Tortola Excursion to the Baths- Plus Sized & Young Children ( a mini review)

[pyropoodle]

I am posting this here because when i was researching visiting the Baths on my recent cruise, i saw almost NOTHING about being plus sized, so on the off chance any plus sized people (or people with young kids) want to take this excursion, here is my mini review.

 

We took this excursion through NCL in February 2023. it was AMAZING

 

i have a 5 1/2 year old girl/ 8 1/2 year old boy and they really really loved this excursion. so if you have kids around those ages, you will be totally fine!

the NCL documents said the youngest age allowed was a 2 year old.  i would personally not advise taking a 2 year old on this excursion and honestly a late 4 year old/ early 5 year old might be questionable if they are the type of children that need to be carried everywhere.  there is no way to have any kind of a stroller at all. even if you are one of those 'put a papoose on your back' people, i would not recommend.  there were several times where we had to take our back packs off and kind of toss them ahead of us to be able to squeeze through, so take that as you will.  otherwise...5 years was the sweet spot for us as my Adventure Adverse daughter had a blast.

 

So me: i am the plus sized one- female, 5'6" and size 2 -3xl depending on the day and meal most recently eaten 🙂

i am also a person who is active, i walk a lot (live in NYC), i work out and in general walking/ mini hiking is no problem for me. i might be a little bit slower than others, but i'm not sedentary. if i were a sedentary person, this excursion might have been more difficult.

 

The adventure (after making it to the location) begins by a gingerly walk down a path that seemed to take about 10/ 15 minutes.  it is steep in places, there are rocks, it is dirt, so not a paved path.  it ends up on a beach where you can see the giant boulders off to one side. we spent about 15-20 minutes here just frolicking in the water.  I used this time to take an ibuprophen.....cause i figured i'd be sore and stiff by the end of the day.   for me, this was a great decision!   

 

i had read some reviews where people said to take a waterproof backpack with you.  i had one, so i took it and my husband took a regular backpack.  we put our really nice camera in the waterproof backpack. if we would not have taken the super expensive camera, we would NOT have needed a special waterproof backpack.  it was nice to have a backpack as opposed to a beach bag because you are able to really use your hands to hold to the sides of rocks as you shimmy through some spots. i felt bad for people who were constantly hoisting beach bags from one side to the other.  they were cumbersome.  so i do suggest taking at least one back pack if you need to carry things.   we are a family of 4 and we opted to take just one beach towel, which worked out really well.  

 

there were people who chose to do this excursion in flip flops/ sandals and while they made it to the other side, there were some shoes falling off of people and being retrieved.  my kids wore regular water shoes, my husband wore water sandals that are closed toed and strap around the back. i personally wore my Avia Water Tennis shoes and they were perfect for me since they have the support similar to a regular tennis shoe and allowed me some traction. i wore them the whole time, from hike and right into the water later,  i highly recommend.

 

the kids wore their regular bathing suits, my husband wore trunks and a t-shirt, i wore a swim suit with shorts over them and tossed my cover up in my backpack for after the excursion.  i was very comfortable without my swimsuit butt hanging out. and the shorts kept me protected the one time i had to sit down on my butt, shuffle through a small space and down a steepish drop off (about 3 feet). was really glad i had shorts on. 

 

anywho, after some time on the beach, the trek through the baths begins. it wasn't fast paced and there were a few times the line clogged up the path, so you had to wait for a little bit before you could keep going.

 

3 areas of concern for a plus sized person (even a person with small kids in 2 of them)

1.  there was an area where i was not able to crouch down low enough (thank you bad knees) to get through, so i ended up sitting on my butt and scooching through the opening. on the other side, there was a little bit of a biiig step (mini leap). i kind of slid down the rock (id say my feet were probably 1 &1/2 feet from the ground at the top of the slide, so it wasn't a big drop, just something to think about.

