Tortula and Virgin Gorda review

[wgeddings]

This is an excerpt from the full review. For the full review, please go to http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=5225585#post5225585

Nov 19-26, 2005 – Zuiderdam – Ft. Lauderdale to Eastern Caribbean

First, let me say that there were 4 of us. Me (42 yr old lawyer), Jane (my wife and a teacher), Mary (daughter age 15) and Will (son age 13). We went on a Carnival cruise 19 years ago but more recently went on a Disney cruise 2 years ago and a Carnival cruise (Inspiration out of Tampa for 7 days to Western Caribbean) a year ago. As I talk about things, I will often compare Disney and Carnival to the HAL experience. For those unused to some abbreviations, DD is Darling Daughter, DS is Darling Son and DW is Darling Wife (DH is Darling Husband but thankfully I do not have one of those!). I will refer to each day’s events at the end of the evening so some of my observations may be countered later in the review as we learn or see more. Hopefully you will read the whole thing.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 – Tortula and the Baths at Virgin Gorda

I am happy to say that from the moment we disembarked, things were very different at Tortula from St. Thomas. The people were nicer, things were cleaner and there was no odd smell. Everyone was washing things, picking up garbage, etc. and we did not go into any shop that the clerk did not say hello and welcome us. To me, that makes a big difference and I was impressed with Tortula. We walked the short distance to the ferry terminal, stopping at shops and taking our time, and looked over the schedule for the ferries. The people at Speedy’s had a good deal. It was $35 which included roundtrip ferry fare, cab ride to and from the Baths and lunch at the Bath and Turtle restaurant. Just a ferry ride was $25 roundtrip or $15 each way. A taxi ride from the Virgin Gorda landing to the Baths would have been $5 so we figured the package was a good deal. Turns out that was a good call.

The ferry ride is about 30 minutes and the ferry was air-conditioned. There was also a top deck which was open and many people opted to feel the breeze and get fresh air going over. We ended up sleeping for much of it. When we arrived, there were taxis (more trucks with the beds replaced by bench seats) ready to take us all to the Baths. It is a few miles to the Baths, much of it uphill, so I strongly recommend you take a taxi. The taxi driver (it was a Speedy’s Taxi) made a point to find out when we wanted him to pick us up and asked all passengers the same question. He returned for us at the requested time so I appreciated their service.

Now, about the Baths. I somehow had a big misconception about the Baths. I knew that it was a beach and that there was a lot of boulders you could crawl around on or through. I knew there was a hilly path. Somehow, I just did not connect all of that so please let me describe it as detailed as I can and hope that others get a better understanding. At the top, you have to pay another admission fee ($3 for adults, $2 for kids under 18). You can then take the Devil’s Bay path or another path. The Devil’s path is the hard one and I admire anyone who completes it. The easier path is a dirt and rock path which gets very narrow at points and involves climbing on rocks at points. If you are mobility impaired, I do not believe it is possible to get to the beach or Baths. This “easy” path is much easier than the alternative but it is still about a 350 yard hike on slippery (due to dirt and sand) ground through jungle like growth that is hot and humid. Pretty, but be aware of what it is. At the bottom, you arrive at a beach area. There is a Bar (Poor Man’s Bar) and some restrooms with lockers. Then the very loose beach sand starts. You WILL get very sandy just walking. The rock formations start immediately to the left.

I suppose I envisioned the rocks as being in a meadow or something equally silly. Since I originally planned to snorkel and I knew it was a beach, you would have thought I would have known it would involve SAND and BEACH but, well I guess I learned that I can make some colossal incorrect assumptions. The rest of the family said it was what they had expected but I had not worn water shoes or been prepared to get very sandy. Going through the rocks involves wading in knee length or lower water and involves having to climb over, under and through some awesome rock formations. It is very hot inside there and was rather crowded at points where some would be coming up or others coming down. Everyone was very cooperative and helped one another and the BVI people have constructed ladders and ropes at different places to help. I was woefully unprepared for the heat, sand (in case I have not mentioned that <g>) and wading so but I have to admit it was very interesting. The rest of the family loved it but we were all glad we had decided not to bring the snorkel gear since lugging it up, down and through all of that would have been a nightmare. We were exhausted when we got back out of the rocks and drenched in sweat. But we liked the experience.

