TORTOLA....other than Patouche...

is there another private person/company that takes you from the cruise ship to the Baths cheaper than Patouche does?

its not that we don't like Patouche and he answers all my emails promptly but with 15 people and $1000., well that seems like a money for a tour...especially with 4 of them being kids....

that price is not really out of line. Most charter operators we checked into for a November trip wanted $300 for 4 of us for a half day trip. That assured us of having the boat to ourselves. Your other option would be a ferry service called Speedy's or Smith's??

See my post on the main HAL boards from yesterday on page 2 entitled "a cry for help from antigua" and you'll find a listing of about 6 charter companies in Tortola along with e-mail addys and phone numbers.

What is the cruiseline price for an excursion to the baths? I'd be willing to bet that it is very much in line with if not more than the $67 per person that the patouche charter works out to. And trust me, you'll have a FAR better time on your own charter than being herded around on a cruiseline "cattlemaran"

Please keep in mind that in addition to the charter cost, it is customary to tip the crew at least 10% For me it would be a no brainer to do the charter. . Only other issue is the fact that cruiseline trip ensures you won't be left behind.. but patouche does private charters for cruise ship passengers all the time, as do all of the other charter companies and I'm sure they're very careful to allow a cushion to get you back w/o incident.

thnx i'm going to check out the post you are talking about, but i need to make something clear.....

the $1000 price is for the 9 am - 12 noon tour, not a full day!!

Elaine515,

I had the same dilemma so I looked at ShoreTrips (shoretrips.com). They have 2 excursions to the baths. One for $61 (5hrs) that includes lunch and a tour of Virgin Gorda and a second for $51 (6hrs) without the lunch and tour. You also have to add the $25 round trip ferry ride plus $10 to rent snorkel gear plus $3 admission to the baths plus tip. This brings your cost to either $99 or $89 per person. If you go with Patouche you get a 10% discount if you book early or on-line. Were you quoted on a power boat ride or catamaran from Patouche?

If you are only interested in going to the Baths another option would be to take one of the island taxi / ferry services such as Speedys. There is a bus that runs regularly to and from the Ferry dock to the top of the Baths ( about 8-10 minute ride ) and you can walk down from there. Snorkel gear, etc. are available for rent at the Baths.

One other tip - when we were at the Baths the "Top of the Baths" resturant was a pretty good place to eat and they had a great freshwater pool that you could use if dining there to rinse off the saltwater.

Don't get me wrong - we also took a 1/2 day trip on the Patouch ( not to the Baths ) and it was great. Actually the owner/skipper of the Patouche was the one who recommended the using the ferry to go to the Baths.

However you do it I highly recommend going to the Baths.

Unfortunately on the day that we are there, the Ferry can't get us back to the ship on time...

Patouche emailed me that it would be $1000 for up to 17 people (about $60pp) for an 8 - 12 noon tour...