Tortola port call altered - please suggest alternative excursions

[LoveyHowell]

With Tortola moved up to 3PM (with no explanation of course) and looking at the ferry schedules it not seems like a waste to head over to the Baths for the day which is a shame.

 

can anyone suggest alternative excursions that they would recommend in the earlier time frame.

Edited July 21, 2015 by LoveyHowell

[SissasMomE]

I've never been there. The baths are out for us though, because of the agility of some of the folks we are traveling with. Have you been there? I'm hoping we can either hire someone when we walk off the ship to give us an island tour, or maybe there's shopping nearby?

[danp]

which ship

[dna529]

I'm hoping there is shopping and maybe a restaurant or two nearby. I'm not planning to venture very far.

[cot427]

With Tortola moved up to 3PM (with no explanation of course) and looking at the ferry schedules it not seems like a waste to head over to the Baths for the day which is a shame.

 

can anyone suggest alternative excursions that they would recommend in the earlier time frame.

 

Why not do the Baths excursion through the ship? I too was considering doing it myself by getting the ferry tickets, but I decided to book through the ship. It was so easy! Met in the theater, we got off and got on a ferry (run by Speedy's but only for tour people,) got to Virgin Gorda, got on one of the first vans to the Baths, and my friend and I were the first to make it through the baths. We basically jumped off the van and went right down the path towards the baths. We didn't see anybody for a good 5-10 minutes so it was really nice wondering around in there with just your group.

[punkincc]

Why not do the Baths excursion through the ship? I too was considering doing it myself by getting the ferry tickets, but I decided to book through the ship. It was so easy! Met in the theater, we got off and got on a ferry (run by Speedy's but only for tour people,) got to Virgin Gorda, got on one of the first vans to the Baths, and my friend and I were the first to make it through the baths. We basically jumped off the van and went right down the path towards the baths. We didn't see anybody for a good 5-10 minutes so it was really nice wondering around in there with just your group.

 

Maybe this is part of their game plan. Make it too difficult to do anything other than a ship's tour due to time constraints.

 

Did the arrival time change as well, or just the departure time? Last time I checked ours was still the same at 8:00 to 4:00 on the Escape Jan 2026, but I seem to recall someone talking about a 7:00 to 3:00 on their cruise. There IS a 7:45 ferry, but I don't know if it would be feasible to catch it.

[HarpHarp]

Tortola is a lovely island. The beaches 7 views are spectacular & a taxi tour right from the pier is a possibility. The best ferry options for the Baths are both through speedy, the 2:15 return from Smiths is cutting it way too close. You should be able to make the 7:45 ferry with a 12:40 return. That would give you about the same amount of time at the baths as the ship excursion. You could also book with one of the day sail charters for either the baths or Jost Van Dyke.

 

Other options in Tortola include some of the most spectacular beaches anywhere, including Cane Garden Bay & Brewers Bay. There is the Callwood rum distillery, the Sunny Caribbee spice shop & the 1780 Estate Sugar Works museum. Of course this can all be topped off by lunch & a Painkiller at Pussers

https://www.pussers.com/t-road-town-pub.aspx

 

Cindy Former St Thomas resident who is looking forward to her first painkiller in a very long time

Edited July 21, 2015 by HarpHarp

[happy cruzin]

Tortola is a lovely island. The beaches 7 views are spectacular & a taxi tour right from the pier is a possibility. The best ferry options for the Baths are both through speedy, the 2:15 return from Smiths is cutting it way too close. You should be able to make the 7:45 ferry with a 12:40 return. That would give you about the same amount of time at the baths as the ship excursion. You could also book with one of the day sail charters for either the baths or Jost Van Dyke.

 

Other options in Tortola include some of the most spectacular beaches anywhere, including Cane Garden Bay & Brewers Bay. There is the Callwood rum distillery, the Sunny Caribbee spice shop & the 1780 Estate Sugar Works museum. Of course this can all be topped off by lunch & a Painkiller at Pussers

https://www.pussers.com/t-road-town-pub.aspx

 

Cindy Former St Thomas resident who is looking forward to her first painkiller in a very long time

 

 

We enjoyed Tortola the last time we visited. But....we skipped the tours and went straight to Pussers! It was a lovely place to have a few drinks and a snack. :D

[HarpHarp]

We enjoyed Tortola the last time we visited. But....we skipped the tours and went straight to Pussers! It was a lovely place to have a few drinks and a snack. :D

 

Ah yes a cruiser after my own heart. Likes Pusser's & from the 'Burgh no less. Me to! Banana Daquiri at Mt. Top on St Thomas & a painkiller at Pussers coming up on my Escape cruise:D

Edited July 21, 2015 by HarpHarp

[happy cruzin]

Ah yes a cruiser after my own heart. Likes Pusser's & from the 'Burgh no less. Me to! Banana Daquiri at Mt. Top on St Thomas & a painkiller at Pussers coming up on my Escape cruise:D

 

Wait.....how did you know MY plan??!?!?! ;) :D

[AZ ParrotHead]

There's lots to do in Tortola. Jost Van Dyke is a closer island than Virgin Gorda and the ferry schedule from the west end is almost hourly. Can't be a day at White Bay at Soggy Dollar or Ivan's

 

Another option is to do a custom boat day (speedboat charter) which should be about 400 bucks for the day for up to 6 people. You can get to the Baths, JVD, and/or Willie T (Norman Island) all in the same day.

 

If you choose to stay on the island, I highly recommend Cane Garden Bay--lots of bars, restaurants, and a great beach.

