Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands – Caribbean Cruise 2026

Saturday, February 21, 2026

We had a lazy start to our day since we didn’t get to Tortola until noon. The cruise in was breathtaking; the water was light turquoise, we were surrounded by islands, and there were many sailboats dotting the waters.

A rain storm was seen in the distance coming towards us, moving slowly across various islands and the water. It arrived over us around the time we were docking. When we disembarked, it was still sprinkling but then it cleared up. Another wave of rain came a few hours later, just after we had returned to the ship.

Like yesterday, we left the port and explored on foot. The vibe was different as there were many taxis drivers available but they didn’t hound us like on the Dominican Republic. They either allowed visitors to approach them, or they asked and accepted a “no” right away.

The roads are narrow, reminding us of Ireland. And they drive on the lefthand side of the road – as a general rule. The roads are so narrow and some cars have the steering wheel on the left while others are on the right – it appeared that each driver did what was wise in his own eyes with a gentle touch on the horn.

There were rain puddles which we didn’t think much of. At one point, a local woman told Gregg to avoid puddles – you never knew if it was sewage water. Oh, my! I didn’t expect that. She also told Gregg to wait for me as I was trying to navigate a large puddle while staying out of traffic. Then she told him how to put his hand out if he wanted to cross the street, indicating to the drivers he wanted to cross.

I was surprised to see Tsunami Evacuation Route signs, though it makes sense. I hope to not experience that.

There are many churches in town and, unsurprisingly, we went looking for them on our wandering adventures. The first church we came to was St. George’s Episcopal Anglican Church. Sadly, it was locked. Surprisingly, there were three “Abbott” headstones in the front cemetery yard. It is a family name from my family.

We were able to get into a Methodist Church as well as a very welcoming Catholic Church. I love that their Jesus has an Island look – dreadlocks, perhaps. Also, that they have big drums for their service. A woman at the Catholic Church gave me a “Lent-in-a-bag” paper. It looked like they have actual paper bags of items to give to families. She invited us back to the 5:30 service. We are considering it. All Aboard is at 7:00pm.

Once we had walked four miles and were satisfied with our exploration, we went back to the ship to blog while I have internet, read, eat, and relax.

Tomorrow is St. John’s, Antigua.

PS – Last night we saw some cruise friends we met on the first night. They went to a Capybara Encounter yesterday and gave me a little Capybara pin. So fun! Picture included. Later, I tried to join a St. Kitts catamaran and snorkel trip with them. Sadly, the excursion is full. Still hoping to see some tropical fish – it would be nice to find a beach where I could do it without an excursion but that isn’t looking hopeful.

PPS – it is pouring and we are outside so I’m going to publish this without finishing organizing the photos. But first, the pre-storm double rainbow!