Please compare these excursions!

[drdaddy]

In Tortola, they have two specific snorkeling trips from the ship. The Virgin Islands Sailaway and the Snorkeling by Boat. The Sailaway is listed as 2 1/2 hours for $49 and the Boat is 4 hours for $54. The Boat specifically states vests included (I prefer to use one, I have the other equipment). Is one trip better than the other? How many people generally are on these boats?

 

Patouche Charter has a trip for $60 for the 4 hours. I KNOW it will be less people but they are not at the pier (about a 20 minute walk) and I worry a little about the weather and cancellation.

 

What should I do?

 

Thanks.

[TedC]

If everyone will be snorkeling in the same general area anyway, I would go on the four-hour ship tour and save a few bucks.

 

If the private tour goes to a better snorkeling spot, alone, which I doubt, I would do that. Most if not all snorkeling trips I have been on vests are available. I hate them because I like to dive down to get a closer look, so never inflate mine when I am forced to wear one.

[MandyGirl]

Patouche Charter has a trip for $60 for the 4 hours. I KNOW it will be less people but they are not at the pier (about a 20 minute walk) and I worry a little about the weather and cancellation.

We, too, are booked with Patouche and have been highly impressed with their communication. The walk does not bother us. They also limit the number of passengers, and I have read many positive reviews about them here on CruiseCritic.

 

Here is what she emailed me when I asked "what if our ship doesn't make it to port"... back when we were hearing discrepancies about the Zuiderdam's eastern itinerary (St Thomas then Tortola... or Tortola then St Thomas)

 

we see the cruise ships straightaway. If for some reason your ship had to change its itinerary, we will know, and obviously not charge you for the day. We understand how all those things work, so absolutely not an issue. However, if you do reserve a day with us and everything is on schedule and your ship arrives and you do not, then, we will run your credit card number through.

[cruzlover56]

We did the Virgin Island's Sailaway from HAL two weeks ago. We had a fantastic trip. We were on the 65ft catamaran "No Fear" They have a friendly and efficient captain and crew. You sail to Norman Island (30 to 45 minutes from Torola depending on the wind) The boat is not crowded maybe 20-22 people. All equipment including vests was provided. You get two snorkel opportunities one at the caves which is a boat snorkel the other is a beach snorkel at the Bight. We actually swam into the caves a little way, but you really need an underwater light to do them justice. The Bight a small bay on Norman Island, home of the Pirate Pub. We were the only people there except for the staff. We could lounge on the beach (there are loungers) or snorkel. There is an opportunity to buy some Norman Island Pirate t-shirts hats etc. so bring a little cash if you're interested.

 

Fruit punch and rum drinks are provided on the way back.

 

Usually on boat snorkels (and we have done a lot of these) you get one opportunity to snorkel for about an hour. This was two hours of snorkel time. I feel this excursion was good value for the money.

The water had to be 200ft visability. We used to scuba dive and this snorkel was as good as a dive. There were tiny moon jelly fish, a sea turtle, and every kind of fish you can imagine, we even saw squid. The two locations had to be the healthiest reefs I have ever experienced and that includes St John, Cozumal, Hawaii, Kauii, and Maui.

[drdaddy]

Thanks so much, especially Mandy and ESPECIALLY Julie! This is the kind of info I have been hoping for.

 

Now, did any of you do the Turtle snorkle in St. Thomas? It looks like that is the only one. I am not excited about the champagne trip (don't drink).

 

Thanks so much.

[cruzlover56]

Thanks so much, especially Mandy and ESPECIALLY Julie! This is the kind of info I have been hoping for.

 

Now, did any of you do the Turtle snorkle in St. Thomas? It looks like that is the only one. I am not excited about the champagne trip (don't drink).

 

Thanks so much.

We did the equivalent trip to the Champagne snorkel two years ago. We went to Honeymoon beach on St John. I think that is where the Champagne snorkel goes as well. Its a beautiful Catamaran sail to the island. I think there is about a 30 minute bus ride to the boat dock first. You have about an hour (ish) of snorkel time in a not bad spot. We had the Champagne snorkel booked this time ( I wouldn't drink on a boat either) but cancelled due to sunburn.

 

I checked the HAL site and looked at the Turtle bay trip. Its $25.00 less than the Champagne snorkel. Buck Island looks really interesting as well. Here is a link telling about the island http://www.nps.gov/buis/:)

[MandyGirl]

For St Thomas...

