Carnival Ecstasy

I really wanted to take my mom on her first cruise, and I chose this 4-night out of Port Canaveral because I thought it would be a good place to start for her.

Date: October 3rd - 7th
Home Port: Port Canaveral
Parking: Park Port Canaveral (at the Radisson) $7.95/day + tax (free shuttle)
Price: $520 total incl taxes - Porthole cabin R23
Ports of Call: Nassau, Half Moon Cay (private island)

Embarkation Day
Recommend making a parking reservation at Park Port Canaveral. Easy, cheap, convenient, and quick. They have shuttles running pretty much non-stop and nice staff.

Check-in and boarding was smooth and the fastest yet! 

Food
Your typical Carnival fare.  The Lido deck buffett area is small, but there are still enough choices to find something to eat. 

I was surprised to find out that Elegant night was the evening as Nassau (port from 12-8).  Needless to say, dinner wasn't all that crowded. Dessert suggestion on Elegant night - order Cherries Jubilee and eat it along with Chocolate Melting Cake.  It was an amazing pairing!!

I'd always been curious about the cheese plate appearing on the dessert menu, and I was always too full to try it AND get my CMC:)  This time, I remembered to ask our server to bring it as part of our Starter course.  Definitely glad that I finally had a chance to try the cheeses - they are delish!

The first two nights, Your Time Dining (Wind Star dining room) had no lines of people waiting for tables.  The last two nights, though, had a fairly long line, although I wouldn't say it was more than a 15 wait at the longest.

The chocolate buffet on Lido was on Sunday (sea day).

Room (R23)
This is a double porthole room on Riviera deck (bottom room floor, 4th floor).  The room is conveniently located near a main stairwell and has easy access to the main show lounge and Wind Star.  It's also easy-access for debarking at ports.  The only bad thing is that a main loading area is under the room, so there was some noise from staff moving things one evening.  Lot of banging around, but nothing intolerable.  The room does NOT have a hair dryer.

Entertainment
Boring cruise director.  The entertainers for the main show lounge shows were awesome!  Definitely the best troupe we have seen in a several cruises.  They could all sing well and dance. The piano guy was terrible.

Overall
Relaxing time on Ecstasy!  Small, older ship - wonderful staff.

Ports
Nassau
I have said it in other posts, but I will say it again - I dislike Nassau - a lot.  I had originally planned to just go to Arawak Cay for the the Fish Fry restaurants and then to Junkanoo Beach, but a few weeks before leaving I decided to look into snorkeling excursions.  I will never do a ship-sponsored snorkel trip through the cruiseline again since we had a horrible time on the Sensation in 2009 when we stopped at Nassau for our first cruise.  As usual, I hopped on Cruise Critic's Bahamas board and then Trip Advisor.  I came across Blue Hole Watersports, and the latest reviews on TA were all fantastic.  I decided to give this one a shot so that Mom could experience snorkeling in a tropical environment.

Blue Hole Watersports' 2-hour excursion leaves from the British Colonial Hilton, which is walking distance from port.  Price is $55 per person with no deposit required.

Mark was our captain, and there were 9 of us that day.  What a wonderful experience from start to finish!  The water was clear and calm, and the reef was beautiful.  I had about given up hope for colorful reefs in the Bahamas, but this proved me wrong.  We were dropped at two different locations - a reef and a sunken ship used for the James Bond film "Thunderball."  I was so excited to see my first Lion Fish just hanging out at the bottom of the wreck.  On the ride back to the pier, we had our choice of soda or water from the cooler Mark stocked.  Would definitely recommend BHW for a snorkeling excursion!

