Enchanted Princess in Antigua
Antigua is a coral-reefed Caribbean island in the Leeward islands of the Lesser Antillies. Despite the spelling, it is pronounced An-tee- ga as if there were no u. English is the official language. The climate is warm, tropical, and drier than some other Caribbean islands. It’s close enough to the equator that there’s not a lot of variation in daylight or seasons. Currency is the East Caribbean Dollar, which is tied into the US dollar at 2.7 ECD to 1 USD. Ports in the Caribbean are always happy to accept US dollars.
band at the port
Antigua has historic sites, beautiful beaches, and a sister island called Barbuda. Together the two islands are their own country. Cruise ships dock in the capital city of St. John’s. This is a city on Antigua, not the same place as the US Virgin Island called Saint John near Saint Thomas. Like the Enchanted Princess, most ships visiting Antigua dock at Heritage Quay which is right in town. Some dock at Redcliffe Quay which has old Georgian buildings with shops and cafes. If there are too many ships in port some ships may end up at Deep Water Harbor a mile and a half outside of town.
Heritage Quay cruise port
The main cruise port holds multiple cruise ships. The dock we were on exited right into the usual cruise port type shopping center on the pier, but the one next to it had a walkway straight into town. Access is only controlled at the dock itself where you have to show your cruise ship ID to enter the pier and walk to the ship. The shopping area is open to the public.
taxi stand at Heritage Quay
The shopping area has some of the usual shops found in nearly every port as well as some local shops, bars and eateries. There is a taxi stand and a lot of people with signs offering island tours or rides out to a beach. There was also a live local band playing for tips.
port entrance from town
When you exit the pier shopping area you are right in town where there are more shops, though these look older and somewhat rundown compared to the ones at the pier. There are people offering island tours out in that area as well. The ones they have may be cheaper and shorter than what the people inside have to offer. At least that was what we saw from all the people wanting us to book tours from both areas.
port shops
Excursions from our ship at this port were: Best of Antigua – Nelson’s Dockyard, Shirley Heights & Dow’s Hill; Nelson’s Dockyard, Shirley Heights & Blockhouse; Easy Antigua Panoramic Drive; Antigua Beach Break; Nelson’s Dockyard, Shirley Heights & Lunch; Fig Tree Drive & Turner’s Beach; Walking Tour of St John’s; Rainforest Canopy Zipline Adventure; Devil’s Bridge & Beach; Fort James Segway Adventure; Scenic Coastal Cruise, Snorkel, Beach & Lunch; Catamaran and Lobster Lunch, Scenic Cruise & Swim; Antigua Pineapple & Champagne Cruise; Scenic Cruise, Snorkel & Beach; Stingray. Snorkel, Swim & Scenic Country Drive; Local Connections Eco-Kayaking, Bird Island, Snorkel & Beach.
port shops by a dock
A lot of the ship’s excursions go to Nelson’s Dockyard, a national park in Antigua which once belonged to the British navy, but is now a marina with shops, restaurants and a museum. Outside of the marina area it also has hiking trails, some of which pass old forts, end at beaches, or go up to Shirley Heights which is a restored lookout and gun battery on a high point of the island with an excellent view.
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