Published 25 April 2026
Half day or full day: which BVI tour to book
What each one gets you, what each one costs, and the question that usually settles it.
The difference is not really the hours. It is how many places you get to and how hard the day has to work. Here is the plain version of both.
A half day is one destination, done properly
Four hours, or five if you extend. One place, with enough time in it to swim, look around and have a drink, rather than three places glimpsed on the way past.
You pick from three: Norman Island and the caves, the Soggy Dollar on White Bay, or The Baths on Virgin Gorda. The extra hour buys a longer swim and a slower stop ashore, not another stop.
The Cruise Ship Special is $1,000 for the whole boat for four hours and $1,100 for five to Norman Island. The Soggy Dollar costs $100 more and The Baths $200 more, because it is the longest run. It is the same tour whether you are off a ship or staying on the island: from Village Cay Marina in Road Town for cruise ship guests, or from Hannah Bay Marina or Nanny Cay for everyone else.
A full day is the islands, not one island
Seven hours, or seven to eight on the longer routes, with a morning start we confirm when we confirm your date. That is enough water under you to string several good stops together.
The Soggy Dollar and Willy T Tour is $1,600 for seven hours and does the beach bar circuit: Sandy Spit or Foxy’s, then White Bay and the Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke, then across to Norman Island for the caves and the Willy T.
Baths and Beyond is $1,650 for seven to eight hours and takes the scenic route to Virgin Gorda. The Baths and Jost Van Dyke Tour is $1,700 and puts The Baths and the Soggy Dollar in the same day. North Sound and The Baths is $1,700 and puts a proper lunch at Saba Rock or the Bitter End in the middle of the day. The Trifecta is $1,950 and does Norman Island, The Baths and Jost Van Dyke in one run, which is only possible because the boat is quick.
Every price is for the whole boat, up to 12 guests (10 on the Trifecta), all inclusive. Two of you or a full boat, it costs the same. The one thing not in the price is the national park fee at The Baths, $10 per guest, which you pay at the entrance.
The question that settles it
How much of the day do you already owe someone else?
If your ship sails this evening, or you land at lunchtime, or you have dinner booked with people who are not coming, take the half day. It is a genuinely good few hours and it will not make the rest of your day tight.
If the day is yours, take the full day. The BVI is spread out, and the thing you are paying a fast boat for is the ability to use that. A half day gets you to one of Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda or Norman Island. A full day strings several stops together in the same day.
What does not change
The whole boat is private to your group either way, with a licensed, fully insured captain, fuel, all cruising permits, snorkel gear for everyone and an iced cooler with water, sodas and beers. Lunch ashore and gratuity are extra on both.
Both are a private day, so both bend. Stay longer where you are happy and skip what you are not interested in. The route on the day can change with the weather and the sea state, and your captain decides what is safe and fun.
If neither is quite it
Tell us where you want to go and who is coming, and we will build the route, work out the time and the fuel and come back with one price. Custom full days start from $1,300, plus fuel.