Half Moon Cay (private island)
We really enjoyed Coco Cay last December, and I kept hearing how great HMC is.  It did not disappoint!  The tender process from the ship is pretty quick and painless, and we were able to grab a couple loungers in a fairly shaded area.  Lunch was very good - hot food, plenty of covered picnic areas.  HMC's "snorkel" area is to the far left of the beach, by a jetty that creates the waterway for the tender boats.  There is very little to see in terms of coral, but the fish do like to hang out there.  Don't expect much, but do know that the water and beach are simply amazing,

Chicago

The hubs travels often for work, and it was great to finally have the chance to join him over Labor Day weekend plus visit my cousin at the same time.  Here's a rundown of our weekend  - we ate a lot and the rest was family time for me so not much touristy stuff.

Hotel
Crown Plaza Metro - W Madison & Halstead - Hubs always stays here when he has to go to his corporate office, and it really is in a great location.  My favorite things about it?  It's close to Greektown, right off the highway, is convenient to CTA buses, and is within walking distance of Union Station. 

Restaurants
Amarit Thai & Pan Asian Cuisine - Good food, reasonable prices. 
600 S. Dearborn

Blokes and Birds - Such a neat little pub-style restaurant just south of Wrigley Field.  I had the lamb sandwich, which was just OK.  Hubs got shepherd's pie - lamb-based.  Very good!  The service was fantastic!  We got there about 6pm, right before the Cubs game ended, and I'm glad we got there when we did.  After a Cubs game, all the bars and restaurants on Clark are flooded with everyone leaving the stadium. Also, I found this restaurant on restaurant.com and made a reservation via OpenTable.com.
3343 N. Clark St. (near the iO Improv)

Toast - Great place for breakfast/brunch.  I had the Pancake Orgy and Hubs had Huevos w/ Chorizo & Cheddar.  Both of our dishes were incredible! The pancakes are HUGE and surrounded by a lot of fresh berries and fruit.  I have never tasted a pancake like the lemon poppyseed, and it was so different!  I don't think I'd get a plate of just the lemon poppyseed, but they were a great balance to the rest of the deliciousness on my plate.  I'd go back there in a heartbeat, and it was easy to get to from our hotel (take the 8 all the way up Halstead). We were absolutely stuffed for hours so it was definitely a good choice before we started shopping.  I'm drooling just thinking about my pancakes!
746 W. Webster at Halstead

Pancake Orgy at Toast

Tweet - Had a wonderful brunch here with my cousin and her husband who used to live in the neighborhood.  They are both gluten-free and lactose intolerant, and I can see why they love this place so much!  The menu is VAST, and there is about everything on it that you can possibly imagine that fits ANY diet criteria. I had the Heavenly Havarti Omelette, and I wish that I had chosen something a little different because the flavor wasn't quite there for me - too subdued, I think.  I love that nearly everything on the menu is organic and/or local.  Please note, they only accept cash and this place gets packed on a late Sunday morning!
5020 N Sheridan Rd

Potbelly - Small chain sandwich shop.  It's a great place to stop and get a bite to eat when you are out and about in the city.  We stopped for a very quick breakfast on Friday morning, and I ordered a cup of the steel cut oatmeal with apples, cranberries, walnuts, and brown sugar - so good!  I may have to try this combo at home.  Hubs had a breakfast sandwich that COULD sound like it came from a McDonald's menu, but trust me, it is on a different planet than the fast food giant.  The bread is super fresh!

Mariano's Fresh Market - I had no other place to put this, so I'm putting this amazing fresh market here! It is right across the street from our hotel, and I didn't believe Hubs at first when he told me we should go there to get something to eat. He described it as similar to the market and cafe in Whole Foods, so I was just like, eh, whatever. We needed something to eat and had just gotten back from a few hours of shopping so we finally stopped in to grab some food. Holy smokes! I wish I had discovered this place sooner and believed him!  The prepared food selection doesn't even look like something that belongs in a grocery market.  The copious varieties of salad, baked items, deli selections, made-to-order pizza, sushi, hot meals, and everything else under the sun was amazing and so affordable!  We grabbed a bottle of wine from the great selection and bought food to take back with us to the room.  What a wonderland of quick, convenient food items!
40 S Halstead St

