Melianne
December 29th, 2004, 10:39 PM
Excursions: While on Tortola we took the one excursion we booked through the cruise line over to the Baths of Virgin Gorda. On Tuesday morning at 8:15 we boarded a jitney which drove to the marina, where we boarded a ferry that docked in Virgin Gorda. We then took another short, bumpy jitney ride to the baths, which were SPECTACULAR. It was an eerily beautiful beach accessed by a 350 yard walk down a rocky pathway to the sea. Once at beach level we encountered powdery sand and clear, aqua-blue water. The whole area was piled with ENORMOUS boulders balanced precariously atop one another. It was breathtaking! Advice: GO TO THE BATHS!!
St Thomas – way too crowded, and we’ve been there before, so I remained on ship. My husband ventured into town and had a difficult time getting a taxi back to Crown Bay.
Half Moon Cay – I cannot say enough wonderful things about this island. It is paradise. We didn’t do an excursion- we just "rented" a clamshell and sat with our jaws dropping open wondering at the beauty of it all. Okay, we walked the beach a little, had a nice barbeque lunch and talked with friends. But mostly, we just kept staring at the water! We had to leave by 2:30 p.m. – way to little time to spend on such a remarkable little Bahamian island.
Brief note: Thursday was another day at sea, quite unlike any I've had before. When we woke up the skies were dark, full of rain and the seas were rough. Being the eternal optimist, I figured it would be sunny by noon, but it became darker and the seas became even fiercer. By 1 pm the captain announced that we were in the midst of a wintry Atlantic "swell" (the water temps were still in the 70's) with waves reaching 15-20 feet and winds at 40 knots. The ship relentlessly rocked and swayed, making it difficult to walk throughout the ship. Fortunately, neither of us became seasick, so we were able to enjoy the day reading and napping. But not everyone fared as well. But at 3 pm that afternoon the crew served the chocolate dessert extravaganza and you would be surprised how many people crawled out of bed so as not to miss the biggest assemblage of dessert ever seen. . It really was over the top. The seas settled down about 6 pm, (just in time for everyone to get out of bed and dress for another formal night), but they picked up again about 9 pm and the rough seas continued through the night.
Overall: It was a great trip, and we had a pretty good experience with HAL. I would sail with HAL again, possibly on a larger ship. (I think I’m more of a "floating hotel" person). The cruise was an excellent value, we met wonderful people, and I thank the many of you here on the HAL boards that provided so much helpful information.
St Thomas – way too crowded, and we’ve been there before, so I remained on ship. My husband ventured into town and had a difficult time getting a taxi back to Crown Bay.
Half Moon Cay – I cannot say enough wonderful things about this island. It is paradise. We didn’t do an excursion- we just "rented" a clamshell and sat with our jaws dropping open wondering at the beauty of it all. Okay, we walked the beach a little, had a nice barbeque lunch and talked with friends. But mostly, we just kept staring at the water! We had to leave by 2:30 p.m. – way to little time to spend on such a remarkable little Bahamian island.
Brief note: Thursday was another day at sea, quite unlike any I've had before. When we woke up the skies were dark, full of rain and the seas were rough. Being the eternal optimist, I figured it would be sunny by noon, but it became darker and the seas became even fiercer. By 1 pm the captain announced that we were in the midst of a wintry Atlantic "swell" (the water temps were still in the 70's) with waves reaching 15-20 feet and winds at 40 knots. The ship relentlessly rocked and swayed, making it difficult to walk throughout the ship. Fortunately, neither of us became seasick, so we were able to enjoy the day reading and napping. But not everyone fared as well. But at 3 pm that afternoon the crew served the chocolate dessert extravaganza and you would be surprised how many people crawled out of bed so as not to miss the biggest assemblage of dessert ever seen. . It really was over the top. The seas settled down about 6 pm, (just in time for everyone to get out of bed and dress for another formal night), but they picked up again about 9 pm and the rough seas continued through the night.
Overall: It was a great trip, and we had a pretty good experience with HAL. I would sail with HAL again, possibly on a larger ship. (I think I’m more of a "floating hotel" person). The cruise was an excellent value, we met wonderful people, and I thank the many of you here on the HAL boards that provided so much helpful information.