On our recent Fantasy cruise, for our Tortola stop, we took a trip to The Baths (on Virgin Gorda) on our own. I had looked into this ahead of time, but it went a little differently than I expected, so I thought I would write this up for any future travelers who might want to try it. This is really long, but I tried to be thorough…
So, a couple of general summaries:
- You’ll need to get off the ship and make it to the ferry terminal. This was farther than I expected it to be. It is “close” in the sense that you can walk it and it’s visible from the ship, but it’s a good 15 minute walk through town (maybe 10 if you really hustle).
- Leaving the ship, you will have to go through all the shopping area (a fenced-in area that has the same cruise-stores that are in seemingly every port in the Caribbean). At the end of that, the road (Administration Drive) will head off to the left.
- Follow Administration Drive down to the end, where it hits Waterfront Drive. Turn left (to stay toward the water) and continue down until you get to the Ferry terminal (a red-roofed building). There was a sign somewhere along the way pointing the direction to the ferry.
- Just to be clear, there is another marina right near the cruise pier (to the right as you are coming off the pier. This is NOT the direction to head, though I imagine the official excursions will use those much closer docks.
- The main ferry, Speedy’s (https://www.bviferries.com/) , had ferries leaving at 7:45, 9:00, and 10:40 (but check the schedule for your date of travel).
- *** I had read beforehand about catching the 7:45 Ferry. This proved to not be possible for us! *** We were off the ship between 7:30 (the official time they allowed people off) and 7:35, we walked as fast as we could to the ferry, but we were too late – the ferry left right at 7:45. If you want any chance of making the 7:45 ferry, you really need to get off BEFORE 7:30, and really book it to get to the ferry. If you have smaller kids who can’t walk at a brisk pace for more than 10 minutes, I’d recommend leaving the ship closer to 8:30 and taking the 9:00 ferry. We ended up having to wait at the ferry terminal for an hour, and we’d have rather spent an extra 30-45 minutes at a more leisurely breakfast rather than rushing while trying (and failing) to make the 7:45.
- The 9:00 ferry still got us there well before the Disney excursions. There was 1 other ship docked with us in the port, and I believe we also beat their excursions. But, people from both ships were on the 9:00 ferry doing things on their own.
- There was another ferry there, that left at 8:30, from a different company. I’m not sure where that it was going to Virgin Gorda, but realize there might be options other than Speedy’s. Speedy’s is the “main” one, though.
- We bought our ticket at the window of the Ferry terminal. “Terminal” sounds fancier than this is, but it will probably be obvious to you once you’re there.
- There are a few places to sit at the ferry terminal, and there are some restrooms if you need them.
- There are 2 ways of getting your tickets: in advance at the window, or on the boat itself. They do not take tickets as you board the ferry boat – someone comes by and you either give him your tickets, or pay him the cost on the spot.
- At the window, you may have the option of paying by credit card, but when we went, the woman at the window said the CC scanner wasn’t working that morning, so we had to pay cash. For 3 adults and 1 child, this was $154. So, be sure to bring plenty of cash!
- On board, I think paying in cash is your only option.
- Be sure to buy the ticket that also gives you transportation to the Baths. In addition to the ferry ticket, they will give you a wristband identifying you as a “Speedy’s” customer that indicates that you are supposed to have for the taxis.
- The ride to Virgin Gorda is pretty fast – about 30 minutes – and we found it kind of scenic.
- The ferry has both inside and outside seating. They had multiple boats, some with 3 levels and a fully open top deck, and others with just 2 levels and a partially open rear deck.
- Once at Virgin Gorda, they have a variety of “taxis” to take you to the Baths. This is a much more haphazard system than it might sound like – there are basically a bunch of open-air tram/busses, and you just get in one and they take you to the baths. I imagine there are other places you can go, or you can choose not to take these, but basically everyone was getting in one of these and going on to the baths.
- It seemed to me that you could basically pile in to any of the buses and they all go to the same place. It’s not a very scenic drive (rough road), but it not very long – maybe 15 minutes total. You would not want to walk it, and there’s no reason to take anything other than their open-air tram/buses.
