Quite a Dilemma Between Patouche and Artistocrat Charters

We will be in Tortola on Christmas Eve from 8-4 on the Nieuw Amsterdam. To me, this port time is a typical duration of most cruise lines.

I contacted Aristocrat Charter and Patouche Charter about a day sail. After reading all of the info I found online, I thought it would be cool to go to the Baths (can't imagine visiting Tortola and not seeing the Baths) and snorkel off of Salt Island to see the shipwreck. I liked the fact that Aristocrat serves lunch on board and is included in their (great) price.

I heard back from both. Patouche will take us to the Baths and Cooper Island. We would have to get lunch (on our own) on Cooper Island. His price is $5 more p/p without lunch than Aristocrat.

Aristocrat said since our port stay is shorter than most cruises (8-4, say what?), we can't see the Baths at all and can only go to Salt Island where we can snorkel and see the shipwreck and then two other islands, one having sea turtles.

For us, the must see is the Baths and the snorkeling is just an added bonus. I don't want to take an excursion to the Baths by bus and thought a catamaran w/snorkeling would be much more fun. Seeing a real live shipwreck would have been incredible and seeing a sea turtle in its natural habitat....no words.

That being said, neither offers what I really want. :( Has anyone been to Tortola and can help or offer what other options there are based on what we want to do? Thanks for any help!!

8 hrs in port does limit your options when it comes to off-island excursions.

Since the Baths are a "must see" for you and snorkeling off Salt Island, the Rhone, and possibly the Indians would just be an added bonus, you really don't have a dilemma, you just can't do both in the limited time there with these options. Patouche would be your best choice of the two if you decide to choose one of these.

If snorkeling was your main goal it would be the other way.

Other options include a beach day at Brewers Bay which offers good snorkeling; An island tour offered at the pier with a beach stop, or rent a Jeep and visit a few beaches. Marina Cay is a nice escape, Long Bay (West End) is quieter than Cane Garden Bay or Brewers, and Smuggler's Cove is even more remote. You'll find a lot of details on these and other options throughout this forum.

You'll just have to return for a longer visit when you can enjoy a longer day sail around the islands! Enjoy your day!

Hi! I have also looked into those options and I believe that Patouche charters is able to do both because it is not a sailing catamaran, it is a motorized catamaran.

Have a great cruise!

:)

Hi! I have also looked into those options and I believe that Patouche charters is able to do both because it is not a sailing catamaran, it is a motorized catamaran.

 

Have a great cruise!

:)

Yes, he wrote back to me yesterday and it will be a power boat. It doesn't even look like a catamaran (pic link posted below) and I was a bit disappointed. DeBlonde took the same excursion (a few posts down) and was really disappointed and said she would be writing a review but I couldn't find it, so I just asked her if she ever wrote it. I would really like to see what the disappointments were.

I haven't decided what to do yet. The Artistocrat Charter sounds wonderful and we would snorkel and see Salt, Peter and Cooper Islands which would allow us to see sea turtles, fish/reefs and the shipwreck with lunch onboard a real catamaran. But, I just can't see visiting Tortola without getting to see the Baths. The snorkeling was actually an afterthought when I first started planning our time in Tortola.

Lots of thinking to do. :confused:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g147354-d646316-i107613613-Patouche_Charters-Tortola_British_Virgin_Islands.html

Yes this is the powerboat Joe uses to get to places people want to go in the short time they have in port - The Baths, Willie T, Pirate's Bight, Jost,etc. If you read JaneDoe's report in your thread it's a great day and definitely one of the best options for a visit to the Baths. I think this a unique opportunity to take advantage of a trip to the Baths and Cooper Island on a small powerboat with fewer people. Joe is very experienced with sailing the islands and is very safety conscious.

Once you make up your mind between this excursion and the snorkel excursion you can look forward to the experience you chose. Unfortunately you just don't have time to see all of the highlights while in port, and I'd suggest returning for a longer visit so you have that opportunity as the islands of the BVI are gorgeous! ;)

Yes this is the powerboat Joe uses to get to places people want to go in the short time they have in port - The Baths, Willie T, Pirate's Bight, Jost,etc. If you read JaneDoe's report in your thread it's a great day and definitely one of the best options for a visit to the Baths. I think this a unique opportunity to take advantage of a trip to the Baths and Cooper Island on a small powerboat with fewer people. Joe is very experienced with sailing the islands and is very safety conscious.

 

Once you make up your mind between this excursion and the snorkel excursion you can look forward to the experience you chose. Unfortunately you just don't have time to see all of the highlights while in port, and I'd suggest returning for a longer visit so you have that opportunity as the islands of the BVI are gorgeous! ;)

Exactly!! It sounds like in order to do everything I want, we'll need to find another cruise which returns to Tortola!! I'll ask my kids which excursion they would rather do...The Baths OR Snorkeling off Peter/Salt/Cooper Islands to see the shipwreck and sea turtles. Whichever they decide will be fine with me and we'll just have to return in order to do the other!!

Or even a land-based vacation! :)

I know other parents have reported how much their kids enjoyed the daysail with the shipwreck and stops at Norman Island ("Treasure Island") and other spots. The tales of pirates past and treasures buried in these islands is great stuff for kids, and they may even be able to steer the boat. Just sounds like a great choice for them...

