Eastern cruises... is Tortola "back"??

[tigerchic89]

I have not been keeping up, Is DCL able to dock in Tortola yet?

 

[oklamomof4boys]

We cruise June 2nd and have been told we will stop in St Maarten instead of Tortola

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Representatives from DCL and a couple other lines are in Tortola (or were, recently) to assess. I know DCL is still doing St. Maarten until at least June.

The big limiter in Tortola right now is ground transport. They can't handle excursions for one of the big ships, like the Fantasy.

http://bvinews.com/new/major-cruise-lines-to-assess-bvi-before-return/

 

[RRB]

I just was in communication with Shoreside Concierge about this. Here is what they wrote back....

Thanks for reaching out!

At this time we are expecting both Ports (St Thomas and Tortola) to be operating as normal, but will let you know if anything changes. We have been visiting St. Thomas as normal for the past few months and there are only a couple of Port Adventures that have not been offered.

We can start taking requests for your Cruise Activities at 125 days out and at that time, we will have a full schedule of Port Adventures and can let you know which Port Adventures are being offered.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

They we're booking Tortola stuff for concierge for January cruises before they switched,and for later cruises as well. I would not look at "being allowed to book" meaning it will be your port, KWIM? Until they announce a switch they always act like normal. After the switch they run around like beheaded chickens.

 

[cvjw]

They we're booking Tortola stuff for concierge for January cruises before they switched,and for later cruises as well. I would not look at "being allowed to book" meaning it will be your port, KWIM? Until they announce a switch they always act like normal. After the switch they run around like beheaded chickens.

Yes, I stayed up til midnight to book the baths excursion on Tortola for our May cruise. And then Disney announced a couple weeks later that the ship,wasn’t even going to stop on Tortola.

Disney letting you book excursions doesn’t guarantee the ship will stop at a certain port.

 

[DVC Jen]

We sail June 16th and were switches to St. Maarten

 

[Dug720]

They obviously WANT to get back to the island as soon as they can to bring the much-needed tourism dollars in. BUT they don't want to bring people in too early or before there are any resources ready to handle a ship with the population of the Fantasy. That's most likely why they are booking when they think they will be able to get back, but it's a highly changeable thing.

As it says in your cruise contract, the itinerary may be changed with or without notice based on conditions.

 

[RRB]

BTW, our cruise is in later September.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Even Tortola's tourism commission is saying ships over 3k passengers are an issue, or having more than one in port any given day is an issue. Which is telling because they want the revenue.

 

[RRB]

So is DCL going to St Thomas but not Tortola right now?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

So is DCL going to St Thomas but not Tortola right now?

Yes. They have been going to St. THomas since January. They usually have been replacing Tortola with SXM.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

As far as The Baths goes....that’s what many people want to be able to do....last I read work hadn’t even been started to repair everything there. I keep looking trying to find info. I also sail the Fantasy Eastern at the end of September. I’m not holding my breath on Tortola. Which, for me, is fine because I’ve been there 3 times already & visited The Baths twice.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Don't some people take a ferry to the Baths from St. Thomas?

 

[MonaMN]

Hoping they can get there by next January... would love to check it out!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Don't some people take a ferry to the Baths from St. Thomas?

It's really not that feasible on a cruise itinerary. Scheduled service is Saturdays only from Charlotte Amalie right now. The USVI to Road Town ferry service isn't even at 50% of pre-hurricane right now. I suppose you might be able to book a private charter, but the ones I've seen are expensive because they have to deal with international issues.

 

[RRB]

As far as The Baths goes....that’s what many people want to be able to do....last I read work hadn’t even been started to repair everything there. I keep looking trying to find info. I also sail the Fantasy Eastern at the end of September. I’m not holding my breath on Tortola. Which, for me, is fine because I’ve been there 3 times already & visited The Baths twice.

Sept 22 by chance?

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Sept 22 by chance?

Yup.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Sept 22 by chance?

In fact, I fly into Houston from Shannon, Ireland at midnight the 20th/21st. Fly from IAH to MCO early the 21st. My struggle will be to stay awake all day Friday the 21st. LOL! It’s going to be a real adventure....15 days in Ireland with my husband for our 25th Anniversary then immediately another 7 days of cruising with my friends. We are staying in a Copper Creek cabin the night before the cruise. That should be fun. I just hope I’m not so zombie-fied I don’t enjoy it. LOL! How about you?

 

[Sandbtwmytoes]

Representatives from DCL and a couple other lines are in Tortola (or were, recently) to assess. I know DCL is still doing St. Maarten until at least June.

The big limiter in Tortola right now is ground transport. They can't handle excursions for one of the big ships, like the Fantasy.

http://bvinews.com/new/major-cruise-lines-to-assess-bvi-before-return/

I found the comments at the bottom of the article to be very telling about the situation. I'm not too sure they will be ready for our Sept. cruise either.