Tortola Excursion Reviews

[beachbratt]

for Brewers Bay the taxi is $28 one way for up to 4 people so if you only have 2 it is still $28

for Cane Garden Bay Beach for a smaller taxi up to 4 people $28 one way but for the shuttle taxi it is $6 per person one way they will wait to fill up the shuttle before going and then ask what time you want to go back. He was there on time and did not wait to fill up to go back. There were also alot of shuttles there at the beach to take you back to the port so if you decide to stay longer after getting there it shouldn't be no problem. Beach chairs to rent were $5 each and an umbrella was $3. You could get a whole coconut and have rum added for $5, also saw a paddle boat to rent.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Any dolphin discovery experiences?

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Any dolphin discovery experiences?

We did it on our own. We loved it, I'd recommend it to anyone. Tell me if you have any specific questions.

 

[TDC Nala]

Did anyone do the forest/beach tour?

Yes. This is a serious walking tour once you get to Sage Mountain Park. WEAR SOME GOOD HIKING SHOES. We had people in little flip flops. My friends and I believe this should be categorized as an "active" tour rather than "moderate" at least for the hiking part. Also be careful that if it has been raining, the trail will be covered with wet leaves and that is especially difficult to navigate on the walk down. We saw nothing but fog from the mountain top but got great photos on the drive up.

Really did enjoy it, tour guides did a good job, only one snafu about a misunderstanding regarding whether our beach chairs were already paid for. You can get some really good exercise hiking on this tour.

 

[DisneyDudet]

Yes. This is a serious walking tour once you get to Sage Mountain Park. WEAR SOME GOOD HIKING SHOES. We had people in little flip flops. My friends and I believe this should be categorized as an "active" tour rather than "moderate" at least for the hiking part. Also be careful that if it has been raining, the trail will be covered with wet leaves and that is especially difficult to navigate on the walk down. We saw nothing but fog from the mountain top but got great photos on the drive up.

Really did enjoy it, tour guides did a good job, only one snafu about a misunderstanding regarding whether our beach chairs were already paid for. You can get some really good exercise hiking on this tour.

I have some hiking/rafting shoes I bought for this excursion in the hopes that I would not have to wear tennis shoes. Do you think that's a good idea?

Is there a place to change once at the beach? I will not be comfortable in a bathing suit for that long w/o being in the water. I have sweat issues, and bathing suits with clothes over them DO NOT breathe!!

I will be interested in hearing about what to wear so I can plan accordingly. I am hoping to wear those new shoes (they are closed over the big toe.. they are so ugly but so cute!), but if I'm going to need tennis shoes, then so be it.

TIA!!!

 

[nicki.momof3]

We did it on our own. We loved it, I'd recommend it to anyone. Tell me if you have any specific questions.

We also booked it on our own. Ours is at 11am. What time did you have to leave the ship? How long was the entire experience? Cab far to the location (are cabs hard to find?)

Thanks

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We also booked it on our own. Ours is at 11am. What time did you have to leave the ship? How long was the entire experience? Cab far to the location (are cabs hard to find?)

Thanks

The instructions said to be there 30 minutes before. Ours was at 1:00, so to be safe. We left at a few minutes after noon. That was more then enough time. It really only took about 5 minutes to get there and the cabs were waiting right off the ship.

The Disney group was running late so we waited around for quite a while. We watched the dolphins play and the groups before us while we waited.

Around 1:15 we got our life jackets and water shoes. The Disney group arrived a few minutes later so we got started.

First we watched a 10 minute video and they gave us some instructions. Afterwards we waited while the very large Disney group got their life jackets and water shoes.

There were 8 of us and they let us be our own group which was great.

When we finally got in the water we had 30 minutes in there. It was probably 1:45 by the time we got in the water.

We had our own dolphin and trainer. There were so few of us, he let us do things twice. It was great.

When we got out of the water we rinsed off in the outdoor showers and then put on our cover ups. We then walked to the video rooms where our videos were already waiting for us.

They were great. Set to music and edited. Ours only had our group of 8 in it, so it was neat to know everyone in our video.

We bought it. We didn't buy any pictures, just the video.

Also, they said when we booked that there were no cameras allowed in the water, but when we got there they said my waterproof camera was fine to take in.

 

[TDC Nala]

I have some hiking/rafting shoes I bought for this excursion in the hopes that I would not have to wear tennis shoes. Do you think that's a good idea?

Is there a place to change once at the beach? I will not be comfortable in a bathing suit for that long w/o being in the water. I have sweat issues, and bathing suits with clothes over them DO NOT breathe!!

I will be interested in hearing about what to wear so I can plan accordingly. I am hoping to wear those new shoes (they are closed over the big toe.. they are so ugly but so cute!), but if I'm going to need tennis shoes, then so be it.

