Barbadian Presentation

The Caribbean island of Barbados has more than its fair share of sandy beaches, palm trees swaying in the sea breeze, and warm blue waters. Add in the welcome and friendliness of the locals, and it’s no wonder you have a favorite vacation destination. In the 18th and early 19th century, Barbados functioned as a sugarcane economy under British rule, and some original sugar plantations can still be seen reviving as museums depicting the hardships of slaves working in the sugar fields. sugar. Today the people of Barbados are called Bajans, and the ancestors of the old plantation system exist in relative harmony under democratic rule.

Of particular interest to the cruise ship tourist is that Barbados is the easternmost island in the Caribbean, so it usually avoids the terrible effects of tropical storms in the area. This is due to the fact that the island is situated just outside the main hurricane zone (on average, a hurricane only hits the island once every 26 years). This makes Barbados a very attractive cruise port, and in recent years, thanks to the nearby and well-connected Grantley Adams International Airport, the island has justifiably become a busy departure point for cruise ships.

bridgetown harbor

The Port of Bridgetown, or more correctly called the Deepwater Port, was built in the 1960s just a mile north of Bridgetown (the capital of Barbados). In 2002, the central channel was deepened to allow larger ships to use the facility. The deepening of the port has been a great success, leading to strong growth in both freight and cruise volumes. The port has 4 berths giving 1,531 meters of quay and can handle 5-6 large cruise ships. The 4 berths are the breakwater (522 m long), the sugar berth (307 m long), berths 2/3/4 (total length 550 m) and the Esso Dock (244 m), located outside the breakwater. (Editor’s note: If her ship is moored at Esso’s jetty, don’t feel inferior to her, because she’s usually chosen a great-value cruise!)

Between the docks and the port entrance is the cruise terminal, officially opened in January 1994. This is where you will book your cruise. The terminal houses the normal departments for handling cruise ship passengers, such as Immigration, Customs, Health Center, Animal Quarantine, Post Office and the Barbados Tourist Board. In addition to restaurants and bars, a business center and an Internet cafe. The terminal has plenty of space dedicated to shopping, with more than 20 duty-free shops offering beautiful jewelry, attractive tableware, the latest electronics, and locally sourced crafts.

Top 5 Things to Do in Barbados (Editor’s Pick!)

Hopefully, you’ll have a day or two available on one side of your cruise to explore beautiful Barbados. Not to be missed are:

1 beach

The island’s beaches are all open to the public. Nearest Bridgetown are the magnificent beaches of the Gold Coast. Payne’s Bay is ideal for swimming. Adjacent to Paynes Bay is Fresh Water Bay, with a beautiful trio of beaches, Brandon’s Beach, Paradise Beach and Brighton Beach.

2 Mount Gay Rum Distillery and Banks Beer Tour

If you enjoy an alcoholic drink (or two!), take a guided tour and tasting at Barbados’ premier rum distillery, then continue with a trip to Banks Brewery for some local brew.

3 Welchman Hall Ravine

A beautiful sub-tropical garden owned by the National Trust of Barbados. You will almost certainly see a group of wild monkeys.

4 Sunbury Plantation House

A large plantation house whose interior is open for viewing. The 300-year-old house is rich in history, with old prints, carefully written accounts, antique hardwood furniture, and a collection of horse-drawn carriages.

5 Broad Street in Bridgetown

Bridgetown’s main thoroughfare. Broad Street is lined with duty free outlets, bank offices and department stores. A good detour is Swan Street, which has many cheaper clothing stores and some cozy terrace cafes.

Choosing a cruise from Barbados

Thanks to its ideal location in the middle of the southern Caribbean, Barbados is an excellent choice as a starting point. Itineraries offered include the Greater Antilles (Jamaica), the Windward Islands (Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent), the Leeward Islands (Saint Bartholomew, Saint Martin, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Tobago ), the Netherlands Antilles off the north coast of Venezuela (Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire) and even the Brazilian Amazon.

A favorite is a 7-day southern Caribbean circuit calling at St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Martin, St. John, St. Thomas, Dominica (southern caribbeandeparting every Wednesday at Carnival Victory).

Other ideas are Great Adventurer of the Caribbean (of Princess Cruises) calling at St Vincent, St Georges, Bonaire, WIllemstad, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St Thomas, St Kitts, St Johns, Dominica or, for the adventurous, Caribbean and Amazon (PO Cruises) with calls in Grenada, Santarem, Parintins, Manaus, Tobago, St Lucia.

Traveling to the Cruise Terminal from Grantley Adams Airport

Grantley Adams is 13 miles from the Port of Bridgetown. The airport is served by planes from North America, Europe and other Caribbean islands. The journey from the airport to the cruise terminal is easiest by taxi and takes about 30 minutes. The charge is around fifty Bds. (Editor’s note. It’s a real pleasure to be able to speak to (or at worst argue with) the taxi driver in English, rather than being at a complete disadvantage for not knowing the local language. In my experience, Bajan taxi drivers They are friendly and don’t overcharge.

It is also worth knowing

The Barbadian dollar (Bds) is pegged to the US dollar and one Barbadian dollar is always worth half a US dollar, with a rate of 1 US dollar = 2 Barbadian dollars.

Each traveler arriving in Bridgetown must pay a tax of US$6.

The official language is English, but Bajan (a local dialect derived from English and generally difficult to understand) is widely spoken.