After climbing back up to the easy path, we waited in the air conditioned shops at the top while we waited for our taxi. He arrived promptly and took us back to Spanish Town for lunch at the Bath and Turtle. The restaurant is not at the Baths, it is back in town. The restaurant was a sitdown open air restaurant where the occasional chicken or dog might wander through. The free rum punch was good and the restaurant very clean (livestock notwithstanding). The waiter was very nice and friendly and the way the meal ticket worked was that you basically got a $12 credit toward your meal. If you ordered more than $12 worth of food, you paid the difference. If you ordered less, there was no refund. Since there were 4 of us, we basically got $48 off of our meal. Cheeseburgers were $8, Pizza was $12-15 and they had many other sandwiches or dishes. I had Ginger Chicken with pasta bowl and it was $10.50 and quite good. We had nachos, lots of fries, etc. and even with 4 sodas ($3.50 each), our total bill was only $55.75. So we only had to pay $7.75 more. It was a very short walk back to the ferry terminal where we waited for the ferry home. A quick nap on the way back and it was time to get back on the ship, shower and nap before dinner. In short, we all much preferred Tortula to St. Thomas and would not mind returning here some time. Even Virgin Gorda was much cleaner and nicer than St. Thomas. We discussed how hard it would be living on a island where everything, from cars to candy bars, had to be shipped in. We are fortunate to live on the continental US.

[SqueakyDust]

Thanks Tommy for your review(s).

I'm enjoying reading them.

I did wonder about taking the meal part of Speedy's deal, but tend not to eat off the ship. However, some fries and a cola would be right up the kids' street.

 

I notice you didn't mention having any trouble going through the Baths with regards to you being cuddly ;) (like myself) so I may give it a go.

We're off tomorrow so I'll add my thoughts upon my return.

[wgeddings]

Thanks SqueakyDust. I think you will enjoy it. The Baths are not too strenuous but it is more than someone with mobility impairment could do I believe. A few tight openings but as long as you are willing to duck-walk, it is not too hard. And as long as you are prepared for some wading and for the sand, (unlike me who just did not think about it), it will be great.

 

As for the meal with Speedy's, I think that was one of our better decisions. Just a round-trip on either ferry was $25, $15 for a one-way. For $10 more, you get the taxi ride to the Baths (normally $5) and a $12 credit toward your meal at the Bath and Turtle. There were more than enough things on the Bath and Turtle menu to satisfy and you will definitely not want to try to go back to the ship (30-45 minute ferry ride each way to and from Virgin Gorda) just to eat. The food was good, the place clean and I do recommend the meal deal. The other ferry (Smiths?) did not offer that.

[shygirl]

Tommy,

 

Great review, must be the most detailed description about the paths(down to the beach) that I have read so far. You described the alternate path as narrow, jungle like, and climbing over rocks? Now I am very concerned.

 

My husband will take my 8 year old and climb thru the Devil's path, while I will take the alternate route with my 2 year old in a back carrier.

 

Will I make it?!? How narrow does the path get and how low does the vegetation grow. How big are the rocks that you had to climb over?

 

In previous reviews there is very little detail about this alternate path; they only mention that it was by the parking lot.

 

Is this excursion right for our family or should we wait til the kids are a little older.

 

Sara

[Sharon2U]

How deep is the water in this area, I'm not a good swimmer, can I wade around or will the water be over my head. I'm just a little over 5'.

[wgeddings]

Sharon2U - The deepest we ever saw the water about about 1 to 1.5 feet. Of course at several points you could go deeper to swim or snorkel, but you did not have to go any deeper. I do not think you will need to swim or float at all and you should not worry. Just be prepared to wade a little bit (and get sandy)

 

Shygirl - I will try to answer your post more completely tonight and post some links to some photos that will show it better. I cannot attach them to messages since I am having trouble making them less than 19.5 KB and I have to get them posted on a website so I can link to them. I will try to get it tonight for you though.

[wgeddings]

Okay, I will try this. Please let me know if it does not work.

 

First here are 2 pictures of a portion of the easy path.

http://web.ftc-i.net/~wtgeddings/path1.jpg

http://web.ftc-i.net/~wtgeddings/path2.jpg

 

These show how wide the path is most of the way. In path1, you can see how the rocks form "steps" in portions of the path and those rocks are covered with sand so can be slippery. There are no rocks that you have to really crawl over on the easy path but there are some that form steps. The vegatation is not very low when we were there so I do not think you will have a problem there and as long as you are not wearing slick bottomed shoes (like I was) and walk cautiously, you should have no problem with slipping.

