Tortola - Doing the Baths on our own - will this work?

[mmdreamer]

We are doing a back to back on the Fantasy this March and would like to go to the Baths on our own. We have been to the Baths before on a Disney excursion and found it was very crowded and we didn't have a lot of time there. So, we would like to try and beat the crowds and have more beach time.

All ashore is 7:30am and Speedy's has a ferry leaving at 7:45. Has anyone made it to this ferry on time? Would we have to take a cab or run the whole way? Does the Fantasy ever let passengers off a little earlier than 7:30? The next ferry isn't until 9:00am and by then the Disney excursion will have arrived.

 

[squirk]

We are considering the same thing, so consider this a mutually-beneficial bump.

We did the Baths solo last year when we were staying on Virgin Gorda, and thoroughly enjoyed it. To each their own, but the group excursions looked like miserable affairs. Marching single-file down the stairs, marching single file through the rocks, marching single file back up again. No thanks.

 

[mmdreamer]

When we did the Disney excursion to the Baths, we were lucky because we were on the first Safari bus to arrive. Instead of waiting for everyone and listening to the guide explain where we should go, we just went straight down the trail - we were the first ones. I would never want to be at the end of that long line!

Disney has 2 excursion times for the Baths 8:15am - 12:30pm and another at 1pm - 5:15pm. Speedy's ferry times to the Baths leave at 7:45am, 9:00am and Smiths is not until 10:00am. So to beat the crowds the 7:45 would be the best choice.

I would really love to know if anyone has been able to make the 7:45am ferry with an all ashore time of 7:30am.

Thanks!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

You are right the Disney trip is probably aiming for the 9:00 ferry, but I'll bet that even if you are also on the 9:00 ferry, you could still beat them by enough time to make a difference. Once they are off the ferry, they will have to reform into their group, walk at the speed of the slowest person, etc. You don't say how many people you have or what their fitness level is, but chances are will still be ahead of the pack by going on your own.

 

[squirk]

I, too, would like to know if anyone has been able to make the 7:45 ferry, and how they did it. If it's impossible to do, we won't bother rushing down to Deck 2 at 7:00 to be the first to walk off the ship.

We have the same issue with St. John. No matter how fast we get off the ship, run for a cab and high-tail it to Red Hook on St. Thomas, we always miss the 8:00 ferry. The good thing is that the Disney tour always misses the 9:00 ferry as well.

 

[mmdreamer]

I, too, would like to know if anyone has been able to make the 7:45 ferry, and how they did it. If it's impossible to do, we won't bother rushing down to Deck 2 at 7:00 to be the first to walk off the ship.

I emailed Speedy's Ferry to find out if the 7:45 was doable. They said that passengers from the Disney Fantasy have made it - not sure if they had time to walk or if they took a cab. Google maps says it is a 15 min walk, so we may have to catch a cab.

Squirk, it looks like your cruise is a couple of weeks before ours which is on March 11. If you go ahead and try to make the early ferry, maybe you could let me know how it went. Thanks!

 

[squirk]

Squirk, it looks like your cruise is a couple of weeks before ours which is on March 11. If you go ahead and try to make the early ferry, maybe you could let me know how it went. Thanks!

I'll try to remember to report back. Full disclosure - we have had awful luck disembarking at a port on time. Seems like whenever we were in a time crunch, and needed to get off the ship ASAP, something happened - waiting on port authorities, extra time needed to dock due to rough waters, etc.

 

[Quellman]

I'll try to remember to report back. Full disclosure - we have had awful luck disembarking at a port on time. Seems like whenever we were in a time crunch, and needed to get off the ship ASAP, something happened - waiting on port authorities, extra time needed to dock due to rough waters, etc.

So how did it go?

 

[squirk]

So how did it go?

Ah, sorry. My MIL, who was traveling with us, had knee surgery recently. Navigating the rocks was not a great idea for her, so we decided to do the Jost van Dyke excursion instead.

 

[Quellman]

Ah, sorry. My MIL, who was traveling with us, had knee surgery recently. Navigating the rocks was not a great idea for her, so we decided to do the Jost van Dyke excursion instead.

Probably a good choice!

 

[squirk]

It would have been pretty crappy to ditch her while the rest of us explored the cave.

We like JVD a lot. Next time, however, I might try an outside tour company that will take us someplace a little more secluded than White Bay.

 

[MotherKnowsBest]

We did it! We were ready and waiting to disembark and were among the first off the ship. The walk over is definitely not 15 minutes, it's maybe 10. We bought tickets and then the ferry arrived and we hopped on. We got to the baths before the crowds and were back on the ship by noon.

