to our favorite and trusted taxi driver who is based in Playa Del Carmen. They are scheduled to ferry over from Coz on Thursday and visit the Mayan ruins of Tulum and a less-visited cenote. They are monitoring the weather and hope to keep their plans. If you’d like our driver’s info and recent reviews I can share that. As discussed in another thread, some day visitors are averse to taking non-cruise line excursions, especially an excursion that involves a ferry and private driver. But many do not have a problem as the ferries are quite reliable, and the PDC/Tulum region well-developed… Otherwise good luck, perhaps you can find a private tour or shared tour on Coz. I would certainly avoid any of the beach clubs that day…😉

The alert is just a reminder, and the level II status is not new. In fact that is the status in many EU countries and other popular cruise destinations. The misinformation from the news media that was posted in this forum has created undue confusion… We spent two weeks on New Providence, visiting several residential neighborhoods and never felt unsafe. As anywhere, common sense prevails…

We just booked Beyond cabin 12261 for a March, 2025 sail, the cabin is aft of the pool near the buffet entrance so we figured the noise would be minimal there. We chose deck 12 rather than 11 because of the expected overhang on deck 11. We just realized there is an overhang from deck 14 (with the support beams) that we were not aware of. We came across a photo after what I thought was adequate research… Anyone stayed on deck 12 and have an opinion about the overhang from deck 14? Wondering if that overhang is more than on deck 11…

VI Now is showing another smaller ship but no worries, especially if you are with a private tour or off-island…

Now that’s the way to do a daysail! I agree, drop Willy T and go to Cooper Island or Peter.

The ferries are very reliable, and it can sometimes be to your advantage to use one ferry company over and another back to get more time in VG for just $10/pp more. But in this case the Speedy’s 9 - 3:30 ferries will be the choice for many. That allows 5 hours to enjoy the day. But if concerned with that 3:30 return, you could probably make the Sensations 8:30 over and take that 1:45 back and have ~4 hours…Most have time to make the next ferry in 30 minutes, but it depends on your disembarkation time of course. Worst-case Speedy’s 9:00 over and Sensations 1:45 return and 3.5 hrs)… The cruise line excursion is the best choice for many, of course. And even with your useable 8 hours in port it’s not ideal…But for those who have the opportunity to go on their own and avail themselves of a driver who can best coordinate their time at the Baths, or better yet hire an independent charter, it’s just so much nicer for a unique excursion… Taxi fares are $6/pp or less between points in the Valley area…So if price is a consideration, the self-excursion would cost ~ $48/pp ($58/pp with $40 ferry), including 3 taxis (Spanishtown —> Savannah Bay, Savannah Bay —> Top of the Baths, and TOB —> ferry terminal, for example).

Another nice day is an island tour of St John. A very easy self-excursion with a taxi to the Red Hook ferry, and either take the short shared taxi tour of STJ, or hire one of the private outfits. Either way see Cruz Bay, then stop at Paradise Point on your return to STT. PP is also a unique spot with panoramic views of the harbors…

We have no driver recommendation today, I would ask that question in a separate post here, and also in the TA STT forum - https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g147404-i172-St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

So you have enough time to go on your own and take advantage of working with a taxi driver for the best experience at the Baths (avoid the biggest crowd). I pulled the info below from “The Gorgeous Beach’s of the BVI” thread and added a bit more see the bolder sections. Any more questions don’t hesitate… “The famous Baths and Devil’s Bay are very unique and worth a visit for those who have yet to experience them. Everything is within a short drive from the ferry terminal in the Valley which makes it easy to see this part of VG. The easiest way there is on your own, just walk from your ship to the ferry terminal to the left of the cruise ship dock and take the 30 min ferry to Virgin Gorda. Check the ferry schedules (as of this writing Speedy’s, Sensations), typically you’d choose a roundtrip ticket to save $$, but in some cases you can extend your time by taking one ferry over and another ferry back. You will find many taxis available for the short ride to the top of the Baths, then you will walk down a trail to get to the beach and the boulders. Devil’s Bay is a very nice beach there. The drivers will recommend a time to be back at the top for your return to Road Town. If you are lucky enough to be in port for a longer day you can work with a driver and get dropped at different beaches as you wish, and possibly hit the Baths when not quite so crowded. Taxi fares can be googled and are reasonable. You can also rent a car if you have enough time for that, the North Sound is a beautiful area to tour. If time allows you can have lunch at the Top of the Baths restaurant, or even taxi to the Mineshaft Café to enjoy the panoramic view and their signature drink the Cave In - "It's all in the Juice, mon!". UPDATE - The Mineshaft is no more, but Mad Dog Cafe is a great spot. Also a little shopping is available in Spanishtown a short walk from the ferry dock. Speedy’s also offers packages that include the taxi to the Top of the Baths (same price as buying on your own), and another that includes lunch and a drink at the Baths & Turtle (now Chez Bamboo) restaurant in Spanishtown. With many of the shorter port times today I’d recommend getting back to the ferry a little early. The ferries are very dependable, but everyone else will also want to spend as much time as possible seeing the Baths and the island and will take the latest ferry back.”