 

2.  there was an area of narrow stairs that you (everyone) was forced to take going down SIDEWAYS, one step at a time.  the step was probably 8-9 across and only the width of your foot, so you could not go down face first.  it was fine though. i made my husband go first, then the kids so he could catch them if they slipped, then i went.  we had zero issues, but again, just to be aware.

 

3. just off of the narrow sideways stairs, there was one large boulder, there was a rope tied from one side to the other side, so you held onto that rope and walked at an angle across the top of the boulder (like maybe a boulder laying at a 45 degree angle, i'm not good at math, but it was at an angle).  on the other side of the boulder, the rope made a turn and you just held on to that rope and mini repelled down the face of that rock.  again, it was not straight down, .like real repelling, just at an angle.  i was able to manage it ( i had both hands since i had my back pack , not a beach bag) so it was not a problem. my shoes were able to grip a little bit of the rock as well, so i didn't slip.   i'd say the rock was maybe 10-12 feet tall

 

those were the 3 worst places while inside the boulder maze and they really were not bad at all. my fear of "will i be able to fit through this" was worse than the real thing, so hopefully this mini review helped a little bit and put some minds at ease.

 

after the jaunt thrrough the baths, (time is meaningless, maybe an hour???).  we spent some time on the other side of the maze at the beach.  it was lovely.  we rinsed off the sweat and floated around.   like i said, we just had the two backpacks and one towel.  my husband isn't really an ocean person, he rinsed off and dried off first, then the rest of us did the same.  before hiking back up the trail, we were able to rinse the sand off of our feet at a little rinsing station at the base of the trail

 

now comes the hike back up.   it took another 10-15 minutes to hike back to the top (on a different trail than we hiked down on)  so keep in mind that there is still some strenuous walking if you are not a person who walks a lot.   you can take at your own pace, i was surprised that i didn't even stop to rest.     it is not paved, but is wider than the path down (or seemed to be) and there are a couple of times you use a little rock as a step but no biggie. 

 

there was a lady on our tour that had just had some kind of knee surgery.  she was slow and uncomfortable and probably should not have been on this excursion, but even she was able to complete it (some of the other people on the tour helped her through some of the rough spots- kindness of strangers)

 

once back at the top, we headed over to the little makeshift tent for a well deserved rum punch (the kids had their own non alcoholic punch) , then it was back to the open air trucks for the ride back to the ferry, then ferry back to tortola.     remember that ibuprophen i took at the start of the day??? great decision.  after activity, i'm fine, but after sitting around in a truck/ ferry, i usually get very stiff....not this time.  if that is you, take an ibuprophen or something similar.  i was pain freeee for the rest of the day. 

 

all in all, it was an amazing day. memories were made, fun was had.  if you have never visited the Baths, but you are on the fence about it, you should do it.  the boulders were breathtaking and the trip was worth it. 

 

thanks for reading and happy to answer any questions if you have any. 

 

 

 

 

[grannyshell]

Pyropoodle, thanks for this detailed review. I found it very helpful.

[pyropoodle]

hopefully it will be helpful years from now, i was culling together things written in 2014 before i decided to say 'to heck with it' and just go see for myself.  

 

and thank you LauraS for the very nice badge!   my heart is smiling  🙂

[Mud_Shark]

We are (were?) planning to take this excursion next year (Mar '24) with our children and grandchildren, but maybe need to rethink.  The twins will only be 2 and a half at that point.  Some of what is described above sounds too difficult for them.

Can anyone who has done this excursion with young children comment?  Thx.

 

[cruisetmc]

Very helpful review.  Especially helpful the shoes and back pack suggestions.  

 

Did you have any extra time after this excursion to shop and see the port area?

 

[hollins2007]

This is very helpful!  I am not plus-sized but I am afraid of heights... I am wondering how steep are the steps/the walk down?  Are there railings before the part with the ropes? 

 

We are doing the baths excursion through Royal in June, but it doesn't include a swim.  I was looking at getting a waterproof cross body purse but may just look into a backpack instead.   That may help with stability better 🙂   We did just get water shoes though!

