Caribbean Cruise: Last Day Options

[brynmelyndavid]

We are doing a Caribbean Cruiuse on Azura finishing at Barbados on December 9th. Our flight back home isn't until 19.50 but we presumably get kicked out of our cabin at 8am...

 

I've looked at the official tours which have become availbale today, however both the 'Farewell to Barbados' tours are quite short and seem to drop you at the airport shortly after lunch which seems like a very long and dull wait before the flight...

 

How does the transfer to the airport work if we don't book that tour? Are we allocated a coach at a specific time or is there a kind of shuttle running all day? I ask because I want to know if we have time to book a different tour that would drop us back at the ship allowing us to then transfer to the airport?

 

Basically - what are our options if we don't want to spend the last day of our holiday sitting in the airport terminal?

[BrianI]

Although you have to leave your cabin early morning, you don't have to leave the ship. Your transfer to the airport will be around 3 hours before departure. The exact time will be given to you on board so you can plan your day around that. You still have to put your main luggage out on your last night and you won't see this again until your UK airport. There is a facility on board for storing your hand luggage during your last day so you don't have to carry this around with you if you decide to go off the ship.

Brian

[kruzseeka]

We put our hand luggage in the facility provided - just keep things like passports with you - then we clear off into town or to the beach for a few hours. You can get up to Carlisle Bay in 10 minutes in a taxi then come back in good time for your bus transfer time which is likely to be about 3 hours before your flight time.

[CCFC]

We didn't enjoy the Farewell to Barbados tour, its a bit of a mystery tour with a few loo stops, next time we will stay on the ship or nip up to the Boatyard for a few hours. You can hire a cabin for a few hours instead of using the luggage depository.

Edited August 17, 2016 by CCFC

[Eddie99]

People I have spoken to at Barbados airport haven't enjoyed the farewell excursion and felt dumped at the airport very early.

 

Either enjoy the ship to the full until you are called to the buses ( you can shower/ change in the spa) or go off for a few hours. You don't have to sit with luggage for hours on end. Make tge most of that last half day in the sun

[CRUISIN LINDA]

We did a last day tour on Princess a few years ago. We were supposed to go to three places, but only visited 2, missing out on Gun Hill. We were taken to a very hot airport much too early. When I got home I contacted Princess and told them about it. To my surprise we received a refund of half the trip price. I am wondering if this is a common thing that the tour people do?

[swaddy]

We have been given partial refunds when tours have been curtailed, Thomson and another line but can;t remember which.

[NauticalMiss]

We didn't enjoy the Farewell to Barbados tour, its a bit of a mystery tour with a few loo stops, next time we will stay on the ship or nip up to the Boatyard for a few hours. You can hire a cabin for a few hours instead of using the luggage depository.

 

The cabin hire is a great facility, but it is not always available. On our last Caribbean cruise on Azura, no last day cabins were made available which was a bit of a pain. P&O missed out on a big revenue generator but I s'pose they must have had a good reason (although we weren't given one).

[NauticalMiss]

People I have spoken to at Barbados airport haven't enjoyed the farewell excursion and felt dumped at the airport very early.

 

Either enjoy the ship to the full until you are called to the buses ( you can shower/ change in the spa) or go off for a few hours. You don't have to sit with luggage for hours on end. Make tge most of that last half day in the sun

 

We did the 'Farewell to Barbados' excursion once, but haven't repeated it. I would agree that they drop you at the airport too early :(

[kruzseeka]

Another way to pass a few pleasant hours is to have a leisurely stroll along the promenade and Carenage to the pedestrian bridge in the centre of Bridgetown and over the bridge on the waterfront is the Bridge Hotel which has a verandah and you can have a last drink or two, or coffee. Stroll back, have a late-ish lunch, relax on board and it will soon be time for your transfer. With such a late flight, you presumably won't get your in-flight meal until quite late too so best to make sure you have something reasonably substantial during the day.

[brynmelyndavid]

All very helpful replies, so thanks folks. I think it's clear that I don't want to be booking the 'Farewell' tour....

[Mr Blue Sky]

Couple of years ago we done the ships excursion for beach break left ship around 9 ish

on the Saturday morning the bus took us to the Harbour Lights beach bar we had

sun lounger each and parasol all reserved for P &O guests

free drink on arrival it was due back to ship around one we decided to walk back

abit earlier for some last minute photos grab Lunch and we left ship at 230

 

Could be another option for you

 

Mrs Blue Sky

[lebreos]

All very helpful replies, so thanks folks. I think it's clear that I don't want to be booking the 'Farewell' tour....

 

We did a 4x4 tour on the first day in port - enjoyed that. There is a concord "museum" at the airport which is well worth a visit best to get another couple to join you in a taxi ride up and back to keep the cost down thou. Our taxi driver actually came in and did the tour too - hed never been on a plane before or left the island... If you can go from there into the airport then that would be ok...