Antigua

Travelling to Antigua

We arrived in Antigua on 3rd January 2023 on the Tui Marella Explorer. The cruise port was in Antigua’s capital St John’s. Please see for full details of itinerary of cruise.

This is where you disembark the ship there are several people wanting to sell you excursions which are between $20 and $25 which is a lot cheaper than Tui. Also there are also many duty free shops selling alcohol, perfume, tobacco, jewellery etc.

Prior to the cruise we had looked at excursions in Antigua. When deciding what to do on an excursion we like to do something that is unique to the country/island or that we may never do it again. The one that caught our eye was Sting Ray City. There are some people that do not feel that the stingrays are not treated very nice. But they are in their natural habitat and are free to swim away if wanting to do so. Although we were not 100% sure if this was the right thing to do we decided to go ahead and book the excursion and see for ourselves as many other people had advised it was a great experience and the Stingray’s were never treated badly.

Stingray City

As we had booked our cruise with Tui we looked at their excursions but unfortunately they didn’t do it. Therefore we looked at other tour operators who were also booked up. We contacted Stingray City direct who advised that they had capacity for us on the day we wanted to go. Although we were advised we had to make our own way there which cost $40 each way. Stingray City cost $50 each which is around £146. Many taxi’s are available as soon as you step off the ship.

Travel to Stingray City

The taxi took about 30 -40 minutes to reach our destination. On our way the driver informed us of various landmarks and information regarding the island. He explained that he was conscripted to the military for 2 years but then became a lorry driver. He advised that to be a taxi driver you have to not only have a license to carry passengers but you have to return to education.

When we arrived at our destination he advised that he would wait for us as the experience was predicted to last approximately 2 hours. We were a bit early for our slot of 11 am therefore had to wait for more people to arrive.

Disclaimer

When more people arrived we were taken to a shaded area where we had to sign a disclaimer. Following this we were put into lines for the boats that take you to where the Stingrays are. They cram as many people as possible on to the boats. Be prepared for the water to splash up the sides of the boat and hang on to your hat.

Floating Island

The boat takes you to a floating island where the sea around it is crystal clear and turquoise in colour. As the boats do not leave all belongings can be left on the boat. Snorkelling equipment is provided if you want it. We prefer the full face masks therefore brought our own. Many people were nervous about getting in to the water with the Stingray’s but the guides reassured people that it was ok. Although there were many people that watched from the floating island and did not go in the water.

Interaction with the Stingrays

The guides throw squid in to the water to attract the Stingrays and soon there were a lot of them swimming around. It was a bit a nerving to begin with when the large Stingrays were brushing past us but soon we felt comfortable with them. They were very tame and did not appear to mind being stroked. The guides encouraged people to have photo’s with the Stingrays which had been mentioned by other people that they did not agree with this. We were also given squid and were able to feed the Stingrays directly. Stingrays such there food up like a vacuum so it is a good idea when feeding them not to let any digits get in the way. The guides show you the correct way to feed them to avoid any injuries.

When most of the food had gone a lot of the Stingrays swam away but there were a few that continued to swim through the crowd looking for food. We never witnessed anything which we feel would warrant anyone to say that they are mistreated. We suppose holding them is not natural to them and this is something that should not be done. When we held one it was very calm as we had been shown the correct way in order not to distress them. The stingray did not even swim away when we finished holding it. The stingray continued to swim around people.

Amount of time in the water

Not sure how long we had in the water with the Stingrays but it seemed long enough. We were taken back on the boats to where we started. Here we were given a cup of Rum Punch and given the option to purchase photo’s. The Rum Punch was very strong and went straight to our heads lol. We bought the photo even though it was not very flattering at a cost of $15 dollars.

Our taxi driver was waiting for us to take us back to the ship. On our way back he appeared to take us a different way which was through the streets in the centre of Antigua.

Summary

Antigua is a beautiful island. The people are so friendly and helpful. There is a lot more to see and do than what we had the time for. We would love to come back to this island and spend more time here. Maybe another cruise or a holiday who knows time will tell.

Images

Things to do

• Swim with Stingray’s at Stingray City
• Visit Shirley Heights
• Visit Nelson’s Dock
• Visit the Brid Sanctuary
• Visit a beach
• Taste the Rum Punch
• Take an island tour.

Top Tips

• If wanting an island tour go to one of the local operators when you get off the ship if on a cruise. Prices are $20 – $25 which is much cheaper than Tui, Cruise Ship excursions. It also benefits the local people.
• If wanting to go to Stingray City book before you go on the cruise, holiday or if you are just visiting the island. Stingray City gets booked up pretty quick. We booked direct with Stingray City. We emailed them on stingray@candw.ag
• If time is limited as we were plan your itinerary before you go. If where you are wanting to go is not on one of the local island tour let them know as they will always try to accommodate. Having a private tour of the island, seeing what you want to see and going where you want is relatively cheap just ask for a price from one of the local taxi’s/tour operators.
• Do not confuse the East Caribbean Dollar (XCD) with the USA dollar, The XCD is worth a lot less. At the time of our travels 1 USD was 82p and 1 XCD was 30p.
• Please click on the following link for general travel advice Travel Tips
• Check out other Caribbean destinations we have visited Cuba , Mexico, Jamaica , Dominica
• Check out government information regarding safety https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/antigua-and-barbuda
• Check out our general travel tips. Click on the following link Travel Tips

Weather

Temp – Celsius Rain – mm	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High Temp	27	28	29	28	29	30	31	30	30	29	30	29
Low Temp	22	22	23	23	24	26	25	25	25	24	24	23
Rainfall	21	41	30	27	56	62	72	75	87	101	88	63
Number of days	18	16	14	12	13	14	18	18	16	16	17	17