Antigua and Barbuda > The historic Nelson's Dockyard

Last night, the ship moved more than on previous nights. Even the doors creaked along. We have arrived at the port of St. John’s on Antigua and Barbuda. The view hasn’t changed. From the balcony, I can see the Enchanced Princess again, the cruise ship that was docked next to us yesterday as well. Two more cruise ships are in the process of docking at the port of St. John’s. Directly opposite us, the Costa Pacifica is mooring, another ship from the Costa fleet. The excursion doesn’t start until quarter to eleven today. Because of this, we have just a little too little time to go into town already. We take it easy and have a late breakfast. The excursion for today starts at the end of the pier. I get a blue wristband. The blue group goes on one bus, the orange on the other. The girl guiding our group looks no older than twenty. She seems a bit nervous when she notices that only three people understand English. She then decides not to say anything. It’s busy in St. John’s, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda. Traffic crawls slowly through the narrow streets. Outside the city, driving is smoother, although the driver sometimes has to brake sharply for bad road surfaces and speed bumps.

Antigua and Barbuda - A natural harbor once protected the British fleet

Along the way, we pass a striking number of church buildings, probably from different religious denominations. In about fifty minutes, we drive to the south side of the island of Antigua. Here lies Nelson’s Dockyard. In the eighteenth century, English colonists used this natural harbor to moor their ships. The harbor was deep enough, and the ships were not visible from the sea. Our first stop is Down Hill, a fort on top of the hill above Nelson’s Dockyard. From this fort, ships in the harbor could be defended against possible attacks. After viewing the fort and the view of the Dockyard, we drive to the harbor itself. Nelson’s Dockyard is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Several buildings from the English colonial period have been restored and now serve as museums, hotels, or restaurants.

Antigua and Barbuda - The museum tells the history of the inner harbor

The harbor is still in use. Large expensive pleasure yachts are moored there. Our last stop is Vallee Church Beach. This beach is on the west side of the island. Some confusion arises about the time we can spend there. Our bus mentions the original ninety minutes. The other bus says the departure time is three hours later, which is 45 minutes earlier. The tour has overrun, and the drivers are only reserved until four o’clock. A compromise is reached, and we can spend one hour on the beach. We take a dip in the sea and order a beer at the bar. At four o’clock, we return to St. John’s. We have just a little time left to explore the town. The center of the capital, St. John’s, has often been hit by hurricanes, earthquakes, and city fires but has retained its historic character. Most shops and restaurants focus on the day-trippers from the cruise ships

Antigua and Barbuda - St Johns Cathedral towers over the city

. You have to be careful. The sidewalks are uneven and have holes in the concrete. Between the houses, we already see the towers of the cathedral. St. John’s Cathedral stands on a high point in the city. This cathedral is one of the oldest Anglican churches outside the United Kingdom and is an important monument on the island. Admission is requested to visit the cathedral: five dollars per person. We hesitate whether we want to do this because we only have an hour for the city. After viewing the front of the cathedral, we decide to visit the church after all. The money can also help with maintenance. Unfortunately, when we return to the gate, it is closed. We are too late. We walk back to the ship through the streets. It’s funny to walk over the pier between the two Costa ships. As far as I can tell, both ships are identical. From our balcony, we watch the last passengers rushing aboard again. At six o’clock, the lines are cast off. We are waved goodbye by the passengers of the Costa Pacifica. They wave at us, and we wave back. The captain sounds three long signals, which are answered by the captain of the Pacifica.

Antigua and Barbuda - Passengers board again via the pier

It seems like everyone is outside on the Pacifica to see us depart. Probably the same goes for those of us on board. A group of crew members starts clapping. The applause echoes between the ships. On the balconies, the applause is taken up. It is an impressive departure and farewell to Antigua and Barbuda. Once at sea, it’s time for dinner. As every evening, Regie enthusiastically takes our order. He clearly enjoys serving our dinner. He tells us again when we will leave tomorrow morning. We’re not going to the theater tonight. We finish off with a drink on our own balcony. The ship has a long distance to cover tonight to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. We are clearly sailing faster than the past nights. The water splashes more against the boat, and there is more swell.