St. John's, Antigua Port Guide
About the St. John’s, Antigua Cruise Port
St. John’s, Antigua is a small Caribbean port with a lot of local charm. This isn’t one of those huge, new, commercialized cruise ports, but rather a smaller one that is surrounded by local authenticity. Antigua and Barbuda is an independent Commonwealth country comprised of several islands, the two biggest being – you guessed it – Antigua and Barbuda. The cruise port is located on the island of Antigua. The official language of Antigua is English, although Spanish is spoken by many residents, as well.
The local currency is the East Caribbean Dollar (EC$), although most of the vendors and shops accept US currency, credit, and debit cards. They may not, however, accept US currency if the bills are overly worn, contain marks, or are in any way torn or damaged, and they may provide change back in the form of the local currency.
Antigua is pronounced “an-tee-guh.” When porting here and getting off the ship, do not display any camouflage patterns, as it is against the law for civilians to wear camo in Antigua and Barbuda. The port location, St. John’s, is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda, and the port can accommodate up to four cruise ships. There is free Wi-Fi access for cruise passengers at the port.
Antigua Cruise Terminal
After exiting the ship, cruisers will walk down one of two short piers into the port area, where they will find colorful buildings and shops. Local vendors, some quite aggressive, will offer taxi services to the area’s local attractions and beaches. There is a small local pharmacy located immediately outside of the port area. This port fits up to four ships at one time, so given the smaller size of this port, it can get very crowded when it is at capacity. There is a small casino at the end of the pier, and a popular Antigua port bar, Island Beehive, blasts music you hear as you exit the port. The legal drinking age in Antigua and Barbuda is 16.
Free Things to Do in Antigua
Immediately outside the port is the downtown area of St. John’s, which is worth a stroll if you want some authentic flavor. The streets, however, are narrow and crowded, and the sidewalks aren’t always in great shape, so be mindful of this if you have mobility issues. However, if you’re looking for something free to do in Antigua and just want to walk around, the town is right there by port. In my experience, however, there isn’t much to see, and the shops aren’t very appealing, so I do not recommend this. Instead, I suggest cruisers find a free public access beach, of which there are many, and enjoy a beach day. However, if you are interested in exploring the town, you can do a free self-guided walking tour.
Antigua Cruise Port Beach
If you’re wondering if there is a pool or beach at the Antigua cruise port or within walking distance, unfortunately, there is not. The closest beach to the port is Fort James, which is about 2.5 miles from the port and a short taxi ride away. There are many other beaches near the Antigua port that are popular with cruisers, such as Dickenson Bay, Long Bay Beach, and Jolly Beach.
On a recent visit to Antigua, I took a taxi to Dickenson Bay Beach, which is the most developed beach on the island, where the driver dropped us off at Ana’s on the Beach. This Antigua beach club offered a less crowded beach experience, easy access to a bar and restaurant, and local vendors to rent chairs and umbrellas.
We opted for a curtained cabana and negotiated the price to $20, as we had only planned to spend a few hours there. Taxis were ready and waiting to take us back to port when we were ready to leave.
Antigua Port Taxis
A taxi stand is located at the end of the left-hand side of the pier, and prices are affordable and negotiable. Most taxis are vans that corral groups of people to the popular destinations of Antigua, so be prepared to share your taxi with other cruisers. Most of the beach locations also have a steady stream of taxis, again in the form of shared vans, at the ready to transport cruisers back to port. Due to the shared nature of taxi service, transportation is quite affordable, so a taxi in Antigua costs around $5-15 per person for most of the beaches near the port.
Best Excursions in Antigua
This small island is known for its beaches, so many of the top excursions in St. John’s, Antigua, involve beach days or ocean activities. Here are the best activities in Antigua:
St. John’s, Antigua Cruise Port Ship Schedule
Click to view the cruise ship schedule for the Antigua Cruise Port in St. John’s.
Antigua Time Zone
Keeping track of time zones can get complicated when cruising, especially for itineraries where there can be multiple time zone changes on one sailing. Your captain will make announcements during the cruise to update you on these changes, but it’s good to be aware of these differences ahead of time when planning your stop at the port, especially for excursions.
Most cruise lines operate on “ship time” set to the time of their departing port, so for sailings off the eastern coast of the US, this is Eastern Standard Time (EST). Antigua and Barbuda’s time zone is Atlantic Standard Time (AST), and they do not observe Daylight Saving Time, so the AST time zone may differ from EST—or it may be the same—depending on the time of year.
Exploring the Antigua Cruise Port
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