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Need help with Antigua excrusions!

Harrylinden

By Harrylinden,
in Celebrity Cruises

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Harrylinden

Harrylinden

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Going in May on the Equinox.We can;t decide between these 2 excursions Celebrity offers.The first is the Catamaran Cruise with Lobster lunch and the second one is the Antigua Beach Extravaganza.Anyone do either of these excursions? If so which one would be better? Any help would be appreciated!:p

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Harrylinden

Harrylinden

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Since you can only do one at a time, it might be hard to find people who have done both and can make a comparison. Boat or beach? You'll just need to make up your mind which you would rather have.

 

 

Thanks for the reply.I only want to do one of them! Just thought I would ask for help deciding! :)

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cindygad

cindygad

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Forget the ship's tours and check out Eli's Eco Tour. You get some great sightseeing, some snorkeling, a bit of beach time and lunch. We did it a few years ago the last time we were in Antigua and loved it.

http://www.adventureantigua.com/the-eco-tour/

 

 

I totally agree.We have done all 3 of Eli's tours and they have been some of the best excursions we have ever done. Check out web sight.He is used to working with people on Cruises and always got us back with plenty of time to spare. First Class Act.

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vuildog

vuildog

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We took a catamaran ride around the island, but not with the ship. It was an amazing day.

 

Just wanted to give you a heads up that on the Atlantic side of the island, the seas are quite rough. We had a few sick people on-board. Ended up dropping them off on a beach. Once you make it to the Caribbean side, it smooths out considerably. So if the motion of the ocean may get to you, this may not be the best tour. The captain did say this is normal. He warned us in advance.

 

Have a great time, whatever you decide!

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cathep

cathep

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We got a day pass to the Verandah Resort and loved it. Our cab driver gave us a tour on the way which gave us a good feel for the island. And he picked us up exactly when he said he would ("that's the way we do it here") despite it not being near any typical cruise locations.

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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

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Going in May on the Equinox.We can;t decide between these 2 excursions Celebrity offers.The first is the Catamaran Cruise with Lobster lunch and the second one is the Antigua Beach Extravaganza.Anyone do either of these excursions? If so which one would be better? Any help would be appreciated!:p

 

Hi Harry:

 

We had the same dilemma last year. But the lobster and catamaran was way over-priced (we're both from the east coast $100 for a lobster is over-priced) and we can't do too much beach, so we wound up doing a very interesting tour of the Blockhouse Ruins, Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard, then had a delicious lunch at an lovely restaurant and leisurely shopped after lunch.

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GStonelake

GStonelake

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It sure if it is still done, but we went ZipLining, from there we hiked across a mountain to the Sea, then took a Catamaran back to Ship (the Cat served a nice Carib lunch with drinks and music) ... was an enjoyable/active day. Got to see a lot of the island.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Mr. Click

Mr. Click

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Eli's Eco Tour stays in the Caribbean but at one point we beached the boat and did a nice hike up to where you could see the Atlantic surf. The swim into and climb up Hell's gate was pretty cool, especially for an old guy like me. Those who did not want to swim in and climb got to hang out on the boat in comfort with the coolers. It really was a great day, I even still have the tee shirt :).

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hcat "Live from...." Rare

hcat

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We took a Celeb cruise line beach excursion but it was not the Beach Extravaganza...we took the non lunch included version as we cannot do that much time in the sun.....the beach club was fairly decent and a short walk down the beach from Sandals.....,,beach and water were really nice,,

 

On our Silhouette cruise next yr we already booked the Beach Extravagana trip...looks good...so hope we get more info here or on the ports board,,

 

Other times we have enjoyed shopping at some of the kiosks & shops near the port,,,.sarah fuller pottery , nice clothing, cigars etc..have also done a land based vacation...great beaches!

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Ginnyfyr

Ginnyfyr

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If you are dead set on booking through the cruise line, I'd go for the beach extravaganza. That said, Antigua has so many stunning beaches...if you're just looking to chill on some sand for a while, consider hiring a taxi to drop you at a beach or two for the day. On our first visit we did a ship excursion to Dickenson Bay. It's a beautiful beach, but it was packed with tourists (I'm talking you had maybe a foot between you and the lounge chair next to you). On our 2nd visit we cabbed it to Valley Church Beach, which was so peaceful and quiet and just lovely...it's my favourite beach ever. There's a little snack bar where you can get drinks and food, and you can rent umbrellas and chairs. We went back on our last cruise a year or two ago and obviously word has gotten out as it seemed much busier, but it was still so gorgeous and amazing. Do a bit of searching around CC and you'll be able to create your own personalized Antigua adventure for (almost guaranteed) far cheaper than what the cruise line is offering!

