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I've seen lots of discussion about the different charters from St. John to the Baths, but not much about taking the ferry, which our family (Mom, Dad, two girls) did last Thursday. It worked out great. The ferry leaves St. John on Sundays and Thursdays at 8:30am, from the dock by the car ferry. We were advised to get there at 8, which was good because there was a bit of a line to get tickets and customs forms to fill out and such. We don't have passports, but birth certificates worked out fine. And we were happy that they took credit cards for the ferry tickets, so we could hang on to our precious cash...
The ferry ride was very pleasant, not too rough. I enjoyed seeing all the north shore beaches of St. John from the water. We made one unscheduled stop at Tortola to let off a few passengers (it was such a quick stop that my husband did not even know anyone left the ferry!) I thought it was neat to make the stop because I got to see the little town (can't remember the name, but it's where the Jolly Roger is...) There was a lot to look at from the ferry, so I never even opened my book.
We got to Virgin Gorda a little bit after 10, went quickly through customs and then jumped in a taxi for the Baths. There are all sorts of taxis waiting at the ferry dock and you are kind of assigned to a taxi. Our driver was Jeremy, very nice, and a careful driver. I think some of the other taxis went a bit faster over those speed bumps! Jeremy dropped us off at the Baths, and then told us that he would be back to pick us up at 2:15, and would not take any money until then. He kept telling us how crowded it would be at the Baths, because there were a couple of cruise ships in.
We decided to start at the restaurant at the top of the Baths and have a meal before heading down. The restaurant is so cool and reasonable. There is a swimming pool right in the middle, and the view is spectacular. They were still serving breakfast and it was yummy.
With full stomachs, we headed down to the Baths. And Jeremy was right - it was crowded! We had to pause several times on the stairs down, and even more when we tried to get from the beach at the bottom to Devil's Rock beach. It was crazy trying to get though the path in the rocks. There were streams of people coming down the ladders that we wanted to go up! And I think they were on a schedule to get back to their cruise ship, so they weren't stopping to let anyone through. Oh well, I just stopped to catch my breath and enjoy the caves and such. (Did I mention that I was the one stuck with the huge backpack? There are lockers at the beach, but we wanted all the cameras and such with us.)
The Baths are just beautiful, and it ended up not so crowded after those groups left. The girls found a little cave to swim in and some big boulders to jump off. And our hike back was simple and not too crowded. We even had time to enjoy a nice cold Red Stripe at the beach before hiking back to the top of the Baths. Jeremy was in the parking lot right at 2:15 and we made it back with time to snap a couple of photos before getting on the ferry. The ride home was just as pretty, but I saw a lot of people snoozing...
I'm glad we went with the ferry option because it gave us more time to spend playing around at the Baths. I think with the charters you are a little more pampered, and you see a few more islands, but I don't think we would have had time to find our own little cave...
Great info to share!
What do they charge for the ferry?
I think it was $60 for adults and $45 for kids. My 13-year-old was happy to be called an adult! (Can't really fake the ages when you are presenting birth certificates...)
great info, thanks, as this is what we are planning to do.
can you give me a little more explanation on 'ladders'. I have a a bad back and i'm wondering if the Baths are really for me.
Can you gauge the level of physical activity required?
Thanks for the report
mbw
Hi mary beth.
There are some ropes installed to help people climb over some of the slippery rocks and some wooden ladders to help people climb over some of the steeper rocks. During the peak hours of the day it can seem like hundreds of people are trying to go up and down the same ladders at the same time. If you arrive by charter boat and the climbing doesn't suit you, you can always opt to snorkel or sit on a spot of sand but if you arrive by taxi you'll have to walk a bit to get there, and then if you decide this activity is bad for your back you can't just hang out until your ready to swim back to the boat, you'd have to walk back to where the taxi has arranged to pick you up.
I'm assuming the customs fee is in addition to the ferry fee? Customs is $20 right?