 

We've spent the day at Magen's Bay and shopping (our first cruise there) and also done Godfrey's Tour. We've vacationed on St John, so I cannot go to St Thomas without hopping over to St John - I am spoiled. We'd move there in a heartbeat if we could.

Anyway... on our upcoming Zuiderdam cruise in November, we are headed to St John since port time is 8A-11P. We'd go there even if it was a normal port time, even though there is travel time involved. Our plan is to return to our wedding beach and share another wedding cake made by the same chef who made our wedding cake. Nope - not an anniversary (four months shy) but we're paying for the cake. And... on our wedding day we only got one slice to share while the family/friends ate the rest! (It really did taste good!) So after Hawksnest beach (wedding beach) we plan to visit the beaches of Caneel. We've never visited those before. We have thought of hiking on the trails that lead back to the National Park office near Cruz Bay. Hop a ferry back to St Thomas, and return to the store that evening where we purchased our wedding bands. I need earrings, and hubby has agreed! :D

St John has many beautiful beaches and great hiking. The shops there are more unique than what you normally find at ports of call. Here is a good website about the USVI: http://www.*****/

[Cruising since '81]

Dr.Daddy,

 

We just disembarked from the Zuiderdam yesterday. Our itineraries had been changed, but we still did the sail and snorkel with Patouche. They changed and did the full day on Tuesday, instead of Wednesday. It took us about 10 minutes to walk there, and we had to walk around all of the people celebrating their Festival of Emancipation of Slavery! You could take a taxi; it would take a taxi about 3 minutes to get there.

We had 16 people on board, and it was wonderful. Joe was our captain and Clive was his first mate. On a good sailing tour, they take your shoes; Joe and Clive took and bagged our shoes until the trip was over. We went to the Virgin Gorda Baths first. After snorkeling in, Clive took us on a tour of the Virgin Baths. Then we snorkeled back to the sailboat.

We had a wonderful lunch and all of the drinks (soda, water, beer, rum punch provided all day). Then, we went to Cooper Island. Wow! The visibility was about 30-40 feet. We saw a small, lazy barracuda near our boat, and eel under the rocks that my husband found, Clive found a few covered sting rays, and we saw many other sea creatures.

Clive kept up with the group, checking to make sure all of us were within his sight. A few went back to the sailboat early, and Joe was there to greet them.

On the way back, they played soft music (like Jimmy Buffet) and hosed us down with fresh water. We were back on the Zuiderdam by 4:45 (we stopped to get a few souvenirs). It was worth the $90 each (10% off, if you sign up on line at Patouche.com). Joe is the owner; he is from New Hampshire, but went to high school in St. Petersburg, Florida (my high school. Lakewood High). He came down for a vacation in Tortola, loved it, and decided to start a business.

If the ship doesn't dock, Joe will not charge you either, but do make a reservation because he limits the amount on the ship to 16, and we were the only four from the ship, the 12 others were staying at different resorts on Tortola.:) ;) :) ;)

[MandyGirl]

Cruising since '81 -

 

Thank you so much for posting about Patouche!! About 5-6 weeks ago I had emailed Julie back and forth about that whole switcharoo thing (itinerary), but told her we'd go with them whatever day we were in port - and wherever they were going! Fortunately, our itinerary remains as it was originally booked (St Thomas long day then Tortola). That's cool they switched and did the Baths for you guys!

Did Bosco get to go sailing with you too?? :)

Any day sail we've done has had us remove our shoes, but I've noticed that sails in the USVI and BVI, the crew is good at taking your shoes down under. :)

It totally sounds like the perfect day for hubby and I! Thanks again for sharing!!

[Oink]

:) Hi Mandy and Since '81! We are on the same sailing as Mandygirl and are looking for a 4-5 hour sail that DEFINITELY goes to the Baths at Virgin Gorda. Does the Patouche boat always go to the Baths or did they change to accomodate your group? How much time did you have in Tortola after your excursion? We'd like to have a good hour or two to explore Road Town after the sailaway. Thanks! Later....Oink! :)

[drdaddy]

Oink, one thing that Patouche definitely said was that the Baths are only on a full day with them.

 

Cruisin', that's some review of them. I am very glad you put all that in. Actually, NOT so glad! Now I STILL don't know what to do! Yikes.