Things to Do
iO Improv Comedy Club - We reserved tickets online for the Saturday night show: Goldstar and The iO Musical ft The Deltones.  Liked the audience participation and cabaret-style feel of the room.  These people are talented and work really well together.  If you are looking for a budget-friendly comedy show, this is the place for you!  $14 per ticket for a Saturday night - not too shabby!
3541 N Clark St

Chicago Cultural Center - This is a free activity, great to do solo, and easy to get to.  The Tiffany glass dome is the must-see area of the center, but I have to tell that was not my favorite aspect of the building.  The intricate tile work blew me away!  I happened to look underneath one of the stair cases, and the tile artwork and marble pattern was right there above my head.  This building is truly astounding and worth a visit!
78 E Washington St at Michigan Ave

Getting Around Chicago
This is the very first time that I have ever tackled public transportation by myself so I was really nervous and wanted to be as prepared as possible.  I found the Chicago Transit Authority site to be extremely helpful - even better than San Francisco's.  The interactive maps gave me a good idea of where our hotel was in relation to other popular areas of the city and gave me an easy-to-view route of all buses and trains.  I ordered the 3-day pass for $20 a couple weeks before leaving so that I'd have it on Friday morning.  Shipped right away to my house with no shipping fee. 

Carnival Breeze - Southern Caribbean

The Breeze ports in Miami and does several different itineries.  We chose an 8-day, which included Curacao, La Romana, Grand Turk, and Aruba.

Parking in Miami

Premier Cruise Parking (premiercruisepark@bellsouth.net), 1415 NE 2nd Ave. Parking Garage
$8 per day, including tax.  Free shuttle to port.  The wait for the arrival of the shuttle at the parking garage going to port can be a little long, but it's worth it to us.  We've used this garage twice and will use it again.  I believe that it is better to prepay so you don't have to do it there.

The Food

The steakhouse is very much the same as any of the other Carnival steakhouses, but still very good. We also ate dinner in Cucina del Capitano - excellent food and service!  Highly recommend!  We also made use of Guy Fieri's Burgers several times - hello yumminess!  Tandoor Indian cuisine (aft pool location) and Blue Iguana burritos were also amazing.  We did not starve on this trip!

The Ports

Curacao
We did a sunset sail through Smallfield Adventures ($42 pp) since were docked from 2pm-11pm. Carlos, Esperanza, and Garret crewed our boat, and they were all awesome.  We had a great time and highly recommend this excursion.  Our group "leader" had arranged for pick-up right outside the port area, and the taxi service was included in the $42.  Wear clothes you will be comfortable in sitting and standing on a boat.  Unless it's raining, you likely won't get wet.

The RIF Fort Bar had come highly recommended to us from other cruising friends, but part of our group had a horrible experience there and will likely be writing up that review on Trip Advisor.  We will never go back due to how poorly they were treated by the manager and the staff.

La Romana
While in the DR, we booked the Soana Island excursion through Seavis Tours.  Total was $74pp including the taxi.  The tour we took was specifically for cruise passengers.  Pick-up is a short walk from the docking area with a van ride to the beach check-in area.  We boarded our speedboat and went to Soana Island for snorkeling, beach, and lunch.  After time was up, we loaded up and went to a sandbar to visit with some resident starfish.  What an incredible experience!

 

Grand Turk
This was a lazy day for us so we grabbed some free beach chairs as soon as we walked off the pier.  The water was beautiful, and it was really convenient to have Margaritaville right behind us.  Next time we might try an excursion, but the relaxing day was great for us.