[blue_water]

Heights aren’t really a concern, I’m also not good with ladders or steps, and there you will have others helping if needed…

 

A swim-in from the boat is also not part of the experience unless you book an excursion that takes you directly to the Baths. The cruise ship excursions typically include a ferry to the Virgin Gorda marina, then a shared taxi to the Top of the Baths, where you walk the path down to the beach and the boulders…

The water shoes are a great idea, as is the back pack!

 

If you have time after the Baths, stop by the Baths & Turtle in Spanishtown near the ferry terminal for a bite. Or if you have more time have a driver take you to gorgeous Savannah Bay. Fares are cheap, and drivers will work with you on pick-ups.

 

Or if you want to get back to Road Town first, ferry back to Tortola and stop by Pusser’s Road Town Pub for a bite and check out their clothing shop! Close to the cruise dock…
Enjoy!

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by blue_water

[hollins2007]

3 hours ago, blue_water said:

Heights aren’t really a concern, I’m also not good with ladders or steps, and there you will have others helping if needed…

 

A swim-in from the boat is also not part of the experience unless you book an excursion that takes you directly to the Baths. The cruise ship excursions typically include a ferry to the Virgin Gorda marina, then a shared taxi to the Top of the Baths, where you walk the path down to the beach and the boulders…

The water shoes are a great idea, as is the back pack!

 

If you have time after the Baths, stop by the Baths & Turtle in Spanishtown near the ferry terminal for a bite. Or if you have more time have a driver take you to gorgeous Savannah Bay. Fares are cheap, and drivers will work with you on pick-ups.

 

Or if you want to get back to Road Town first, ferry back to Tortola and stop by Pusser’s Road Town Pub for a bite and check out their clothing shop! Close to the cruise dock…
Enjoy!

 

 

Thank you!  That is helpful (all of it!).

 

We aren't swimming but I had seen photos of people standing in water, so thought waterproof stuff may be a good idea!

 

I am not sure how much time we will have between the excursion and when we need to be back on the ship (have to refer to my schedule) but I will keep all of that in mind!

[blue_water]

If you have 10 hrs in port, for example, you could work with a taxi driver on VG and visit Savannah Bay for beach time, Mad Dog’s for the view and a drink, or another spot while the biggest crowd from the ship is at the Baths. It can be too congested when there are many there…If you have a shorter port time you’re going to be in that crowd…

So just mentioning that in case you can make a nicer day out if it…

[pyropoodle]

On 4/26/2023 at 10:59 AM, hollins2007 said:

This is very helpful!  I am not plus-sized but I am afraid of heights... I am wondering how steep are the steps/the walk down?  Are there railings before the part with the ropes? 

 

We are doing the baths excursion through Royal in June, but it doesn't include a swim.  I was looking at getting a waterproof cross body purse but may just look into a backpack instead.   That may help with stability better 🙂   We did just get water shoes though!

 

i'm not sure how afraid of heights you are, but i felt very safe walking down the steps to the top of that boulder thingy (my point number3. in my original post).  there are maybe 10-12 steps (guestimating) that you go down sideways, your back is to the boulder and you are holding a (can't remember if it is a rail ? i think it was) and just taking it down one step at a time / sideways. so you don't have to glance down into any kind of abyss, if that is more comforting.  you can't really see that the next step after getting to the bottom of that ladder type thing is traversing that boulder. it was a little surprise.   

 

so you would walk sideways down those stairs, then turn and you see the boulder and the rope. i'd say it is maybe 10 feet from the top of the boulder to the ground.  you hold the rope and walk across the top of the boulder , then once on the other side, you grab the rope that allows you to mini repel down to the bottom.  i say mini repel becuase you are wakling down at an angle, you are able to stand up and slighly bend forward, so you aren't jumping off of the face of the boulder at all, it is not very intimidating. unless you are the very first one, you have a little bit of time to watch the person in front of you traverse so you can mentally plan your moves.  my brain works like that, i see what they do then mentally talk myself through how i would do it myself. 