[Stevesan]

Buck Island looks really interesting as well. Here is a link telling about the island http://www.nps.gov/buis/:)

The link is to Buck Island at St Croix. The ship's tour is to Buck Island at St Thomas. They're very different. I haven't been, but the St Croix Buck Island is reportedly world class.

[MandyGirl]

The link is to Buck Island at St Croix. The ship's tour is to Buck Island at St Thomas. They're very different. I haven't been, but the St Croix Buck Island is reportedly world class.

I agree. That link is definitely for the Buck Island off the coast of St Croix (we did a day sail there from St Croix in 2001). This Buck Island is about 35 miles from St Thomas, and has a wonderful underwater snorkel trail similar to Trunk Bay's on St John. And yes, world class would be a good way to describe it! :)

Info on how to plan a trip that specifies this is St Croix:

http://www.nps.gov/buis/pphtml/planyourvisit.html

The day sail we did from our land vacation on St Croix: http://www.buckisland-diva.com/

However....

This link below is the Buck Island off of St Thomas that the excursions go to when the port of call is St Thomas. I have not been to this Buck Island (National Wildlife Refuge) so I cannot compare.

http://southeast.fws.gov/BuckIsland/

 

I'll never know why they have two "Buck Islands" in the US Virgin Islands....

[MandyGirl]

:) Hi Mandy and Since '81! We are on the same sailing as Mandygirl and are looking for a 4-5 hour sail that DEFINITELY goes to the Baths at Virgin Gorda. Does the Patouche boat always go to the Baths or did they change to accomodate your group? How much time did you have in Tortola after your excursion? We'd like to have a good hour or two to explore Road Town after the sailaway. Thanks! Later....Oink! :)

Oink - :) Since our itinerary will remain "as originally scheduled" by HAL... that Wednesday should be when we're in Tortola (with Tuesday in St Thomas). We'll definitely be on the full day sail to the Baths. :D We plan on grabbing a REAL quick drink afterwards at Pusser's on the way back to the ship. (their infamous PainKiller) I'm thinking, though, that on Wednesdays, they do not have half-day sails - both of their main boats are full-day sails.

A thought though... since we'll just be coming from St Thomas the night before, we're scheduled to be at Tortola at 7:00 AM. I'm sure we could be walking off the ship at that time. You just have to be at the Patouche offices shortly before 9:00. Gives you a little time for sightseeing beforehand that morning (could squeeze in a quick 90-minute taxi tour of Tortola), and about 45-60 minutes afterwards (assuming get back on ship by 5:30 if leaving at 6:00). Curt and I would love to have you and Dr Oink along!! :) Seems like this full day sail lasts from about 9:00-4:30.

[Marie-Claude]

I'll never know why they have two "Buck Islands" in the US Virgin Islands....

 

I did the Turtle Cove Buck Island Snorkel from St-Thomas in 2002. We sailed from a private sailboat, 6 persons per saiboat. It was quaint and fun. Snorkel was OK. The owner of the boat and his brother were funny, and very helpful to a couple of ladies who had never snorkeled before. We snorkeled for a bit more than an hour. Back on the boat, they had beverages and a snack.

It was a very pleasurable excursion.

 

They also told us that Buck Island is a term used to describe small islands not toofar from the shore where they used to send slaves that had misbehaved. They would send them to the island for a day or two - with no water nor food. These small islands are exposed to the elements with few trees providing shade and are mostly rocks... not a pleasant place to be left off for any length of time... That would explain why there are many Buck Islands in the Caribbean.

[MandyGirl]

Wow - how interesting!! Thank you so much for sharing that - that is so insightful!!

[allen.crawford]

We were in Tortola last April. We opted for the tour over to Virgin Gorda and the tour of the Baths.

 

We found it very enjoyable. The surf is a bit strong, so be sure to watch yourselves.

 

Also, bring along a good pair of reef walkers!!

[Cookwise]

We, too, are booked with Patouche and have been highly impressed with their communication. The walk does not bother us. They also limit the number of passengers, and I have read many positive reviews about them here on CruiseCritic.

