Musclengrace

thank you for the input, I'm leaning more to brewers beach, will they have snorkel equip there to rent? chairs, umbrellas? rst and bar? is the walk into the water easy or any deep drops?

i appreciate any feedback

there are a number of wonderful posts I would like to go back to and visit with my husband later. Is there a way to mark the post, like a bookmark?

please help someone!

Just off Escape and took the JVD on the Rebel Yell excursion through NCL.

 

Rebel Yell leaves right from the dock area ( maybe 100 yrd. From ship)

Left at 9:15 got to JVD at 10:00

Captain Claudia was very informative on trip over.

Great views while passing islands.

Water was knee deep where Rebel Yell dropped us off.

3 hrs on JVD . Buy a drink at Soggy Dollar and beach chairs are included.

Left JVD at 1:15 back at dock 2:00 (1/2 before all aboard)

 

Rum punch is served on way back.

Beer and soda's are available for purchase.

hi there- we really want to do JVD for the day, does anyone know if we can book rebel yell or walk up to them without going thru cruise?

The cost of going to the Baths on your own is about $40 + the small entry fee. 10 minute walk to the ferry terminal, $30 round trip ferry and $8 - 10 round trip taxi between the ferry dock and Top of the Baths on Virgin Gorda. You can also buy ferry/taxi/lunch packages from Speedy's ferry service if interested.

 

The Baths are a unique experience, and your experience depends largely on your time in port. Be aware it can be quite crowded when day visitors from ships are there unless you can time your visit around the biggest crowd, and this involves walking down and up a natural path and some climbing through the boulders.

You seem to know a lot abt Tortola so i figured i'd ask you-we want to go to St johns & only excursion is on the catamaran -we all get sick on those & it'll ruin the day. I also do not want to do the big ferry, taxi…etc..Are there boat operators that would take you over to St John just on their own? any idea of what the $ would be for 2 adults, 1 child?

Yes the NCL Escape is the only ship in port on both June 1 and Oct 5. However I've seen large groups on cruisecritic planning to go to Brewers, and that can change the experience drastically. For that reason we like Long Bay (West End) when there's a large ship in port.

However if you want to include snorkeling Brewers Bay is a better option. Just check your ship roll call so you'll know if there are any larger groups planning on BB so you're not surprised and waste precious time going to another beach from there.

Does BB have snorkel equip? a restaurant to eat lunch? beach bar? chairs with waiters?

thanks

i am a little confused, we are also considering doing beach & snorkel on our own, did you say Brewers beach is only an $8 taxi ride to the beach?

do they rent snorkel equipment? i saw you mentioned there was 1 rst?

thanks

We loved JVD. We were only in port a short time so we took NCL excursion. Didn't want to risk taking ferry and not getting back to ship on time.

 

 

Nice catamaran trip over seeing the islands! It's a 5 HR. Excursion with 45 min. trip each way and 3 hours beach time.

We get seasick quite easily, does the catamaran make you ill

Has anyone done the St. Pedro and Turtle Farm excursion? If so, can you provide some details? Do you spend a lot of time on a bus to get to these locations? Are the locations clean and safe?

 

Is the lagoon where you swim with the turtles clear or murky? Is the water slide and pool nice?

 

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

I would be quite interested in same questions!

we went on the getaway last week feb 2015, going again 2/21/16. i totally disagree as the UDP worked perfectly for everything. the only ala carte rst was Ocean; and its not that great, as I'm from new england and get real lobsters & clams & oysters anytime here.

we had virtually no lines, even for rst's with no reservations, they always got us in within 5-10 minutes. IMO they bent over backwards to make everyone happy, so much so, we rebooked for this FEB while still on the boat -we got all 4 options free, UDP, UBP, free gratuities, and $75 each excursion each port.

can wait to jump on again in 8 days

wasn't o'sheehan's open when the ship opened? or was the only option the buffet? was the haven open?