TIA!!!

Do the shoes have traction? You will be walking over rocks and tree roots. Also relatively steep uphill and downhill. It is not a smooth trail. If the soles have some traction they will probably be OK.

I wore swim shorts so I do not know anything about changing for the beach. Everything I saw preceding this excursion (including the shore excursion channel on the stateroom TV) said to wear the swimsuit if you want to go into the water. This may mean they do not have a place to change. I didn't see one but I was not looking.

 

[DisneyDudet]

Do the shoes have traction? You will be walking over rocks and tree roots. Also relatively steep uphill and downhill. It is not a smooth trail. If the soles have some traction they will probably be OK.

I wore swim shorts so I do not know anything about changing for the beach. Everything I saw preceding this excursion (including the shore excursion channel on the stateroom TV) said to wear the swimsuit if you want to go into the water. This may mean they do not have a place to change. I didn't see one but I was not looking.

THey do have traction, even the toe area has it. I hope that will work. I'm nervous now, so maybe i'll forgo the cool hiking sandals and just do tennis shoes.

I guess I will also wear a bathing suit underneath. Ugh.. I hate being hot and sticky!!! But I will be hot and sticky on a beautiful Caribbean island!!

 

[lbgraves]

The information in the first post has been updated to this point. These threads were merged as the one was being linked in the first post of the excursion review thread.

 

[linco711]

Just back from our first DCL cruise and DCL's first cruise to Tortola. Our family of four was unanimous that Tortola was our favorite stop. We are beach people so we went to Brewers Bay to snorkel & play in the surf. It was gorgeous and had nice snorkeling. At the most there were 8 families on the beach. There were lounge chairs to rent for $5 and plenty of shade under the palm trees.

We had a great driver with a nice new van that even had seatbelts. When i find his card i will post his name. It was $7 p/p each way. We told him when we wanted to be picked back up and he actually showed up an hour ahead of time and told us to take our time. We finished up and then had a drink with the locals at the little outdoor bar/restaurant. All of the locals were very friendly. No one ever harrassed us to buy anything. On the drive back he stopped to let us take pictures - beautiful views. The drive over the island of course is harrowing. Some people we met didn't like Tortola because of the drive but i didn't think it was any worse than St. Thomas or St. John.

To go shopping you can either pay $4 for a cab or walk it. We walked it with our 2 kids, no problem, but there is a lot of traffic and you have to cross a street, but drivers do stop for you. Don't miss the spice shop, Sunny Caribbee.

I'll answer any questions anyone has.

Tracy

We had a completely different take on Tortola...Liked it least of all!! There was nothing there....no shopping..no nice restaurants...and IMO not a pretty Island at all...Oh well..to each his own!!

 

[tm2924]

I will put another vote in for Tortola. We have been there 3 times now, twice on our own and once on the Magic. We have always found the people friendly (our taxi driver took us for free to restaurant for lunch after our excursion to the Baths), great restaurants (Pusser’s Painkillers live up to the name), and great beaches. We are not shoppers, so the amount of shopping is great for us. We were attracted to the BVI for the lack of development. We can’t wait to go back.

 

[nicki.momof3]

We did it on our own. We loved it, I'd recommend it to anyone. Tell me if you have any specific questions.

We also booked it on our own. If possible could you answer a few quesitons.

1. What did you wear there - swimsuits and cover ups?

2. What do you do with your shoes and $ and stuff when you are in the water. Our whole family is doing it so there is no one to hold our stuff.

3. Can you bring a waterproof disposibel camara in the water with you?

4. How long did the activity take. We have a 11am reservation?

Thanks - we are so excited for this activity.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We also booked it on our own. If possible could you answer a few quesitons.

1. What did you wear there - swimsuits and cover ups?

2. What do you do with your shoes and $ and stuff when you are in the water. Our whole family is doing it so there is no one to hold our stuff.

3. Can you bring a waterproof disposibel camara in the water with you?

4. How long did the activity take. We have a 11am reservation?

Thanks - we are so excited for this activity.

1. Yes, swimsuits and cover ups.
2. They have cubbies to put your things in. They're in full view of the water, so I wasn't worried about our stuff.
3. Yes you can! They said no, on the phone, but once there I noticed several people with them, and asked if I could bring mine in. It was no problem. They even sell disposable waterproof cameras there.
4. You are only in the water for 30 minutes, but before hand you get your water shoes, life jackets, and watch a short video with instructions. After your swim, you shower, dry off, and then go watch the video they made of you. We had a 1 o'clock time. We left the ship at 12:15 and ended up waiting there quite a while because the Disney group was late. I don't think they arrived until 1:30 or so. We were back onboard by 3:15 I believe.