Enjoy!

We were this close to booking with Patouche, and only decided against it because there was no bathroom on board his boat. We have a young child and 2 grandparents with us so that just was not an option this time around!:eek: Just have to plan a return visit to see the Baths!

Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll have a great time! Happy Sailing!:)

We were this close to booking with Patouche, and only decided against it because there was no bathroom on board his boat. We have a young child and 2 grandparents with us so that just was not an option this time around!:eek: Just have to plan a return visit to see the Baths!

 

Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll have a great time! Happy Sailing!:)

Yes you definitely need those facilities on the boat, especially in your situation!

There are private tours available like Mitch at Ocean Magic, and that is a great way to see the different islands, some with a head, but the private tour is much more expensive of course.

Have you looked at Kuralu yet? They alternate between different itineraries, and they may have something you'd like that day...

Yes this is the powerboat Joe uses to get to places people want to go in the short time they have in port - The Baths, Willie T, Pirate's Bight, Jost,etc. If you read JaneDoe's report in your thread it's a great day and definitely one of the best options for a visit to the Baths. I think this a unique opportunity to take advantage of a trip to the Baths and Cooper Island on a small powerboat with fewer people. Joe is very experienced with sailing the islands and is very safety conscious.

 

Once you make up your mind between this excursion and the snorkel excursion you can look forward to the experience you chose. Unfortunately you just don't have time to see all of the highlights while in port, and I'd suggest returning for a longer visit so you have that opportunity as the islands of the BVI are gorgeous! ;)

I asked my kids which they would rather do and they had great reasoning. We might be able to see sea turtles or a shipwreck somewhere else on our travels while snorkeling, but we will never be able to see the Baths anywhere but Tortola. So, we're going with Joe at Patouche Charter (Joe is from NH and I lived there for 2 yrs as a teenager, so I'm curious to see where in NH he lived) and will see the Baths and Cooper Island!! He said we might even see a sea turtle when we snorkel off Cooper Island. You never know!!

To the posters who had problems hearing from him, I'm stunned. I have heard back from him within a day, all 3 times I have contacted him. Just wanted to let others know I haven't had any problems communicating with him whatsoever.

We're so excited and I can't wait to take this tour!!!

Yes, sounds perfect! And yes Joe is normally very prompt in his responses and a very nice guy. We wanted to take his cat out when we were staying on Tortola, sometimes he heads to Peter Island to pick up folks there and take them to the Baths, the Willie T and Pirates Bight or Cooper. He offered to let us ride out with him for the normal price and have a chance to explore Peter Island for a bit, and then enjoy the fast sail from PI back to Tortola. We couldn't make that one but we will take his daysail next visit.

What's great for the kids when taking a daysail in the BVI - whether on a cat or not - are the pirates and treasure tales they can enjoy...

Have a great day! :)

Yes you definitely need those facilities on the boat, especially in your situation!

There are private tours available like Mitch at Ocean Magic, and that is a great way to see the different islands, some with a head, but the private tour is much more expensive of course.

Have you looked at Kuralu yet? They alternate between different itineraries, and they may have something you'd like that day...

Yes! We have booked with Kuralu on the Daydream to Norman Island and the Indians. REALLY looking forward to this! :D

We contacted a few charters.

They all responded quickly and with great information about their charters available to us. The reviews (here and on Tripadvisor) were very good for most.

In the end, we decided to go with Aristocat. Yes, we will miss the baths but the itinerary, the pricing, the catamaran (always a fun experience), etc and then the reviews just had us deciding this was the charter for us.

Excited for our trip in Jan and will do a review when we get home.

We contacted a few charters.

 

They all responded quickly and with great information about their charters available to us. The reviews (here and on Tripadvisor) were very good for most.

 

In the end, we decided to go with Aristocat. Yes, we will miss the baths but the itinerary, the pricing, the catamaran (always a fun experience), etc and then the reviews just had us deciding this was the charter for us.

 

Excited for our trip in Jan and will do a review when we get home.

That's why I had such a dilemma. Aristocrat's tours sounded so incredible, the pics of his catamarans were gorgeous, his prices were cheaper WITH lunch than the others, and it just sounded like such a fun tour/day. At least I know if we ever visit Tortola again, I will definitely call Aristocrat and set up a tour with them.

Have a blast and I can't wait to read your review when you get back!!

Yes, he wrote back to me yesterday and it will be a power boat. It doesn't even look like a catamaran (pic link posted below) and I was a bit disappointed. DeBlonde took the same excursion (a few posts down) and was really disappointed and said she would be writing a review but I couldn't find it, so I just asked her if she ever wrote it. I would really like to see what the disappointments were.

 

 

Lots of thinking to do. :confused:

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g147354-d646316-i107613613-Patouche_Charters-Tortola_British_Virgin_Islands.html

Hello! I do have a review somewhere - I will see if I can search for it when I get on my laptop. I also posted one in trip advisor. :) not sure if you are still interested as it looks like you already decided. You will have fun as long as you know what you are getting.