September 12, 2009 ~ Last Call for Tortola!

[MargaritaJean]

DH and I have booked this cruise! It still seems such a long time away though.

 

[Jennifer48]

DH and I have booked this cruise! It still seems such a long time away though.

 

[Epperbiker]

DH and I have booked this cruise! It still seems such a long time away though.

Welcome! It will be here before we know it!!

 

[rotary2808]

Welcome!!!! Trust me, it will be here before we know it. I can't believe it's almost May already.

 

[JNorris]

DCL Magic Tor-Tollin' 09'



I am soooo bad at coming up with titles

I love this name!

 

[woody73]

DH and I have booked this cruise!

Welcome

Woody

 

[pfishgirl]

DH and I have booked this cruise! It still seems such a long time away though.

Nice to have you on board!!!

 

[Jennifer48]

I can't believe I haven't been by here lately. I'm so sorry!

DBF took me on a surprise birthday trip to WDW last month and I've been busy planning my first December trip to the World! I'm so excited!

I've also just became an aunt for the first time which is so great!

Whats funny though is I'm heading to Vegas for the first time in October and I haven't really done much planning for that trip! Disney takes precedence!

 

[lg3]

DH and I have booked this cruise! It still seems such a long time away though.

Welcome!!! I take it from your screen name that you like margaritas? Last cruise we did the tequila tasing and it was GREAT!!!! Not to be missed IMHO.

 

[rotary2808]

The tequila tasting was awesome, from what I remember of it. I definately plan on doing it again.

 

[JNorris]

I know I've been gone for a while, been concentrating on this year's trips, but I came across this on another message board. It's some information regarding The Baths on Virgin Gorda, in case anyone is thinking about doing that as an excursion when we get to Tortola:

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!

 

[woody73]

Judy, thanks for posting.

Woody

 

[LindseyLou2222]

Thanks Judy! I have been looking for info on the baths.




Hope everyone is doing welll. Have a great weekend!

 

[lg3]

Yes - thanks Judy!!!!

We are getting our Disney fix this year at DL/DCA next month, but I am REALLY chomping at the bit to do some serious planning for the cruise. We have our house up for sale, so all my Disney planning time is being consumed by that.

 

[JNorris]

Yes - thanks Judy!!!!

We are getting our Disney fix this year at DL/DCA next month, but I am REALLY chomping at the bit to do some serious planning for the cruise. We have our house up for sale, so all my Disney planning time is being consumed by that.

Oohh, have you ever been to DL before? We went for the first time last year, and loved DL and DCA. We only spent part of our vacation in Anaheim though. Next time we go I want to spend the whole week there.

 

[lg3]

Oohh, have you ever been to DL before? We went for the first time last year, and loved DL and DCA. We only spent part of our vacation in Anaheim though. Next time we go I want to spend the whole week there.

Yes, we have been to DL/DCA quite a few times - more than WDW actually. My best friend lives near so we try go visit with them every other year. I love it with little ones - much more relaxed and less to try to cram in for the whole family. Plus the CA scenery is gorgeous! We usually combine it with dh's annual conference in San Diego, but this year it was changed to Chicago - too close and not a great vacation destination for a 5 yr old. We decided to bite the bullet and go anyway to DL for a week. Looking forward to it!

 

[Jennifer48]

Thanks for posting that Judy!

I'm so glad we booked early as I'm sure you all are too after I just read this!

Due to rising fuel prices, Disney Cruise Line is implementing a fuel surcharge. The surcharge is $8 per person, per day for the first two guests in a stateroom, and $3 per day for all others. It is effective for new bookings only made on or after May 28, 2008. Additionally, the surcharge will be capped at $112 each for the first and second guests in a stateroom and $42 each for all other guests in the stateroom.

 

[JNorris]

Thanks for posting that Judy!

I'm so glad we booked early as I'm sure you all are too after I just read this!

Due to rising fuel prices, Disney Cruise Line is implementing a fuel surcharge. The surcharge is $8 per person, per day for the first two guests in a stateroom, and $3 per day for all others. It is effective for new bookings only made on or after May 28, 2008. Additionally, the surcharge will be capped at $112 each for the first and second guests in a stateroom and $42 each for all other guests in the stateroom.

So, if I'm reading this correctly, if you have 3 people in 2 cabins, it would be $336, right? The reason I'm asking is, we booked last year for this cruise, but DH wants to get onboard this Sept on our cruise, and possibly cancel and rebook if the price is better (with the On Board rebooking discount and shipboard credit).

I think there is no way he would get a better price, seeing as we booked these cabins LAST YEAR, and we know DCL rarely reduces prices. Now adding in the additional fuel surcharge, I think we are better off staying with what we have, right?

 

[lg3]

So, if I'm reading this correctly, if you have 3 people in 2 cabins, it would be $336, right? The reason I'm asking is, we booked last year for this cruise, but DH wants to get onboard this Sept on our cruise, and possibly cancel and rebook if the price is better (with the On Board rebooking discount and shipboard credit).

I think there is no way he would get a better price, seeing as we booked these cabins LAST YEAR, and we know DCL rarely reduces prices. Now adding in the additional fuel surcharge, I think we are better off staying with what we have, right?

Judy, I'm not coming up with the same math as you are - Are you saying you would have two cabins, with 3 people in each? I think that would be $133 for each cabin for a 7 day cruise, right? ...but I'm pretty jacked up on cold medicine right now.

 

[JNorris]

Judy, I'm not coming up with the same math as you are - Are you saying you would have two cabins, with 3 people in each? I think that would be $133 for each cabin for a 7 day cruise, right? ...but I'm pretty jacked up on cold medicine right now.

OK, I messed up my math (and no cold medicine was involved!). I missed where the PP said $8 per day per person, for the first 2 people in the cabin. We have 2 people in one cabin and one in the other (OK, we like our space!). So I guess that would be $8 x 7 days = $56, and $56 x 3 people would be $168.

So I guess if we save more than the extra fuel charges we would pay, it would make it worth it?