Tortola Excursion Reviews

[tea for girls]

Hi Rebecca! That person with the huge bloody blister would be me. As of today I still have to wear flip flops at work. If you go to the Baths I would strongly suggest bringing sneakers and socks and changing into those for the hike back up the hill. Also, I thought that a swimsuit with shorts for a bottom would be a good idea - it WASN'T - I got the worst chafing of my entire life. By the time I got back to the top of the Baths I was NOT A HAPPY CAMPER.


Michele,
What kind of clothing do you recommend coming and going to the Baths in?

 

[Bracy]

Just how bad is the ride to Brewer's Bay? We've been to plenty of ports and none of the rides are what I would consider fun. Is Brewer's Bay even worse? Our party will include 2 toddlers....will we be ok holding onto them. I know the drive to Coki Beach in St. Thomas isn't pleasant but it's not bad enough to keep us from going back (we love the snorkeling from shore and hear Brewer's Bay is similar). Should we be ok?

thanks...
Jess

We've been to st. Thomas 3 times & Brewers Bay once and i would say it is very similar to st. T driving. We were lucky enough to get a van with seatbelts. Probably if you ask the taxi guy for a van they will get one for you. If not, one adult per child should be fine. It is very hilly and windy just like st. Thomas & st. John.

 

[Bracy]

We booked a dolphin encounter on our own (half the price of DCL excursion) so we have to take a taxi to get there. How easy are they to get once you get off the ship and how long is the ride. Also price per person??

Thanks

When you get off the ship there is an info center and a guy asking where you want to go. He then will direct you to the correct taxi. It was very easy and most places are $6 p/p each way. We didn't go to the dolphin encounter, so i don't know how long it takes.

 

[Bracy]

A great way to clean sand off your feet, esp. when they are wet, is baby powder. Sprinkle some on, wipe off, and you are as good as clean. Excellent when you have no access to water. Also great for chafing. We go to the beach a lot so i keep a small shaker in my beach bag and a small one in my glove compartment.

 

[TiggersPal]

A great way to clean sand off your feet, esp. when they are wet, is baby powder. Sprinkle some on, wipe off, and you are as good as clean. Excellent when you have no access to water. Also great for chafing. We go to the beach a lot so i keep a small shaker in my beach bag and a small one in my glove compartment.

Great tip thanks for that.


Anyone do the Catamaran Snorkel thru Disney??? That's what we are thinking in 9/12 - any feedback?

 

[adnil530]

We were on the Magic for the first trip to Tortola also.

We did the Island Tour, Beach & Lunch excursion through Disney on Tortola: Our driver was Courtney and he was very knowledgeable and accommodating, stopping when we asked for photos. I was surprised that there was cactus on the island. The lunch was delicious and Cane Garden Beach was beautiful. One thing that I will note here is that the isles on the bus were made for people who are a size 10 or below because my size 12 had to squeeze a little to get through. ......

On St. Thomas, we did the Kayak, Hike & Snorkel and the Sky Ride. The Kayak experience was awesome. It was a short trip, maybe 1 1/2 miles to a small island in the bay, you do not go out onto the open sea. You start out in a protected Mangrove preserve and sanctuary. It's an eco tour and you learn about the preserve. The hike is a short one on the island. You start out by picking out a hermit crab from the hundreds that live amoung the leaves and you have a crab race. Then a short hike to a blow hole and tidal pool area, back to the beach and you snorkel for awhile. Then all aboard your kayaks to back up through the Mangrove preserve. Oh, and they take pictures, lots of pictures and you can purchase the CD for $40 afterwards. There was some 320 photos (approx) of our excursion and 2 small videos. This was an active excursion that was not too strenuous for us. The bus ride, now that was a white knuckle ride! It would have been nice if there was a talking tour to and from the kayak site.

We did the Sky Ride in the afternoon after we went back to the ship and showered. We had appetizers and drinks at the top. The view was wonderful.

I have some pictures if anyone is interested in seeing them. www.photobucket.com/adnil530

 

[hoosiercruiser]

I too was on the Tortola cruise. This was my family's first time to any of the islands, but my DH and I are pretty confident travelers, so we did everything on our own. We also did this with a 4 yrs little girl.

The Baths: We got off the ship and just as someone said previously, there were very sweet ladies providing information about the island and how to get where you wanted to go. We had an idea of where we were going, but wanted to verify. The ferry to catch to Virgin Gorda was about 4 blocks to the left of the ship once you disembark. Now there lots of taxi drivers, but just keep saying, no thank you. They were all very nice and didn't push. Once you get to the end of the blocks, there's a stop there (with a stoplight to come soon), turn left and to Speedy's. They have ferry's leaving about every hour and half. Speedy's has a website for times (but once there we saw they had additional times). We bought $30 p/p roundtrip to Virgin Gorda and discounted Speedy's taxi for $8 p/p roundtrip to the Baths. Our 4 yr was free for both the ferry and taxi. They have different type of ferries. The one we took there and back were both very nice and looked like local business commuters. It was about 30/45 minute ferry. Met our taxi shuttle and headed to the Baths. Don't attempt to walk it - it's way too far. Once at the top of the Baths, we hiked down the easier path to the Bath Beach, went through the caves and came out onto Devil's Bay Beach. It was beautiful. Just remember, if you do this route, do all your potty stops, food eating and anything else before you start through caves. Because there is nothing on Devil's Bay Beach. We carried everything with us. DH and I each had backpack. We had a great time exploring the caves and spending time on the beach. It was beautiful and happy we did it. The best snorkling was on the left side of Devil's Bay Beach near where the bouys are tied up. Because we did this on our own, we spent a few hours on the beach and then up the Devil's Bay Beach path. Yes, it was a more treacherous patch and longer, but we just took our time and our little had no problem with any part of it. She even commented as how beautiful it was with cactus and lizards. We wore our Keene sandals (hiking, walking, and water shoes). No socks needed, but they also were not wet before we started our hike up. Once up at the top by the restaurant Tops of the Baths, there is a little foot wash just outside the restaurant. Not much to it, but it worked. Oh, and there is an additional little sandwich/ice cream shop at the top in addition the restaurant. We didn't even notice it until we were about to leave. Anyway, our speedy taxi was there on time and we were off back the ferry back to Tortola. We didn't really see Tortola, but maybe next time.

