Tortola 3:30 p.m. departure. Enough time for Baths?

[Irishvisions]

Our ship, Carnival Liberty, will be in Tortola from 7 am til 3:30 p.m. Is there enough time to plan our own trip and take the ferries to the Baths or would it be wiser to book through the ship to avoid the chance of being left behind?

[CaribbeanBound]

You have an excellent window, and can easily do it on your own!

 

There is no need to prearrange any excursions here. Taxis line up at the pier to take you anywhere you want to go. Several passengers hopped into taxis and got the exact same tour that other passengers paid double for through the ship.

 

Our sights were set on visiting Virgin Gorda. We got off the ship just after 8:00 am and walked 15 minutes to the red-roofed ferry terminal off to the left of the pier. Speedy's and Smith's both offer service to Virgin Gorda. However, only Speedy's could get us back before our 3:00pm departure. So we caught the 9:00 am Speedy's Ferry over and the 12:30 pm ferry back. Cost was $25 per person roundtrip, including roundtrip Speedy's Taxi service from the Virgin Gorda docks to The Baths. (You will not want to attempt to walk to The Baths from the dock). We brought our mask and snorkel with us. Rentals are available at The Baths for $10 plus a $30 deposit. We sat upstairs in the open air seating atop the ferry. Cool winds and great views. 30-35 minute ride each way followed by a 10-minute taxi to The Baths.

 

There is a $3.00 (adults) and $2.00 (children) entrance fee to The Baths which are part of the BVU National Parks Trust. A restaurant appropriately named “Top of the Baths” is nearby and offers incredible views of the surrounding islands. A 5-minute walk (350 yards in length) down to The Baths was rocky and uneven. At the bottom, single-use-only lockers can be rented for $2.50 each, via a token that can be purchased at the shop nearby. They are large enough to hold a beach bag or backpack. Tokens are also required if you wish to take a shower. The Baths are an incredibly fun experience. Here is a detailed map of The Baths at Virgin Gorda. The Baths were really fun to explore. Highly recommend water shoes, a water camera, and a swimsuit. A beautiful beach with crystal clear waters awaits visitors on the other side of the rock maze. While not the greatest snorkeling site for fish, the coral formations were interesting. A beautiful beach with crystal clear waters awaits visitors on the other side of the rock maze. The water was nice and clear. Visibility was easily more than 50 feet! We would have liked to stay another couple of hours, and look forward to another visit. Highly recommended!

 

Here are our Secrets of the Caribbean!

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/caribbean-secrets.html

[Irishvisions]

Thanks so much for the reply! With us being in Tortola for a shorter time than any of the other islands we're visiting (other than San Juan), I was nervous about racing the clock to get back on the ship.

 

Do the ferries keep to their schedules? How much fudge time did you have from the time you got off of the return ferry to getting back on the ship?

[CaribbeanBound]

Our experience is that the ferries run on time.

[judcost]

I'm going on a cruise with Liberty on the 08/18/2007 too, it's for our honeymoon. I think we're going to do the baths on our own too.

Any more advices?

[LkMichigan beach bum]

:rolleyes: We are on the Carnival Liberty with The Saint's & Sinners Oct 13. Anxious to learn more about getting to & from the Bath's on our own. I was very nervous knowing we had sooooo little time to see the area and catch the Ferry to & from. We sure didn't want to miss the departure time. Please keep us posted. These sites are invaluable. Thinks for sharing. Bev

[arlenez]

Our sights were set on visiting Virgin Gorda. We got off the ship just after 8:00 am and walked 15 minutes to the red-roofed ferry terminal off to the left of the pier. Speedy's and Smith's both offer service to Virgin Gorda. However, only Speedy's could get us back before our 3:00pm departure. So we caught the 9:00 am Speedy's Ferry over and the 12:30 pm ferry back. Cost was $25 per person roundtrip, including roundtrip Speedy's Taxi service from the Virgin Gorda docks to The Baths. .

 

/QUOTE]

 

We visited the Baths last week and did the exact same times with Speedy's. We took the 9 am ferry over to Virgin Gorda and the taxi to the baths. We arranged for the taxi driver to pick us up in time to catch the 12:30 pm ferry back to Tortola, and that's where we ran into a problem. The taxi driver never showed up and we were the only ones from the ship that didn't go on the ship's tour. At 12:25 when no Speedy's taxi was in sight we were fortunate that a private taxi just happened to be at the Bath's and we arranged to have him take us back for the 10 minute drive to the dock to catch the 12:30 pm ferry. We arrived at the ferry dock at 12:35 pm, and guess what! No ferry! We thought we missed it by a few minutes, but luckily for us the 12:30 pm ferry was late. It arrived at 12:40 and unloaded a few passengers and we boarded and it took off immediately. The taxi driver saved us or we would have had to wait for the 2:15 pm ferry and if by chance that was late we would not have made it back to the ship on time. If we ever go to the Baths again, we will definitely take the ship's tour to be on the safe side.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[Susie51]

I get too anxious about missing the ship. I think I'll see what else there is to do on our own in Tortola. Thanks for the help in deciding what to do.

[Irishvisions]

Arlenez you just verified by worse fear....the great possiblity of being left behind! I sure don't want that to happen, especially since this cruise has been in the making for over a year. If we decide to do this tour, we will definately do the ship tour! Thanks for the input.:)

[airlink diva]

I just returned from a 10 day cruise and one of our stops was Tortola. Our ship also had a boarding time of 3:30 p.m.

I booked my Baths tour with Patouche. We left the dock at 9 a.m. and were back by 1:45 p.m.

We sailed on an uncrowded boat (only about 21 or 22 people). We had to snorkle or swim to the beach. No worry if you are a weak swimmer or snorkler. They have the vest and waistbands to assist (I can swim but only do so when I cruise once a year so I took a waistband, no problem). One of the crew went with us as a guide.

They also offered unlimited sofa and beer on board.

It was really nice on the water and I would suggest Patouche.

Now if you want to use one of the ferries, you can and still get back in plenty of time. Some of the cruisecritic members on this sailing took Speedy over and didn't rush when they got to the baths. They had time to do it, snorkle and then return.

[rundogrun]

If you take Patouche (or similar ship excursion) how do you get your things (towels, etc.) to shore if you have to swim in???

[airlink diva]

If you take Patouche (or similar ship excursion) how do you get your things (towels, etc.) to shore if you have to swim in???

The only thing that I took was my underwater camera (it had a band to place around my wrist). I noticed that one person had a small bag that they swam with. To be honest, I felt no need for a towel and didn't miss it getting out of the water. Faye, our guide, picked a spot for our group to place their fins,mask,etc. However, someone did walk off with one person fins and mask.

I hope this helps.

[rundogrun]

Ok...I think I'm figuring this out now. It's not so much a "day at the beach", moreso an opportunity to swim ashore, check things out, then swim back to the boat.

 

Thanks!

[airlink diva]

Ok...I think I'm figuring this out now. It's not so much a "day at the beach", moreso an opportunity to swim ashore, check things out, then swim back to the boat.

 

Thanks!

You are right. When swam to shore, did a tour of the Baths (we "toured" it twice, we went from Devil's Bay beach to the beach that everyone from the ferry arrive at and then return through the Baths to Devil's Bay. We had about 20 minutes to snorkle.

The ride over was wonderful. There was only about 22 people on the boat and plenty of space. The crew offered drinks and snacks. I enjoyed the ride just as much as the Baths.

[SmileEh]

I'm also on the Liberty on Aug 18th... thanks for all the tips!!