[OCruisers]

There are times when it really is best to book thru the ship. ;)

 

LuLu

[HarpHarp]

Wait.....how did you know MY plan??!?!?! ;) :D

 

It's a ' BURGH thing;):D

[happy cruzin]

It's a ' BURGH thing;):D

 

 

Maybe!! [emoji7]

[HarpHarp]

Maybe!! [emoji7]

 

Only if we have an "IRN" City at PIT before we get on the plane for FL:cool:

[happy cruzin]

Only if we have an "IRN" City at PIT before we get on the plane for FL:cool:

 

 

That's it....we need to cruise together! [emoji4]

[Nola26]

As many have said, book something through the ship and you'll be covered for a timely return.

[LoveyHowell]

Thanks for the links and suggestions, I will look into them. We have been to the Baths before and enjoy climbing the caves out to the beach. Usually we have a nice leisurely lunch at the hilltop cafe there but this new timing ruins that plan really. Even booking through the ship I think we still would miss out on enjoying the restaurant after the beach.

 

I am especially not interested in giving NCL money for an excursion when they artificially limited port times just to create that scenario.

 

Going to read up on some of the other tours.

[Kattus]

A really fun excursion we did last April in Tortola was the party bus tour; took us all over the island and made a few stops at places like Cane Garden Bay Beach. I think with the time changes it's safe the assume that NCL excursions are the way to go with the port time changes though.

[fishin' musician]

DW and I spent a week on Tortola last month. We had visited on a ship a few years ago and did the Baths on our own. What struck me on this trip was how mountainous and steep the terrain was.

 

There was a suggestion above to go to West End then take a ferry to Jost Van Dyke. With the limited time, I'm not sure this is a good choice. West End is about a $30 cab ride each way from Road Town. Also, I believe like the Virgin Gorda Baths, the ship offers an excursion to Jost Van Dyke.

 

FWIW, Jost Van Dyke (at least where the ship excursion takes you) and Cane Garden Bay are much like the typical Caribbean beaches with lounge chairs, bars, restaurants, etc... We much preferred the more secluded beaches on the NW side of the island; Little Apple Bay, Long Bay and Smuggler's Cove.... each is about a mile stretch of white sand. The first two have very nice restaurants/bars, not the typical beach shacks (the exception being Nature Boy's on Long Bay, and the Bomba Shack on Little Apple both are shacks among shacks, google them for some laughs). Smuggler's cove has nothing, which to us was part of the charm.

[mizLORInj]

We were at Tortola in March and had to tender :eek: but the dock should be done by now. That is one of the few times we did an excursion through NCL -- to the Baths on Virgin Gorda.

Edited July 22, 2015 by mizlorinj

[motleyfan]

Why not do the Baths excursion through the ship? I too was considering doing it myself by getting the ferry tickets, but I decided to book through the ship. It was so easy! Met in the theater, we got off and got on a ferry (run by Speedy's but only for tour people,) got to Virgin Gorda, got on one of the first vans to the Baths, and my friend and I were the first to make it through the baths. We basically jumped off the van and went right down the path towards the baths. We didn't see anybody for a good 5-10 minutes so it was really nice wondering around in there with just your group.

 

That's what I was going to say, if you use the ship's excursion I'm pretty sure you'll make it back on time lol

[LrgPizza]

DW and I spent a week on Tortola last month. We had visited on a ship a few years ago and did the Baths on our own. What struck me on this trip was how mountainous and steep the terrain was.

 

There was a suggestion above to go to West End then take a ferry to Jost Van Dyke. With the limited time' date=' I'm not sure this is a good choice. West End is about a $30 cab ride each way from Road Town. Also, I believe like the Virgin Gorda Baths, the ship offers an excursion to Jost Van Dyke.

 

FWIW, Jost Van Dyke (at least where the ship excursion takes you) and Cane Garden Bay are much like the typical Caribbean beaches with lounge chairs, bars, restaurants, etc... We much preferred the more secluded beaches on the NW side of the island; Little Apple Bay, Long Bay and Smuggler's Cove.... each is about a mile stretch of white sand. The first two have very nice restaurants/bars, not the typical beach shacks (the exception being Nature Boy's on Long Bay, and the Bomba Shack on Little Apple both are shacks among shacks, google them for some laughs). Smuggler's cove has nothing, which to us was part of the charm.[/quote']I'm glad you made this post! I keep hearing all this talk about Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke. I was wondering, doesn't anyone spend time on Tortola? We've also spent a week on Tortola, and it is my favorite place in the Caribbean. It's truly a magnificent island. Granted, I was there before it was invaded by cruise ships, so I'm sure it's a lot different now, but still...

[LoveyHowell]

That's what I was going to say, if you use the ship's excursion I'm pretty sure you'll make it back on time lol

 

If we did the ships excursion we would be coming back much too early to get to go to the restaurant at the top of the paths that lead to the caves. The restaurant has an awesome panoramic view and we enjoy drinking and eating there. They also have a really nice pool so it is nice to relax after climbing through the caves and spending time at the beach which can have quite rough surf at times. Now with a 3PM departure we have to leave the Baths before 1 PM. And for this I should give more money to NCL?

 

If you haven't been it is easy to say take a ships tour. If you have been you understand why it's really disappointing. I think we will do a tour of Tortola instead, many good suggestions here that don't involve lengthy back and forth travel. The Baths requires a 45 minute ferry ride each way.

[LoveyHowell]

Here are photos of the restaurant

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147358-d1046077-Reviews-Top_of_the_Baths-Virgin_Gorda_British_Virgin_Islands.html