Tortola excursions?

[RebelHawk]

My wife and I are heading out for a Christmas cruise and one of our ports of call is Tortola, British Virgin Islands. It sounds like this is a new port for Disney and they haven't announced any port adventures yet. Does anyone know anything about this port and the options Disney may offer there? How far in advance has Disney posted info about new port of calls in the past?

Thanks,

Tom

 

[Jerzee73]

My wife and I are heading out for a Christmas cruise and one of our ports of call is Tortola, British Virgin Islands. It sounds like this is a new port for Disney and they haven't announced any port adventures yet. Does anyone know anything about this port and the options Disney may offer there? How far in advance has Disney posted info about new port of calls in the past?

Thanks,

Tom

Know nothing about DCL excursions, but I do know a decent amount about the islands. Personally, I'd try to get on a trip to either the Baths in Virgin Gorda or to Jost Van Dyke. As I've said in other threads, if you have close to 6 people I'd rent a motorboat with captain for the day. The only reason for that ## of people is the affordability factor.
Virgin Gorda is a good 30 minutes away by motor & people should be fit to climb through the rock formations. They're beautiful & awe inspiring. Stop at Willy T's on the way back for lunch.
In Jost, go to Foxy's for lunch, if he's there to entertain (assume he's still around. Foxy is a legend, who I believe was knighted by Queen Elizabeth? Then go to White Bay beach, nicest beach I've seen in the Virgins, but with little snorkeling. Soggy Dollar bar's Painkillers will make everything good. Sandy Cay right off Jost has good snorkeling.
All these places can be googled.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My wife and I are heading out for a Christmas cruise and one of our ports of call is Tortola, British Virgin Islands. It sounds like this is a new port for Disney and they haven't announced any port adventures yet. Does anyone know anything about this port and the options Disney may offer there? How far in advance has Disney posted info about new port of calls in the past?

Thanks,

Tom

Well, it's not entirely new. We called at Tortola on our WBTA in 2010. We did a basic island tour (sorry, have to wait til I get home to look up the name of the tour). That's all that we were interested in. I believe there were tours to the Baths, also. I know there was one beach-y type excursion that was about 30 minutes late returning, holding up departure.

 

[wishuponastarforever]

DH and I were fortunate to have this on an altered itinerary due to Western Caribbean hurricane. We loved this destination and DCL did offer the Baths in Virgin Gorda. One of our best memories. We loved the adventure and beauty.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'd gnaw off my baby toe right now to go to the Baths on Virgin Gorda. Total bucket list destination for me!

 

[KashasMom]

We've been to Tortola before and although we wanted to go to the Baths, we didn't want to go with our then too young daughter. We ended up doing an island tour from a taxi when we got off the ship. It was probably the worst tour we've ever done (driver didn't tell us anything). A group of us will be going to Tortola in August and - after a lot of reading - decided we'll be taking a speedboat to the Baths. Egbert seems to get great reviews so I'll be contacting him to make reservations. The Baths seem to be the can't miss thing to do!

 

[Jerzee73]

We've been to Tortola before and although we wanted to go to the Baths, we didn't want to go with our then too young daughter. We ended up doing an island tour from a taxi when we got off the ship. It was probably the worst tour we've ever done (driver didn't tell us anything). A group of us will be going to Tortola in August and - after a lot of reading - decided we'll be taking a speedboat to the Baths. Egbert seems to get great reviews so I'll be contacting him to make reservations. The Baths seem to be the can't miss thing to do!

I've been to the Baths several times. The boat you're on makes a huge difference. I've always gone out of St Thomas. Don't know if they can pick people up, but Tortola is on the way. Best I've used is Pirates Penney or Stormy Petrol (sister boats). You could always call them & ask. It would be along the lines of a 8:30-4 PM timeframe, so boat time would need to work. They take about 12 people per boat.

 

[Pirate Bill]

the baths are total over rated. there is a great bar at the top of the hill above them that makes killer pina colidas and shrimp sandwiches. my favorite beach in tortola is Cane Garden Bay. its a scary ride there over the hills but cheap and well worth the trip if you like beaches

 

[KashasMom]

I've been to the Baths several times. The boat you're on makes a huge difference. I've always gone out of St Thomas. Don't know if they can pick people up, but Tortola is on the way. Best I've used is Pirates Penney or Stormy Petrol (sister boats). You could always call them & ask. It would be along the lines of a 8:30-4 PM timeframe, so boat time would need to work. They take about 12 people per boat.