Aruba

• Snorkeling at Catalina Cove via Boca Catalina: From the port, take the number 10 bus going to Arashi.  Get off at Boca Catalina ($2.30 each way, per person - double check prices!  They give change in their Netherlands currency so use exact US money).  You can enter the softer sand here and snorkel just a little northwest (to your right when entering the water) to the Cove. This area is exactly where the snorkeling tours drop off so we were glad we got there early in the morning.  There are NO facilities in this area so bring water to drink.
• After snorkeling, we waited a little bit for the 10 bus to come back from Arashi, waved them down, paid our $2.30 and went on our way to Eagle Beach.  There's not much to do there, but the sand is powder soft, and the water is amazing.
• A tip on catching the bus from the pier: Walk off the pier, through the entry gates, past all of the waiting taxi vans, and across the busy 4 lane road to the bus depot.  It will be slightly to your right - big yellow building.

Map Adapted from: http://mappery.com/map-of/Aruba-Tourist-Map

Royal Caribbean - Monarch of the Seas

Date: December 14-17 (3-day)
Home Port: Port Canaveral
Parking: Radisson Resort at the Port $6.95/day + tax (free shuttle)
Price: $340 total incl taxes - Inside Cabin 6521
Ports of Call: Nassau, Cococay (RCCL private island)

We have cruised Carnival three times in the past and wanted to try another line.  This short, last minute trip was perfect!  Found a great price and booked 8 days before embarkation.

Embarkation Day
Recommend making a parking reservation at the Radisson Resort at the Port.  Easy, cheap, convenient, and quick.  They have shuttles running pretty much non-stop and nice staff.

Check-in and boarding was smooth and fast.  I think this is pretty typical with a smaller ship, but still very nice to not have to stand in line forever.

Food
Really, really disappointing.  The Windjammer was closed at odd times for set-up (example - 6:15 Sunday evening).  The food in the main dining room didn't really get good until Sunday night.  Friday and Saturday nights were pretty flavorless.

The BBQ lunch provided on Sunday at CocoCay was nice.  Typical Caribbean BBQ fare.

I liked the granola bar in the main dining room at breakfast.  They had a few types of granola base and all the toppings you could throw on.  Definitely a nice option since the breakfast service seemed pretty slow.

Beverages
Apparently RCCL changed their carryon beverage policy recently, which made this girl very happy.  They now allow each stateroom to carry on 2 bottles of wine.  We always take our own corkscrew so we can open it in our room.

Room (6521)
Quite small but adequate for a short weekend cruise.  The shower was super tiny, but we still were comfortable in our room.  Our cabin steward was awesome, which totally made up for the tight quarters.

Entertainment
Great cruise director.  Dancers were a little lacking.  A couple great singers.  We don't cruise for the shows, so whatever.

Overall
The boat is 21 years old and has been sold to another company who will take it to Europe.  Last trip for the Monarch on this itinerary is April 2013.  It was a relaxing weekend getaway, the staff were fantastic, and there were plenty of lounge chairs.  Debarkation was a breeze, and we made it off the boat doing self-assist earlier than I had thought.

I would try Royal Caribbean again - but on a different boat.

San Franciso, California

Just returned from our second trip to San Fran so we didn't do as much of the touristy stuff.  I'd also like to note that I am wearing a boot right now for a stress fracture and will write a bit about my experience being slightly physically impaired in this very hilly, very busy city.

To start, the boot was rough.  Along with hills, some of the sidewalks dip down toward the street - no big deal if you aren't wearing something that holds your ankle straight.  Walking across the street and over the street car lines was trickier than I thought it would be due to lack of ground feel and ability to balance.  I was up and down street cars and buses, and people are pretty patient when they see that someone is injured.  I will say, though, that the city's attitude isn't overly gracious for those who are slightly handicapped.  Not mean, just not overly nice about having to go slow.  I also don't remember more than one or two people actually getting up to give me their seat, even was hanging on with both hands and basically only one foot from the side of a street car.

Hotel
The Stanford Court Rennaissance Love this hotel!  It's conveniently located at the top of Powell street looking down over both Union Square and the bay, crossstreet California.   We were upgraded to a larger King room, 455, and the room is much larger than what I was expecting.  It looks recently made-over, and it's super clean.

