celebrity excursion to The Baths

[del88]

I'm wondering if anyone has recently taken the Celebrity excursion, 'Island Voyage To Virgin Gorda and The Baths'? It is described as a 5 1/2 hour trip to The Baths, Savannah Bay for snorkeling and Mountain Lookout.

I'm curious as to how much time is spent at the Baths. Given that getting to the Baths from the cruiseship could take an hour or more, I don't think there'd be a lot of time spent there, especially if there are other destinations on the tour.

 

How much time do we need to experience the Baths? Would we be better off doing as some others suggest and using Speedy's Ferry service to visit the Baths on our own. We are in port from 8am to 6pm (5pm allaboard).

 

We have never taken any ship offered excursions before so I really don't know what to expect in crowd size.

 

All help much appreciated!:)

[drk]

We used patouche for a day sail to the Baths with snorkeling/lunch/open bar, etcl a couple years ago for about $90pp and had a fabulous time with only about 20 on board. Would recommend...patouche.com I believe.

[SheilaNC]

The Speedy excursion usually includes transportation from the dock to the Baths (about 1/2 miles). I haven't taken it but have stayed on VG many times and stayed within walking distance of the Baths. There is a trail from the end of the road down to the beach where the entrance to the boulder caves are. If you do the trail through the baths, you come to Devil's Bay Beach which is lovely. But...to really enjoy the area, you should plan to stay at least 3 hours. Savanna Bay is also lovely - white sand, calm water, reasonable snorkeling but no shade. And you'd be hiking up to the Mountain Lookout. It's all fun and great views but I wouldn't want to do it all in 5 1/2 hours. Need to count the 20 minute ferry ride, loading the open air taxis, climbing down the trail to the beach, etc. I'd suggest using Speedy's and planning on spending the day. At the top of the Baths are two restaurants - one called Top of the Baths and the other, a funky little place called Mad Dogs with good Pina Coladas and shrimp salad sandwiches. One of our favorite islands in the Carib!

[Host Joe]

We used Speedy's this past winter and did it on our own. It was very easy, relaxing and we had more time and spent less money. Truly a great day!

[dww]

I can't tell you exactly how your excursion with Celebrity will run, however this past March with an excursion on HAL, I can comment. This was our favorite excursion we did all week. The Baths are just wonderful. I think our total time was about 5 hours. The actual time spent at the Baths was not very long due to the transfers, rides, etc. Everyone commented that they would have liked to have had more time to explore the trails and caves. No matter how long you have there, I can suggest that you book it.

 

You can rent a locker also to store your bag, etc there at the Baths. I will warn you if you have a large group, beware of one thing. The trail to the Baths is steep and about a half of mile. Try to be FIRST in line going down ( I thought we would never make it down ). If you have people coming up the trail you have to stop and turn side-ways. Have fun and take your camera.

[mecb50]

We went on Celebrity's excursion. There was plenty of time at the Baths. My friend took to "walk" to the isolated beach. She said it was fantastic. I am somewhat disabled and could not go there, but I spent my time swimming and relaxing in the shade. Others snorkeld. We also went up to a bar on top and relaxed there before leaving. We totally enjoyed it. Have fun!!:) Mary

[del88]

We went on Celebrity's excursion. There was plenty of time at the Baths. My friend took to "walk" to the isolated beach. She said it was fantastic. I am somewhat disabled and could not go there, but I spent my time swimming and relaxing in the shade. Others snorkeld. We also went up to a bar on top and relaxed there before leaving. We totally enjoyed it. Have fun!!:) Mary

 

Thanks to everyone for their replies! We are a large group (20 or more) but I'm not sure how many will want to make the journey to the Baths...at least 6 of us for sure (some are looking into the Dolphin encounter).

 

Mary, how many fellow passengers were on the Celebrity excursion with you? Did you also enjoy Savannah Bay as much as the Baths?

 

Some more questions for anyone who has been to the Baths....

• do they rent snorkel equipment there? (in case we decide to make the journey on our own).
  
• are there any loungers available on the beach?
  
• how far from the cruiseship port is the Speedy's ferry dock? Can we walk? And was there a long line up for getting a ferry? (We'd want to make sure we could get there quickly as well as back in time)

Thanks.

Diane:)

[mecb50]

We had a bus load of people. They rent snorkling equipement on the beach. I don't recall loungers, but they had big rocks to sit on, which was where I sat. Mary

[SheilaNC]

Diane,

Here's the Speedy's Web site. Suggest you email or call with specific questions.

http://www.speedysbvi.com/