 

[Smileneyes]

For anyone who is considering the "Snorkel at Norman Island" excursion in Tortola:

I recommend this excursion highly, but especially if you've had little/no experience snorkeling.

Our guide on the excursion was entertaining and informative about Tortola and the surrounding islands. About 35 minutes after departure we were at our first stop. This was an area known as "the Caves". They recommend (for obvious reasons) that you do not touch any of the sea life (coral, sea urchins, etc.). With that said, the amount of sea life is quite plentiful. We were able to navigate into the caves and snorkel around in them...not as much sea life there, as the water was colder without direct sunlight, but a treat nonetheless. I think we were at that spot for about 45 minutes, and then we took a 5 minute ride to another spot. It was different because we felt like we were snorkeling in a maze...up this passage, avoiding the huge boulders underwater, then down this passage, feeling like we were just inches above the sea urchins.

We've been snorkeling on four Disney cruises at different spots, and this was our favorite.

 

[anetnmike]

Lisa, thanks for putting these all in one place! I am really trying to decide if Tortola is a destination I want to go to and this was an enormous help.

 

[SteamboatWillie1021]

Just back from our first DCL cruise and DCL's first cruise to Tortola. Our family of four was unanimous that Tortola was our favorite stop. We are beach people so we went to Brewers Bay to snorkel & play in the surf. It was gorgeous and had nice snorkeling. At the most there were 8 families on the beach. There were lounge chairs to rent for $5 and plenty of shade under the palm trees.

We had a great driver with a nice new van that even had seatbelts. When i find his card i will post his name. It was $7 p/p each way. We told him when we wanted to be picked back up and he actually showed up an hour ahead of time and told us to take our time. We finished up and then had a drink with the locals at the little outdoor bar/restaurant. All of the locals were very friendly. No one ever harrassed us to buy anything. On the drive back he stopped to let us take pictures - beautiful views. The drive over the island of course is harrowing. Some people we met didn't like Tortola because of the drive but i didn't think it was any worse than St. Thomas or St. John.

To go shopping you can either pay $4 for a cab or walk it. We walked it with our 2 kids, no problem, but there is a lot of traffic and you have to cross a street, but drivers do stop for you. Don't miss the spice shop, Sunny Caribbee.

I'll answer any questions anyone has.

Tracy

We must have been one of the other families with you at Brewer's Bay!! You're right, there was hardly anyone there. The family that ran that bar/restaurant were so nice and not pushy at all. The snorkeling was awesome there! It was such a quiet and peaceful beach. We also took a taxi that was $7 per person but ours didn't have seatbelts...I don't think. The ride over the island and back was horrific for me. I absolutely was scared the entire time and found it to be much worse of a ride than on St. Thomas. The roads we took were soooo narrow and sooo close to the edge and so steep it seemed like the van almost didn't make it up a few times. I even asked the lady at the Brewer's Bay restaurant if any ever fall off the side and she said YES!!! Ugh. We rode around all day on St. Thomas and I found it to be much better, more like the roads here in the U.S....just my opinion. I have to admit I am a BIG worrier though. I stress about everything! The shopping I thought was terrible. The only good store we found was the one you mentioned but that was very pricey and the pottery that I liked wasn't even made there...was manufactured somewhere else and shipped in! We didn't buy anything. There were a bunch of tents set up just outside the port and every tent had the same junk in it....some of the stuff just had Tortola written on it in black sharpie! Beautiful Island, loved the snorkeling but not the shopping.

 

[razorbackfan]

Just got off the June 20 trip. We did Virgin Gorda on our own. Very easy. We followed the directions of an earlier post and had plenty of time. We were there about an hour and a half longer than the Disney excursion people. It was beautiful.

 

[DVC Mary]

We chose to do the Dolphin Swim on Tortola. The kids enjoyed it & we did, but overall it was very overpriced & it worried me that these dolphins might not be well cared for. They seemed to be used like workhorses. They get very little break time in between sessions. There was also some nasty algae (according the to the trainer that we were supposed to avoid contact w/). This is very hard for the kids especially who get a little scared & back up into the dock/fencing. It got so bad during our swim w/ the dolphins session that the trainer finally had to have people float out in the water waiting for their turns (not easy to do when you are supposed to stay in a straight line). We went to the earliest DCL session & we were in group C. Other people we met on board booked this on their own--very easy to do, since the place is located to close to the dock 5-10 min cab ride at most. It was a much better price for them, but they wound up w/ worse rashes.

The kids primarily got patches of rash from touching up against this algae (if that's what it was). They gave us ammonia soaked gauze to put on it, but one child in our group became so hysterical she wouldn't get back in the water b/c of the itching. The people in the later sessions complained of having even more rashes.

I wound up holding a container full of ammonia soaked gauze to pass out b/c many people weren't told that it was even available, but you could see the kids itching when they got out.

