HAL virgin gorda tour questions

[lilyhammer]

Hi,

 

Has anybody taken the HAL excursion to Virgin Gorda? Trying to decide between taking the ship tour vs. doing it on our own. I like the cheaper prices of doing it on your own, but I hate worrying about ferry times, ship time/local time and missing the ship. I'd rather have HAL take care of the details.

 

Does the HAL excursion have their own ferry to VG or do they take the public ones (Speedys, Smiths, etc.)? How crowded is this? How much time did you have after subtracting the transportation time? Was that enough to get through the baths? Did you have time to spend on the beach? Is the baths like Dunn's River Falls where there is a huge snake-like line of people making their way through?

 

How well organized is this trip? Are there tour guides to direct you where to go? Or do they just drop you off and let you explore on your own?

 

In the HAL description it says "Make your way to the Top of the Baths from where a bus takes you on a short tour." What's on this "short tour"? I don't think I've ever heard anybody mention this before. Where do you meet the ship tour at the end to make sure you don't get left behind?

 

Thanks for answering all these questions!

[2rg]

We took this tour from the Volendam in April. I beleive the ferry was a local one used only for us and all transportation for the ferry and baths was part of the tour. Our only complaint about it (and it would apply to all ferries) was the noise, we conuldn't hear the tour guide while on the ferry. We were brought to the baths, given a time line and directions to the baths and the beach and turned loose. It was well orginized, not very crowded, we had several hours at the beach, it's not like Dunn's River Falls - you do your own thing. There are lockers at the main beach you can rent, not real secure but better than nothing. Also fins and masks but they were expensive. A lot of people at the beach and boats moored just off it. We were disappointed by it, expected more after all we heard about VG. Still worth the time as opposed to other tours. Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise.

[tokathy]

We did the Baths with Patouche Charters over a year ago and just booked it again for Sept when we will be in Tortola onboard the Zuiderdam. They only take about a dozen people, give a nice lunch & beverages and stop at the Baths & another snorkle spot. They supply snorkle equipment and you avoid the crowds if you arrive on a full bus, but you do have to swim ashore to tour the Baths (I think the swim is better than the hike up & down the hill). Patouche's office/dock is about a 15-20 minute walk from the ship (Or a very short cab ride) Check out their web-site. Patouche.com Only problem is that their sailings are usually 9-4 so if your ship isn't staying a full day you might be out of luck, but you can email Julie and ask, she is very good about answering questions promptly. They are very conscious of ship sailing times and make sure you are back in plenty of time.

[K&RCurt]

We did the HAL excursion from the Westerdam in January. We felt there were several benefits over the indepenent tours.

 

 

 

The ferry for the HAL excursion docked at the "Tender Dock" on the starboard side of the ship, while the ship's port side was moored on the pier. We got directly off the ship and onto the ferry. We got to Virgin Gorda, and consequently to the baths, before any of the independent ferries. When we returned, we also tied up directly to the ship and were able to go directly to lunch and then go off to explore Tortola for the afternoon. The independent tours were leaving from the downtown dock which was some ways off from where the ship's dock, so extra time would have to be allowed for getting to / from the ferry.

 

 

 

Either way, the Baths are AWESOME and you will have a great time.

[CCCM]

We did Virgin Gorda on the 05/28/05 Zuiderdam. We got off ship and got on ferry at other end of dock. There were a couple of problems with choppy water, so the ferry had to relocate to another dock a short distance away. There were two guides. They were very helpful and polite, got everyone where they needed to be.

 

Once off ferry there were buses (open air) to bring us to the Baths. They then instructed us on where everything was. They pointed us in the direction to the first beach and had someone at entrance through the boulders. It was relatively easy to follow the trail. Instructions were that if you had water up to your knees you were going the wrong way. That worked perfectly.

 

They told us what time we would have to be back, and what time we should begin heading back. One guide remained at the second beach. Punch or Rum Punch prior to reboarding the buses and off we went back to the ferry. The ride back was short tour most likely. I would have liked more time, as this was one of the best places I have been. The water was alot calmer than the places in Hawaii.

 

Good thing was not having to worry about other companies, etc. Price was higher than doing it on your own. We did have time to go into Road Town to go to Sunny Carribe....we are using the sauces and rubs daily.

[the2ofus]

Just one observation to add to the info already posted. There are restrooms and a shower at the first beach before you go through the rocky area. There are no restrooms on the second beach. The only restrooms at the top are in the shop/restaurant. Our guides told us that you can't use the restrooms up there unless you buy something.

 

If the water is rough the day you are there you will get a lot of sand in your swimsuit. Unless you go back through the rocks and use the shower all the sand will end up in your tub back on the ship.

[Ray-Barbara]

As with the post from Tokathy - we went with Patouche last month to Virgin Gouda and had a blast. It was by far the best shore excursion we have ever been on and would go with them again in a heartbeat. Having talked with those on our ship who went the ferry route - we had the best time by far.

 

Ray

[tokathy]

Ray,

Did they take their dog along on your trip? When we last went with Patouche, Bosco was just a puppy (April 2003).....Looking forward to seeing him again in September.......

[Oceanwench]

We did it on our own through Speedy's ferry last month [http://www.speedysbvi.com] while cruising on the Zuiderdam.

I'd printed out coupons for Speedy's from a source someone recommended [on the ports of call boards] and Speedy's refused to honor them. :(

 

But it was only $25 roundtrip to the Baths. I think we caught a ferry around 10:30 a.m. -- it had few passengers.

The we took a shuttle to the Baths -- we were the only pax. That was included in the $25 price.

We were charged $3 to enter the pathway to the Baths.

 

We went down to the main beach, then went through the caves, overlarge boulders, etc. to get to the second beach. It was worth the trek!

 

After ample beach time we took the path to the parking lot, which is much easier, then stopped for some refreshments at the restaurant. We caught the shuttle back to the ferry dock, and we were back in plenty of time for our 6 p.m. departure.

We even had time to shop a little in Road Town.

[lilyhammer]

Thank you for all your advice. The Patouche tours sound great, but are a little pricey for me. I think we will stick with the HAL tour for the peace of mind. Thanks.

[shmily]

We just got back from a tour of the Baths on the Zuiderdam last week. We had gone to it 10 yrs before when sailing on NCL. When on NCL, you snorkeled with a guide who showed you special things like bringing up sea urchins, starfish, etc. It was not nearly as crowded as it is now. With this tour, we had our own ferry and transportation, and it was nice having bathrooms and a shower to get the sand off but it was very crowded in the water and on the beach. There was no one to guide us through the caves to the other beach so we didn't venture that way. The people were nice and punch at the end refreshing but was a disappointment compared to 10 yrs ago. It just seemed so much more crowded and commercialized. We did get back in plenty of time to clean up on ship, head into town to Pusser's for lunch and a painkiller (or two) and to Sunny Caribee for some vanilla and spices. Hope this helps.

-Chris