Transportation
BART We took the Yellow Line from the aiport to downtown.  The train lines are kind of a pain to get to, but easy to find by following the signs.  There are ticket machines available right before you go down to board the train.  It's helpful if you already know where you want to get off because you have to pay that exact amount before buying the ticket.  Pay careful attention to the map and the directions on the screen.  Our train into downtown's Powell street was $8.25 pp one-way.  Much cheaper than a cab.

MUNI Muni passes are available for purchase at the information desks at the airport by baggage.  Prices will likely go up, but our 3-days passes for this trip were $21 pp, usable for ALL MUNI transports - cable cars, buses, and streetcars.  It is well worth the money to buy one if you are even going to be in town for a day.  They have 1-, 3-, and 7-day passes available.  Hills in San Fran are killer, so the MUNI system will keep you walking the next day:)

Restaurants
Indigo (on McAllister & Gough - take the 5 bus there AND back to the street car turnaround).  I found Indigo on http://www.restaurant.com/ and made a reservation through http://www.opentable.com/.  What we liked about Indigo, besides the great food and ambience, was the after-8PM pre fixe menu wine dinner.  For $50 pp, you get your choice of any app, entree, and dessert, with limitless refills on your choices of wines by the glass.  The servers were wonderful, and we really enjoyed our experience.

Santorini (on O'Farrel just west of Powell)  Like Indigo, I found this on http://www.restaurant.com/.  We went there for lunch and split a very tasty gyro platter ($16) and a baklava.  It's big and clean, but I would make a reservation if you are going there in the evening since it's so close to Union Square.

New Village Cafe (on Polk just south of California)  I read the reviews on Trip Advisor for this little mom and pop place, and it lived up to those reviews.  They have a nice selection of omelettes and other breakfast items, and it's affordable if you want a quick bite to eat before starting the day.  This place is CASH ONLY!

Other
We waited a very long time for the street car to get to Ghiradelli square Sunday afternoon, and the line coming back from that area on the Powell-Hyde car was absolutely ridiculous.  Guess what, though, the 19 bus picks up right outside Ghiradelli.  We took that back to California's street car and back to our hotel.  Again, love having a MUNI pass.

Napa Valley, California

We spent four days in Napa as part of trip to California.  Before reading through reviews, here is a list of general tips:

• Don't plan to visit more than 4 or 5 wineries in a day.
• If you can, download the eConcierges app on your droid or iPhone.  There are a lot of 2 for 1 tasting discounts (they are denoted "2:1" on my reviews below). 
• Split the tastings between two people if possible.  If you taste by yourself, you risk getting too drunk too fast and not being able to continue to other wineries.  For our 2 for 1's, we split them with another couple so four people tasted for the price of one.  Great deal financially and very wise.
• Take snacks and water with you.  Remember that protein (like a burger) is the best thing you can eat!
• Wine country is very casual - so jeans will probably be the nicest item of clothing you really need unless you are planning some really upscale jaunts.

Hotel
Villa Murialdo Vacation Rental - Unit D - 2BR, 2BA
This unit features a full kitchen and washer and dryer set, which worked out perfect since we'd already been in California for four days and our friends had been in Wisconsin for a wedding several days before arriving to CA.  It was nice to have the opportunity to wash our clothes because we had to pack much less than we would have otherwise.  They also have wireless internet, a covered parking space for each unit, a styrofoam cooler and ice packs for picnics, and a small patio with grill.

Wineries
Castello di Amorosa  This unique winery is owned by V. Sattui, who also has another winery in Napa that is well-known for its picnic areas and cheese selection.  $33 pp gets you a tour and tasting.  The place really is cool, and we loved going down into the wine caves.  We had the opportunity to taste a Cab out of the barrell, which I'd always wanted to do.  The tasting includes 5 different wines that you can select off of a menu, but if you are there with another person, you can choose 10 different ones to share for the tasting.  Definitely worth a visit, and keep in mind that they only sell their wine there - no where else.