I agree with MS411 on an island tour. Our first cruise visit to STT we hired a private driver to see the various areas and enjoy a beach for lunch. We’ve done the same on other islands like Antigua, Barbados, etc, A private guide is just sooo much nicer than a shared tour. Would suggest the historical area, Skyline Drive overlook, Drake’s Seat, Paradise Point, and other less-touristy areas the driver recommends. For lunch, our choice would be Sapphire, mainly to see a gorgeous beach with nice island views. For a nicer restaurant near a beach, perhaps Sunset Grille at the Secret Harbour Resort (fish tacos, mahi sandwich, jerk chicken, yum!), or Sangria’s at the Elysian Beach Resort in Cowpet Bay (mango mahi tacos, shrimp po’ boy!) I’ve suggested a more active day for your Tortola stop, so an island tour of STT sounds like a good first experience. If you want something more unique, what is your ship and date in port? STT is a very busy cruise port…

The one experience unique to the BVI that you will not experience in other Caribbean ports are the Baths on Virgin Gorda. How best to experience that depends on your time and date in port. Brewers and other beaches are gorgeous, but you can snorkel and enjoy a nice beach almost anywhere. The Baths are that one “absolute can’t miss thing to do”… What ship and date?

You can hop the #10 jitney (bus) at the Bay St & Frederick St stop and just say Baha Mar. $1.25 each way, exact change appreciated, buses will stop at the bus stop for your return… Great casino and restaurants. A MUST is a daiquiri from the Daq Shack, located by the vendor shops on the walk to the casino…

Just to chime in with another humble opinion, we would choose Sapphire with what you are looking for. The water is often calm, but with heavy wind or storms at sea it can be rougher. There is some coral and a seagrass area, lounge and other rentals, a beach bar and restaurant, and space to get away from the main sitting area. We’ve also stayed there a few times and plan on returning later this year after our time on Tortola. Sapphire is one our favorite beaches over 25 years of cruising and “landlubbering” the Carib; Just a beautiful beach with the island views we love… Secret Harbor is an alternate, and being more protected it is typically dead calm. If that is most important then SH is a safer choice, and there is a restaurant and lounge/umbrella rentals. We’re just not fans of the overcrowded situation and lackluster views…I would definitely reserve your lounges in advance through AADivers. Their cancellation policy is very reasonable… When we’re ok with just restroom access and bringing our lunch and drinks from Moe’s, Smith Bay Park is arguably the nicest beach on the island. Not sure about the snorkeling there, but very nice! Enjoy whatever beach you choose!

I would definitely avoid Water Island just because it can get so crowded there, and we’ve seen many folks get stuck waiting for the next (small) ferry. We enjoyed the New Horizons sloop daysail to the cays off STJ and St James, but I believe they depart at 10AM… Going out on a daysail is a great option in heavy cruise ports like STT, SXM, and Coz, but your 11 - 7 makes it hard for shared sails, and I think you mentioned you don’t want to pay for a private sail? thinking still…

Ok, thanks!

Thanks for that! So this was an actual public ferry, like Speedy’s, Sensations, or New Horizons? I know Horizons at least does lease or charter private transfers…

No ferry from Road Town to Jost… With the New Horizons ferry out of Soper’s Hole (West End) you are dropped at the dock in Great Harbour, near Foxy’s place, and then either taxi or dinghy over to WB…

How many times are you going to re-post this article Richard? There is a separate Security Alert thread…where you posted this…

It is indeed getting crazier with the day trippers from cruise ships, as well as the hundreds of landlubbers from STJ & STT who visit. White Bay has changed drastically in the past 20 years and has lost its old charm that many of us loved, but that is the situation everywhere! But I’m afraid $$ is still flowing into White Bay, just as in Smuggler’s Cove 🙈 But Ivan’s is a nice spot for anyone wanting that quieter vibe. We actually enjoy Foxy’s and other spots in Great Harbor. If Foxy is there he is fun. But White Bay has the beach and the party vibe…👍

Not sure if I mentioned it here, but if you want a less busy vibe, Ivan’s Stress Free Bar is a great choice for a spot on the beach in White Bay a bit away from the more crowded Soggy $, Hendo’s and now Gertrude’s with the new rental outfit. Just depends on the vibe you want! 😉