- At the Baths, they will let you out at the Top of the Baths. You will pay here to enter.
- There are restrooms available here. They are the only ones until you get through the boulders, so you might want to use them at this point.
- The cost to enter was $3 per adult, $2 for children (they counted my 17 year old as a child), and children 10 and under are free (they said “under 10” but then said my 10 year old was free). I think this was cash only. Again, make sure you have cash. The line was kind of long for everyone to pay.
- There is a restaurant and gift shop up here. Save those for later.
- I believe (though not positive) I saw a small store renting snorkel equipment up here. If you want to rent it, this would be the only option; there is not any down at the beach. Even if so, you might find it easier to come back up to rent it when you are ready to snorkel, rather than lugging the equipment through the boulders below.
- The Baths is basically 2 small beaches (one called Devils Bay, and one called, confusingly, “the Baths”), separated by the large rocks/boulders that are what most people refer to “the Baths” as. They tell you it’s a one-way trail (though actually you could go through in reverse with the only issue being if there were crowds.
- You will take a trail down the hill toward Devil’s Bay. This is a slightly longer and less steep trail than the one coming up from the Baths beach.
- The trails are not super-tough or anything, so it is feasible to take one down and back. If you are in good physical shape, it won’t be an issue at all, but if you are
- If you are not going to go through the boulders, then the thing to do is probably to go down the trail to the Baths side, and then wait there to meet anyone else coming through.
- At the end of the starting trail is a beach, Devil’s Bay. We actually liked this beach more than the one on the opposite side (the Baths beach), but the problem is once you leave, you can’t come back (easily – you’d have to go up and around, or go “backward” through the boulders). Most people seemed to take some time to swim here.
- If you are doing this on your own, it is probably to avoid larger crowds from later excursions. So, you probably don’t want to spend too long here.
- When you go through the boulders, there are some green arrows (and occasional signs) that will point out the direction to head. If you don’t know, just look around and there is almost certainly a sign.
- Going through this area was the highlight of the entire cruise for most of our family, so we were glad to be on our own and get to take our time. From talking to people on the official excursion,
- There are several “side paths” and places to explore along the way. My kids loved exploring these. It’s very easy for them to get out of sight, though, so you might want to keep closer tabs on younger kids.
- Keep an eye out in the water and you might spot some fish or crabs along the way (we did).
- Some areas are a little tight to squeeze through – shorter and thinner people will have an easier time than those of us who are taller and fatter…
- You will need to go through some water (up to about knee level) and can go into deeper water if you want to explore some places, but it’s not required.
- Rocks can be a little slippery, and there are a few places where there are ropes to hold on to, and some small ladders to climb to get around. You don’t need to be particularly athletic to do this, but you do need to be able to move around. We saw several older folks go through, and some that chose to avoid it.
- You will come out of the boulder area at “The Baths” beach.
- This area is not really large, and tends to collect lots of people. So, it gets kind of crowded. When we arrived, crowds were low, but it started “filling” pretty quickly, and by the time the cruise excursions arrived, it was pretty crowded.
- There is very little shade, almost no place to sit, etc. You’ll just want to have a blanket to spread out, and be sure to use sunblock. We used a lot, and we all still ended up sunburned from our time at this beach.
- There is a stand here that sold hamburgers, hot dogs, and a few snack items (I spotted granola bars and potato chips). No sign up giving a menu or prices, though(?!?). We tried to order something on the late side and they had run out of hamburgers and hot dogs for the day. So, if you want to buy something, get it early.
- There are some restrooms down here, also. By these there is a foot-washing station (to be used for not tracking sand into the restroom), but the water ran so slowly it was nearly useless. My family did use this to sort-of wash off the sand from their feet before heading up.
- Back at the top of the hill is the “Top of the Baths” restaurant and shops.
- The restaurant was overwhelmed with people. The people on the Disney excursion had a buffet meal that they just had to stand in line for and there were some reserved tables for them. From what we heard, the food was not very good, but at least they got food! Everyone else was supposed to sit down and servers were supposed to come take orders. We were there for almost an hour and no one came by. I did manage to buy some soft drinks at one of the bars.