I've been comparing costs and trying to decide between doing Limnos which would include lunch and give us an extra snorkel stop or doing the ferry which would only allow us to see the Baths but we would have more time to spend there.
We thought the customs fee was additional, but we never had to pay it, so I guess it's included! I can't believe they would forget to collect that fee.
I did not know that cruise ships went to Virgin Gorda.
jaimiek,
Some cruise ships, usually those with a stop in Tortola, offer shore excursions to the Baths.
large cruise ships do not go to Virgin Gorda. i believe MichiganGirl was staying on St. John and just took a ferry to Virgin Gorda for the day. there are a few smaller cruise ships that stop at Virgin Gorda, i think some of the WindJammer cruise ships and the Radisson Diamond stop there as well.
I was wondering where, when and the cost of the ferry to Virgin Gorda from ST. Thomas. Also about getting to Jost Van Dyke from STT ..Thanks
STT - Jost Van Dyke $50 RT
STT - Virgin Gorda $60 RT
There is a schedule here https://www.vinow.com/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/#Red%20Hook%20to%20Virgin%20Gorda
Does that include or not include the $20pp customs fee?
MichiganGirl - Thank you for the report. The Baths are a must do for us in December and I've been reading about the ferry. We don't want to take a daysail boat to VG because we are not wanting to snorkle along the way. So we have to decide on taking the ferry or a boat to VG.
Does anyone know if we would get more time on VG if we went by boat versus the ferry? By ferry it looks like you only have a little more than 4 hours there. Is that enough time to really enjoy the Baths?
Thnx!!
In my personal opinion I think http://www.limnoscharters.com/ is the best way to get out there for the money. Includes lunch and open bar. You can also rent your own private boat to go out there but expect to pay about $500 including gas since its a long haul.
I think 4 hours is moree than enough to explore the Baths, and give you time for lunch there as well. The ferry fees do not include the customs fees.
Have fun!
Stu - we will be paying for 4...does your recommendation above still stand to go with someone like limnoscharters?
Also, do you know if the charter services that serve lunch are adaptable? We would need a vegetarian lunch. As in no eggs in any of the items served, including breads and desserts and no meat.
Thnx!
Yes my choice with Limnos stands for 2 reasons.
1. Cost on a private boat will be about $500 and Limnos will be about $100 or so a head, PLUS you get food and drinks.
2. That trip there is upwind in Sir Francis Drake Channel and if there is even a little chop and there always is, the ride with Limnos is MUCH smoother since the private boat would be bouncing around in the waves.
I would call Limnos, about the food issue. I'm sure you are not the first person to ask that question. They are good people so I would be surprised if they couldn't accomodate you in someway.
If for some reason they can't, there is a Food Center right before you get to the Limnos Marina (Compass Point Marina) and you could stop in there and pick something up.
If you REALLY want to rent a boat on your own, I would recommend Nauti Nymphs for this trip and get the new Cat boats for a smooth ride. Although I think they might be in the $500 range WITH gas.
I hope this helps!
The difference between the ferry and a day boat is not just snorkeling. The day boats take you on a tour of the BVI, usually up the north side of Tortola and back the south. You get to see quite a lot of real estate, are served beverages by pleasant crew in a comfortable setting. Kinda like the difference between a cross-town bus and a limosine!
Would you recommended Limnos or NHII? and why?
I'm going to let someone who has recently been on New Horizons II add their comments, I've heard nothing but great things about them and if its the same price I'd do New Horizons, but I think they are probably much more expensive.
Limnos is just a ferry type boat, New Horizon's is a Scarab (speed boat) think Baywatch boat. Good things about New Horizons is that since they are fast and smaller they get to many more locations than Limnos. So I think I just convinced myself I would do New Horizons is it was within my budget because you get a small taste of everything. They stop at Marina Cay, Jost Van Dyke, and one other place too.
HAVE FUN!