They need more bathrooms. We had to wait at least 10-15 minutes in line to use the toliet. The pictures did not come out in a logical order. We were in Group C, yet we had to wait so long to get our photos that when we went back inside to grab a souvenier, the taxis had left to go back to the boat. We found one of the taxis, but after driving halfway back to the ship he suddenly turned around to go back & get more people who got left behind as well.

I hope DCL helps them to improve their service & checks out the algae situation. We wrote up a review for them.

Overall Tortola was a quiet port. We were the only boat on the island.

People who went to the Baths really loved it . I wish we had gone there instead. There were also a lot of other excursions that people seemed to really enjoy. We had planned to go the Baths after the dolphin swim on our own, but our youngest DS had a large rash area (despite wearing a rash guard shirt), we opted to go back for lunch & once we were sure his rash was ok, we went to Columbian Emeralds to shop.


Great deals on tanzanite! While they supposedly don't negotiate, when we mentioned that we were going buy just the ring b/c none of the jewelry we liked was part of the 50% sale, the price of earrings I kept looking at suddenly dropped in half.

We weren't even trying to negotiate. We just figured there was more jewelry to find in St. Thomas. They are quite aware of this & seem to want to make the sale. They realize we are going to St. Thomas the next day & they seem to want our business.


If anyone is interested in looking at some of their collection before you go, check out www.ColombianEmeralds.com There are 2 parts to the shop, make sure to check out both. One has more sales than the other.

Don't let our experience w/ the Dolphin swim, affect your possible excursions. Tortola feels like an undiscovered gem that has many more facets to explore.

 

[nicki.momof3]

We chose to do the Dolphin Swim on Tortola. The kids enjoyed it & we did, but overall it was very overpriced & it worried me that these dolphins might not be well cared for. They seemed to be used like workhorses. They get very little break time in between sessions. There was also some nasty algae (according the to the trainer that we were supposed to avoid contact w/). This is very hard for the kids especially who get a little scared & back up into the dock/fencing. It got so bad during our swim w/ the dolphins session that the trainer finally had to have people float out in the water waiting for their turns (not easy to do when you are supposed to stay in a straight line). We went to the earliest DCL session & we were in group C. Other people we met on board booked this on their own--very easy to do, since the place is located to close to the dock 5-10 min cab ride at most. It was a much better price for them, but they wound up w/ worse rashes.

The kids primarily got patches of rash from touching up against this algae (if that's what it was). They gave us ammonia soaked gauze to put on it, but one child in our group became so hysterical she wouldn't get back in the water b/c of the itching. The people in the later sessions complained of having even more rashes.

I wound up holding a container full of ammonia soaked gauze to pass out b/c many people weren't told that it was even available, but you could see the kids itching when they got out.

They need more bathrooms. We had to wait at least 10-15 minutes in line to use the toliet. The pictures did not come out in a logical order. We were in Group C, yet we had to wait so long to get our photos that when we went back inside to grab a souvenier, the taxis had left to go back to the boat. We found one of the taxis, but after driving halfway back to the ship he suddenly turned around to go back & get more people who got left behind as well.

I hope DCL helps them to improve their service & checks out the algae situation. We wrote up a review for them.

Overall Tortola was a quiet port. We were the only boat on the island.

People who went to the Baths really loved it . I wish we had gone there instead. There were also a lot of other excursions that people seemed to really enjoy. We had planned to go the Baths after the dolphin swim on our own, but our youngest DS had a large rash area (despite wearing a rash guard shirt), we opted to go back for lunch & once we were sure his rash was ok, we went to Columbian Emeralds to shop.


Great deals on tanzanite! While they supposedly don't negotiate, when we mentioned that we were going buy just the ring b/c none of the jewelry we liked was part of the 50% sale, the price of earrings I kept looking at suddenly dropped in half.

We weren't even trying to negotiate. We just figured there was more jewelry to find in St. Thomas. They are quite aware of this & seem to want to make the sale. They realize we are going to St. Thomas the next day & they seem to want our business.


If anyone is interested in looking at some of their collection before you go, check out www.ColombianEmeralds.com There are 2 parts to the shop, make sure to check out both. One has more sales than the other.

Don't let our experience w/ the Dolphin swim, affect your possible excursions. Tortola feels like an undiscovered gem that has many more facets to explore.

OMG - A rash - How bad was it. I am very scard now. Did the rash last long? Please tell me more. Any suggestions about how to avoid it. Should we wear longer stretchie type pants instead of normal swim suits? My kids are 4,5,7 and they will freak out if they get a rash. Or would those long sleeved swim shorts work. Any advise you can give me would help.

We booked it on our own so it was much cheaper. I got a really good deal - the two younger kids were free.