Need Advice about Yachtsman's Caribbean on Windsurf

[tbmrt]

It seems that many people book the Yachtsman cruise in the last few months before departure. I would be afraid ship would fill up beforehand.

 

Does anyone know if there is usually space available on this ship for "last minute" bookings?

 

Not sure of our schedule for various reasons, but thinking of booking the December Yachtsman cruise.

 

Thanks!

[Strenz]

We have done 2 Yachtsman WS cruises in December, my sister one and my cousin one, they were never full. These were not the Christmas/New Years cruises. We love that cruise because the BVIs are so beautiful and we adore days at sea and there is one. Great week. Happy Sailing.

[westchestermom]

We booked the Yachtsman's itinerary about 2 months out, but that was a couple of years ago and we went in March. This past December we booked the Jewels of the Windwards in December for the January 30 sailing. I can't explain the "last minute" availability, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that there's not a lot of variability in cabins, so the rush to get a specific type or location is not as prevalent as on a bigger ship. Or maybe Windstar cruisers are just a more spontaneous bunch! Either way, despite some of the dissatisfaction expressed on some of the other Windstar threads, our experience in the BVIs on the Surf was only supported by our recent Southern Caribbean cruise on the Wind Star and we're already planning where we want to go next. Right now it's our go to line.

[norrie]

Hello Strenz-

Given your experience with Windstar and the BVIs, do you have advice about getting to the Baths for snorkeling? We are not interested in the island tour, but would be happy to spend the day at the Baths and Spring Bay. What's the best way to arrange tender and taxi?

Thank you!

[Strenz]

Hello, I would not be a good source, we have not been to the baths. I had read and heard that they were very crowded with large ship passengers and I tend not to to what everyone else does. I am also not a group person for tours. If I do a tour I research on my own and have someone create a tour for me. In the Caribbean, because I have spent a lot of time there in my youth sailing with family, I simply beach, read, take walks, do a lot of swimming etc. Sorry I wish I could help. The BVIs are beautiful and I do love going there. My only advice is have a great time. Susanne

[Mrs_Tiki]

Hi Norrie,

 

We are on your sailing - come and chat on our Roll Call.

 

With regards to your question, we were on the Star Legend in December and had the Prickly Pear stop on our itinerary. Pretty much the only way people on our cruise made it to The Baths was on the ship tour that included the island tour. Folks who did it agreed that they could have used less tour, as it made the day get long. On our sailing, tenders only went to the beach at Prickly Pear and Levericks (we think that name is right) Marina. Don't know if you could charter a boat from their, but it would be a long taxi ride over to The Baths.

 

On our sailing, there were tender issues, so that may have caused the limited choices. We also did not have the option to tender to Bitter End Yacht Club. You might want to start a new thread specifically asking about tenders options at Virgin Gorda on WindSurf. Sorry not to have more definitive info.

 

As to Susanne's comment about large numbers of passengers from the big ships, I think we may have lucked out our week. I checked a website showing port schedules, and according to it, we are the only ship in any of our ports. I hope that's correct! Even in Antigua, where the large ships dock in St. John, there are none showing on the schedule. On March 31, the day you would probably want to go to The Baths, there are no other ships scheduled for Totola (Sophers Hole or Roadtown), Virgin Gorda or St. Thomas, which are the nearest. (I can't believe none in St. Thomas!)

 

That is all probably too much info, but I am excited for our cruise no have been doing research!

[norrie]

You are right- Baths can be busy, but through the luck of the Irish, there are no ships in port on the date we on Wind Surf are in Virgin Gorda (almost: actually in the north sound.) We too usually go on our own, but since this involves tendering to the the end of the road and then hoping for a taxi, and then the reverse on the way back, I just wondered if you had knowledge of negotiating this already, or knew if the ship would be helpful in doing this 'non' tour excursion?

Since we cannot PM on this site, I have set up an email 'windsurfcruiser@gmail.com' if you or others responding would find that more convenient.

Lynne

[Strenz]

You folks were lucky, lucky bravo about the Baths, I totally forgot about about the port schedule back then, we used it in Europe this past summer. Great site. This is what is nice about CC, reminders and new info. We love this cruise and we hope to do it again in the near future. Have fun. Susanne

[maureencruiser]

It seems that many people book the Yachtsman cruise in the last few months before departure. I would be afraid ship would fill up beforehand.

 

Does anyone know if there is usually space available on this ship for "last minute" bookings?

 

Not sure of our schedule for various reasons, but thinking of booking the December Yachtsman cruise.

 

Thanks!

 

On current sailing, there are 266 passengers. by my calculation, that's about 15 empty cabins. I've met a handful of other solos, but, not many.

[kptbylorraine]

Hello Strenz-

Given your experience with Windstar and the BVIs, do you have advice about getting to the Baths for snorkeling? We are not interested in the island tour, but would be happy to spend the day at the Baths and Spring Bay. What's the best way to arrange tender and taxi?

Thank you!

Yachtsman's is our fave Caribbean itinerary. There is really no snorkeling at the Baths since there is no reef but the beach is beautiful. I would not suggest trying to get there on your own. We seldom take the ship's exc. but when we are in the BVI we always take the exc.to. the Baths. You will get there safely and back to the ship on time. Just one hint - when you get to the spot where you will walk down to the Baths ask for the easy trail which is on your left. The other trail involves a lot of tricky climbing through the boulders to get to the beach.

Enjoy!

 

Lorraine