julieblount

I am looking for advice on the best day charter to the BVI. Would like to see the Baths etc. We will be visiting in January and it is a group of women. We are possibly looking at New Horizons II

Thanks for the input.

ejcrowe

So I take it that you'll be on St. John?

I would personally avoid the Baths on weekend days because I find it more crowded then. What days does New Horizons II go to VG?

julieblount

Yes we will be on St John. From what I can tell on their website, the will go anyday, I have not personally called them yet though. We were planning on a Monday or Tuesday day trip

steviegene

Hi,

We just did a trip with New Horizons in March.
It was a fun time.

Basically they pick you up at the port in St. John.
They then take you over to the Baths. You get a tour of the baths, which is fun - where you scramble over rocks and through pools.,
Then onto lunch on an island. The location for lunch was beautiful, but it did feel a bit rushed. Then they take you nearby for a snorkel. Finally to Jost Van Dyke where you have to swim onto shore. There you can get a drink at the bar or ice cream and sit on the beach. There were lots of other charters there.
They then take you back to St John. It is a full day.

They provide drinks and snacks which was nice. The staff was nice - the captain was cute. I think it would be a good charter for a group - but if you have a large group I might consider chartering your own personal boat & captain. I did this once and it was much nicer than the Horizons tour, especially since you don't have to be on the boat with people you don't know.

All in all it was a nice day on New Horizons. There are lots of other charter daytrips including Pirate's Penny and private charters.

If you have more specific questions, let me know.

julieblount

stevegene,

Was lunch included in the price of the charter, or did you have to pay extra for that???

brenandg

You have to pay for your own lunch. It is at Pusser's on Marina Cay, nice spot. They call the order in beforehand.

steviegene

Not included. I thought that they would really jack up the prices for lunch - because the restaurant is on a private little island, and its not like you have a choice about where to go.
But the prices really weren't bad - about what you'd expect to pay. The choices were pretty simple -- soups, salads, sandwiches, fish, etc. Food was decent - not spectacular - but good.

pjayer

You didn't say how many were in your party, but if it's 6 or less I would recommend Palm Tree Charters. We've used him twice and will be with him again at the end of the month. Here's the website if you want to take a look - www.palmtreecharters.com. He has a nice, fast boat and will take you where you want to go and/or suggest places depending on your interests. Sounds like a fun trip!

Pulley

We have used Pirates Penny/Stormy Petrel for 4 day trips to the BVIs. They are fantastic people. It's around $125 per person and they stop at Cooper Island for lunch, which is not included in the price. Depending on the size of your party you may want to book the whole boat. We've done this 3 times. As a private party we get to choose our snorkel stops. We also bring our lunch, for the crew as well, and this let's us spend maximum time snorkeling. They will meet you at the US Park Service dock in Cruz Bay.

virginia

i've done the new horizons trip as well and we had a great time. the final stop at the soggy dollar is a hoot. lunch was fine - we had time for a quick walk & a stop in the pussers store for cigars before the boat left. if you choose them book way ahead. you can always cancel if necessary.
fyi new horizons will do a charter as well.