 

Here is are pictures of a portion of Devils Bay path.

 

http://web.ftc-i.net/~wtgeddings/baths1.jpg

http://web.ftc-i.net/~wtgeddings/baths2.jpg

http://web.ftc-i.net/~wtgeddings/baths3.jpg

 

As I understood it, Devils Bay path comes down from the parking lot and goes through the rocks to get to the Baths beach. From the Baths beach, you can enter Devils Bay path to go back up or you can just go through the rocks for a while. We just went through the rocks for a while and turned around like most people were doing. The first picture shows a portion near the start where you have to climb up that incline (they have a rope to help) then walk to where you see the people standing and climb down. Pictures 2 and 3 just show some of the wading and the path within the rocks. Sometimes you crouch to get through (rocks are very low) but all was passable.

 

I hope that helps. My strong advice is to let your Husband and 8 year old come down the easy path first. Once they are down there, they can go through the rocks and, if they are having fun, they can continue to go back up that way. If not, they can just turn around and meet you and the 2 year old for the easy path back up. He can also help you on the way down as you gain confidence and are more sure of your footing. Going up there was less slipping than coming down on the easy path.

 

As for the beach, since I was moving pictures, I went ahead and included this shot of the beach at the Baths. No one I know is in bathing suits so I can post it with safety!:)

http://web.ftc-i.net/~wtgeddings/bathsbeach1.jpg

 

Please let me know if there are any other questions.

[Sharon2U]

Thanks for the information, I feel much better knowing I can walk around the rocks and enjoy the trip without being a good swimmer. It was really hard to tell how deep the water was from some of the other pictures I've seen.

[shygirl]

Tommy,

 

Thanks for taking the time to attach the photos. Great idea for all of us doing the easy path down and then taking turns going in and out of the rocks with our 8 year old. This way my husband can carry the 2 year old down and we can stay together. My 2 year old will enjoy the beach. Wonderful pictures! Now I understand what you mean by being sandy; all the boulders in your pictures were covered with it. My original impression of the Baths were black smooth volcanic rocks. But I guess I was wrong.

 

Thanks for the tips,

 

Sara.

[Driller36]

Hi again Shygirl,

 

I have a few pictures of the Baths and Devil's Bay posted at http:\\blschmidt.zoto.com . I wish I had taken more but my wife and I were enjoying the experience so much that I didn't remember to take more. You can find a LOT more photos by doing an 'Advanced Image Search' on Google Images and search for "the Baths, Virgin Gorda".

 

I agree with Tommy that your family should stay together. The trails are not that difficult at all. My wife and I are in our upper 60's and did both trails in the rain, yet, without any trouble at all! If, after getting down to the usual entrance to the Baths and you decide to go all the way through the boulders to Devil's Bay, you can take the alternate trail out without any problems.

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for all the photos you both posted. It helps us understand what we face! :)

[soupercb]

Thanks for the review...I really want to go there, but am hesitant to pay the $79 carnival wants to charge for the excursion. Can you tell me how long you stayed at the Baths. WE are only in Tortola form 7 until 3:30, so we are wondering if that is enough time...what is your opinion.

 

Thanks!

[wgeddings]

Thanks for the review...I really want to go there, but am hesitant to pay the $79 carnival wants to charge for the excursion. Can you tell me how long you stayed at the Baths. WE are only in Tortola form 7 until 3:30, so we are wondering if that is enough time...what is your opinion.

 

First, I would recommend not taking the ship's tour. You can do the baths for $35 per person and that includes lunch (a $12 credit at the Bath & Turtle as I mentioned above).

 

As for the timing, we were there for a similar time. The ferry area is within easy walking distance from where the ship docks. The schedule for the ferry's is available from several sources online or at the docks. Our problem was that the ferry we took over there did not have one coming back until 3:30 (due to the fact we took a 10:30 ferry over there). If we had needed to, we could have taken Speedy's over to Virgin Gorda and then taken Smith's back to Tortola an hour sooner. It would have cost $15 for each trip and we would have had no lunch voucher but it still would have been less than half the cost Carnival is charging you. My advice is check the schedules and use both companies if you need to but if you can swing it with just one, I recommend the Speedy's deal. I think you will have no problem with time but be sure to allow at least 45 minutes for the ferry ride back to Tortula (actually only about 30 minutes but it is "island time" so they do not always leave right on schedule..)

