BVI Trip

[Grand Prix Racer]

Has anyone taken the BVI trip out of St Thomas?

[cruzincanuck]

If you are referring to the excursion to Jost Van Dyke, then we took this excursion this past January. We had a great time. Snorkeled at Christmas Cove, then on to JVD where we made 2 stops: 1st to have lunch if we wanted and walked around a little and the 2nd stop we swam from the Catamaran to the beach and had a PainKiller at the Soggy Dollar Bar.

 

Loved this excursion as we were able to visit an beautiful little island and for the 1st time, felt we were visiting an undiscovered island.

Loved the crew of the Bimini catamaran.

 

It was a real change from St Thomas where we have been quite a few times.

[Grand Prix Racer]

Thanks for the info. We went to JVD many years ago and the snorkling was just amazing.

[chrystine]

We are thinking about doing this excursion. How much time did you have in JVD? How many people were on the tour?

[Grand Prix Racer]

The trip last about 7 1/2 hours. It takes about 2 ours to get there and two hours back so you get about 3 hours at the different spots on the BVI. It will be the highlight of your cruise if you like spectacular water, great snorkeling and island views. Do not miss it. We are going with my wife and 19 year old son. Love to have you join us.

[Grand Prix Racer]

We are on the August 14th Oasis

[cruzincanuck]

We are thinking about doing this excursion. How much time did you have in JVD? How many people were on the tour?

 

We were 18 on the excursion but this was new excursion at the time so I am sure there are many more participants.

 

2.5-3 hours sounds about right as there are 2 stops at JVD so there is a little transport time between the 2 stops (other than the snorkeling stop)

[chrystine]

Do you have to swim from the boat to get to JVD? What about your passports, camera, towel, etc... I am all for swimming to shore but wonder about the logistics of bringing stuff to shore with us. Where does it stop at JVD? Thanks for the info :)

[cruzincanuck]

Do you have to swim from the boat to get to JVD? What about your passports, camera, towel, etc... I am all for swimming to shore but wonder about the logistics of bringing stuff to shore with us. Where does it stop at JVD? Thanks for the info :)

 

The catamaran has a small motor boat that can bring you to th wharf in the case of the 1st stop where Foxys is (Great Harbour) and in the case, of the 2nd stop for the Soggy Dollar (White Bay), they offered us the option of the boat but we all opted to swim to shore, thus the reason for the bar being called Soggy Dollar :D. They have an actual small clothes line by the cash register to dry out the dollars. As for the passports, they are held by the captain as he is the one who goes to customs for immigration for us. We were given back the passports prior to arriving in St John for immigration back to the US. You really only have your passport from the trip from St Johns back to St Thomas.

 

Bring a large ziplock for any items you would like to bring to shore. In the end, we did not bring any towels and my camera is waterproof to 10 feet but I bought a t-shirt at the Soggy Dollar which was bagged in a ziplock.

[chrystine]

Thanks for the info! Sounds great. I assume that the bars on BVI accept US dollars- is that correct? How much money would you recommend bringing on the tour? Also, how long does the immigration & customs process take. I read another review that stated a lot of tour time was wasted just waiting around on the boat for the processing (30-45 minutes each way). Is that true?

[cruzincanuck]

Thanks for the info! Sounds great. I assume that the bars on BVI accept US dollars- is that correct? How much money would you recommend bringing on the tour? Also, how long does the immigration & customs process take. I read another review that stated a lot of tour time was wasted just waiting around on the boat for the processing (30-45 minutes each way). Is that true?

 

We brought American dollars however as to the amount, we spent about $100 on t-shirts and 3 prints..no lunch. We probably each had $100 but I am not sure. There is no major shopping to do. I remember 1 store at the 1st stop and a street vendor from whom we got the prints and the shop at the Soggy Dollar on our 2nd stop

 

Immigration depends on the number of passengers. We were 18 so it probably took 10-15 minutes in BVI and in St John's, maybe 10 minutes. I can see the time increasing with the number of passengers.

 

It was a great day but you have to count 1/2 of time on the catamaran and 1/2 in BVI. It goes by quickly

[chrystine]

Originally, I was thinking of just hubby and I going. Now, my son (10) wants to come along. Do you think it would be appropriate for a 10 yr old? I believe Royal Caribbean's tour description states minimum age of 6.

[cruzincanuck]

Originally, I was thinking of just hubby and I going. Now, my son (10) wants to come along. Do you think it would be appropriate for a 10 yr old? I believe Royal Caribbean's tour description states minimum age of 6.

 

We did not have any kids on our tour. Unless there are other kids on the tour, he may be bored. The downside is that you will not know if any other parents are bringing their kids until you board the catamaran

[chrystine]

Good point about not knowing if there will be other children on the tour. He is an only child and use to being bored though lol :) I told him there would be a lot of down time on the catamaran just sailing to the different stops and he said he would just lay back and read. I was assuming he wouldn't want to go and that it would just be hubby and I.

[OnlineMom]

Christyne - I'd love to hear from you after you return! We'll be on the Oasis in September with our 10 and 11 year old children and have booked the JVD excursion...

[chrystine]

Christyne - I'd love to hear from you after you return! We'll be on the Oasis in September with our 10 and 11 year old children and have booked the JVD excursion...

 

Jessica, I will definitely come back and let you know how the excursion goes. We decided that it will just by hubby and I. My son changed his mind about wanting to go since it is a long excursion. He said he would rather stay in AO because it didn't sound all that exciting lol.

[OnlineMom]

I contacted Royal Caribbean regarding the availability of a raft/dinghy between the PowerCat and the beaches on this excursion and received the following reply:

 

"Yes, there will be a small boat transfering guest from the boat to the beach

Should you have any additional questions please feel free to contact us"

[oliviaonthe beach]

Friends of ours just got off Oasis a month ago and said this excursion was the highlight of their cruise. They raved so much we booked 8 of us for it during Thanksgiving week on Oasis coming up. This is significant because we NEVER book cruise line excursions. Their enthusiasm convinced us. Look forward to further opinions on this tour prior to November.

[OnlineMom]

Jessica, I will definitely come back and let you know how the excursion goes. We decided that it will just by hubby and I. My son changed his mind about wanting to go since it is a long excursion. He said he would rather stay in AO because it didn't sound all that exciting lol.

 

Hi Chrystine! I don't imagine that you ended up being able to do this excursion, did you? The 8/28 sailing was re-routed to the Western Caribbean, wasn't it? I'd love to hear about your trip! We leave in 5 days!

[39august]

Are any drinks included on the way back to St. Thomas? Or a cash bar?

[oliviaonthe beach]

Oh so sad for those on the eastern that turned into a western...oh well, they will just have to book another cruise!

[OnlineMom]

Are any drinks included on the way back to St. Thomas? Or a cash bar?

 

The excursion description reads:

 

The return trip meanders past virgin cays, hidden coves with panoramic views of St. John and St. Thomas. Caribbean music and entertaining crew will serve you sodas, beers and local rum drinks during this lifetime of a day.

 

Hope that helps!

[chrystine]

Hi Chrystine! I don't imagine that you ended up being able to do this excursion, did you? The 8/28 sailing was re-routed to the Western Caribbean, wasn't it? I'd love to hear about your trip! We leave in 5 days!

 

Hi Jessica! Yes, we were re-routed so we didn't get a chance to do this excursion, unfortunately. The cruise was great and the ship was amazing. You will have a wonderful time.