 

i wish i had pics of that area, i'll see what my husband took, but i couldn't find any on my camera. i have attached some of the "water" it's really only maybe ankle deep in most parts and completely dry for the majority of it.  

 

i have attached a pic of the 1st staircase you come to.  it is relatively short and i had no issues with this one.  and a pic of my kids in one of  the watery parts of the paths..and another pic of my fam winding through the terrain. we all made it out alive!  

[pyropoodle]

...also, to the rest of your post saying it doesn't include a swim.  we didn't do the swim to shore excursion because my kiddos aren't ready for that, but at the end of the path, when you exit the baths, there is a beach area (there is also one at the start of the path) so you will have some time to swim if you want to.  

Edited April 28, 2023 by pyropoodle

[pyropoodle]

On 4/19/2023 at 4:19 AM, Mud_Shark said:

We are (were?) planning to take this excursion next year (Mar '24) with our children and grandchildren, but maybe need to rethink.  The twins will only be 2 and a half at that point.  Some of what is described above sounds too difficult for them.

Can anyone who has done this excursion with young children comment?  Thx.

 

 

I'm not saying don't do this with 2 1/2 year olds, but i am saying it will not be easy and be prepared to probably carry them most of the time.-there is no way to have any kind of a stroller at all, and if you have a papoose or something to carry them on your back??? you'd be taking it off frequently to squeeze through some of the shorter spots/ tighter spots.  As much fun as the baths were, if i had children under 5, (mayyyybe 4 1/2 if they aren't the type of kid that wants to be carried) i would find something else to do.   

[pyropoodle]

On 4/20/2023 at 12:31 PM, cruisetmc said:

Very helpful review.  Especially helpful the shoes and back pack suggestions.  

 

Did you have any extra time after this excursion to shop and see the port area?

 

we did not really have a lot of extra time that i remember.  after the excursion, we lined up for our cup of rum punch, then onto the back of the truck for the ride back to the ferry,,then onto the ferry for the ride back to the ship.   i remember being so tired and just exhausted that if there was port time, i was not interested in it. it was an early start to that day (for us, there had been a time change and then we met at like 7 or 7:30 in the morning, so we got up early / had breakfast, etc.....)   1pm felt like 10pm , lol

 

i don't remember anything at all about the actual port.  it was a jam packed day of travel and exhaustion. 

[blue_water]

That is an early start and an active day!

 

Thanks for your great feedback to everyone - very helpful indeed! ❤️

[forbjz]

On 4/19/2023 at 4:19 AM, Mud_Shark said:

We are (were?) planning to take this excursion next year (Mar '24) with our children and grandchildren, but maybe need to rethink.  The twins will only be 2 and a half at that point.  Some of what is described above sounds too difficult for them.

Can anyone who has done this excursion with young children comment?  Thx.

 

Look into Spring Bay. It’s right next to the Baths and does not have the stairs or the very big crowds. Look for YouTube videos for both areas and you can see the similarities and differences. There are no bathrooms or food at Spring Bay.

[Mud_Shark]

Will do - Thx for the tip.

[blue_water]

15 hours ago, forbjz said:

Look into Spring Bay. It’s right next to the Baths and does not have the stairs or the very big crowds. Look for YouTube videos for both areas and you can see the similarities and differences. There are no bathrooms or food at Spring Bay.

Yes Spring Bay is much easier to access, but as noted no public facilities. You’d need to walk back to the Top of the Baths restaurant for restrooms, etc…Or better yet Mad Dog Cafe. Be sure to carry water…
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Spring+Bay,+British+Virgin+Islands/Top+of+the+Baths,+Spanish+Town,+British+Virgin+Islands/@18.4314074,-64.4421792,548m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x8c057925b0efc5a7:0x75176fec07a7e26e!2m2!1d-64.4459545!2d18.4321559!1m5!1m1!1s0x8c0573df809631bd:0x6a8de662a9897170!2m2!1d-64.442391!2d18.4293272!3e2

[sokrfamily]

Thank you for a great detailed review!  You've put my mind at ease!  I have a question...we booked this excursion for our upcoming Celebrity Cruise and it says time duration is 4 hours.  Is that how long yours was and is that from meet up to back to the ship?

