New pier in Tortola

An article in the Virgin Islands Daily News today about the new dock in Tortola. A bright future is ahead...

Whoa, Nutmeg, look out for cannon balls over the bow, talking about 'bright future ahead'!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

That was my first thought too. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

I am guestimating a 35-40% increase in cruise visitors and I am not sure where they are going to put them.

How may bathrooms facilities did they build to accomodate the new visitors? Or do they just get to squat in the bushes, or overrun local business owners restrooms. Most that go to the beaches do not buy food and drink, they bring it from the boat. They want to use the local restrooms, make a filthy mess then get back on the bus to the ship. Many never spend a dime. i do not frequent any place where cruise ship tourist are.

I know I will be flamed by some. So be it.

Goodbye Tortola, it's been good visiting but not anymore. After 10 visits to one of my favorite islands it's time to say goodbye. Enjoy your stampede of cruisers, I am sure they will boost up the economy of your island! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />

We'll see what the overrun is on VG and may have to look elsewhere unfortunately. Very nice 14 year run from the first time I even heard about Tortola from an article in Caribbean Travel & Life in 2001.

Saw a picture in the article of a handful of people walking down some fairly quiet beach (CGB) and four people in the water hoisting a cold Carib in the air. Told Belinda "we ought to go there and give it a try" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Clapping.gif" alt="" />

We first visited Tortola in 1990 and fell in love with the peaceful and quiet atmosphere. One would never believe it would eventually be a stop for those megacruisers.What a damn shame!! I think VG will also be over run, how can it not be. They will have excursions up the gazoo there and also to JVD. They need some where to send the cruisers to make their trip worthwhile. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif" alt="" />

We did our first charter in the BVI in 1989, it was truly a very quiet piece of paradise. Over the years we have seen how much busier it has become. We're back down May 9 - 20 (yeahhhh) I just can't imagine where all these people will go. Cruises are very inexpensive these days and 4000 guests and 1000+ crew in Roadtown just seems unbelievable. Nothing against growing tourism, but we won't be anywhere near Roadtown on a Wed. Think I'll look at the cruise lines website and see what tours they offer - then I'll know where to stay away from.

The Norwegian Cruise Lines website says the ship arrives at 8am and departs at 4pm, and that "Disembarkation usually begins 2 hours after docking. Due to security reasons, all guests must be on board 2 hours before sailing."

So it doesn't really seem like that much time on the ground in port. The website shows options for the Dolphin Encounter, an island tour, a trip to the Baths, and maybe snorkeling at Norman.

It actually doesn't seem so unmanageable to me. Some of the hundreds (thousands?) of guests are bound to spend a few bucks around the BVI, so that's a win for the islands.

According to the article, which is available to read, there are bathrooms in the plan. Almost five acres of new structures and facilities according to the article.

The ports director says they plan to have cruise ships every week of the year.
There goes the neighborhood. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/smashpc.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

DiversionsIII mentioned 1989. Now I can't possibly have y'all beat, can I? My first visit was in 1984.

Mixed feelings, personally. I expect more crowds, which is not a good thing from my own, selfish perspective. But I also expect a boost to the islands' economy, which I cannot criticize when I look at it from the perspective of the people who live there.

As a resident of Florida I live with this paradox every day. More tourists means a better economy, from which I benefit. Yet more tourists also means more crowds, dirt, delays, etc, from which I suffer. You cannot have the yin without the yang.

Everybody take a deep breath and relax.

Sorry, but I don't buy into the whole "OMG, there goes the whole BVI, I'm never going back..." thing. I just don't get that same reaction to this.

Cruise ship guests stay within a narrow range of activities in the BVI and are very easy to avoid. I don't think we've ever been impacted by cruise ship passengers in the many times we've been there (starting in 1989 on a Bimini Charters boat). They don't add volume to our ferry rides or EIS flights. They don't add traffic at the marina. Cruise ship arrivals are well publicized so it's easy to plan an itinerary around them. It's already well established on this board that the best time to visit the Baths is first thing in the morning or late afternoon, both will avoid cruise ship conga lines. Maybe we're lucky but we've never seen cruise ship crowds at CGB. Actually, I'd kinda like to do some people watching from our boat, might be interesting. By late afternoon, they're all gone anyway.

This is more of a problem for the residents of Tortola (traffic, crowds) and the restaurant/bar owners who have to put up with cruise ship customers.

So, if you don't want to go back to the BVI over this, that's certainly your choice, but that just means less crowds in the anchorages for me!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

I've got you beat by 19 years in the USVI and 12 years in the BVI <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Absolutely good and bad for the belongers in the BVI. Surely it's time to have money spent in their beautiful island and economy for all their betterment. But again, more also brings about more problems of all types they have to address.. Let's just hope it stays safe, fun, warming and respectful for all peoples. Been there 10 times and will keep going back. Change is inevitable. Love people and their islands there.

I'm sure they have a grandiose plan, just like finishing the hospital that has never happened, and upgrading the airport for the multi millionaires
and the myriad of other infrastructure projects that have been planned never get done.

I am not going to stop coming to BVI, but I will avoid the areas that are over run with cruise shippers. It is not just BVI, it is anywhere where they allow an entire boatload of people to come ashore without the infrastructure to make the visit a positive one for the local economy and the tourists including the ones who spend thousands of dollars on accommodations and the local economy.

Wow! You must be really old.....cause I know how old I am!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

I've got a good 40 years to go <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

We were at Norman the day the Norwegian Getaway was at dock. Not a noticeable increase in traffic. Certainly far less than a sunday afternoon.