Reverie This 3000 case per year winery is located on Diamond Mountain Rd near Calistoga.  This winery is by appointment only and free, but we got lucky enough to sneak in on a tour that had just started and met the owner along the way.  Tastings occur throughout the tour.  We bought a bottle of the 2008 Cab Franc.  A tip on this one - they are only open 6 months out of the year so check with them before going.

Von Strasser $20 per tasting, and my husband and I were able to share.  We were taken to their cave for the tasting so the air was nice and cool - very different than the 100* outside:)  Yes, the place is pretty, but we didn't find anything notable enough to buy.  This is also located on Diamond Mountain Rd, and is by appointment.

Peju Peju is one of our favorites from our trip to Napa in 2008.  They released a 2006 Zin the day we were there - so good!  Peju has a deal if you spend $35 on wine, they waive the $20 tasting fee. (2:1)

Whitehall Lane Good, quality wine.  Very close to Peju and Cakebread on 29.  No appointment needed.  (2:1)

Cakebread This winery has pretty pricey wines, but it doesn't really seem worth the price to me.  I don't recommend stopping here since there are far better wines and views available at other places.(2:1)

Elizabeth Spencer Small winery, but just OK wine.  $20 per tasting.

Deerfield Ranch Winery - Sonoma - If you are looking for a really nice tasting environment, DRW offers tastings in its cave.  The furniture is assorted - some set up with solid wood tables, other areas in little alcoves, and a few in a living room setting with couches and lush chairs.  Very cool ambience, OK wine. (2:1)

St. Francis - Sonoma - We've had the wine from St. Francis before and decided to forgo tastings here, BUT the scenery is absolutely gorgeous and worth a stop for pictures alone! (2:1)

B.R Cohn - Sonoma - Fees are waived with purchase.  BR Cohn has a good selection of wine, pretty property, and great olive oil that is harvested right from the property.  We bought the unfiltered.  (2:1)

Loxton - Sonoma - Very small vineyard with a winemaker that seems to be very involved.  We met Chris today, and he was quite personable.  Our friends loved Loxton's port.  No tasting fee.

Ledson Winery - Sonoma - Wow!  It's a beautiful castle-style building with fabulous woodwork, and the wine was A-Mazing!  There was an $88 Zin that was absolutely to die-for.  Definitely worth a stop!  (2:1)

Restaurants
Grace's Table This was our first food stop after arriving in downtown Napa.  We hit their happy hour that runs from 3-7 on Wednesdays (other days are 3-6).  Very reasonably priced for the great quality!  Four of us ate (I had a glass of wine) for $33 not including tip.  The mac n cheese is really tasty!

All Seasons This little restaurant is located right in the heart of Calistoga, which was a perfect way to end our morning of wine tasting.  The pulled pork was just alright, but the burgers are really juicy and tasty!

Small World Cafe Nice little stop in downtown Napa.  Affordable Meditarranean faire and cute location.

Wine Bars
1313 Main We went into this place because, as we quickly learned, Napa goes to bed early. All the other tasting rooms we tried were closed at 5.  We weren't expecting this at all, but thankfully 1313 Main was open late!  Each couple split a wine flight, and we enjoyed sitting out on their back patio talking.  It is a lovely little place, and the prices are quite reasonable considering the quality of the wines.

Carpe Diem We visited Carpe Diem for their Happy Hour following a day of wine tasting.  Very cool place and reasonable happy hour prices.  We especially loved the wild mushroom flatbread and truffle oil popcorn.  We do not recommend the jerk chicken tacos - not very good.

Other Things

The Model Bakery We had heard this place was great, so we stopped by after visiting Oxbow Market.  Wonderful selection of baked goods and yummy looking sweets, but the best part was the marked-down pastries and cakes!  I would imagine that afternoons are good time to stop by for some discounted goodness.

Vintage Sweet Shoppe I found this place on Groupon, and it just so happens to be located really close to Villa Murialdo and is right next to the General Store on the river.  We did their chocolate and wine pairing.