Sorry for the detail, just wanted to share for those of you who wanted to do the Baths on their own. And yes it is possible to do with 4 yr. old. She walked it all except for our walk back from the ferry to the ship. She got to sit on DH shoulders, she was tired. If you have any questions, I'll answer as best as I can. Enjoy your cruise.

 

[2disneydads]

We would welcome hearing from anyone who did the Jost van **** excursion. We have that booked for our cruise but maybe will rethink this. Did anyone either experience this excursion or hear from people who did? Thanks!

 

[KayR]

What time could you go ashore at Tortola and what was 'all aboard' time?

Thanks!

 

[ametaldiva]

Michele,
What kind of clothing do you recommend coming and going to the Baths in?

We just wore swimsuits (I had on a t-shirt over a swim top and swim shorts, DH wore a t-shirt and swim shorts). I think swimsuits are fine as long as you are not wearing something wet that could cause chafing on the hike back uphill (maybe a solid bottom or skirted bottom would be better for ladies). You could bring regular shorts to put back on over your swimsuit (depending on what type you are wearing) for the trek back uphill or back through the Baths and then up.

 

[RLccweems]

Yes, there are 2 paths. The easier one (which the tour takes) goes down to The Baths. The harder one goes to Devil's Bay. What we did was take the easy path to The Baths, went through The Caves, and you end up on Devil's Bay. You then have to take the Devil's Bay path back up OR go back through The Caves, which is an additional 15 minutes, so most people went back up the Devil's Bay path.

So, do you recommend the easier path back up for an older person? We have our in laws with us and I'm thinking this may be our best bet with them? Even if it is a longer walk.....

 

[ametaldiva]

We had a great time exploring the caves and spending time on the beach. It was beautiful and happy we did it.

I totally agree - I would recommend the Baths and Devil's Bay Beach to anyone visiting the area.

We wore our Keene sandals (hiking, walking, and water shoes). No socks needed, but they also were not wet before we started our hike up.

I think the key is to make sure that your feet and shoes are not wet and that you are wearing shoes that you are used to. The sandals I wore I bought a couple of weeks before the trip and wore them without issue - however my feet were not wet and sandy when I wore them before the cruise.

Once up at the top by the restaurant Tops of the Baths, there is a little foot wash just outside the restaurant. Not much to it, but it worked.

The only footwash we saw was a small square in the ground that was full of muddy, dirty water. There WAS NO WAY I was going to put my feet or shoes in that "hole" to wash them off. Maybe you saw something different?

 

[ametaldiva]

A great way to clean sand off your feet, esp. when they are wet, is baby powder. Sprinkle some on, wipe off, and you are as good as clean. Excellent when you have no access to water. Also great for chafing. We go to the beach a lot so i keep a small shaker in my beach bag and a small one in my glove compartment.

Thanks for the tip - I will try the baby powder on our feet the next time we go to the beach. I don't think it would have helped with the chafing I experienced because my shorts were wet/damp. I even applied Body Glide before we left for the excursion and it didn't help.

 

[hoosiercruiser]

I think the key is to make sure that your feet and shoes are not wet and that you are wearing shoes that you are used to. The sandals I wore I bought a couple of weeks before the trip and wore them without issue - however my feet were not wet and sandy when I wore them before the cruise.


The only footwash we saw was a small square in the ground that was full of muddy, dirty water. There WAS NO WAY I was going to put my feet or shoes in that "hole" to wash them off. Maybe you saw something different?

I completely agree with Ametaldiva. I think before you start back up the hill make sure your shoes are dry and don't forget your hiking up & down a hill and through boulders, you're not shopping at a mall. Take shoes that are comfortable and have some traction.

Yup, that was the foot wash. Like I said it wasn't much. I did put my feet in it (my thought was that its better than nothing).

 

[Bracy]

Thanks for the tip - I will try the baby powder on our feet the next time we go to the beach. I don't think it would have helped with the chafing I experienced because my shorts were wet/damp. I even applied Body Glide before we left for the excursion and it didn't help.

Ouch! I feel your pain having been there, done that. Now whenever i go to the beach i wear a dress i can easily slip on and off and bring some dry underwear.

 

[hoosiercruiser]

What time could you go ashore at Tortola and what was 'all aboard' time?

Thanks!

I can't remember, but I know we took the 9:00 ferry The Baths and were back by 4:00. I want to say the ship left at 4:30. Maybe someone else from the trip remembers better.

 

[Bracy]

What time could you go ashore at Tortola and what was 'all aboard' time?

Thanks!

My Navigator says Ashore: approx. 7:45 am and All Aboard: 6:00 pm

 

[hoosiercruiser]

I knew someone else would know more than me. Thanks Bracy. I just remember not rushing that day.

 

[KayR]

My Navigator says Ashore: approx. 7:45 am and All Aboard: 6:00 pm

Cool, thanks

Sounds like plenty of time to explore the island!

-K

 

[mommybunnyof2]

How warm was the water at St. John and Castaway Cay? We plan on snorkelling and hope the water is nice and warm. We live in FL and are used to bath water temp water. Our local beaches are starting to get comfortable and hope the water further south is even warmer. Thanks for the info.