Tortola - 6:00am - 1:00pm - Ideas?

[jcollin]

Hi,

 

We are on the Escape in March and stop in Tortola from 6-1.  Never been before and would like to see as much as possible but giving the short time we are there are there any recommendations?  Shopping, beach, early lunch, just walking around, all would work.

 

Thanks

[dexddd]

It stinks the times they have for some ports.  We were there once and did not have much planned.

 

We decided to take a small, open air truck tour from one of the vendors.  Super cheap and great time.  Saw plenty of island, had a beach stop.  Beautiful country.

 

Driver very nice and hilarious.  

[zqvol]

Take an excursion to the Baths 

[HeroG]

Baths are at least an hour away don’t know if you will have enough time to enjoy them properly 

[ColeThornton]

41 minutes ago, jcollin said:

Hi,

 

We are on the Escape in March and stop in Tortola from 6-1.  Never been before and would like to see as much as possible but giving the short time we are there are there any recommendations?  Shopping, beach, early lunch, just walking around, all would work.

 

Thanks

 

 

Link to Tortola forum:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/202-tortola/

[FLcruisergrl]

Escape to Jost Van Dyke is an amazing excursion and painkillers have OJ in them, so it’s perfectly acceptable to get drunk at 8am!

[Laurenran]

I would look into taking a taxi to Cane Garden Bay for an early lunch. Our favorite spot for drinks/food is Quito’s. It’s about 20 min away and you get to see some great views of the island on the way. There are usually open air taxis waiting at the port but we have also booked through cruiseline when we were on Celebrity. 

Edited January 3, 2023 by Laurenran

[jcollin]

Thanks everyone, some great ideas.

[cruiseat50]

We normally do excursions on our own but because of the crazy hours of time in port we are going to use the ship excursion to JVD.  Because we are going there and have to fully experience the venue we are going to get at least one Painkiller.  Definitely a lot earlier than we tend to drink but we do what we have to do. 😉 

Whoever scheduled this time in port is an _ _ _ _ _ _ _!!  Having to meet to get off the ship at 6:15 is crazy and wondering if I will even bother going to bed that night since I'm a late-night owl.😴

[webwise]

We just got off the Escape with the same 6am to 1pm stop. All-aboard time was 12:30pm and we're not cut-it-close people. We were looking for a hike and found a company called Hike BVI. Our guide was Sef and he was fantastic. We met him at 8:00am (there was no way our teenage kids would have been up any earlier) and he drove us to the hike starting point. Sef was very knowledgable about the island history, the flora and fauna, etc. so we learned a lot as we went. The hike he chose for us (Bat Cave) offered stunning views of the island. After the hike he took the long way back to the port so we could see more of the island. He dropped us off around 11:45am giving us plenty of time to get back onboard. 

[blue_water]

I totally agree with dexddd - Tortola is a gorgeous, lush island with beautiful bays and amazing island views from above. You will find various 3 and 4 hour shared island tours in safari taxis offered at very reasonable prices (~$25/pp). You can just talk to the drivers, or the nice ladies at the info center can help.

 

The Baths on Virgin Gorda are a unique experience. But unless you have longer port times (e.g. 10+ hours) you would be stuck (literally) with your fellow cruisers. White Bay, Jost is another favorite excursion - great beach day with fun beach bars - but again, just not the same when you are rushed. 
 

You could just taxi to Brewers Bay to enjoy a beach that still has that old Caribbean vibe with one beach bar and shared rustic restrooms. Or to Cane Garden Bay where most of your fellow passengers will end up. And the cruise lines now offer excursions to Long Bay, Beef Island, another option…
 

But I cannot recommend a shared tour enough, and I’d recommend one with a stop in CGB just to experience that bay. Several restaurants and bars, we’ve stayed at Myett’s and would recommend that for a drink and a bite. Or you can take a shorter tour and have a drink at Pusser’s Road Town Pub which is a short walk from the pier - your choice! ☺️

Edited January 4, 2023 by blue_water

[blue_water]

6 hours ago, webwise said:

We just got off the Escape with the same 6am to 1pm stop. All-aboard time was 12:30pm and we're not cut-it-close people. We were looking for a hike and found a company called Hike BVI. Our guide was Sef and he was fantastic. We met him at 8:00am (there was no way our teenage kids would have been up any earlier) and he drove us to the hike starting point. Sef was very knowledgable about the island history, the flora and fauna, etc. so we learned a lot as we went. The hike he chose for us (Bat Cave) offered stunning views of the island. After the hike he took the long way back to the port so we could see more of the island. He dropped us off around 11:45am giving us plenty of time to get back onboard. 

