Jezo

If we are doing self disembark can we line up early? Where do they allow people to wait before they start letting people off? We wont be having breakfast and just want to be off the ship asap.

Does the ferry company take credit cards or is it cash only?

That link doesn't work, sorry.

So the upsell number is dead for these cruises?

Gem Spa:

[YOUTUBE]UVzQno4ysNY[/YOUTUBE]

Men and woman have separate private changing and hot tub areas in addition to the main common area.

We want to go sit in some stinky sulpher for a few hours..

At the terminal how do we get a legit cab who can take 3 people to the spa and then take us back?

How much should it cost?

If you are sailing on Escape or Getaway after November they have revised their upsell process.

What do you mean?

All of this sounds pretty easy so far.

The cruise has their packages up, for the three of us, which is what I guess we paid last year as we didn't know how to plan it ourselves, the cost is $231.

Doing it this way..

$12 Taxi to The Baths/Beaches/etc

$12 Taxi back to the ferry

$120 Ferry round trip

So $144 total, saving us almost $100 and more freedom on Virgin Gorda.

Going from The Baths to another area if the taxi man comes and picks us up, is that an additional $12 per stop?

Second question, do they round people up for group bus taxis like on St. Thomas or will we be getting a private man in a car?

How early is "early" for this "mission" quest ?? :D

It's all about trying to get a Vibe pass..

My 2 experiences with NCL ( Epic and Escape) in Miami has been like I mentioned.

 

It is possible other ports are different.

That's the difference then.. NYC is a total crap shoot in what you'll get, and it stinks.

 

[EDIT] And yes, this is a very easy and safe self-excursion. We enjoy going on our own more than being tied to a large group, it often gives you just enough flexibility to avoid the biggest crowd if you try to get a good start. Taxi drivers will work with you on Virgin Gorda if you want to get dropped and picked up at other spots like Mineshaft Cafe or another beach like Savannah, and fares are reasonable. Very inexpensive way to experience the Valley area of VG.

So once across the ferry and on VG, the taxis will be waiting at the disembarkation point? Do they base fares on a PP rate like other islands or is it per trip?

Are there official and unofficial taxis like other islands as well or anything I need to watch out for?

OP and you get boarding number when you go to waiting room not at check-in counter.

 

1) Clear security

2) check-in counter

3) waiting room

Is this different from the Gem and Jewel then? We would get our boarding number from the person who checks us in and gives us our key cards.

You would get whatever number they give you, people ahead of you or behind you in line get whatever number the person behind the really long counter has next to them.

Non Haven.

As it's all random luck of the draw from whatever counter you go to at the terminal, is there any way to get a lower boarding number or is it up to the fate of whatever the check in person takes?

Showing up before the terminal opens still means I might get the last boarding group, so has anyone figured out a way to board earlier?

If you want something a little more modern, hip, and fun, check out Yotel, which is only a few blocks from the port and has a great vibe.

We stay there when we go in for the weekend and love it. Might not be your scene if you are into a more traditional run of the mill hotel, but if you want something you wont find in every other town in the country, Yotel is my top pick.

We're on a 13 day on the Breakaway in January. Spa passes were purchased online for $289 USD each. Taking into account the extra day and the exchange rate it sounds like the $396.66 might be a Canadian price.

 

Edited to add - we looked at Spa balconies but compared to our balcony the increase in price would be much more than the cost of the spa passes.

Well maybe it was the Canadian price and the website just needed it's coffee yesterday morning.

I took another look as we are on a 14 day on the same ship the same month as you, loaded the page up today and it was at $299.00.

So, that's a bit more reasonable. Not sure what happened yesterday but we are good now.

As for an upgrade, it would be three people going from a family ocean view to a spa balcony, right now I am guessing that would cost more than $600, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to call today to ask.

Do I lose perks if I upgrade to a new cabin?

Well, $396.66 if you want to be exact, but that's the going rate? I was just checking for our cruise in January on the Breakaway and was a bit shocked at that price.

With longer port times you can often get more time on VG by taking one ferry there and the other back. But with your port times you don't gain much so just take the Speedy's 9AM ferry to VG and their 3:30PM ferry back, you'lol arrive back on Tortola around 4PM.

 

Ferries are very reliable, and they will add ferries on busier ship days. But you want to be back to the ferry dock on VG at least 30 min early just to be safe as many others on your ship will be doing this. We would be comfortable with the 3:30 return.

Okay thanks for all the great info. That doesn't seem any more complicated then other self guided outings we have been on.

About returning to Tortola on the ferry, is it a first come first serve line like a bus or would pre-purchasing a ticket get you a seat? Say we do get there at 3 as suggested for a 3:30 ferry but for some odd reason the whole island wants to leave and there is a huge line, do they just fill up as people arrive or can you get a seat if you have a ticket?

The system should only charge you for the two people with SDPs (you should see a charge for $35.40). If the online system is trying to charge you for 3 people ($53.10), then call reservations and have them make the booking for you.

 

Or pay the $53.10 and get a refund (as an On Board Credit) at the time of dinner.

It's strange, I put 4 people it comes up as $70. 3 People $53. but then I put it all the way up to 6 people and it switched to free / al la carte.

I guess I do need to call.

I am going to Ocean Blue with myself and family but only two of us will eat there as my son will not have SDP nor want to eat anything on the menu, he'll be getting food off the free kids menu.

Reserving now though charges me for all the party members no matter what, so how does this get adjusted? Do I have to wait to be on the ship to get the pre-pay refund?

So the hardest part then is the ferry back. They dont look like they run that often and if you miss one you are out of luck.

If we need to be back on the boat at 4:30 what time would we want to leave Virgin Gorda?

Unlike my other cruises which gave you only a couple of hours on Tortola, this time we will be there from 8 to 5, so I am not worried about having to rush.

So how would we do The Baths on our own? The ship is charging about 90 bucks a person so I am trying to figure out if it's cheaper to just catch a ferry and a taxi.

How would we do this and what would it cost as opposed to the ship sponsored event?

Will do.

I wonder why 3 person seating is impossible across every day at every restaurant but 2,4, and in some cases 5 or 6 have plenty of options.

The dining reservations are coming back quite odd for all of the Breakaway places I am looking at, 2 people all the slots are open, 4 people all the slots are open. 3 people though, 1 slot a day.

So, if we want to reserve something should we book for 2 and just bring our 5 year old along or book for 4 and then say we only have 3?

Will we be charged for 4 if we show up with 3?

I know booking 3 for 3 people is the right way to do it but that isn't happening with what's listed 84 days out.

Or if he orders from the ship's regular kids menu available in all venues, he will be charged nothing.

Kids menu it is then. He wont know the difference.

Thanks.

No one who has a Note 7 should have a Note 7, they were recalled for a reason.