I would recommend Bamboo Blu Beach in Ocho Rios. It is the pretties beach in this area google it!!:D

also i heard it was way overpriced, rocky, murky & not great.

i would love to find out if I heard wrong as I also am simply looking for a beach just to hang for a bit.

anyone know if I bring my scooter off boat,is it safe to leave by Margeritaville?

thanks

Ellen

We are scailing on getaway from 2/21 thru 2/28, but we are flying from Boston 2/20 into Miami. Looking for a hotel near port that has shuttle from airport to hotel and hopefully breakfast included. Would be lovely if also had shuttle to port but I figured a taxi I would do. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Looking on Expedia so airfare is included ??? That way the hotel ends up being free!!! With Expedia you don't hAve to stay at hotel the entire length of trip.

Again appreciate any help! Thanks guys

Ellen

Are you aware that guests at Club Orient only wear there birthday suits.:D

thank you, we will have a 14 yo with us, thinking we'll end up at little bay or great bay. difference is that i heard water is much rougher on great bay. i also heard little bay does have jet skis & snorkel equip on dive shop at divi...i keep going back & forth and we fly out to miami from NH tomorrow, so i better make up my mind...suggestions?

thanks, ellen

I would never think of asking for robes if they were not in the wardrobe. I would consider it pretty cheeky to ask for such a trivial oversight. I am sure that the stewards have better things to do rather than attend to such a mundane request

actually, that is part of their job, you pay good money for a cruise and even for for balcony, the least they can do is give you what they state they offer with the purchase price. its not CHEEKY at all..

now how you ask is a different story, there's never an excuse to be condescending or rude, but you are absolutely entitled to everything they advertise for that cabin.

ellen

Hey lyndamr,

I was on the January 17th Getaway sailing. I have cruised 11 times and have only experienced sea sickness once. I experienced a bit of a queasy stomach on more than one occasion. My son need to take motion sickness meds a couple days. So I think this ship did have more than average movement. However, I liked what they had to offer and it was the best value for the money I've found!

could you please tell me what deck you were on and was it mid ship?

we leave saturday and we are mid ship on 10th deck in 10176...been on 2 cruises before

disney & RCL and absolutely no rocking... I've gotten a "patch" from my doc just in case

There is a nice beach bar and a ocean front restaurant at club orient.

it does look great, how would i get there from the cruise dock in philipsburg? i'll have an electric scooter

Recently went to Little Divi Bay beach. It was just what I wanted, Quiet, beach bar, chairs and umbrellas for rent, faciliities and just such a perfect beach. It was also only a ten minute cab ride from port. I think this is my new favorite beach on St Maarten.

this sounds heavenly, so we can rent chairs, umbrellas, have lunch, snorkel...and from phillipsburg its only a 10 minute ride!

Do you have any pics of your stay at little Diva Beach? I am having a terrible time deciding where to go for the day. Thanks

Marcia

when are you going? we'll be on the Getaway & will be in st martin on 2/24. I'm having a hard time as well because i have an elec scooter, so just wanted to take a taxi to a beach, swim, lay on sand & get lunch & maybe a little shopping...this Divi resort sounds pretty good.

My husband and I are owners there. The pools are for owners and guest of owners only and not for day trippers. The beach is lovely and the water is refreshing. You have to understand that we pay a yearly maintenance fee in addition to the purchase price for our suite and we feel the pool is part of what we pay for. It just isn't right to have someone use those facilities for free. The beach, again, is gorgeous and a wonderful place to enjoy if you come in for the day.

well don't they accept a fee for a day-pass? wouldn't that go torwards upkeep as well? i could see if it was overwhelmed with tons of ppl but since it was empty & they are paying for purchases , no harm done

Little Bay is a 10 minute taxi ride from the port and consistently passes the water quality tests that the Nature Foundation does. Great Bay almost always fails. The water may look clean but the tests have shown otherwise.

