Tortola Excursion Reviews

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Sorry this link isn't working for me. What are the rotations?

And thanks all returners for letting us know a little info.

I will try again:-

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31641978&postcount=11

And quote it

Just got back last night from the Magic. My rotation was APLAPLA, formal night was on Sunday and Semi Formal was Thursday. Pirate Night was Tuesday (day we were in Tortola). The rest of the days were cruise casual. Also we had the 8:15 dinner seating

 

[disnutz]

I will try again:-

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=31641978&postcount=11

And quote it

Perfect - thanks! I was able to change Palo to make sure I do not miss semi formal, formal and pirate nights!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Perfect - thanks! I was able to change Palo to make sure I do not miss semi formal, formal and pirate nights!

Good luck and enjoy

 

[churchlady]

Me, too!

 

[NancyIL]

You are correct. There are two ferries that go to Virgin Gorda, and once there, you need to take a taxi to the top of the Baths. My understanding is that it is not in walking distance.

We are scheduled to go to the Baths when on our 6/20 cruise, but we have booked with Patouche which approaches the Baths from the water. I've read nothing but good things about them on Cruise Critic, so we opted for them rather than the DCL excursion.

I was in Tortola last week (on Royal Caribbean) the same day as the Magic, and we did a ship's excursion to Virgin Gorda. A friend of mine on the ship did the excursion with Patouche and had a GREAT time. The Baths are great, but be prepared to do a lot of climbing if you go to Devil's Bay! It's definitely not the place to go for anyone with mobility issues.

 

[NancyIL]

As for shopping DCL only recommended 3 shops - Diamonds International, The Spice Shoppe and Tourneau (sp?).

Funny how all the cruise lines recommend Diamonds International! I am sure they get kickbacks from the "recommended" stores.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Funny how all the cruise lines recommend Diamonds International! I am sure they get kickbacks from the "recommended" stores.

They do they have to pay to be on any cruise lines recommedned list.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Any other information about the dolphin adventure. We are scheduled for it. Our kids are 4,5,7 so the encounter was not an option.

 

[TiszBear]

For those with the dolphin questions here is what we did:

we met in the Promade Lounge at 9:30ish (make sure you have your swimsuits on). You will check in, and get a wristband and a disney sticker to wear (this told them what dolphin excursion you were doing). You get your towels, then you will proceed down with a disney cm and a Dolphin Encounter person, down to deck 1 to get off. You will need your Key to World card, a picture ID and some money and a camera. You can brign beach bags, I did and it helped. You will board an open air truck and head off to Dolphin Discoery. Once there you will be let off in the entrance area and walk to where you need to go. There you will go to a tent and watch a brief dolphin video (about 10min) then you will be directed toward cubies to put your stuff. THen you go get in line for the life vests, then another line for water shoes. THen the wrist bands you were given earlier will have a letter on it and you will line up according to the letter on your wristband. You will then meet your photographer and videoagrapher. You will follow them to the trainer who is already in the lagoon.

There are stairs to walk down to the platform (there is a handle to hold on to). The platform is a little slippery but nothing to worry about. My mom had a total knee replacment on New Year's Eve and had no problem walking down the stairs or on the platform. You will meet hte trianer and your dolphin (mine was Calypso). You will all get to pet him, them you will get to have him kiss you, then you kiss him then do a little dance with him. Then you will swim out and have him come to you so you can ride in with him. Then our group did a splash game with him, danced with him and a few other things. My mom can not tread water that long because of her knee,so she stayed on the platform and the trainer had Calypso come to her and she was able to do more things with him so she won't feel left out.

After your time with the dolphin, you will be lead out and directed toward the cubbies, then told which room to go to based on your group. There you will watch the video, then proceed out to buy the video and look at the pictures. When you are done you head back out grab a shuttle and back to the ship.

We were back on the ship at 12:30. I bought the video ($35.00) and 3 pictures ($35.00). The video shows your entire group and each person doing everything.

I hope this helps. Anymore questions let me know.

In St. Thomas I only did the tram ride to Paradise Point and shopped in Havensight Mall (by the docks).

 

[aznaphrodite]

I was also on the Tortola cruise that just got back. Just typed this out for another DISer so I'll copy & paste:

In Tortola, we spent the morning walking around Road Town. It's very small and we felt like we saw everything in the 2-3 hours we spent there, including lunch. It's mostly shops that sell sounveniors. If you plan to have lunch in Road Town and are interested in local food, check out Midtown Restaurant and Roti Palace. The food was delicious!! Sunny Caribbee and Pusser's are the must-visit shopping places.

We did the Tour to Virgin Gorda excursion, which takes you to The Baths. There was a lot more walking/hiking than we thought so you really need to wear comfortable walking shoes. Watch out for your little ones too. There were several children who fell on cactus during the walks up and down from The Baths or cut their legs on the rocks in The Caves. The Caves also took longer to go through than I thought it would but Devil's Bay Beach is absolutely gorgeous. There is also a wonderful pool of water with fish and sea life inside The Caves. Overall, the time at The Baths seemed too short. After grabbing a snack at the bar and then walking through The Caves, we only had about 15 minutes to spend at the beach. But going to the The Baths was truly unique and beautiful!