A great option - thanks for sharing!

[vivalv66]

We just got off the Dec 24 sailing too. Just not enough time. We took the taxi to beach. Spent more time in taxi than the beach. Beaches all look so beautiful but just no time.

[kelly94942]

On 1/3/2023 at 9:04 PM, blue_water said:

You could just taxi to Brewers Bay to enjoy a beach that still has that old Caribbean vibe with one beach bar and shared rustic restrooms.

Does Brewers Bay also (currently) have chairs available to rent?  My parents will be traveling with us and will be unable to sit directly on the ground on the sand/towel.

[blue_water]

On 1/12/2023 at 1:19 PM, kelly94942 said:

Does Brewers Bay also (currently) have chairs available to rent?  My parents will be traveling with us and will be unable to sit directly on the ground on the sand/towel.

No real help, but last we knew there were “well-used” lounges but not a good supply. If someone can’t give you current feedback you may want to go to CGB or Long Bay, Beef Island to be safe…

[cruisin4familyfun]

On 1/3/2023 at 3:45 PM, webwise said:

We just got off the Escape with the same 6am to 1pm stop. All-aboard time was 12:30pm and we're not cut-it-close people. We were looking for a hike and found a company called Hike BVI. Our guide was Sef and he was fantastic. We met him at 8:00am (there was no way our teenage kids would have been up any earlier) and he drove us to the hike starting point. Sef was very knowledgable about the island history, the flora and fauna, etc. so we learned a lot as we went. The hike he chose for us (Bat Cave) offered stunning views of the island. After the hike he took the long way back to the port so we could see more of the island. He dropped us off around 11:45am giving us plenty of time to get back onboard. 

@webwise Just back from our cruise and booked Hike BVI (Sef) on your recommendation. Had a wonderful hike, thank you for sharing your experience. 😀

[kelly94942]

On 1/13/2023 at 6:49 PM, blue_water said:

No real help, but last we knew there were “well-used” lounges but not a good supply. If someone can’t give you current feedback you may want to go to CGB or Long Bay, Beef Island to be safe…

I think you're right - may not be able to go to Brewers Bay without a current report.  We'll see if someone pops in in the next few days!

[blue_water]

I would also post that question on the BVI forum on TTOL. That forum is primarily used by land visitors and sailing enthusiasts, but still a great resource, and someone can surely answer there…
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/ubbthreads.php/forums/7/1/british-virgin-islands.html

[BorntohaveFun]

We are the Johansson family of three traveling from Minnesota (two adults and a child) on NCL Escape (3/18-3/25)

 

For Tortola port excursion : Wed 3/22 6am-1:00pm

 

checking to see if there are 3 people (adults or children) that might be interested in joining a private charter 

 

Itinerary: Tortola cruise port to Sandy Spit for snorkelling and then to White Bay on JVD for beach time (Soggy bottom).

 

starts at 7 am and returns at 12:15 pm

 

 $170 per person all inclusive. 

 

Includes private boat, Captain, door-to-door transportation, custom itinerary to match our ships port time (6am -1:00pm), refreshments on the boat, snorkel gear. 

 

please reply  back ASAP if you’re interested

[Djeffyz]

10 hours ago, BorntohaveFun said:

 

We are the Johansson family of three traveling from Minnesota (two adults and a child) on NCL Escape (3/18-3/25)

 

For Tortola port excursion : Wed 3/22 6am-1:00pm

 

checking to see if there are 3 people (adults or children) that might be interested in joining a private charter 

 

Itinerary: Tortola cruise port to Sandy Spit for snorkelling and then to White Bay on JVD for beach time (Soggy bottom).

 

starts at 7 am and returns at 12:15 pm

 

 $170 per person all inclusive. 

 

Includes private boat, Captain, door-to-door transportation, custom itinerary to match our ships port time (6am -1:00pm), refreshments on the boat, snorkel gear. 

 

please reply  back ASAP if you’re interested

I am very interested in sharing this charter, there are 2 of us.