Easiest Thing to do on Tortola

We'll have three boys with us, 11, 11 and 9. I don't really like any of the excursions NCL is offering.

Whats the easiest thing to do there? Which beach would you recommend?

Shopping here good? We will be fairly busy in St. Thomas so there will be no shopping done there.

Our time there is short....11 to 3.

TIA!

There are all kinds of tour operators waiting for your business at the port. You can do a scenic island tour in an open air bus, or take a shuttle to the beach (Cane Garden Bay). It's a picturesque beach, although the current can be strong there.

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The Baths or the Virgin Gordas ( same place ). On 11 cruises this has been my favorite. The kids will love. You have to maneuver through "caves" - actually a collection of rock formations- to get to the beach. It is a beautiful beach surrounded by rock formations. The water is warm, good snorkeling, and beautiful scenery.

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The Baths or the Virgin Gordas ( same place ). On 11 cruises this has been my favorite. The kids will love. You have to maneuver through "caves" - actually a collection of rock formations- to get to the beach. It is a beautiful beach surrounded by rock formations. The water is warm, good snorkeling, and beautiful scenery.

 

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I was going to do this, but I kept seeing posts about how over rated it was. I appreciate this feed back though, as I think this is what we will end up doing....was it crowded.

The Baths are not overrated at all. Don't bother with a tour, make the 10 minute walk over to the ferry terminal, get a ticket for Speedy's Ferry and the taxi to the Baths. Walk down the trail, through the Baths, the kids will love the beach and caves for a couple hours. An easy DIY excursion to an amazing place.

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The Baths are definitely a unique experience and worth the effort to get to. However if you are in port for only 4 hours as you stated you will not have time to enjoy the Baths, You can tale a 2 hr island tour for $20 (no beach stop included, the 3 hr, $25 tour includes an hour at Cane Garden Bay), or just taxi over to CGB or Brewers Bay for a less busy alternative. Taxi fare to either beach is $8pp each way (1/2 fare up to 10 yrs old so use some creativity ;) )

If you have any time left try to hit Sunny Caribbee near the port, a great little spice and rub shop with neat gift packages.

http://www.sunnycaribbee.com

And Pusser's Road Town Pub has a clothing store, we like their unique clothing line.

http://pussers.com/our-locations/pussers-road-town-pub/

I was going to do this, but I kept seeing posts about how over rated it was. I appreciate this feed back though, as I think this is what we will end up doing....was it crowded.

They were not crowded when we were there but that probably depends on how many ships are in port

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It can get crowded with one ship in port but if you're not with a ship excursion you may (just may) be able to avoid the worst crowd. It's just hard because everyone goes on the same ferries to Virgin Gorda. But as hootowirn said it wasn't crowded for them.

For folks who are lucky enough to have 10 hrs in port you can time your visit to the Baths with help from a taxi driver.

just taxi over to CGB or Brewers Bay for a less busy alternative. Taxi fare to either beach is $8pp each way (1/2 fare up to 10 yrs old so use some creativity ;) )

I really want to go but am scared of the drive there from the cruise port.:(

I really want to go but am scared of the drive there from the cruise port.:(

We drive Tortola all the time and have no problems and I'm no daredevil! My opinion is some folks just have a harder time in a vehicle and make Tortola sound like a terrible place to drive or ride. Yes there are steeper areas, and you can avoid those when driving. The taxi drivers drive hese roads all day everyday. Most day visitors who report back don't have a real problem and really enjoyed the ride to the beach.

I stood out by the road on Windy Hill when we were staying at the Heritage Inn and 25 passenger taxis were taking folks up around the switchback right there thinking I'd get a good video of folks screaming for youtube. Nothing - just people enjoying a nice leisurely ride to CGB.

So unless you are deathly afraid of anything not flat I hope you decide to enjoy yourself. If you want a ride that is much flatter with just a small hill to go over, Long Bay (West End) is a great option, you can find more details on that just by using the search function. Not as crowded as the other beaches and beautiful views of Just and the pelicans diving. Also do a search for Marina Cay which is an excellent option for Tortola and no hills!

I stood out by the road on Windy Hill when we were staying at the Heritage Inn and 25 passenger taxis were taking folks up around the switchback right there thinking I'd get a good video of folks screaming for youtube. Nothing - just people enjoying a nice leisurely ride to CGB.

 

Videotape me. I will be screaming. I really want to go to CGB, so maybe I will just close my eyes.

LOL :p

Take a look at the Long Bay and Marina Cay options I mentioned in the other thread.

We just grabbed an Island Tour off the ship. I think it was $15-20 per person for 2 hours. We didn't have whole lot of time there either. They took us to the top peaks, stopped at a couple bar/souvenir shops etc. It was fine for the amount of time we had.

My dad was with us and he was 77 and wouldn't have been able to handle the Baths. And we had done a beach at St Thomas.

LOL :p

 

Take a look at the Long Bay and Marina Cay options I mentioned in the other thread.

Okay, thanks!