You mentioned Little Bay, would you recommend it for 3 (myself, my hubs & son) who just want to lay on a beach with lounges & umbrellas, grab some lunch & maybe shop a bit?

I have an electric scooter, do you know if there are any accessible water taxis or regular taxis?

thanks , id appreciate any feedback

ellen

We love going to Great Bay Beach - while it is not "beautiful" we always have a great day there. The beach and water are clean and so much to do right behind the beach. There are picnic tables up on the walkway - they may be associated with the multitude of bars & cafe's......but I know we have taken a seat there waiting for others. You could also just put your towels down on the sand - The beach chairs & umbrella rentals are such a bargain - $20 for the day - two chairs, umbrella, and a bucket of beers.....and the guy will keep bringing beer or beverages ( low cost ) as long as you want. We prefer to walk down a little - but the beach & sand is right there when you get off the water taxi dock. Great shopping, small casinos, and many cute bars & cafes right behind the beach. We now go to Great Bay every visit ( we have been to St. Maarten many times - so it is a good choice for our family - or just my DH & I.:D

this does sound great we'll be on the Getaway in st martin on 2/24, looking for a close by beach/rsts & maybe some shops.

you mentioned a water taxi, where do you get one of those & do you know if they accommodate elec scooters? thank you for any feedback you can offer

thank you

We just returned from a 14 day Caribbean cruise and did this excursion. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

 

We were a group of 7 (ages 52 to 72). I've been to the Caribbean multiple times and planned lots of private (non ship) excursions. This rates as one of the best.

 

We walked the 10 minutes to the marina to get on the boat. There were a total of 15 guests plus Capt. Mike. The boat is fantastic - a high speed boat (like used by DEA to chase drug runners).

 

We had a tour of St. Maarten by water, going past the expensive yachts, large homes etc.

 

The fun part was going very fast in the boat. Some of us sat and others stood with the wind blowing in our hair, listening to the music and enjoying the fast ride.

 

We stopped at a couple of snorkel stops and saw turtles, stingray and fish. Snorkeling was so so- nice but not lots of fish but we didn't care because what we enjoyed was the tour of the island by a fast boat.

 

We stopped at Pinel Island for lunch at the Yellow Bird restaurant. You have to wade in the water from the boat to the shore (which was loved doing). The island is beautiful and the water lovely.

 

Afterwards we made another stop for swimming in the most beautiful water near the most expensive hotel on the island.

 

Then we headed to Maho beach to see the planes fly above our head. We had to race the boat to get there before the plane came in - it was great. We are racing in the boat and the plane is in the sky right above us. The boat stops and the plane is right over us and lands at the airport.

 

Everyone in my group loved this excursion. One of the people said that it was the high point of the cruise.

 

I can't say enough about how much fun this was. It is worth more than we paid - and next time we are in St. Maarten - I would book this again.

 

If you have any questions let me know.

sounds absolutely fabulous, our problem is 1 of ppl in our group of 3 is heavy (300 lbs). the pics shown on this thread appears as if it would be quite difficult getting back in boat...any feedback would be appreciated

thanks

ellen

Even though we can easily walk I just can't pass up that water taxi. I always enjoy the ride.:)

we'll be on the Getaway and docking in phillipsburg on 2/24. have an electric scooter for 1 person, where do we get a water taxi? and where does it take us to? also are you aware of any accessible transportation to take us to a beach for a few hours & lunch, any suggestions?

http://m.cruisett.com/p/ (that's for a mobile phone but you should be able to find it that way)

thank you for the post abt the cruise ships! lots of help

Do Captain Bob's tour.

 

About a 15 minute walk to the marina then you are on one of his boats all day and don't have to worry about traffic. In addition, you get let off right at the phillipsburg pier.

 

An excellent day.

how would we contact this captain Bob? we will be there 2/24 on the NCL Getaway and looking for a boat tour with little walking due to mobility issues

thanks

ellen