TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Gratitude and New Friends

Greetings All,

I wish for you all to know how grateful I am for your generous advice and responses to my post. Really appreciated. When I achieve World Domination, you all will be given positions of great wealth and power. If that takes longer, than I will stand you a painkiller. First new question guys: What about cruise ships? One of my villa contacts indicated they are hitting Tortola 5 days a week. Another on VG indicated fewer there, but still come in. This is almost antithetical to what are are going to BVI for. How do we avoid the hordes? I know CGB and The Baths get overrun but hopefully not the majority of each island.

I was planning to drive up to Leverick one day, take the water taxi to BEYC, get a room, go out to the rock for drinks and return and party at the BEYC pub and leave the next day. Can I do that up there and get a room without a reservation more or less spontaneously during a week long VG stay?

What is your favorite two week window during the year?

Thank you and smooth sailing,

Rick

Hi Rick ... Cruise Ship Schedule for March just posted today ... http://bviports.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/March-2017.pdf

When planning a trip, I consult this and try to keep clear.

Thanks - Mark

We are going to be there in May ~ hoping to stay in CCB a night or two. Am I correct that the cruise ships are not as common at that time of year?

Thank you Mark...This is a game changer...27 of 31 days has cruise ships of over 1500 people on Tortola and 19 in VG sound...I have been researching and planning this for weeks and now I am seriously considering going somewhere else...I am very much attracted to the much sleepier vibe of BVI compared to other islands...but with thousands of mostly rude and drunk cruise passengers I do not see how that squares with the low key vibe we seek...what say you?

I went to the BVI Ports Authority cruise schedule (http://bviports.org/cruise-schedule/) and did a filtered search for last May. There were only 7 cruise ship visits that month - Disney and NCL.

Some less visited beaches by cruise ship passengers that have relatively easy vehicle access include Smuggler's Cove and Brewers Bay on Tortola, Long Bay on Beef Island, and Savannah Bay on VG.

Savannah Bay on VG is a go to place for local's on their day off work. Wednesday is a little crowded, but Sunday's at Savannah is tailgate party day. You'll have to park up the road just down the dirt road from the main road. Grills are fired up, boom boxes are raging, kids running wild. It can be kind of fun, though, hanging with the crowd and chatting. And, they will offer you grilled meat and a beer. The rest of the week (except Wednesday, as some have that off) you just might have Sav. Bay to yourself. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" /> Is it May yet? <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

If you're staying in a villa on VG for a week why waste a night in what will likely be a beautiful home with pool AND privacy for a night in a resort? What we do is drive from the villa above Leverick, take the water taxi across the Sound, drink/eat, come back to Leverick and drink some more. If concerned you can always taxi to/from Leverick. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/toast.gif" alt="" />

We've been going to VG for five years now and with the exception of the Baths have never seen any "cruise masses". Hog Heaven tends to get a few safari busses that stop, unpile in all modes of dress/undress, and my wife and I just sit at the bar for profound entertainment. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

If it is not too late to get in on favours after you achieve word domination... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Cruise ships really drop off in April, May and June. We are travelling in Late June early July for 10 days and there is only a cruise ship twice during our time. Cruise ship activities also tend to focus on select places with the busiest of them on Tortola (Cane garden bay is a mess, Sopers Hole is pretty busy) with more traffic on some of the other islands (the Bight Norman Island had some cruise people and White bay.)

You can still escape the crowds if you are in Virgin Gorda, North Sound, Anegada would be fine.

Also keep in mind that cruise ship activity is really limited to a limited to between 10-4 or so. And then they clear back to their boat and off to their next location. You can still have a great time at the beach before or after and enjoy the sunset and a much nicer atmosphere and night life at Cane Garden bay or Great Harbour on Jost.

We usually go to VG in April...never find crowds except at the Baths....

We ended up there last year on a Sunday with my very newbie crew ( my two gorgeous daughters and a friend) ....was a VERY interesting day... Beer all day , goat stew cooked over an open fire and the most incredible people . An hour long beach walk lasted until 8 pm....

Don't worry too much about the cruise ships that actually stop in VG. Whether they stop in VG Sound or Spanishtown, these are really small ships carrying 100-200 passengers.

Shari

In past Aprils in VG, the crowds seem to be mostly at the Baths,
and only on Tuesdays.
That should be enough to get at least a small portion of any
great wealth and power.
So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Mike

Thank you again everyone...Now thinking about April...Mike-I live in Shelby Twp, MI...Not sure how far away you are, but I will stand you a pint (or 3) sometime to learn about BVI.

Everyone take care and safe sailing,

Rick

I was in CGB from last Wednesday - Sunday. Never again....during the season. It was mobbed with cruise shippers. I've been going there since I lived on St. John back in the late 70s - early 80s. It has lost it's appeal for me. We will go again for a few day in the Summer and see how that goes but everything has changed so much. Some locals are making money (taxi drivers & beach chair rentals) but all in all it seems to be driving away the people who really spend money on the island.

Then come to Anegada...

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

We will be going back in the Summer and Anegada will be our 1st stop.