Excursion recommendations - Tortola/St. Thomas

[MouseWatcher]

Hi! My family of 4 (including 2 kids - 12 yrs and 7 yrs) is sailing on the Fantasy next spring. Any suggestions on excursions at Tortola and/or St. Thomas? Are there cool places near port to explore by foot? We would love to see more of the islands and their beaches but have been on excursions before where there was a lot of down time and we sort of felt stuck. I welcome good and bad feedback We are pretty active by nature if that helps. Thanks!!

 

[Princessmama 2]

We did an excursion with Aristocats in Tortola. You can find info here http://aristocatcharters.com/
It was a short easy walk to their dock, and the boat wasn't too crowded. There were three other families from the Fantasy so we were all on the same timeline. Many different ages from all families and all the kids had fun. We went to three different stops and you could swim and snorkel in clear water and see so much. On the walk back to the ship they had shops to walk through where you can shop.

 

[MouseWatcher]

We did an excursion with Aristocats in Tortola. You can find info here http://aristocatcharters.com/
It was a short easy walk to their dock, and the boat wasn't too crowded. There were three other families from the Fantasy so we were all on the same timeline. Many different ages from all families and all the kids had fun. We went to three different stops and you could swim and snorkel in clear water and see so much. On the walk back to the ship they had shops to walk through where you can shop.

Thank you!

 

[RedSox68]

Never been to Tortola, but only to St. Thomas (4 times).

Our first time in we did the excursion to St. John and it was wonderful. On the ferry ride over they pointed out all the stars' homes. On our second stop, we did the island tour which we enjoyed very much. The next time my husband and daughter took the tram to the top and walked down and they enjoyed that. The last time we did the Coral World excursion, which I cannot recommend. Unless they have put some money to clean and upgrade the place, we were very disappointed and didn't enjoy seeing obviously neglected sea life and mammals and dirty viewing glass, etc. St. Thomas does have some great shops in the port that we have enjoyed exploring.

 

[MouseWatcher]

Never been to Tortola, but only to St. Thomas (4 times).

Our first time in we did the excursion to St. John and it was wonderful. On the ferry ride over they pointed out all the stars' homes. On our second stop, we did the island tour which we enjoyed very much. The next time my husband and daughter took the tram to the top and walked down and they enjoyed that. The last time we did the Coral World excursion, which I cannot recommend. Unless they have put some money to clean and upgrade the place, we were very disappointed and didn't enjoy seeing obviously neglected sea life and mammals and dirty viewing glass, etc. St. Thomas does have some great shops in the port that we have enjoyed exploring.

Thank you! Yes, we did Coral World on a previous cruise and I would not recommend it either - that's one reason I'm looking for more input before we book excursions for this trip

 

[crafty91]

We did a boat tour that actually went all the way around Tortola with a long stop on Jost Van Dyke (Soggy Dollar Bar). One of the most beautiful spots I've ever been to! We went to St. John from St. Thomas and also well worth the trip.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

If you want a nice beach with food and drink, Cane Garden Bay is nice.

 

[Joel0917]

my family did Patouche charters. Go to Cooper Island for a great snorkle and lunch and just chill. then Virgin Gorda in the afternoon. Some rum punch and boat ride back! Was awesome. The baths are a bit tough to navigate all the way through!

 

[RedSox68]

Thank you! Yes, we did Coral World on a previous cruise and I would not recommend it either - that's one reason I'm looking for more input before we book excursions for this trip

I know there is also a butterfly farm near the port that I have read good things about, but we have never had the chance to do it.