 

[Quellman]

We did it! We were ready and waiting to disembark and were among the first off the ship. The walk over is definitely not 15 minutes, it's maybe 10. We bought tickets and then the ferry arrived and we hopped on. We got to the baths before the crowds and were back on the ship by noon.

Great news. We may end up doing this then as well!

 

[mmdreamer]

OP here. We took the 7:45am ferry and it was fantastic! Just make sure you are off the ship by 7:30am, hang a left at the end of the pier and walk along the waterfront to the ferry.

We got a cab at the other end and were at The Baths by 8:30am. At the ticket counter they were telling people to take the path to the left down to Devils Bay where they can then go into The Baths. We had been there before, so we took the path on the right down to the beach then walked through The Baths over to Devils Bay. Another family who arrived at the same time as us took the trail to the left - which is a longer trail - and they ended up in Devils bay at the same time as us. We had already been through The Baths!

We then hiked back up the trail on the Devils Bay side. We passed about 100 passengers from MSC, then everyone on the Disney excursion! Back at the top, we headed over to Spring Bay which is the next bay north of The Baths. The north end of the bay has lots of boulders as well and is absolutely gorgeous! Best of all, we had the entire beach to ourselves! The kids had a great time snorkeling and exploring through rocks.

We stayed there for a couple of hours then took the 12:30 ferry back to Tortola.

 

[kyma333]

mmdreamer, what time did you have get down to disembark by 7:30 AM? Approx how much was the cab to The Baths? We have a mom with a 9-month old going with us. Would she be able to take the path on the right down to the beach?

 

[KashasMom]

Oh...I absolutely hate ships' excursions but I just booked the Baths with Disney thinking we couldn't do it on our own. Based on your comments - the DCL excursion sounds MISERABLE! I think I'm going to cancel!

 

[mmdreamer]

mmdreamer, what time did you have get down to disembark by 7:30 AM? Approx how much was the cab to The Baths? We have a mom with a 9-month old going with us. Would she be able to take the path on the right down to the beach?

We headed down right at 7:30 - there was no line up to get off the ship. If you are traveling with young kids, plan on being at the gangway 10 - 15 minutes early just to leave a little bit of a buffer. We walked quickly along the pier and then towards the ferry along the water. Someone saw us and offered a ride, so we hopped in! But, we would have made it to the ferry on time if we continued to walk. We bought round trip tickets for the ferry, but paid for the cab separately, it was $20 for the four of us from the ferry to The Baths.

At The Baths, the path to the right is shorter than the one on the left, but they are both 'natural' pathways, not paved. It is mainly dirt and larger rocks - it could be slippery with the wrong footwear. I wore Teva's and it was fine. I'm not sure about recommending it for a mom with a baby. The path has a lot of natural rock steps and can be narrow in places. I would be nervous doing it with a baby, but I trip over everything! DH would be fine taking a baby down the trail. So, it comes down to how athletic and comfortable with hiking the mom is. Also, she most likely would not be able to get all the way through The Baths - there are narrow ladders to climb and large rocks to scale while holding on to a rope.

If your group really wants to see the rock formations, heading over to Spring Bay (just north of The Baths) might be a better option. Have the cab turn down the dirt road where the Spring Bay sign is. It is a short walk down an easier trail to a secluded beach - we had it all to ourselves! If you google map it, it is the tiny bay right below Sandy Bottom Villa. Our kids had a fantastic time climbing through all the rocks. There is lots of shade on the beach and even a picnic table in the shade. You will need to arrange a pick up time with your cab driver so you'll have a ride back to the ferry.

 

[mmdreamer]

Oh...I absolutely hate ships' excursions but I just booked the Baths with Disney thinking we couldn't do it on our own. Based on your comments - the DCL excursion sounds MISERABLE! I think I'm going to cancel!

We have done the Baths twice, once with Disney and the last time on our own. It is so easy to do on your own and beat the crowds. Then you can find a quiet spot on the beach and relax or head off to another beach like we did.

 

[kyma333]

@mmdreamer thanks for the valuable info! We are looking to beat the crowd and have some privacy with our group (10 adults/4 kids (9 months - 7yo). For either the Baths or Spring Bay, did you feel rushed getting back to catch the 12:30 PM ferry or was that plenty of time? Did you bring you bring your own snorkeling gear? How about snacks/food for the kids and/or have lunch there? Also, do you recall if there are restrooms at Spring Bay?

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

@ KashasMom Did you cancel? This was not our experience with the DCL excursion in Tortola. Not at all. We were taken to the main area of the paths and given "directions" on how to get down to the baths and when to return to the bus/tram, but nobody went with us aside from the people on the excursion. And we had several hours at the baths and quite enjoyed it and ourselves!

Sorry, the system won't let me quote...