[hollins2007]

On 4/28/2023 at 10:03 AM, pyropoodle said:

i'm not sure how afraid of heights you are, but i felt very safe walking down the steps to the top of that boulder thingy (my point number3. in my original post).  there are maybe 10-12 steps (guestimating) that you go down sideways, your back is to the boulder and you are holding a (can't remember if it is a rail ? i think it was) and just taking it down one step at a time / sideways. so you don't have to glance down into any kind of abyss, if that is more comforting.  you can't really see that the next step after getting to the bottom of that ladder type thing is traversing that boulder. it was a little surprise.   

 

So I just wanted to check in after doing this excursion last week.  The stairs where you have to go down sideways - I had issues with that.  Very small stairs, having trouble doing it sideways.  I did it, but it took a lot of deep breaths and going very slowly.  The rest of it was fine but that was the hardest part for me.

 

There was a railing but also a rope, but our guide said to hold onto the rail with both hands.  That made it more doable.  I'm just glad my husband was in front of me and gently talking me through those steps!

 

Just wanted to add that on here in case anyone comes back with questions.  If you have issues with heights, like me, there was one spot that was difficult... but what a gorgeous view afterwards!  I will say if I go back I probably will not DO this one again, lol.  But it is worth doing once.

[daybrake]

@pyropoodle Thank you so much for your detailed review.  The Celebrity cruise that I will be on only offers the version of this excursion that begins with a 300 yard open water swim, so I was already thinking that it was not for me.  However, your detailed review of the Baths "hiking" around/up/down boulders while holding onto ropes, etc. further convinced me because my footing is not always the best on normal stairs and periods of dizziness.  Thank you.

[pyropoodle]

On 8/5/2023 at 9:15 AM, daybrake said:

@pyropoodle Thank you so much for your detailed review.  The Celebrity cruise that I will be on only offers the version of this excursion that begins with a 300 yard open water swim, so I was already thinking that it was not for me.  However, your detailed review of the Baths "hiking" around/up/down boulders while holding onto ropes, etc. further convinced me because my footing is not always the best on normal stairs and periods of dizziness.  Thank you.

thanks so much for taking the time to read it.  yes, it was a little taxing.  it was definitely beautiful and a very cool experience, i don't know if i'd do it again.  :).   while  i  am a great swimmer,i'm glad we didn't have to swim to the shore , that would have added another layer of anxiety for me as well.  - i wouldn't have taken my kiddos for sure for any kind of open water swim.   

[olemissreb]

Thanks for the great review.  I had looked at something like this, but since my sister can be very clumsy (she has a knack for tripping on air) and my boyfriend has ankle problems, I think we'll skip the tour this time.

[mitsugirly]

I just had to stop to say that was an amazing review and brought back many memories of the time we visited several years ago. (We did have one person in our party fall and of course they blamed it on me for bringing them there...yea ok I'm responsible lol) so we didn't make it to the other side after that. But man was it gorgeous and I would love to give it another shot some day. HERE is my review of our trip there and it has tons of pictures of this adventure OP was talking about if anyone is interested in a visual.

[AmgEms2020]

My partner and I are looking at possibly doing an excursion through NCL that doesn't go to the Baths, and goes to just Virgin Gorda but NCL says there is a weight restriction. was there a WR when you booked, or did you disregard? I hope this doesn't sound rude or insightful, but I am over the weight restriction by 25 ish lbs. i'm 5'5 and xl-2x on a good day but not more than a 3x. and I would love to go on this. lol.

 

Love your post and descriptions! makes me want to go even more!

[Butterfly0822]

Thank you for this review and all the details! I was too nervous to go here last spring -- I wish I had seen your post first!

 

Just booked another cruise that is going to Tortola in a few months and I can't wait to do this.