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lifeisrealygood

lifeisrealygood

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Have been to Antigua numerous times with Celebrity. I can't speak to either of your shore excursions, because I have not been on them. But, every time we go to Antigua, and we are going again in March on the Equinox, we take the Celebrity Excursion "See Antigua By Sea". We have our favorite "catamarans" in the Caribbean, and this one is one of the best. We have been on that excursion maybe six times over the years. It sails around the entire island of Antigua. The excursion I think is 6 hours long. I believe it is actually a catamaran. but it looks and has the feel of more of a yacht. Read the description of the excursion, then either google it, look at trip adviser or you tube to see what they say. To me, and we are catamaran people, know pretty much the good ones throughout the Caribbean, and this is one of the best.

Beware of some of the reviews. Again, this sail is around the entire island. About ten or fifteen minutes of the trip around the island, you are in the Atlantic Ocean. That can be a rough ride, but they tell o when that portion of the excursion is happening. It is not as bad as people write about in their reviews.

 

Again, "See Antigua By Sea" is the way to go for a terrific day of sailing in Antigua.

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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

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OOPS!!! Our sailing on the Equinox in March only goes to St Maarten, St Thomas, St Kitts, and Barbados, not Antigua. I misspoke above. We were in Antigua last March on-board the Eclipse, and will be in Antigua again in March 2018, also on the Eclipse.

 

 

Thanks for the tip....we're power boat people and did a catamaran in St. Maarten and loved it...I was looking at this one for next March when we're on the Equinox for the same cruise. We did it last year and will be doing it every winter from now on!! My favorite beach was Barbados....absolutely stunning. :cool:

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lifeisrealygood

lifeisrealygood

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In St Maarten, our favorite catamaran is "A Golden Eagle Sailaway" (4 Hours), and in Barbados it is the "Tiami Five Star Catamaran & Turtles" (5 1/2 Hours). Been on both probably more than five times each. And in March, we will be on both of those catamarans while sailing the Equinox on the March 24th sailing.

 

And, by the way, the "See Antigua By Sea" I referred to in an earlier post has a couple hours spent at a very nice beach, serves a BBQ lunch, and a sail right through the Nelson Boatyard, for an up close and personal look-see at the various yachts in the harbor. Again, a terrific catamaran cruise, with great beach and swimming, nice lunch, and terrific narration by the crew.

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keithm

keithm

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Going in May on the Equinox.We can;t decide between these 2 excursions Celebrity offers.The first is the Catamaran Cruise with Lobster lunch and the second one is the Antigua Beach Extravaganza.Anyone do either of these excursions? If so which one would be better? Any help would be appreciated!:p

We did the Catamaran cruise with Lobster lunch. We LOVED it!! Now this was in 2015, so hopefully things have NOT changed. You went out, cruised & did some nice beach swims. The lunch was outstanding. You got a whole(really decent sized lobster)nice salad & veggies. The water was crystal clear & your tour guides did a great job explaining the local sites as you relaxed. We did a Antigua beach excursion on the Queen Victoria in 2012. Not sure if it's the same. We went to a nice resort. They put out a full buffet lunch. You had a nice lounger at the beach. It was a small inlet, so you could walk out pretty far. If it's the same, it was even better than the Catamaran cruise(but also a lot more $$) We did not see the excursion offered on the Eclipse in 2014-2015. I heard it was more recently. I'd check some of the more recent cruise reviews to see if anyone's tried it.

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keithm

keithm

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Hi Harry:

 

We had the same dilemma last year. But the lobster and catamaran was way over-priced (we're both from the east coast $100 for a lobster is over-priced) and we can't do too much beach, so we wound up doing a very interesting tour of the Blockhouse Ruins, Shirley Heights and Nelson's Dockyard, then had a delicious lunch at an lovely restaurant and leisurely shopped after lunch.

 

 

We're from New England & Lobster even here is getting pricy. Do remember that the price includes the Catamaran tour along with the Lobster. Our price when we did it in 2015 was about $159PP. It was a freebie from Celebrity, but I'd still book it for ourselves, it was that much fun.

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Hydrokitty

Hydrokitty

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We're from New England & Lobster even here is getting pricy. Do remember that the price includes the Catamaran tour along with the Lobster. Our price when we did it in 2015 was about $159PP. It was a freebie from Celebrity, but I'd still book it for ourselves, it was that much fun.

 

 

Free is always best!!! :p

 

That's about what the lobster/catamaran tour was when we went last year....you raise a valid point about it including the lobster and the boat ride. i might have to reconsider. :cool:

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keithm

keithm

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Free is always best!!! :p

 

That's about what the lobster/catamaran tour was when we went last year....you raise a valid point about it including the lobster and the boat ride. i might have to reconsider. :cool:

 

 

The freebie was the result my defending a ship's staff person from a pax who was physically bullying him.(2014) When we boarded our next cruise the following year on the Eclipse, we found an envelope that said "A gift from Celebrity" It contained 5 fully paid excursions of which the Catamaran tour was one. The person I was defending at the time turned out to be the mgr. of the "Captain's Club". I would have done the whole thing again regardless of the gift. I won't stand by & watch staff get bullied like that, ever.

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