8/15/09-Eastern-Tortola Treasure Seekers #4

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Hi! We're planning to do the baths on our own too. Yes, DCL would probably be a little easier but the same excursion would be $40 more per person for our family of 4 with DCL. We're just going to make sure that we budget the time carefully and give more than enough time to return to the ship. And our whole family is very "pale" so we'll be lathering on the SPF and watching to make sure no one burns!

In the Med in 2007 5 of my 7 ports where Private excursions to the main tourist sites, all went to planned, the only issue was the 'tender' ports and we had to fight to get off quickly with the DCL sponsored shore trips.

But again word of warning, the Caribbean is far more laid back than mainland Europe and things work far less to clockwork.

Sometimes the balance of knowing everything is taken care for you, less tipping as you are going in bulk, is better than a private tour.

The main consideration is the ships leaving time, i have seen far too often people being left behind, one came out of a harbor launch to catch us up as we left dock, and had to jump across into the magic from it, watched by all on our side from the verandahs.

 

[PoohJen]

Hi jbm02 - where from upstate are you? I'm originally from LI

Hi Andrew - yup, I sure did think about the timing issue and would hate to miss the ship (but glad you reminded me about catching it at ST. Thms the next day). A very valid point!

Looking at the ship's excursions to the Baths, they each give you only 2 hours at the beach. Looking at the 2 ferry company schedules, and limiting ourselves to 2 or 3 hours, still leaves a good cushion of time/ferries. I'm feeling better about going this route, and will probably "play it by ear".

I see some wading through the caves/rocks is involved - shouldn't be a problem carrying camera gear though - should it? - I know you can take a path down...but that would be missing much of the point!

Have a beautiful, sunny Sunday everyone!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Hi jbm02 - where from upstate are you? I'm originally from LI

Hi Andrew - yup, I sure did think about the timing issue and would hate to miss the ship (but glad you reminded me about catching it at ST. Thms the next day). A very valid point!

Looking at the ship's excursions to the Baths, they each give you only 2 hours at the beach. Looking at the 2 ferry company schedules, and limiting ourselves to 2 or 3 hours, still leaves a good cushion of time/ferries. I'm feeling better about going this route, and will probably "play it by ear".

I see some wading through the caves/rocks is involved - shouldn't be a problem carrying camera gear though - should it? - I know you can take a path down...but that would be missing much of the point!

Have a beautiful, sunny Sunday everyone!

Whilst it doesn't cover all the difference the DCL tour includes lunch burger etc and drink.

Camera should be ok, I ruined mine at Dolphins as they were unpredictable.

 

[jenanderson]

Thanks JenA for all wonderful website - I've finally had some time to look around! Been thinking about excursions - your site is a valuable resource!

I really wanted to experience the Baths while on Tortola, but put off by the $$$ of the excursion for a family of 5. Been gathering info on Cruise Critic: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=290 and it looks quite doable.

Anyone else taking this DIY route?

Glad you like the website! I have been pretty busy in the last week and have kind of neglected some of it.

We are taking the DIY route. We will be taking a private day sail with my SIL and her kids. We are very aware of the time issue and will be sure we are back in time. We will probably be taking the DIY route in St. Thomas as well. We are on an extremely tight budget at this point and Disney costs much more.

Jen

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Glad you like the website! I have been pretty busy in the last week and have kind of neglected some of it.

We are taking the DIY route. We will be taking a private day sail with my SIL and her kids. We are very aware of the time issue and will be sure we are back in time. We will probably be taking the DIY route in St. Thomas as well. We are on an extremely tight budget at this point and Disney costs much more.

Jen

Got to say with St Thomas I am very disappointed with DCL's offerings, after canceling the main sightseeing ones from June, there isn't anything there of interest to me.

I have been to ST T, before so we might just go shopping, ( poor credit card, poor credit card) but I will see whats on offer Saturday morning, I did put the Butterfly and mountain views into my WISH LIST on the DCL site but viewing it in my cruise plans it comes up as St Croix!

Anyone with suggestions at ST T? Not a beach trip or the sea we are doing that at The Baths and CC.

 

[andeeNjoel]

My sister, her husband, and 4 children will be joining us on the cruise. I had let them know they will need passports about a month ago- now I am not so sure. From the WHTI, it looks like Disney only needs birth certs (and a driver's license for those over 16). But will they need passport cards or books if they want to get off the ship in Tortola???
DCL rep says no, but I want to be more sure before I let them know.
Thanks!