 

Here is what she emailed me when I asked "what if our ship doesn't make it to port"... back when we were hearing discrepancies about the Zuiderdam's eastern itinerary (St Thomas then Tortola... or Tortola then St Thomas)

We will be on the Z in November. I received an email, Sat Aug 7th, from Joe at Patouche. He stated that on M, W, and F they go to Norman and Peter Islands and on T, TH they go to the Baths and Cooper Island. He said, "Our full day trips are Monday- Friday. No half day trips." So it seems they have changed things. No more half day trips? Wednesday we would not go to the Baths.When I asked him what to do if there is a port date change (and if he had a way of knowing when ships change days in port and just switching us to the next day), he stated, "No we don't have a way of finding that info out. You would have to call us from the ship. Our number is 284-494-6300." Just thought I'd pass this along!

[drdaddy]

This stuff is so insightful and interesting. Thank you for sharing. It is exactly what I was hoping to get out of you guys.

 

The more I hear, the more it just sounds simpler to do the HAL thing. Patouche sounds very good but may be more of a hassle than I want to do this trip. I am also going to do one of the snorkeling in St. Thomas and also swim with the sharks in Nassau. I think I will have my fill in the week.

 

The full day with Patouche to Virgin Gorda sounds pretty good but I think it could be a little tiring, between the surf, reef rocks, and just plain walking around. I want to have fun but not kill myself.

 

Thanks again.

[MandyGirl]

Our number is 284-494-6300." Just thought I'd pass this along!

Thanks! According to Julie (our emails were back in July), they could see who was in port each day so they would know if we arrive a day earlier... but that phone number is good to have just in case (I had not written it down yet from their website). Because the Zuiderdam was switching itineraries on some cruises (apparently up until Oct 23) she booked us for either day just in case, stating that they did not go to the Baths on Tuesdays but would if we are there on Wednesday as our itinerary states. Either way, I haven't been to the BVI except Jost Van Dyke so whatever we see will be new to me! :) This is a good webpage to show where they go on what days and on what catamaran/sailboat. We'll be there Thanksgiving week.

[Cruising since '81]

Dr. Daddy and Mandygirl,

 

The reason Patouche had to change their times to all day is because one of their catamarans, the Ikhaya, needed some work. They are only using the catamaran, the Shamwari. The day was restful, not tiring, Dr. Daddy. You could snorkel or just lay back and relax. There was no rush, rush, rush. We had to be there by 8:45 a.m. and we were back by 4:15 p.m.

Mandygirl,

We had time to stop at Pussers and a few local places for souvenirs. In fact, instead of getting the painkillers to drink at Pussers, I purchased them to go. They are cute $2.95 double stacked plastic bottles. The top bottle contains the Pusser's rum, 95.5% proof, and the bottom bottle contains the painkiller cocktail mix, 110 ml. I just put them in my Holland America canvas bag, and they breezed through the xray machine. I still have a few at home with me now. So, whenever I feel like thinking about Tortola, I can mix my own painkiller!

 

Oh, Bosco was not on the boat. But we were able to see Bosco and Squirt after the trip. Bosco, their black lab, is recovering from hip surgery on his back left leg. He is only 1 1/2 years old, but he needed it badly. He still is limping slightly. Squirt is the most active 6 month old chocolate Lab puppy I have ever seen. I guess Julie stayed with them during our trip.:) ;) :) ;)

[cruzlover56]

Sorry for the mislead on Buck Island. Who knew there would be two....

Thanks for the interesting info on how they were named, explains why there could be multiples.

[MandyGirl]

The reason Patouche had to change their times to all day is because one of their catamarans, the Ikhaya, needed some work.

 

We had time to stop at Pussers and a few local places for souvenirs. In fact, instead of getting the painkillers to drink at Pussers, I purchased them to go.

 

Oh, Bosco was not on the boat.

Thanks for those updates!! I guess Ikhaya will probably be back in service by the time we are there in late November.

 

What an AWESOME idea for the PainKillers at Pussers!! We married on a beach of St John and the catamaran pulled in the bay to pick us up - which is where we held the reception as we sailed the area. The "bar drinks" for our reception were pretty much champagne and PainKillers. Not many in my family (or hubby's) drinks alcohol, so they also had other choices. But... it was kinda fun to have PainKillers at a wedding reception!! Perfect with wedding cake by the way! :D I will definitely use your idea! That is too cool to still have some at home. Just always puts me in that Caribbean mindset and thinking of beaches!

 

Poor Bosco. I am such a dog lover. I know I'll be needing my "dog fix" by that point of the cruise. I always hate leaving my little buddy at home. Hip surgery would be hard.

 

 

Again, thanks so much for sharing all of your great details! I am definitely very excited about going with them - their emails have been so upbeat and friendly! :)