Spencer71

We were on NCL Viva last week. We took an ebike tour from FatTire ebike. After the crazy cab ride they had set up for us at the meeting place, we biked through St Johns most of the time. We had a guy in the front and the back. We had earbuds, but could hardly hear, it wasn't the best. The guy in the back wasn't always there, he was coming and going. It was interesting tour though, and felt like we saw what Antigua is really like. The tour took almost four hrs. We then caught a cab to Deep Bay, a spot we saw on the tour. Didn't see many fish in the water, but it was pretty and glad we went. Caught a cab back to the ship. What a fun day!

We were on NCL Viva last week. We booked the land and sea adventure tour with Spencer Ambrose tours. Spencer himself met us, but he was feeling sick, so had many others running things. There were quite a few people there, so it took a while to load the boats. He had three boats full with about 15 people per boat. After ~10 min, our boat slowed due to a motor dying, then another 10 min and the motor died. Fortunately, a catamaran passing by us stopped, and we all transferred over. The tour guides were energetic and kept us happy. There was a lot of people at the mudbaths, it was hard to get around, and confusion about where to leave our stuff, when to leave, etc, so that slowed us down, but after applying the mud and sitting in the water, we drove to the waterfall, which was crowded, but not as bad as the mudbaths. Quite refreshing and cool to stand under the waterfall. Bought coconut bread for $1 from a woman nearby, which was amazing. Took a different boat to the beach near the Pitons. They gave us Creole lunch, which was so-so. I didn't eat a lot of it as I wasn't sure how long it had been sitting out. Snorkeling on that beach was amazing. Saw an octopus. Took a different boat back to the ship. What a fun day!

We were on NCL Viva last week. In St Thomas, we booked a 6-hr tour through Viator with Godfrey's. He showed up ~5 min late, first thing in the morning, but that was the only issue of the day. Did about 2 hours shopping, 2 hours tour, then 2 hours at Coki beach (he gave us the choice between Megans, Sapphire, and Coki). He had cold beverages throughout the day. Godfrey was a total professional, very straightforward tour, and only cost $40/pp. What a fun day!

We were on NCL Viva last week. In St Maarten, we got off the ship first thing and caught a cab to the French side near Pinel Island. We rented kayaks from Caribbean Paddling. We kayaked to Pinel Island, which took about 30 min. It was quite gentle in the waters and very beautiful, we enjoyed the many turtles that kept popping their heads out of the water. Once we parked our kayaks on Pinel Island, we hiked to the other side of the island. Very dry, hot, narrow path. We snorkeled on the other side, but it wasn't the greatest for sealife, but the water was great. Saw a couple without clothing, which was a bit of a surprise to us, but we should have expected it. Hiked back to our kayaks and snorkeled around the area. It was okay, but nothing too great. Kayaked back over, the whole thing took about 4 hours. Our cab driver from the morning met us there and took us to Davi resort. Snorkeling was amazing there, we saw a helicopter, sub, canon, statues, and some good fish. Was there for ~2 hrs. Caught a 5-min cab ride back to the ship. What a fun day!

We were on NCL Viva last week. In Tortola, our ship let us out at 8am. We got off right then, and walked 10-15 min to Sensations Ferry to book the 8:30 ferry to Virgin Gorda. It left just a few minutes after 8:30. We then took a taxi ($5/pp), which was a small bus full of others over to Baths/Devils Bay. Paid $3/pp to get in and hiked down. Signage at the bottom was a bit confusing as there were several signs and seemed to conflict, but not a big deal. We eventually walked through the boulders along with a bunch of people there already on tours (a small cruise ship arrived a bit earlier than us). We eventually made it to Devils Bay and we sat on the beach for a while. It was a red flag day, so no swimming anywhere on the island. That was a big disappointment as we wanted to snorkel. Lots of people on the beach. Our plans were to go to Savannah Bay after, but we didn't do it because of the red flag designation. Instead, we took a taxi back to the ferries about 1 pm and there was confusion amongst the ferries - we eventually got on one that took us back, and we just went back to the ship when we got back. Didn't follow our plans exactly, but still a great day!

We were on NCL Viva last week. In Barbados, we took a 4-hr custom tour with CHAT Barbados. First thing our driver Fernando did was take us to a beach near St James church in Holetown to snorkel. We had some in our group itching to do this, since it hadn't worked out the previous two days. Beach had bigger waves, but it was good. Then we went to Cherry Hill for the view, then to Huntes Garden, which was good, then Fernando dropped us off at Carlisle Bay. He did a good job of the tour. He was soft-spoken, but very friendly, laid back, and knowledgable.That was amazing, we saw turtles, stingrays, and shipwrecks. We walked back to the ship, which took about 20 minutes, just arriving within a minute of the all-aboard time. What a fun day!

Should we do the Baths or Devil's Bay first? If Devil's Bay, we don't have to walk back to the top, right? But if we do the Baths first, I'm guessing this is where most of the crowds come, so we would avoid that. How long do you can spend exploring the caves? I'm wondering if we should try and make time to take a taxi to Savannah Bay after the Baths/Devils Bay.

Thanks, Ms411! I was able to connect with Hezekiah and he agreed to do a tour for us. Looking forward to it.

Hezekiah is on Twitter, but can't message him, so let me know if you could find a number. Godfrey takes tours through Viator, and I would rather avoid that, but that will be my backup plan.

Thanks for the great review! I've never sailed NCL before and I had heard that there really isn't an elegant dress-up night and things are quite casual. Is there an actual designated night or two to dress up? If so, what percent of passengers would you say dress up? Also, we only plan on eating in the main dining room. On non-formal nights, do some people wear shorts? Or mostly slacks? And I had heard NCL doesn't have reserved times, but then my travel agent said we're booked at 5:30 each night at Hudsons or Commodore. Did I hear wrong or are dinner reservations a new thing with NCL?

I called Ivan and he's not available that day. If anyone else has thoughts, let me know. Thanks in advance!

Our group of four adults wanted to take Godfrey's Siteseeing and Beach Tour (~5hrs, $40/pp) on Apr6, since we want to see a few island highlights (~2hrs) and then go to Magen's Bay. Their tour starts at 11:30am. Our cruise ship is there from 8am-5pm, so would prefer an earlier start to the tour. Is there a good alternate for a tour other than Godfrey's? Should we just get off the ship and go with whoever is there? And then find our way to the Magen's Bay after?

Will be in Tortola on April 1, 8am-5pm from NCL Viva. I'm wondering if we should take Sensations Ferry to VG 8:30-1:45 and then go to Brewers Bay in Tortola when we get back using a taxi if we still have energy or else Speedy's 9:00-3:30 and then to Savannah Bay in VG. With Sensations, the earlier ferry might help us beat the crowds at the Baths/Devils Bay and perhaps see a better beach in Tortola. Alternatively, we can catch a later ferry and see the Baths/Devils Bay later on when there might be smaller crowds. I'm not sure how bad the crowds are and if I should be planning around it. The only ships in Tortola that day are Marella Discovery (~2000 passengers) and Viva (~3500 passengers), both arrive at 8am. Also, Brewers Bay vs Savannah Bay. None of us have been to BVI before. Thoughts?

Glad I asked. We won't do it. Thanks for letting me know!

We are interested in seeing Huntes Garden. Thinking it might be fun to get there with an ebike. Anyone done this before? If so, recommendations for other things to see on the bike?