Yes, I am resentful sharing my BVI. But wait... These are not my islands. I understand that the government gets a per head tax for each visitor whether or not they go ashore. No matter how much they receive from my charter fees, it cannot compare to the weekly visits of these ships holding 4,000 passengers. Do I like it? No. Can I deal with it? Probably

We've been dropped off by a cruise ship on Tortola a few years ago, rented a car and went off on our own. Didn't really see much of a difference than when we've stayed on island. I think our experience with Christmas In July in 2013 was considerably worse.

Part of the beauty of sailing the BVI, in the past, has been the lack of hand rails, "Danger" signs, and other paraphernalia related to the management and safety of people who lack the skill and judgment necessary to embark on an adventure vacation by themselves.

Visiting the wild places on my own with no more than my wits, a chart, and a sturdy vessel under me was what initially drew me to the BVI.

I feel fortunate to have sailed the BVI in a "mostly pristine" state. As compared to our first bareboat charter in the BVI in 1984, about half of it's wildness has disappeared. When the wildness is completely gone, when the handrails are all up, the paths are all paved, and the warning signs are all in place the BVI will have lost most of it's allure to me.

My mom forced me to move to the VI with her in 1966 when I was 8. I hated it so much that I decided to go to college there too. Do I win?

In my humble opinion, tourism doesn't destroy a place; drug related crime does.

I too have about 40 years to go. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Well I was there in USVI in 1965, I wasn't 8 years old.

I agree, the Baths were pristine without vendors and hand rails or signs.
No mooring balls, GPS didn't exist. To contact anyone you would use the marine operator on your VHF
The locals all had positive attitudes.
It was nature at at its best.

Some believe that cruise ships and drugs go hand in hand ..that "merchandise" is easily moved from island to island on these behemoths. One really nasty impact has been the taxi drivers..they are abusive when they block you in..they are abusive to each other when they fight for fares..and then are as nice as pie on non cruise ship days when they want your $$. During cruise ship days Soper's Hole has become impossible. We do much of our our shopping at Harbour Market but sometimes you cant get close..nowhere to park and then you are blocked in and get said attitude if you ask someone to move to let you out..as for CGB on a big cruise ship day???!!!I will be very interested to see how long this all lasts..Disney stopped coming to the BVI's because there was" nothing for kids to do"..how has that changed ??? I think you will be able to pick up a slightly used "safari bus" really cheap in a few years...

If the " port call" off a cruise ship is 4 or 5 hours at most, it is going to limit the distance people can go and what they can accomlish, and how much time they have to " spend money".

I keep seeing this right here in Maine as numbers of cruise visitors keep climbing on Mt Desert Island.

Geez, that's pretty damn surreal. I can't help it... it scares me a bit.

Two things I think will be essential: First declare the pier park a duty free zone and rent several of the spaces to experienced Charlotte Amalie vendors who know how to separate cruise passengers from their money. That will keep more of them concentrated in Road Town.

Second, (brace yourself) Disneyfy Cane Garden Bay. Make all the taxis park in the vacant lot at the east end by the ghut and run a passenger tram back and forth from there to the Wedding Place and back making stops along the way. That will at least keep the road reasonably clear.

In the original plan (with the ferris wheel) there was a proposal for a tram to carry visitors around Road Town. That would have been an excellent idea for bringing customers to the galleries and shops on Main St and elsewhere around town and reduced the number wandering mindlessly through traffic on Waterfront but the taxi drivers shot it down.

Maybe listen to someone who lives there as Mal does? I hope he's right with the vision.

Maybe with all the new people traffic, tortola can get a Walmart to keep the cruise ship passengers occupied.

as they say - the more things change - the more they stay the same

Nothing here will change, and none of you will stop coming because other tourists are here

This place is ALOT quieter than it was pre-2008/9/10 and it has not truly recovered

The dock is being built - because the cruise ships quit coming - their business is slower-and there are easier places to go

Once the ships start arriving - further final construction will stop - or take as long as the hospital - which btw - is all empty unfurnished rooms

And do some math - the average tourist couple coming here.. drops $4000/wk-maybe a bit more
A cruise ship with 4000 head - pays $28000 to dock
buys "some" provisions & services.. and the cattle spend "some" money.. x whatever % of the 4000 that come ashore

Manpot is correct - the safari drivers are gruff - I think they are scrambling to steal bodies - something they weren't so inclined to do in good times
Politeness on the road is gone - get in their way - they'll push you over - maybe the drivers are the new generation, dunno..

Unfortunately I know way too many folks who don't come back anymore. That 3-5 month crowd is getting thinner.

You are soooo right!!

Come to Virgin Gorda

Methinks VG will be impacted too..

The was a blurb on FB yesterday about Margaritaville coming to the new pier...hadn't seen that before.

Will the cruise ship passengers have to pay the 20 dollar departure tax?
G

Heard the Margaritaville rumour too..someone said a 400 seat restaurant????? If that's so..how does that help the locals in RT trying to sell food..and what happened to no overseas coporations..what's next KFC?? I find this hard to believe but I am looking into it..BTW I have heard that rents on the new pier are outragoeus and few locals can afford them..

Here is an article about Margaritaville:

http://bvinews.com/new/margaritaville-likely-to-operate-in-the-bvi/

Hmm...And the Margaritaville time share at the old Renaissance location on St Thomas is set to open this summer. Guess someone is trying to flood the market?