We did the St. John Island Tour and it was great. We saw St. John's most famous beaches from up above and got some gorgeous photos. You also get about 20 minutes at Cinnamon Bay Beach and it was gorgeous. After the tour, we went shopping in St. Thomas on our own. Though there are shops at Havensight Pier where the ships dock, the best shopping is in Charolette Amalie. If you plan to buy jewelry, definitely go to the Shopping Seminar on the ship and get the coupons. I learned a lot about what St. Thomas has to offer and saved hundreds of dollars with them!

 

[bengals01]

we were going to go to the baths. We got off the ship and a lady was there trying to get 8 people, She had her own boat that would take you right there. She was charging $45 a person. We gave her over an hour but she couldnt get any more so we ended up just taking a great tour of the island and went to a beach.

 

[codenamejack]

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[codenamejack]

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[aznaphrodite]

By the way, when you say "comfortable shoes" can they be open-toed? I was going to just wear flip-flops, since it was a beach day...

I would wear sneakers, not a flip flops or opened toe shoes. The trek down isn't too bad but the trek back up from the Baths is rather grueling since you are going uphill. Once we got down to the beach, we change into water shoes or flip flops. I wore my water shoes on the way back up and that was a BAD idea. I should have dried off my feet and put my sneakers back on. It would have been much better. Someone on our excursion got a huge bloody blister on her foot so definitely wear sneakers!!

 

[codenamejack]

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[aznaphrodite]

And don't forget to wear insect repellent! I got 2 itchy bug bites while in Tortola. I'm pretty sure it was from the hikes up and down from The Baths because it's sort of like a mini-jungle.

 

[Leia's Mom]

Did you guys dock at a pier or have to take a boat in?

Thanks.

 

[aznaphrodite]

Did you guys dock at a pier or have to take a boat in?

Thanks.

We docked at the pier in Road Town, Tortola. No tendering for St. Thomas or Tortola!

 

[aznaphrodite]

Just saw the discussions on Tortola shopping. If you plan to buy nice jewelry (like diamonds and precious gems), wait until St. Thomas. They have the best selection and prices!

Otherwise, here are some of the shops we stopped by in Road Town, Tortola:

Crafts Alive Marketplace: A collection of gaily colored houses on Waterfront

Pusser’s: Take a left off of the ship, heading directly to the main road (Blackburn Highway/Waterfront drive). You'll see Pusser's across from the parking area. Take home a bottle of Pusser's Rum or a piece of Pusser's signature logo merchandise. Their duffels and outdoor-wear are high quality.

Sunny Caribbee: From Pusser’s, continue thru and out the back, you'll be on Main St. Turn right, the street make a sharp left turn, Sunny Caribbee is just beyond that turn on the right. It's chock-a-block with great, gift-packaged spices, hot sauces, soaps, lotions, herbs, teas, coffees, etc. Two (relatively cheap) world-famous specialties Arawak Love Potion and Hangover Cure. The shop also has some more-elegant-than-elsewhere Caribbean-oriented crafts. Next door, Sunny Caribbee has a high-end art gallery that's worth a browse.

Serendipity (on Main Street near its Top, 494-5865), has wonderful island sundresses, glass, shirts and other local handicrafts.

Latitude 18 (on Main Street at The Corner 494-4807) has island and sportswear, gifts and accessories.

Little Denmark (on Main Street near its Top, 494-2455) has a wide variety of gift items such as darts, baskets, souvenir key chains, BVI flags, earrings, hats, mugs and jewelry. Famous for Cuban cigars & room-sized humidor.

Samarkand Jewelers (on Main Street past The Plaza, 495-6415) specializes in Caribbean gemstones. Real local shells are burnt out and the piece filled with gold and silver.

 

[msmith07101]

Just saw the discussions on Tortola shopping. If you plan to buy nice jewelry (like diamonds and precious gems), wait until St. Thomas. They have the best selection and prices!

Otherwise, here are some of the shops we stopped by in Road Town, Tortola:

Crafts Alive Marketplace: A collection of gaily colored houses on Waterfront

Pusser’s: Take a left off of the ship, heading directly to the main road (Blackburn Highway/Waterfront drive). You'll see Pusser's across from the parking area. Take home a bottle of Pusser's Rum or a piece of Pusser's signature logo merchandise. Their duffels and outdoor-wear are high quality.

Sunny Caribbee: From Pusser’s, continue thru and out the back, you'll be on Main St. Turn right, the street make a sharp left turn, Sunny Caribbee is just beyond that turn on the right. It's chock-a-block with great, gift-packaged spices, hot sauces, soaps, lotions, herbs, teas, coffees, etc. Two (relatively cheap) world-famous specialties Arawak Love Potion and Hangover Cure. The shop also has some more-elegant-than-elsewhere Caribbean-oriented crafts. Next door, Sunny Caribbee has a high-end art gallery that's worth a browse.

Serendipity (on Main Street near its Top, 494-5865), has wonderful island sundresses, glass, shirts and other local handicrafts.

Latitude 18 (on Main Street at The Corner 494-4807) has island and sportswear, gifts and accessories.

Little Denmark (on Main Street near its Top, 494-2455) has a wide variety of gift items such as darts, baskets, souvenir key chains, BVI flags, earrings, hats, mugs and jewelry. Famous for Cuban cigars & room-sized humidor.

Samarkand Jewelers (on Main Street past The Plaza, 495-6415) specializes in Caribbean gemstones. Real local shells are burnt out and the piece filled with gold and silver.

Thank you for all the great info...this is so helpful