Thanks for the info. We'll also be in St. Thomas. There are 11 of us so that might work out well!

 

[KashasMom]

the baths are total over rated. there is a great bar at the top of the hill above them that makes killer pina colidas and shrimp sandwiches. my favorite beach in tortola is Cane Garden Bay. its a scary ride there over the hills but cheap and well worth the trip if you like beaches

Well, we have more kids and non-drinkers than drinkers going with us so as good as the pina coladas sound, I think I'd be outvoted. I know the kids will love the speedboat ride as well as the beach, so it seems like a good option for us. And now of course, since you said the Baths are overrated, I HAVE to go. Will keep Cane Garden Bay on a list for a future visit.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We were on the first DCL cruise to Tortola in 2009. The Baths were amazing and very much worth the effort to get there. We chose not to take a DCL excursion but did it on our own. We didn't have to climb down to the Baths like most tours. Our boat took us right to the beach where we were able to explore. I highly recommend this company. They didn't disappoint. https://www.patouche.com/aboutus.htm

 

[Jerzee73]

Thanks for the info. We'll also be in St. Thomas. There are 11 of us so that might work out well!

Several important things, if you do the Baths. As the above poster said, go on a trip where your boat pulls up to the Baths, not the ones where you take a bus from Spanish Town to the top of the Baths & then have to climb down.
Also the boats like Pirates Penny can't pick up in Tortola. A Baths trip is also out for that boat from St Thomas, you don't have enough time in port.
For the group of 11, these boats would be perfect for a private charter on your day in St Thomas. They take a max of 12 people. They'll tailor the day around what you want to do & work with the cruise ship times. I'd suggest going to Jost Van Dyke, a snorkeling stop, & lunch at Willy T's, if all that is possible. Call them for info well in advance. All drinks are included in their trips & they normally serve some fruit & so forth in the AM. They are really good.
As for the Baths, you all have better port times in Tortola so should try to find a boat that departs from there. No need to clear customs either, I think. I'd check trip advisor for boat reviews. BTW, reviews on the Pirates Penny are fantastic.
As for the 1 poster, who didn't like the Baths, he might not like the Grand Canyon either.

 

[Dug720]

We've been to Tortola before and although we wanted to go to the Baths, we didn't want to go with our then too young daughter. We ended up doing an island tour from a taxi when we got off the ship. It was probably the worst tour we've ever done (driver didn't tell us anything). A group of us will be going to Tortola in August and - after a lot of reading - decided we'll be taking a speedboat to the Baths. Egbert seems to get great reviews so I'll be contacting him to make reservations. The Baths seem to be the can't miss thing to do!

IMHO, depending on a taxi driver to play tour guide was your big mistake. Taxi drivers are not tour guides and are not certified as such. Their job is to get you from one location to another, not provide in-depth commentary.

 

[RebelHawk]

Thanks for the feedback on this port. I performed some google searches on this port trying to get an idea of what the highlights are for this island. I think I'll wait and see what DCL offers and compare that to what is offered by some of the local touring company. Any additional suggestions is always welcome.

 

[Pirate Bill]

its my favorite island to visit but not from a cruise ship. you need to rent a sail boat and sail around it for a couple weeks.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

its my favorite island to visit but not from a cruise ship. you need to rent a sail boat and sail around it for a couple weeks.

I wish.

 

[KashasMom]

IMHO, depending on a taxi driver to play tour guide was your big mistake. Taxi drivers are not tour guides and are not certified as such. Their job is to get you from one location to another, not provide in-depth commentary.

He specifically offered tours. Guess he wasn't a taxi driver per se. Same kind of guy we've used many times before....just no where as good.

 

[Lorenroxy]

Baths/ devils bay....make sure to walk around all the paths through the rocks..very cool. There are private boats to take you or book excursion.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Definitely find a tour company that allows you to enter through the beach which is what we did through Patouche Charters. The climb down sounded kind of bad. I believe in 2009 DCL's excursion had them do the walk down. Definitely EXPLORE through the rock formations. Bring your camera as it is unbelievably beautiful. The water is so clear.

 

[Jerzee73]

Definitely find a tour company that allows you to enter through the beach which is what we did through Patouche Charters. The climb down sounded kind of bad. I believe in 2009 DCL's excursion had them do the walk down. Definitely EXPLORE through the rock formations. Bring your camera as it is unbelievably beautiful. The water is so clear.

As far as Tortola itself, don't know how interesting much of the island is, the north side I believe to be the nicer side