Tortola/St. Thomas/St. John excersions

[jewels2007]

We are cruising in February. I'd like to do the Baths in Tortola but possibly through a company other than Disney to save as there are 9 of us. I feel it would be difficult on our own do to getting 2 taxis, etc. What charter companies have people gone through and had a good experience?

Also, wondering if we should do something in St. Thomas or ferry to St. John? Haven't been to either but I've heard people preferred St. John. And what to do and again what company?

Thanks so much!

 

[Ready4NextCruise]

You could easily do the Baths at Virgin Gorda on your own. There's a ferry, which is a 10 minute walk from the pier where you get off the ship, that will take you to Virgin Gorda. I believe the price was $38 per adult and $28 per child, and the price included the cost of the taxi to and from the Baths. I'm unsure of the cost for the Disney excursion, but we went this route because it was cheaper. I would recommend getting off the ship as soon as you are allowed and catch the 7:45am ferry to Virgin Gorda. This will get you there before it gets crowded with people taking the excursion. The next ferry to Virgin Gorda is at 9am if you did not want to go that early. There is a 12:40pm ferry back to Tortola from Virgin Gorda, which I would recommend, since the next ferry back is after 3pm.

Regarding St. Thomas vs. St. John, I highly recommend taking a ferry to St. John and going to Trunk Bay if you love the beach or snorkeling. While there is an excursion specifically for snorkeling at Trunk Bay, you can also do an excursion called "On your own" which will ferry you to St. John and then you can do what you want. If you go to St. John, I recommend going through Disney because the ferry to take you there will be very close to where you get off the ship, and I believe it's around the same price as finding your own way over there.

With that said, I enjoy St. Thomas as well, although have never done an excursion there.

 

[caribbeandreaming]

We just got off the Fantasy yesterday. We did the Baths on our own, and it's very easy to do. You get off the ship, and take about a 10 minute walk to another dock and catch the Speedy's ferry. You can pay onboard for the taxi ride to and from the Baths, and they give you a wristband. The fare for the roundtrip ferry and roundtrip taxi to the Baths was $38 for adults and $28 for kids. I don't know if they take credit cards. Everyone we saw paid in cash. There is a small admission fee to the Baths - I think it was $3 for adults and maybe $2 for kids?

Speedy's leaves the dock at 7:45. You can make it if you get off the ship as soon as you can disembark (we never heard an announcement that we could begin disembarking, so don't wait for that or you won't make the first ferry). Speedy's makes a few trips a day, but we wanted to get there early before it got too busy.

We have been to both St. Thomas and St. John and prefer St. John - however, it really depends on what your group is interested in doing. Last week, we did the "St. John On Your Own" excursion through Disney. The boat ride to and from on the Island Princess was great because a crew member talked the entire time about the history of the island, pointed out interesting landmarks and celebrity homes, and shared fun facts. I doubt you would get that on the public ferry.

In St. John, you have to take a taxi to get to Trunk Bay but there is a neat shopping area right by where the boat docks in Cruz Bay. We snorkeled for an hour in Trunk Bay which was really cool - there is a coral reef there with lots of colorful fish.

All of those islands have large open air taxis so it won't be a problem for all 9 in your party to ride together.

 

[caribbeandreaming]

That is too funny - my husband (ready4nextcruise) and I were both responding to you at the same time. That would be why our posts are so similar

 

[LizGirl]

We recently went the Speedy's route and it worked well. I also recommend it. The taxis are more like buses so you likely won't have to split your party up.

I really wanted to go to St. John but we decided to skip it and took a taxi (also a van/bus) out to Maegans Bay on St. Thomas. I didn't want to deal with two days, back to back, of ferrying and worrying about schedule.

 

[melle10]

I appreciate this thread and I'm following. we are taking the same cruise, but in january

 

[ChicosWife]

What's the big deal with the Baths?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

What's the big deal with the Baths?

Google for some pics. They're amazing.

 

[Pollito916]

What's the big deal with the Baths?

It's a really unique landscape with giant boulders and beautiful beaches. The hike through the caves is really adventurous and fun and a little challenging!

 

[Pollito916]

We recently went the Speedy's route and it worked well. I also recommend it. The taxis are more like buses so you likely won't have to split your party up.

I really wanted to go to St. John but we decided to skip it and took a taxi (also a van/bus) out to Maegans Bay on St. Thomas. I didn't want to deal with two days, back to back, of ferrying and worrying about schedule.

We did the same exact plan on our trip in October - Speedy's to the Baths, then taxi to Magan's Bay. We also did the sky tram on St. Thomas, which was nice, but I don't need to do it again.

 

[PinMan]

We did the same exact plan on our trip in October - Speedy's to the Baths, then taxi to Magan's Bay. We also did the sky tram on St. Thomas, which was nice, but I don't need to do it again.

Is that with a restaurant/bar at the top of the mountain ? Are there any breweries on either island

 

[Ready4NextCruise]

Is that with a restaurant/bar at the top of the mountain ? Are there any breweries on either island

I believe there is a taproom near the pier and in St. John for St. John Brewers. I didn't go in there specifically, but it also had a shop where you could purchase a few kinds of beer in individual bottles or a 6-pack.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

We did Tree Limin Extreme Zipline a few years ago in St. Thomas. I really enjoyed the amazing views! The zip lining was fun too.

http://www.ziplinestthomas.com/

 

[TXAg83]

On the St John tours ST02 Island Tour or ST03 Eco-Hike do you have a chance to visit the National Park Visitor Center to get the NP Passport stamped?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

On the St John tours ST02 Island Tour or ST03 Eco-Hike do you have a chance to visit the National Park Visitor Center to get the NP Passport stamped?

For eco-hike I don't see why you couldn't. They get you back to there with time to spare to walk back to the ferry.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

On the St John tours ST02 Island Tour or ST03 Eco-Hike do you have a chance to visit the National Park Visitor Center to get the NP Passport stamped?

When we did the Eco-Hike there was plenty of time before and after.

 

[RN2003AZ]

We did Tree Limin Extreme Zipline a few years ago in St. Thomas. I really enjoyed the amazing views! The zip lining was fun too.

http://www.ziplinestthomas.com/

My DH and I did this in 2014 through NCL and had a blast. Beautiful scenery overlooking Magans Bay. We’re cruising on the Fantasy in June with our boys and plan to do it again. They just reopened in November after fixing things from the hurricane.

 

[PinMan]

Is there a name for the restaurant on the top of the mountain ?

 

[TXAg83]

We're signed up for TT23 (Tour To Virgin Gorda) Our second choice is TT69 (Tortola Jeep and Beach) Hearing that The Baths are so crowded on the excursions we're wondering if we should change excursions. I know The Baths are a "must see" but we don't want to be in a conga line just to see them. We've never done a jeep tour before so that would be new to us also. First time for us to USVI and BVI so it will all be new to us. Any thoughts?

 

[KashasMom]

We did the Baths with Disney - we weren't in port long and I didn't want the hassle with the ferry. Highly recommend Trunk Bay Beach on St. John - great snorkeling!