Itinerary Change and we're going to Tortola?

[rstep]

Carnival changed us from St. Lucia to Tortola. We know nothing about this Island and what to do there. The only thing I've seen people talking about is the Baths. If you do that, do you also have time to see some of the island? We are there 7-4. If not the Baths, what else would you recommend?

[kruznkanuk]

I would pick Tortola over St Lucia any day... but then it all depends what you want to see and do, I guess.

My vote is for the Baths, and there is a lot to see there and a good place for snorkeling and beach lazying, so I would probably not try to squeeze in any other major excursions, just an hour or two to wander around Road Town after you get the ferry back to Tortola from Virgin Gorda, if you do go to the Baths.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I really enjoyed Tortola. We did the open air bus tour and got that at the end of the pier for about $20. The tour included a few photo stops and one at the highest point on the island (1400+ feet above sea level). The views was spectacular! Tortola still has lots of unspoiled beautiful areas. The tour also included a stop at Cane Garden Bay beach which was one of the prettiest beaches I've ever been to. There was still time for shopping on our own, too!

[jollycruise]

Tortola was one of our favorite stops on our first cruise. We rented a car and drove all over the island. We went to several different beaches. We enjoyed Brewer's Bay the most. Hardly any people. There are some beautiful overlooks along the road side. It was just georgeous. The roads are fun and windy. It made for a really fun day.

[cats2]

Rstep,

When we did the Baths, the ship had cancelled the ship excursion because of rain. DH and I walked to Speedy's Ferry, short walk, and took the ferry on our own. The ride was 30.00PP but that also includes taxi ride from the ferry docks when you get to Virgin Gorda to the Baths as it it too far to walk. The taxi will also pickup you back up, they will tell you schedule so you will know when to return to top of path for pickup. They also offered a package with lunch but we wanted to spend our time exploring the Baths. Also, the lunch take about 1hr + according to some other post on this boards.

 

The water in the caves are clear to your toes so I was not afraid to walk in them plus not water was not that high. They are in/out caves that you walk through to explore the other side. Be sure to wear water shoes or teva's, flip-flops will not work here. Lots of people on this boards have posted infor about doing the Baths on their own. If you get off the boat ASAP and get to the Baths before the flocks of people from the ships you will truely have a unique experience.

 

Here is a link to a couple of pictures that DH took that may help make you decision.

 

http://s228.photobucket.com/albums/ee20/TomPrice0/Virgin%20Gorda/

[willysgrandma]

I really enjoyed Tortola. We did the open air bus tour and got that at the end of the pier for about $20. The tour included a few photo stops and one at the highest point on the island (1400+ feet above sea level). The views was spectacular! Tortola still has lots of unspoiled beautiful areas. The tour also included a stop at Cane Garden Bay beach which was one of the prettiest beaches I've ever been to. There was still time for shopping on our own, too!

 

So there are tour operators at the pier you can book an excursion with without going through the cruiseline?

[Janene1]

Wow this looks great! Thanks for the info and the photos too.

Jan

[cats2]

We had research on this board and found that a lot of people did the Baths on their own. There is a ferry landing about 1/4 or less from the pier and a company called Speedy's goes to Virgin Gorda. When we went the price was 30.00 but that also included an open taxis from the ferry landing at Virgin Gorda to the Baths, as it is too far to walk. Seems like the taxis runs every 30 min back to the ferry landing for the return trip to Tortola. You can either research on this thread or do an internet search on Speedy's. I think someone back in Oct actually posted their website with times and directions. I sure am on all that physical and I did not have any problems walking to the Ferry dock from the cruise ship and I had no problems climbing the rocks/hills at the Baths. Just take good shoes and you can gauge where you want to explore. At the time we went the water in the caves were clear and I could see down to my toes or else I would not have been walking in it. It was quite an experience. We were probably the 1st off the boat and we just made sure we allowed plenty of time to get back to the ship.

 

Hope this helps. Hopefully the ship will have an excursion open if you choose not to go on your own. The Baths are well worth the time and money spent just to see them.

 

Lossie

[cats2]

For those who may want to do the Baths on their own here is the link to Speedy's Ferry that DH and I took.

