Tortola...Is it worth getting off the ship??

[redheadtove]

Ok... Going to Tortola on the 8 night Eastern Caribbean Cruise in just over 90 days . This is the only port stop that I have no clue as to what to do for an excursions. I'm travelling with my 2 DD's who are 12 and 7 yrs old. We are not snorkelers...( I wish they had a scuba excursions though). I was thinking about the Island Tour with a beach break for 1 hour. I figured it would leave us the rest of the day to shop if there was any good shopping at Tortola. CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME INFORMATION... My reservation opens up October 1st and I want to have everything booked then.

Thanks in advance any infomation my fellow DISers can give me!!!

 

[mmouse37]

I can't imagine visiting a new place in my life and not at least getting off the ship to walk around a bit.

I would say it is worth it...at least for a little while.

MJ

 

[kcashner]

The Virgin Gorda excursion was probably the best we've ever done thru DCL! It is amazing.

 

[wdwprincess03]

The Virgin Gorda excursion was probably the best we've ever done thru DCL! It is amazing.

Have to agree with Virgin Gorda. We did it on our own, but that was the best place I've ever been. It was BEAUTIFUL! We ended up with a 12 and 7 year old with us and they did fine and had a blast!

 

[SweetSpot]

Tortola is one island not to be missed. We didn't do a DCL excursion we were on our own. We spent the day at The Baths and I think it is one place our entire family will not forget. Our kids loved climbing & crawling through the rocks,exploring and swimming off the beautiful beaches. We made great memories there.

 

[ilovepumba]

We did The Baths on Virgin Gorda on our own on our Disney cruise in 2009. It was spectacular! You take a boat ride over there that includes the bus to the Baths. We used Speedy's for the boat ride. Climbing through the caves and rock formations in that beautiful water was an experience we will never forget. We would do it again in a heartbeat! There is also a couple of cute shops on Tortola. Sunny Carribees has great spices for cooking and nice bath soaps.

 

[roxy84]

The Virgin Gorda excursion was probably the best we've ever done thru DCL! It is amazing.

Agreed! This place is beautiful and I would say the best tour I've done in the Caribbean. Beautiful beaches & caves! I would do it again if I went back!

 

[redheadtove]

I have seen the excursion for Virgin Gorda.. I also read somewhere on the DIS boards from numerous people that the climb up from the Bath is steep. Now, as much as I would like to do this, I'm not keen on climbing a steep rocky hill. Last time I did that I came out with a broken wrist...is this true?? What about the island tour...as anyone done it.. I see it goes to Skyworld..Does anyone know about that?

 

[kcashner]

I have seen the excursion for Virgin Gorda.. I also read somewhere on the DIS boards from numerous people that the climb up from the Bath is steep. Now, as much as I would like to do this, I'm not keen on climbing a steep rocky hill. Last time I did that I came out with a broken wrist...is this true?? What about the island tour...as anyone done it.. I see it goes to Skyworld..Does anyone know about that?

There are two different paths...the best way I can explain is that one goes to the left, the other to the right. The one to the right takes you to the main beach with all the amenities. The one to the left goes to a more secluded beach. The baths are between these two beaches and they do connect.

The path to the left (which I took) was not at all steep. There are a few places where climbing thru the baths might be a little more than you choose to handle, but they have placed structures to help. Also, if you reach a place that is more than you choose to tackle, don't worry about it--just turn around and go back the way you came. There was NOTHING on the path that was at all steep or difficult. I'm an overweight, 55+ year old with a bad knee and I could handle it without difficulty. I did not go all the way thru the trail in the baths. I saw a lot and was very happy with what I did, but when I hit a ladder that I didn't want to climb, I went back and enjoyed the other areas that were easier...and then to the secluded beach to swim with maybe a dozen others.

 

[TXDCLfan]

The Virgin Gorda excursion was probably the best we've ever done thru DCL! It is amazing.

 

[RedSox68]

Haven't been yet, but I second the notion of never going to a new port without seeing it. Even Acapulco and Nassau, we still got off again to explore other things. Never know if or when you'll ever get back there

 

[Hanover]

We went to Tortola on DCL in Dec 2009 after we were changed last minute from St. Croix due to projected overcrowding from too many cruise ships in port at the same time.

We LOVED Tortola. We did 2 different excursions. We did a morning excursion where we went by bus through the city to a rainforest for a hike. It was steep and a little slippery at times, but we had a great time. There were people of all ages and physical shape on the trip and everyone managed just fine. The only thing we didn't like was the bottle water they handed out tasted like sulfur. We then went to a beach and enjoyed the water and relaxing on the lounge chairs. We ate lunch on the ship and then went to our afternoon dolphin excursion. We've been on other dolphin excursions in Anguilla, Cozumel, and the Bahamas and liked the one in Tortola the best. We would all really love to go back to Tortola again one day.

 

[Gigi22]

Tortola is definitely worth visiting! Lovely island, not quite as developed as many others. If you don't scuba dive or want to visit the baths, take a bus tour around part of the island--and take your camera.

 

[Tuliplvr]

Absolutely get off.. I loved tortola!

 

[mufasa0505]

You're kidding, right? Tortola is absolutely gorgeous! Check out a beach! Get on a catamaran! Snorkel! Take an island cruise.

Seriously, Tortola is even more beautiful than St. Thomas. Get off the boat!

 

[carmie3377]

Another vote for The Baths at Virgin Gorda! We did this on our own because DS was too young to book with Disney. We also saved quite a big chunk of change doing it on our own.

Our other stop on the cruise was St. Thomas. The Baths were by far our favorite

 

[wdwprincess03]

We used Eggbert, who has a boat to take you over to the Baths. He left us off at the beach. No walking down from the top. It was also a very nice boat ride, we enjoyed it. Gave us a contact number of 284-443-5288. Can't tell you if that's still valid since it's been almost 2 years.

 

[Bethshaya]

We're doing the Dolphin Swim in Tortola! This is the only excursion we are taking on our 7 day Eastern and we are so excited!

 

[WiscBill]

I took the island tour with beach break back in 2009 with my daughter. I would not do it again. There is not a lot to see in Tortola (the bus driver kept pointing out local schools). However, the beach break at Cane Garden was magnificent. If I were to go again, I would take a cab over to Cane Garden, and rent chairs and beach umbrellas there. There are a lot of restaurants in all price ranges. This was the first place my daughter tried snorkeling and loved it. You are correct in that you do get back to the ship in time to walk around the port. It was interesting, with some good shops and restaurants, and a small craft village about a 15 minute walk away (that's not the vendors by the dock). My daughter and I went together since my wife was out scuba diving. I guess DCL doesn't offer that anymore, but you could always try it on your own. She had a great time.

 

[triptaker]

Tortola is my all time favorite port. I would go back in a heartbeat if I could afford it. I'd love to just go spend a few weeks there. Research Quito Rymer -- he is a local artist there -- fabulous folk singer -- I ended up buying every CD he had out on the island but my favorite by far is Caribbean Run.