If you search through this board, you'll see two of the three at least reviewed by others on more than one thread.

My husband & I chose New Horizons II last April & really enjoyed our day.

We chose NHII based on the fact that it was a powerboat that would bring us to 4 locations in one day - The Baths on Virgin Gorda, Marina Cay for lunch, snorkeling stop off of Guana Island & then on to Jost Van Dyke for a stop at White Bay & Soggy Dollar Bar. That day was truly one of the highlights of our vacation.

Funny, but I was upset when we were leaving the snorkeling spot to go to Jost Van Dyke. Then, as it turned out, going to Jost and experiencing the beautiful beach, the fun atmosphere & the (not to be minimized) PAINKILLER, was definitely not to be missed!

We were also fortunate enough to have rented a car through Budget & got a discount coupon book that included a discount for this BVI trip with NHII.

The boat was great, the crew was great - they even served breads for breakfast & fruit in the afternoon. It was a very well run trip.

Couldn't recommend it enough!

Of course, I have heard wonderful things about Stormy Petrol, too. Guess it just depends on how many stops you want to make on that trip & where you want them to be.

Enjoy your vacation!!! (We have to wait til next April - but, are already counting the days and of course, planning on getting back to Jost!!)

Magic Moments is a higher-end excursion (read: more $$), more private, less people. But I think the NHII is awesome. Only 16 people, four islands, open bar, great trip. Stormy Petrol is also a great trip. For me, though, I would rate the trips as:

1. NHII
2. Magic Moments
3. Stormy Petrol

Of course, this all depends on what you are looking for. Hoity-toity, go with MM, Best value, go NHII. More flexibility, go SP. Any way you choose, it's gonna be a great day!

Have fun!

WE've done New Horizons II twice. LOVED it both times. The snorkeling is probably the low-point of the trip. The Baths are really neat, Marina Cay (Lunch) is beautiful, snorkeling is average at best, Jost Van Dyke (Soggy Dollar) is wonderful. Crew is always very helpful and friendly - real class-act. You get to see some wonderful sites all in one day. If you want a great snorkeling adventure, consider doing a day-sail snorkel adventure. If you want variety and several prestine sites in one day, the New Horizons II is for you.

Thanks to all for your comments. Sounds like we really couldn't go wrong with any of them!

Can someone please tell me what "open bar" means? Where I'm from open bar means all drinks are free or included in the price. Just trying to budget as we are considering a day excursion with New Horizons II. Thanks 😉

We took the NHII trip in July and had a really good time. They really do just keep making drinks on the boat all day - as many as you want for no additional cost. The Painkillers they made were not very strong or there is no way I could have drunk so many. We felt no need to purchase drinks at the Soggy Dollar, as everyone else was doing, and just laid in a hammock for an hour. The lunch place on Marina Cay is a really nice atmosphere.

We took the NHII trip in July and had a really good time. They really do just keep making drinks on the boat all day - as many as you want for no additional cost.

Thanks, Iggie, this pretty much answered my question about "Open Bar" 😉

Has anyone tried the new boat Breakaway, same company as NHII I think, just wondering what the difference between the two are? We will be down to STJ in late January 06 and wanted to do a power and sail trip, have booked White Wing out of Coral Bay for the sail but am trying to decide which power trip to go with...any info is appreciated.

Kevin F

Hello Kevin,

Breakaway is a power boat but much bigger than NH11. Breakaway holds up to 27 people and a little slower than NH11. NH11 is also a power boat,smaller but holds up to 12 people. They go to the same places and usually Breakaway is behind NH11.

I liked Breakaway better even though it had more people because you have more shade or sun (what ever you prefer) More room to move around too.

We were on Breakaway in April and we had a blast. We were scheduled on NH11 but it broke down 15 minutes into our trip and we transferred to Breakaway. I got to try out both boats and I liked
the bigger boat.

Have fun....

Hi,
The only difference between New Horizons 2 and Breakaway is the size. They travel to the same locations at the same speed. Breakaway will do a snorkel stop before lunch and New Horizons 2 will do a snorkel stop after lunch. The reason for this is so our guests are not snorkeling on top of each other. Also, it helps the restaurant to stagger the arrival of our guests. If you book online for either trip, you will receive 10% off. www.newhorizonscharters.com or www.visitbreakaway.com
Have a nice day!
We are!

My money is on, and went to, Limnos Charters, great snorkling, best access to the Baths, still has all the booze etc, plus lunch, plus its cheaper than the others, plus the boat was smooth and big enough to spread out in. We saw NH I believe at the Baths and the people were packed on like sardines.

limnos sounds great
was it a rough ride?
did you have to swim to the baths ? we will have a senior with us
and is it the same in winter as summer? what time do you come back it gets dark so early

also is there another boat or two that goes just to st john

Been on both Limnos and Stormy Petrol....

I think Limnos is the only one that parks at the top so you can walk into the baths... Personally, I liked Stormy Petrol because it was a smaller more informative tour, but we did have to swim into the baths... Stopped for lunch on Cooper Island, which I liked, but was additional... Lunch was included in my Limnos Tour...

I had a lot of fun on both... but liked the smaller Stormy Petrol a little bit more...