 

[allardk46]

Hi all,
We just moved from the August 29 Eastern to the August 15 !!!
We are myself DH, my wife and 3 boys 15 , 6 , 6 ( that's right TWINS )
Boy..you guys have an active group...I can never read all the posts.
Hope you can bring us up to speed.
How do we get access to your website ?
We would be interested in 5 lanyards.
Not sure yet about the FE..never done that before ..actually this is our first Disney Cruise.

CIAO to everyone and especially all my Italian paesan's !!

Now..how do I change that @#$@#$%countdown and how do I get your Tortola logo ?

Welcome to the cruise.

 

[TheFatMansWife]

welcome tony and family
hello everyone
what a beautiful day we had here in london today, it has been hot hot hot!!!
sat in the sun a little to long look a little red !!
we have been looking at private tours in tortola, haven't decide which one to do yet.

 

[PoohJen]

But will they need passport cards or books if they want to get off the ship in Tortola???
DCL rep says no, but I want to be more sure before I let them know.
Thanks!

LOL - I'm not sure but I sure hope so, since I just sprung for my whole family to get theirs!

I look forward to the real answer; I won't get too upset if they don't need them, b/c I wanted them to have 'em anyway...you just never know when you might want to take a sudden, crazy trip around the world!

 

[andeeNjoel]

I look forward to the real answer;

We called DCL and they assured us that we will only need birth certificates and valid gov. photo IDs (for 16 and over). I have also emailed our TA. Wondering if Dept. HLS and Dept. of State are on the same page about this...Will keep you posted!

 

[PoohJen]

Here's what's on the Dept of State website:

The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

CURRENTLY:
All U.S. citizens must show proof of identity and proof of U.S. citizenship when entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the countries of the Caribbean by land or sea.

Acceptable documents include: U.S. Passport Book, U.S. Passport Card, or other document approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. citizens who do not have a single document verifying identity and citizenship must present both an identification and citizenship document; for example, a driver’s license and a copy of a birth certificate or naturalization certificate.


LATER:
On June 1, 2009, the U.S. government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have a passport, passport card, or other travel document approved by the Department of Homeland Security.


CHILDREN: U.S. citizen children under the age of 16 will be able to present the original or copy of their birth certificate, or other proof of U.S. citizenship such as a naturalization certificate or citizenship card.

Groups of U.S. citizen children ages 16 through 18, when traveling with a school or religious group, social organization, or sports team, will be able to enter under adult supervision with originals or copies of their birth certificates or other proof of citizenship. See the Department of Homeland Security's GetYouHome.gov for more information on the changing travel requirements.

Okay, so according to this, I DID need to get DH and DS16 passports, but not DTwins 12. oh well, we'll just have to take a trip that requires them to get our money's worth!

 

[jbm02]

Would anyone else be interested in running the 5K on Castaway Cay? I'm not a fast runner (Ha - that's an oxymoron to me - kind of like "fun run"! ) but I'd like to give it a try. Anyone else???

 

[andeeNjoel]

"4/27/09


Dear [me],

Thank you for your diligence regarding your travel document requirements.

I am happy to assist you with information regarding proof of citizenship.

We strongly encourage guests of all ages to have a valid passport for all cruises. Having a passport allows you to always be prepared to travel wherever you wish, offers an added measure of security and can expedite the boarding/debarking process.

Effective June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises that begin and end at the same port in the U.S., will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate and government-issued photo ID. For Disney Cruise Line a closed-loop cruise includes all of our 2009/2010 Caribbean cruise itineraries.

In order to board the ship, all guests are required to provide proper travel documentation. United States citizens can visit the State Department?s travel website at www.travel.state.gov, or call the U.S.
National Passport Information Center at 877-4USA-PPT for more information.

All guests claiming U.S. citizenship, including children, must present one of the following as proof of U.S. citizenship or be denied boarding:

*A valid, unexpired U.S. Passport (valid for land, sea and air travel)

*A valid, unexpired U.S. Passport Card (valid for land and sea travel)

*Original state issued Birth Certificate and a photo ID issued by a Local, State, Federal Government agency. Photo ID is only required for Guests 18 and older.

*Original Certificate of Naturalization and a photo ID issued by a Local, State, Federal Government agency. Photo ID is only required for Guests 18 and older.

*Original Certificate of Citizenship and a photo ID issued by a Local, State, Federal Government agency. Photo ID is only required for Guests
18 and older.

*Original Consular Report of Birth Abroad of U.S. Citizen and a photo ID issued by a Local, State, Federal Government agency. Photo ID is only required for Guests 18 and older.

*If you live and work in the U.S. and are a legal permanent resident a Valid, unexpired, Permanent Resident Card, also known as the "Green Card" or "Alien Resident Card (ARC)" must be provided.

Please be aware that all Guests traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean region are required to present a passport or other valid travel document to enter or re-enter the United States.

The passport card is meant to facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. However, the passport card cannot be used to travel by air. For example, if your family had to fly home from Nassau due to an unforeseen emergency, your family would not be able to present the passport card as proof of citizenship at U.S.
Customs.

It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport.

I hope this information has been helpful. Should you require further assistance in planning your visit, please contact your travel agent.

We look forward to sailing with you!

Have a Magical Day!"

 

[TonytheWop]

welcome tony and family
hello everyone
what a beautiful day we had here in london today, it has been hot hot hot!!!
sat in the sun a little to long look a little red !!
we have been looking at private tours in tortola, haven't decide which one to do yet.

Thanks for the warm welcome to all.
Considering that we just booked, haven't really thought of tours but generally we try to diy. As an accountant (..and so is my wife ) we try to save $$$ so that we can cruise / vacation every year.

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

Got to say with St Thomas I am very disappointed with DCL's offerings, after canceling the main sightseeing ones from June...

Anyone with suggestions at ST T? Not a beach trip or the sea we are doing that at The Baths and CC.

We are very disappointed too !!

I was thinking about the ST JOHN ISLAND TOUR ( as we have already been twice at StT ) - boat ride from St T + open-air safari taxi to Annaberg ruins ... plantation house / sugar -mill .
We have never been to St John.

It lasts 5 hours - so I'll still have time for SHOPPING at St T !!!

laura

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

We are very disappointed too !!

I was thinking about the ST JOHN ISLAND TOUR ( as we have already been twice at StT ) - boat ride from St T + open-air safari taxi to Annaberg ruins ... plantation house / sugar -mill .
We have never been to St John.

It lasts 5 hours - so I'll still have time for SHOPPING at St T !!!

laura

St John is very very nice, its very unlike the commercial St Thomas, a lot of St John is unspoilt, natural and great for nature, I will not go as my DD gets seasickness, now I am going to chance it with the Baths at Tortola, but give her a break at St T.

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

St John is very very nice, its very unlike the commercial St Thomas, a lot of St John is unspoilt, natural and great for nature, I will not go as my DD gets seasickness, now I am going to chance it with the Baths at Tortola, but give her a break at St T.

Oh, I really hope that Alice will be fine at the Baths !!!
Has she tried ginger ( herbs) ? or those elastic wrist bands ( NO side effects !the DS of our friends had no more troubles wearing those ).

Marco and I use to "wear" a Scopolamine patch .... but , as she is so young , I guess you don't want to put her under meds...

BEST OF LUCK !!! laura

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Oh, I really hope that Alice will be fine at the Baths !!!
Has she tried ginger ( herbs) ? or those elastic wrist bands ( NO side effects !the DS of our friends had no more troubles wearing those ).

Marco and I use to "wear" a Scopolamine patch .... but , as she is so young , I guess you don't want to put her under meds...

BEST OF LUCK !!! laura

She occasionally takes some medication for it, not sure what it is, the worst experience so far is the boats that take you from Cozumel to the mainland at Mexico for Tulum etc. The boats are enclosed with no open deck they lay very low in the water which is always a bad thing a lower center of gravity,and therefore they really move a lot in the sea, lots of kids were ill on it,

I am hoping that the Tortola boats will be open and the trip short the water there is often calm.
So 'The Baths are on for booking this weekend, but I would not put her through it two days in a row just in case.

 

[MICKEY'S DREAMERS]

So 'The Baths are on for booking this weekend

Let us know what tours are on for St T !!!!

for your excursion to The Baths , it looks so beautiful overthere !!

laura

HOW IS WEATHER ?? we still have lots of RAIN !!!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Let us know what tours are on for St T !!!!

for your excursion to The Baths , it looks so beautiful overthere !!

laura

HOW IS WEATHER ?? we still have lots of RAIN !!!

I will do a report on Saturday morning what there is on the system.

Weather in the UK, has cooled down lots of rain today.