- The prices here are extremely high if you do manage to order. From what we heard, the kitchen was also really slow, so you might not be able to get food.
- The restaurant does have tables (several with umbrellas), and there is even a small swimming pool (that lots of kids were using) in the middle. So, you can sit and rest, possibly in some shade, and kids can swim in the pool, while you wait (probably unsuccessfully) to order.
- Outside the “Top of the Baths” there are shuttles/trams to take you back down to the ferry.
- Again, this seemed more haphazard than anything. We got in one where the driver had a “Speedy’s” shirt on, but he was taking our group, and people from Disney excursions, and it seemed like basically anyone who wanted to pile in. I don’t know how they manage the “economics” side, but basically it seemed like all the taxis were going to the same place, so they all just took whoever was there.
- They asked us to be at the taxis half an hour before our ferry back. We were there 45 minutes before, and they were taking people, so I am not sure if they just stared earlier, or were kind of continuously running round trips (quite possible) or what.
- Speedy’s had return ferries at 12:40, 3:30, and 5:00. I think the 5:00 would be pushing it to get back in time for our all-aboard at 5:45 (half hour ride plus 15 minute walk is right at time).
- We were easily ready to go by 2:00. If we had made the 7:45 ferry, then the 12:40 return would have been absolutely perfect for us to return, having felt we spent a good day. As it was, taking the 9:00 ferry had us there longer than we wanted, especially with the difficulty of getting food. If we had left right after going through the boulders, we could have made the 12:40, but would not have had any beach time at the end.
- Back at the ferry, they had an area for those waiting for Speedy’s to sit in. Those on the cruise ship excursions went to a different area (I think their ferry was waiting for them). The ride back was easy, and the 15 minute walk back to the ship was not too bad (better than our race-walk in the morning!).
So, a couple of general summaries:
- If you can really manage to get off the ship BEFORE 7:30, and can hustle to the ferry terminal, then you could make the 7:45 ferry. Taking that and then the 12:40 return (and eating back at the ship) would, I think, be nearly ideal.
- If you can’t get off so early, then the 9:00 is your best bet (you’ll probably be at the Baths and on your way down to Devil’s Bay by around 10). But, this will either mean a very quick visit (about 2 hours - mainly just going through the boulders, and a short beach time) to get the 12:40 return, or staying about 3 hours longer for the 3:30 return. I’d suggest deciding this ahead of time, and if you will be there longer, plan ahead on how you will handle food and such.
- The 10:40 would also be an option (and you could return on the 3:30) - the amount of time is probably about right, but you will be overlapping lunchtime (so you need to plan how you will handle that) and you will probably be there with the larger "crowds" from the ship excursions.
- Compared to the Disney Excursion:
- Pros:
- We saved a lot of money. It cost us (2 adults, 17 y.o. and 10 y.o.) $162 vs. $544 that the Disney one would have cost.
- We got to go through the boulders at our own pace. This was the main benefit for us, and it’s what made this a major highlight of our trip. Talking to those on the excursion, they went through as a group, and that did not give time for exploring side paths and just “playing” in there. We encountered a couple of people, but mostly had the boulders area to ourselves and took our time as we went through.
- The beaches, when we first got there, were not crowded at all.
- We saved a lot of money. It cost us (2 adults, 17 y.o. and 10 y.o.) $162 vs. $544 that the Disney one would have cost.
- Cons:
- We didn’t get food (the Disney excursion included lunch, and they actually got lunch, even if it wasn’t great). If we had wanted food, it would have been very expensive, we’d have needed to go earlier, and there wasn’t that much choice.
- The timing was not ideal. I think the Disney excursion planned about the right amount of total time at the Baths. We were faced with staying either too-short of a time, or longer than we wanted
- I expect the Disney excursion left from the nearby marina with a reserved ferry boat, and thus saved 20-30 minutes of walking, plus time waiting for our ferry.
- We didn’t get food (the Disney excursion included lunch, and they actually got lunch, even if it wasn’t great). If we had wanted food, it would have been very expensive, we’d have needed to go earlier, and there wasn’t that much choice.
- Pros: