lerchkww Posted June 9 #1 Share Posted June 9 Trying to research what my options are for our December day in port. Unfortunately our port times are 12pm - 7pm on a Thursday and that seems to exclude taking the ferries to/from Virgin Gorda as the times just wouldn't work. There is a NCL cruise excursion available but we typically try to avoid those and go out on our own. I think a private charter is out of the budget and looking for other suggestions or options. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_water Posted June 10 #2 Share Posted June 10 Other suggestions for VG? Or something other than VG? If the latter, are you looking for a Beach day? Snorkeling or just limi ? Cat sail or island tour? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lerchkww Posted June 11 Author #3 Share Posted June 11 Thanks for the reply. Looking for other suggestions for VG. Have been to Tortola previously and trying to take in one of the neighboring islands is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuckling1 Posted August 31 #4 Share Posted August 31 My husband and I are on the same cruise and have been planning to get to the Ferry on our own and go to the Baths. We think it is possible. Leave ship at 12 (or as soon as possible), walk 12 mins to Ferry, get on 12:30 ferry, arrive 1pm, take taxi (10mins), Probably be down to Baths by 1:30…and then take 5pm ferry back. I think that leaves about 3 hours of exploring the Baths and beach which is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_water Posted September 1 #5 Share Posted September 1 Yes with the Speedy’s Road Town departure at 1:30 and VG departure at 3:30 it’s just not an option… Smith’s no longer provides intra-BVI service as far as I know, and I’m not seeing a schedule on the Sensations site…I don’t see the 12:30 and 5:00 ferries mentioned by @Canuckling1 Maybe I’m missing something? We would love to rent a car and visit the North Sound area, or for a shorter day just grab a taxi and spend time at Savannah Bay and Mad Dog’s. But a private charter will be pricey as you mentioned… So we’d be looking at the shared independent catamaran day sails that may be an option for you. These include Aristocat, Kuralu, and Patouche. They typically offer two options - one to the Indians for snorkeling, Cooper or Norman Island for beach time and lunch, and the Willy T, and the other to Jost Van Dyke which is just a beach day with a snorkel stop. One may also have a powerboat option to VG as well and worth asking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_water Posted September 1 #6 Share Posted September 1 And of course if you can hook up with 3 or 4 couples on your Roll Call you can share the cost of an amazing private excursion with Sunshine Powerboats or another outfit. We worked with a cat operator on St Lucia to develop a nice tour at a great price and we have 20+ fellow cruisers sharing a low price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuckling1 Posted September 4 #7 Share Posted September 4 On 9/1/2024 at 12:20 PM, blue_water said: Hi there! Sorry for the delay in response. I was waiting on a couple of emails I sent to Speedy’s and Smiths. I just talked to someone at Speedy’s and they said they will be coming out with a new schedule for the busy season (starting October) and she said there will be a 5pm and 6 pm return ferry (VG to RT). But still only have the 1:30 ferry to VG. If that is the case, then we will be doing that. Obviously, a 12:30 ferry would be optimal but if not, the 1:30 will suffice. 🙂 Although, sharing a water taxi to VG would be ideal. (If shared even among 4 people, it is way cheaper than buying the excursion to the Baths through the ship. (NCL). “Yes with the Speedy’s Road Town departure at 1:30 and VG departure at 3:30 it’s just not an option… Smith’s no longer provides intra-BVI service as far as I know, and I’m not seeing a schedule on the Sensations site…I don’t see the 12:30 and 5:00 ferries mentioned by @Canuckling1 Maybe I’m missing something?” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_water Posted September 4 #8 Share Posted September 4 I’m surprised to hear that since many businesses close down during Sept - Nov which is slow season for the islands. But they know what they are talking about of course… Let us know if you get a reply from Smith’s, as far as I know they just run the USVI/BVI routes...And I wasn’t able to pull up the ferry schedule on the Sensations site which I thought was odd, they’ve been making regular runs too… Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuckling1 Posted September 4 #9 Share Posted September 4 @blue_water I got the reply from Smiths. They said they no longer service the RT to VG route. I’m disappointed. I thought I had it all figured out. lol It will be a real race to get on the 1:30 ferry, get the taxi to the Baths, then spend approx 2 hrs at the Baths to get the 5 pm ferry. Although, it’s also the adventure that is part of it. And at least we are doing our own thing instead of following the hoards. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_water Posted September 5 #10 Share Posted September 5 4 hours ago, Canuckling1 said: @blue_water I got the reply from Smiths. They said they no longer service the RT to VG route. I’m disappointed. I thought I had it all figured out. lol It will be a real race to get on the 1:30 ferry, get the taxi to the Baths, then spend approx 2 hrs at the Baths to get the 5 pm ferry. Although, it’s also the adventure that is part of it. And at least we are doing our own thing instead of following the hoards. 🙂 Yes I thought Smith’s had backed out years ago…If you are referencing ferry schedules on some of the BVI websites they are obsolete… The Baths on a less than ideal port stop like yours doesn’t work well, as @lerchkww noted. Everyone from your ship - and any others in port - will be going at the same time. So you will be part of the hoard, unfortunately, and it’s a real mess there… Or you could enjoy a nice daysail or 5 hours on beautiful Tortola away from our fellow cruisers…Even Spring Bay on VG would be a better choice than the Baths, IMHO… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lerchkww Posted September 12 Author #11 Share Posted September 12 @Canuckling1 thanks for info and reaching out to the providers. And @blue_water thanks as always for your Tortola posts/opinions. They posted new times for Tortola port yesterday (11am-5pm) and I'm almost glad there wasn't the 5pm ferry because that option would now be impossible too. I've never joined a roll call but I think I will this time to see if anyone is organizing a private excursion we could jump on. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare SRQbeachgirl Posted September 13 #12 Share Posted September 13 If a ship excursion was the only option to get to the Baths then I would take that ship excursion EVERY SINGLE TIME just to be able to get there. The Baths are truly one of my favorite places on earth and I'd be willing to take a leaky rowboat if it meant I could spend a few hours enjoying that amazing location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue_water Posted September 13 #13 Share Posted September 13 16 hours ago, SRQbeachgirl said: If a ship excursion was the only option to get to the Baths then I would take that ship excursion EVERY SINGLE TIME just to be able to get there. The Baths are truly one of my favorite places on earth and I'd be willing to take a leaky rowboat if it meant I could spend a few hours enjoying that amazing location. We would NEVER take the ship excursion to the Baths - If we didn’t have the time in port to avoid the hoard, we’d definitely choose another, better option. As I mentioned, Spring Bay is one of those alternatives… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare SRQbeachgirl Posted September 14 #14 Share Posted September 14 7 hours ago, blue_water said: We would NEVER take the ship excursion to the Baths - If we didn’t have the time in port to avoid the hoard, we’d definitely choose another, better option. As I mentioned, Spring Bay is one of those alternatives… There weren't many people when we went. It was early December so maybe that made a difference, or maybe we just got lucky. It was on Celebrity Reflection. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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