 

Let me know if I can help.

[katienycgrl]

I read your post and very much appeciate it. I wasn't thinking about going to the Baths, but now will. Do you have any other reviews (as they are very through) about the other islands? I'm sailing to St Maaten and the Bahamas. thanks!

[wgeddings]

I posted a full review of the cruise (available under reviews for Zuiderdam) and individual reviews for the places we visited (Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, Nassau) in those forums. Thank you for the compliment and I hope the reviews helped. If you have any questions, be sure to let me know.

[cnj1019]

Did you buy your tickets to Speedys at the pier or did you purchase ahead of time on their website. I checked their site and cant find the $35 deal. thanks.

[wgeddings]

I bought it at the pier. It was on the website but hard to find. It was also posted at the pier office (a window among the other providers). If in doubt, e-mail them and they were pretty good about responding.

[CaribbeanBound]

wgeddings...

BRAVO!

Great review. Nicely done. Lots of great detail.

 

The Baths are a load of fun! One of the most fun beaches we've ever been on. We loved Virgin Gorda and are going back this November.

http://www.lavasurfer.com/info/easterncaribbean.html

[wgeddings]

Thanks! It was a memorable time.

[ilovethesun]

Thanks for all your helpful information!

 

I have a few questions. Do you know what time the first ferry goes over there? Our ship is docking at 7 and I wonder how early we can get in. Also, is there a place to see the schedules online? I am wondering if it would be possible to go to the baths in the morning and get back to the ship to do a dolphin swim at noon.

[wgeddings]

You can try http://www.speedysbvi.com/. The other ferry probably has a website too and there are lots of links on other sites. It would be tough to do the Baths and get back for a Dolphin swim though because you have a 30-45 minute ferry ride each way then a 10 minute taxi/truck ride to the Baths then the Baths themselves will take 45 minutes at least to go through if you do not even stop. Bear that in mind while you check schedules.

[Boilerman]

Hello all.

First time to this web site.

Have found the info excellent.

We're going on a Zuiderdam cruise Feb 4th to the Eastern Carribean, and for some reason, there states in the policy of this ship that no iron is avaibable, and one can;t be brought aboard :(

Are the cost to have your clothes pressed as reasonable as they say?

I'm somewhat of a nut when it comes to having my clothes ironed, and am wondering if it really is a big deal to bring an iron on board.

 

P.S. wgeddings....your review of this trip was just what we needed, as this is also our first time cruising.

[Southbound]

wgeddings -- We will be visiting Tortola via the Westerdam in Nov. Our first visit to the island was also on HAL, but we didn't get to the Baths and decided if we did ever return, we would make it a point to do so. Thank you so very much for providing such detailed information and also the photos. I have spent a considerable amount of time searching, but was unable to come up with anything anywhere close to what you have posted. The first-hand narrative you've written is invaluable for first-timers and your time spent in doing so is much appreciated. Like you, we also found the people on Tortola to be very friendly, pleasant, helpful, and the island clean and interesting to explore. We are looking forward to our upcoming return visit.:)

[spart02]

I also appreciate your review of the Baths. It's great to have the pictures to go with it as well, so thank you for taking the time to do that. We have the excursion booked through Disney, but aren't usually a fan of doing the ship tours. If we do it on our own, how long do you recommend spending at the Baths once you reach them? How did you know what time to have the taxi pick you up? Did you just go based on the ferry schedule?

[wgeddings]

We counted on the Ferry schedule but I think you can arrange things when you arrive on Virgin Gorda if I remember right. There is also a gift shop at the top of the hill where the Baths are located and I think a regular "bus" or taxi route is between there and the little port.

 

As for how much time, it is hard to say because everyone is likely to have different things they want. If you just want to go, look and come back, it would not take as long as someone who wants to really explore them, or relax on the beach at the bottom. One thing I learned from many places we went a few years ago and returned to recently, things change pretty quickly and things to take your money get built. There was one little bar down on the sand when we were there in 2006 but I would not be surprised if there are several places down there now. I would check to see what more recent reviews may say about what is on the beach. The Baths and rocks are likely the same but from going to Majahaul, Cozumel, Riveria Maya and such I have seen how quickly things change.

 

Have a great time!