 

http://www.speedysbvi.com/

 

You will need to take the ferry to Virgin Gorda, that is where the Baths are. There is a schedule for the trip going both directions. We were on the 1st ferry going and I think the 12:30 coming back. We had plenty of time to get back to the ship. DH is wonderful about watching the time for us as I do get side tracked and time slips away from me.

[rstep]

How rough is the water on the ferry ride? I took a ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen and it was very rough water. Many people were sea sick.

[Pyrate13]

It's a water way, the sea conditions can change at any time. I've sailed the channel when it was very smooth and also when it was very rough. You can't predict it days ahead, let alone weeks or months.

[fateknows]

Carnival changed us from St. Lucia to Tortola. We know nothing about this Island and what to do there. The only thing I've seen people talking about is the Baths. If you do that, do you also have time to see some of the island? We are there 7-4. If not the Baths, what else would you recommend?

 

If you are a fan of travel books, the '1000 Places to See Before You Die', has the Baths listed as a place to see.

After you travel through huge boulders to reach this remote area, you will see why. Pictures can't do it justice.

I just sat my underside in the sand and absorbed the beauty of the place. I’m glad I didn’t decide to try and fit anything else in my day.

I didn’t snorkel, but I did hear some comments from the father/daughter next to us. The father raved about the fish he could see. The teen-aged daughter (in the way that teen-age daughters do), informed him that they were probably sharks and she didn’t want to get her hair wet. :)

Here are some shots:

[CaribbeanBound]

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

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. Click on map for larger image of walking route from cruise pier to ferry dock.

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 BVI 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!

 

On our second trip to The Baths, we opted to pay an additional $10 ($35 total) for Speedy's “Sun and Fun” package which also included lunch and rum punch at The Bath & Turtle. After visiting The Baths for four hours, our taxi driver returned for us at 1:30pm, as agreed, to take us into town to eat. The Bath and Turtle Bar and Grill, located in a small strip mall with a dive shop, bank, and a few other shops, has little atmosphere but they make it up with good food and friendly service. Our coupon indicated that we could spend up to $10/pp, but our waitress allowed $12/pp which covers most items on the menu. We enjoyed our rum punch with a lunch platter consisting of a Caribbean Jerk Chicken sandwich, coleslaw and potato salad. We shopped a little after our leisurely lunch, then headed for the pier. The pier is a short 5-minute walk across a parking lot, past a small grocery store, and beyond an old partially-fenced park. Our ferry was already at the dock when we arrived at 3:00pm. We promptly boarded and departed on time at 3:30pm, arriving back in Road Town at 4:05pm. We had no problem getting back to the ship before the 4:45pm cutoff. Highly recommended!

 

On our third trip to Tortola, we stayed on the island and set our sights on Brewer's Bay. TTaxi service here is on a "per person" basis. Brewers Bay costs $6.00 per person each way for parties of 4 or more. (For the curious, it's also $6.00 per person to beautiful Cane Garden Bay, heavily populated with cruise passengers). What a way to end our cruise! There were less than a dozen folks at Brewers Bay when we arrived at 9am and about 50 when we left at 1pm. This is a spectacularly beautiful bay with awesome snorkeling to the left of the bay. We saw a number our variety of fish including Tarpon (about 4 feet in length), box fish, trigger fish, loads of colorful parrot fish, thousands of interesting little reef dwellers and various coral formations. It was impressive to see large schools of fish descend across the reef devouring whatever morsels they enjoy and moving on to the next like locusts in a field. If you aren't into snorkeling, lay back and watch the dozen or so pelicans plunge into the ocean for fish all day long. They would dive within a couple feet of a snorkeler --- neither bothering the other. Beach chairs can be rented for $5 (loungers) or $3 (chairs) but we didn't see any umbrellas. There is plenty of shade on the left side of the beach (snorkeling side) in front of Nicole's Bar. Nicole's Bar offers mixed drinks and a collection of $3 bottled beer as well as a grill ($6 for a cheeseburger or $8 for shrimp and fries).

 

Here are more of our Secrets of the Caribbean!

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

These are our very detailed personal reviews, hints, and tips for ports of call that you will be visiting.

[endoellen]

Thanks for your helpful information. We've already done the baths on a previous cruise and want to go somewhere different this time. Your info. on the taxi's and beaches are very helpful. We will probably just catch a taxi & head out to Brewer's or CGB for the day.