This is the only port that did not change when our cruise itinerary was updated to allow for slower speeds with the recent azipod fix. And the ship is only 3 years old. I think going slowly we could have still made it to Antigua; it does not look that far away. This would have been a new country for us. We lost Antigua and Nassau and gained Puerto Rico and Puerto Plata. The replacements were good too; we have been to Nassau a few times already.

We had a cruise line excursion booked to The Baths with snorkeling. I was excited, but it was cancelled that morning due to swells. We'll see if we ever make it to The Baths. You could get your money back instead of going to the alternative, but we went. The alternative was Norman Island. The snorkeling was good, and most exciting -- we saw sea turtles -- at the second stop!

Our excursion was booked before the cruise, and the tickets were in our room when we first entered. We had to meet in the theater at 8am where we got a group sticker. We were the first group called out to the get the bad news that The Baths were cancelled. Other tours to The Baths were also cancelled. Someone asked the Shore Excursions person to tell us about Norman Island. We did not get too much information.

We went back to the theater and waited for our group number to be called again. Our group did not stay together for the walk out, but there was a meeting point after exiting the port.

A big Christmas tree, houses up the hill, and the BVI sign.

We were given a bracelet, led to the boat, and had to give part of our ticket when boarding the boat. I took sea sick medicine in preparation for the boat ride. It worked or the seas were just calm enough, but I felt well the full time. It was about a 45 minute ride to the first spot; south of Tortola. Pictures of the ride to the first stop. The first stop was snorkeling off the boat.

Our second stop was a beach with snorkel from beach, a bar/restaurant, restroom, and included chairs/umbrellas, if you buy a drink. The boat docked, and we walked to the beach. Some people prioritized the beach, but we prioritized the snorkeling. This is when we found the sea turtles. We each saw three turtles or a turtle three times. They were eating at the bottom and then went up for air. We also each saw a cool, big puffer fish.

After the snorkeling, Travis got a drink, we sat for a bit in the restaurant area, then walked up the beach, and found that they had a restroom. Then we headed back. This yacht had a great setup. Our ship.

Back at the port, we went back to the ship for lunch and discovered that Eden was not open for lunch on port days.

After lunch, we walked to the Botanical Gardens. We tried to go 16 years ago when our oldest for 4 years old, but when we arrived, it was closed due to a recent storm. Today's walk was hot, but they were open.

The gardens were $3 each. We had to knock on the window of the booth to get her attention; she was very involved in some other work.

What sort of bird or bug can get to that nectar with the long stem? Cool multi-colors in the same leaf.

Lipstick tree from the tropics of America. There were a lot of roosters.

Crazy fruit size on a Calabash tree

The tortoises. We almost left without seeing these guys. They are right across from the entrance booth. The lady caught us leaving and made sure that we got to see them first. They were super sweet, and look at the big one that she is holding up. There were 22 tortoises.

Walking back to the ship, we passed this Christmas decoration. We stopped at a grocery store. We then concluded our day in Tortola, BVI.