Barbuda day trip practical?

[Keys2Heaven]

Hi gang. Arriving in Antigua Janaury 2009 on Serenade OTS. Scouring the threads for good tips on ports. We will be docked in Antigua from 7:00am to 5:30pm.

 

Would it be practical to do a day trip to Barbuda? I hear the beaches and the pink sand is incredible and is there a cost effective way to get there?

 

Otherwise looking for a good day in Antigua (tour/beach).

[dukeblue1]

Hi gang. Arriving in Antigua Janaury 2009 on Serenade OTS. Scouring the threads for good tips on ports. We will be docked in Antigua from 7:00am to 5:30pm.

 

Would it be practical to do a day trip to Barbuda? I hear the beaches and the pink sand is incredible and is there a cost effective way to get there?

 

Otherwise looking for a good day in Antigua (tour/beach).

 

Not sure how it will turn out, but I'll let you know. I am planning to do a day trip off a Carnival cruise in a few days with Barbuda express. My ship will be in port from 8am to pm and the tour runs from 9am to 5pm. The response I received suggested this is quite doable.

[woodofpine]

According to the government tourist board, it takes 90 minutes. Barbuda express cites 195 EC r/t (about $75 US) but indicates that they leave Barbuda at 3:30 PM. If your ship pulls out at 5 PM - you'll probably miss it... If they are doing an excusion specifically to match ship schedules (they might be Antiguans are enterprising and reliable) then I imagine you'd be fine.

[Antiguan]

Honestly, I wouldn't advise it just in case. You could do a private charter but even then there is risk of things going wrong that would lead to you being late. IT is beautiful though.

[frisquito]

Not sure how it will turn out, but I'll let you know. I am planning to do a day trip off a Carnival cruise in a few days with Barbuda express. My ship will be in port from 8am to pm and the tour runs from 9am to 5pm. The response I received suggested this is quite doable.

 

Are you back yet? We would like to go to Barbuda also. We are debating the ferry or helicopter tour at http://www.caribbeanhelicopters.com/

 

Let us know

 

Thanks

[dukeblue1]

Yes--I'm back--are Barbuda was very much worth the extra effort. The Barbuda express leaves from an aea very close to the cruise ships at around 9 am, and returns at 3:30. The Carnival cruise I was on arrived in St John, Antigua, at 8 am and departed at 6:00. The trip is about 90 minutes, and even though we left a little late (maybe 3:40), I was back in St John by 5:10. Admittedly, it is always a little bit of a risk and maybe not the best idea if your ship is leaving at 5:30 (definitely not doable if your ship leaves at 5:00). That being said, I've been to Antigua several times and really wanted a change of pace. Barbuda did not disappoint. the Barbuda Express offers a full day tour which includes visiting some really interesting caves and rock formations, the Frigate bird colony (said to be the largest outside of the Galapagos), and a totally wonderful and deserted beach with pink-tinged sand where you are served a fantastic lunch of grilled lobster tail. I would recommend Barbuda if you are adventurous and prefer nature to civilization. There was absoultely no shopping on Barbuda that I saw (meaning no t-shirts, no souvenir shops), virtually no guest houses (forget hotels altogether) and the island seems to be very sparesly populated. Nonethelss, it was a wonderful visit and I would rank it as one of the more unique experiences in the Caribbean. By the way, if you don't have time to do Barbuda, I am told there is now high-speed ferry access from St John, Antigua to Montserrat which looks very doable in one day. This ferry had not started operation when I was there (January 2) but is said to be anticipated soon if not already operating. Montserrat is called the "Ireland" on the Caribbean (or Emerald Isle--something like that) and has an active volcano that erupted catastrophically a few years back. Next time I am in Antigua I'll try to do the Montserrat day trip.

 

I can send picture of my trip to Barbuda--if interested, email me directly.

[frisquito]

Yes--I'm back--are Barbuda was very much worth the extra effort. The Barbuda express leaves from an aea very close to the cruise ships at around 9 am, and returns at 3:30. The Carnival cruise I was on arrived in St John, Antigua, at 8 am and departed at 6:00. The trip is about 90 minutes, and even though we left a little late (maybe 3:40), I was back in St John by 5:10. Admittedly, it is always a little bit of a risk and maybe not the best idea if your ship is leaving at 5:30 (definitely not doable if your ship leaves at 5:00). That being said, I've been to Antigua several times and really wanted a change of pace. Barbuda did not disappoint. the Barbuda Express offers a full day tour which includes visiting some really interesting caves and rock formations, the Frigate bird colony (said to be the largest outside of the Galapagos), and a totally wonderful and deserted beach with pink-tinged sand where you are served a fantastic lunch of grilled lobster tail. I would recommend Barbuda if you are adventurous and prefer nature to civilization. There was absoultely no shopping on Barbuda that I saw (meaning no t-shirts, no souvenir shops), virtually no guest houses (forget hotels altogether) and the island seems to be very sparesly populated. Nonethelss, it was a wonderful visit and I would rank it as one of the more unique experiences in the Caribbean. By the way, if you don't have time to do Barbuda, I am told there is now high-speed ferry access from St John, Antigua to Montserrat which looks very doable in one day. This ferry had not started operation when I was there (January 2) but is said to be anticipated soon if not already operating. Montserrat is called the "Ireland" on the Caribbean (or Emerald Isle--something like that) and has an active volcano that erupted catastrophically a few years back. Next time I am in Antigua I'll try to do the Montserrat day trip.

 

I can send picture of my trip to Barbuda--if interested, email me directly.

 

 

We are leaving on the same carnival cruise Sunday. The Barbuda Express company e-mailed me and said starting next week, they leave Barbuda at 4:00pm--getting into Antigua at 5:30-5:45.

How far is the Barbuda Express teminal from the cruise ship terminal ie is it within waling distance? Also, what time did the cruise ship actuly disembark from port?

Thanks

[dukeblue1]

I was on the Carnival Victory and we were in Antigua from 8am to 6pm. We were supposed to be back on ship by 5:30. Sounds like you might be pressed if the Barbuda express now comes back at 5:30. The docking area was extremely close to the ship--probably only 100-150feet from the pier where the ship docked. If you haven't been to Antigua, there are a lot of nice things to see and do there--I had already "done" it a couple of times so Barbuda was a nice change. Warning about this ship--the crew is very friendly, but they play annoying rap music every day on the pool deck. Maybe that's not unusual but I've never been exposed to it in 15 cruises on other lines (RCCL, Celebrity, HAL, Norwegian). They also apparently let the crew members use the facilities--the suana was full every day with crew members. Not necessarily a bad thing--but definitlely gives a "lax" feel to the experience. It seems anything goes on Carnival. That has its good points but also bad points :)

[55J5-5]

Anyone know of a boat/tour you can take to Barbuda? I see Excellence does a tour there just seeing if there are any other companies.

 

No the ferry wont work for us.

Thanks.

[Host Faith]

Anyone know of a boat/tour you can take to Barbuda? I see Excellence does a tour there just seeing if there are any other companies.

 

No the ferry wont work for us.

Thanks.

 

 

Creole Cruises now does a tour to Barbuda. They just started this tour a few months ago, you may not see it on their website but they feature it on their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/creolecruisescandwag/Creole-Cruises-Antigua/27440048123?ref=ts

 

We've toured with them twice in Antigua for their Lobster Lunch tour, highly recommended.

 

www.creolecruisesantigua.com