1st time cruiser question

[4U2C]

We are going to this port of call on our Cruise on the Carnival Breeze in 2015. Could you tell us what are good things to do here and what things to avoid.

TIA

M

[canadarocks]

If you take a little time and read through a few pages (at least) of this board, you'll find lots of great ideas. :)

[hospvol]

When we were in Antigua last month, we took a tour with Gordon of Antigua. It was a great tour and we highly recommend him. :)

[Island Crazed]

We did an excursion with Carnival that worked out well. We didn't meet until like 1:00. We got to walk around St Johns, shop, take pictures, visit the cathedral. Then stashed our loot, grab a quick lunch and met out group. We visited Shirley Heights, Nelson's Dockyard, and Turner's Beach. LOVED EVERYTHING.

 

 

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[luvtravel88]

Antigua is very beautiful and has a British feel as it's a British colony.

 

The beaches there are beautiful and numerous.

 

We have been to Antigua several times and each time have done something different. Don't be afraid to do things that aren't affiliated with the ship. Just plan your activities so you have plenty of time to get back to the ship.

When we do a private island tour, we make sure we planned to be back a couple of hours before the ship leaves, so even if we are delayed, we are back in plenty of time. We use the extra time to walk the area near the pier. Most of the islands have a shopping area.

 

Dont' forget, the islands rely heavily on the tourist trade. The tour operators know they need to get passengers back to their ships on time or they won't be in business for long. These operators are also very aware of CC and many will even ask you to post something positive about them.

 

Go to tripadvisor.com and type in the different islands you will be visiting. Go to things to do and then click on sightseeing. You will get a list of local tour company's, their rankings and reviews. Many of them have websites so you can see exactly what their tours entail and what they cost. We use tripadvisor as well as CC to get information to make our touring decisions. Under things to do, you also get an idea of what the island offers, also helping you to make itinerary decisions.

 

The ship excursions are quite a mixed bag. Some are good but most are average and you are grouped with many other people. There are often several buses that travel together caravan style, so you are at different stops with lots of people. It makes it really crowded in many places. The pro in using the ship is that you aren't supposed to have to worry about getting back to the ship on time and that if there's a problem, the ship will wait for you. That being said, you can find places on these boards, where the ship hasn't waited and has stranded passengers. Evidently, waiting on passengers has to do with the tides, the cost of berthing the ship, and weather conditions.

 

 

We have cruised many times and it wasn't until our 4th or 5th cruise that we decided to venture out on our own. We now do private tours or do our own thing. We actually rented a car on our last cruise in Los Angeles. That was a scary thing to do, but it worked out great!

 

When we are in Antigua this August, we are going to take the local bus which we haven't done there before. We're still deciding where we're going to go. If you decide to do something like this, just read these boards. You will find specific instructions on how to get pretty much anywhere you want to go.

 

Good luck in your planning!