Carnival Valor - Eastern Caribbean

Had a great dinner in the Steakhouse on the first night as expected, and the service staff were amazing as usual throughout the entire cruise.  We went to four ports, but since I don't have much to say about Nassau, I'm not including it here.

Here are a few tips about Valor:
Cabin 6373 and the two on either side are right above where the band plays in the casino.  The room is super loud.  Be sure not to book near this area.

Cabin 7440 is a corner room with a huge wrap-around deck just large enough for 20 or so people to hang out. 

The Aft pool, Prometheus, is adults only and right next to the pizzaria.

The Serenity deck is in the front of the boat and only has jacuzzis, no pool.

Port Rundown:
St. Thomas - Sapphire Beach
Hopped a cab (JR AKA the "Road Runner" was our driver - he was great) and road out to Sapphire Beach - about 30 minutes or so.  Cost is $10pp one-way.  We took our snorkeling gear with us, rented a chaise ($7), and ordered a burger and fries from Banana Cabana.  We had a great time snorkeling!  Saw the sea turtles that live in the grass on the left side of the beach and also a very large spotted ray.  Overall, highly recommend Sapphire Beach.  We ended our day with a short trip to see other parts of the island on our way back to the ship.



Antigua
We booked the Xtreme Circumnav with Adventure Antigua, and it was totally worth the money!  The website already gives you a great description so I won't rehash it here.  I will, however, say a few things.  First, we were getting pretty antsy waiting for them to pick us up to start the tour, but then we realized that they picked up a resort guest first.  This put them a few minutes behind the scheduled time they told us originally, but it wasn't bad at all.  Second, they have snorkel gear if you don't have your own.  Third, if you are prone to motion sickness, DO NOT go on this tour.  The Atlantic side of the island is very bumpy (8 ft swells when we were there).  Fourth, this tour makes a stop at Sting Ray City, which is out in the middle of the Caribbean on a sand bar.  The rays are VERY "friendly". 

The crew was great, the water and snorkeling areas beautiful, the rock formations spectacular, and the boat ride awesome.  If you choose this excursion, be prepared for an adventurous and memorable day.

The Baths on Virgin Gorda (from the port of Tortola)
If something makes me upset, I will tell you.  So here goes the bad news before the good.  We took Speedy's Ferry from Tortola to the Baths.  I don't know if there are other viable options, but I would look at them before doing Speedy's again.  The total cost round trip per person is $38pp (incl ferry pass and taxi).  A large group of us from our Cruise Critic roll call board did this excursion independent from Carnival, so we wanted to make sure to get there early so we could all get on the ferry.  The first ferry out was supposed to leave at 7:45am, but the office didn't even open until 7:45ish.  Our ferry boat didn't show up to the dock until 8:30am (45 minutes late).  Once we were loaded, some of us went upstairs and inside.  The room was mildewy, the AC made me feel like I was going to start growing spores in my lungs, and the seats smelled like a wet dog.  The ride is rough anyway, but add that to a not-so-great atmosphere, and half the room got up to go outside before they were sick.  Not so different on the way back, only this time we sat upstairs but outside.  Much better.  From other members of our group, downstairs was only slightly better.  Did I mention that the ferry was late getting back to Tortola?

The taxi ride to The Baths was crowded but nothing crazy.  The Baths themselves are simply amazing.  We took our snorkel gear with us - definitely suggest doing this.  There are beach areas on either side of the rocks (boulders? small planets?) and plenty of places to snorkel.  Please be aware that this excursion can be tough if you have trouble moving around on flat land.  There are rocky, uneven paths up/down to The Baths, and The Baths "tour" requires so careful footwork and a little crawling and climbing.

Things to consider: take snorkeling gear if you wish, but leave the rest of your stuff on the beach before going through the rocks; wear good water shoes not flip flops; take a waterproof camera.