Wrapping up our Caribbean Cruise on the tall ship Star Flyer
Scott and I were excited to be heading to Antigua after our stop in Guadeloupe. We honeymooned there in 2003 and that’s when we decided we wanted to retire in the Caribbean. This was our fourth trip back to the island and we knew exactly where to take our friends, Ben and Maria.
Our ship anchored in Falmouth Harbor, which is just west of English Harbor. Here you will find luxury yachts anchored in the harbor.
We had signed up for the “Swim with the Sting Rays” excursion on Antigua, which wasn’t scheduled until 1:30p. Since we had time to kill, we decided to take Ben and Maria on a quick tour of the island.
Quick Tour of Antigua
A few years ago, Scott and I took an island tour by taxi and we loved it! So we knew this was the best way to quickly show Ben and Maria our favorite Caribbean island. We only had about two hours for a quick tour. Our driver was Willie and super friendly! His first stop was the Blockhouse lookout. The lookout view is spectacular and includes Eric Clapton’s compound.
We then headed to Shirley Heights for a quick look out overlooking English Harbor and Nelson’s Dockyard. Captain Nelson built the Blockhouse, Shirley Heights Fort and Nelson’s Dockyard. He wanted to have a 360 degree view of intruders. It’s amazing to think about the fact that they built these forts high up on hills without machinery.
From Shirley Heights, Willie headed north, taking us to a few beautiful beaches on the western side of the island.
365 Beaches on Antigua
Antigua has a beach for every day of the year! As Willie drove us north, we stopped at a few beaches, including Jacqui O’s – the beach of romance!
After visiting a few beaches, we had about 40 minutes to get to St. John (the capital) for a quick tour. Driving around the island, really gives you a good sense of how the residents live every day.
St. John
We literally had about 10 minutes to spare when we arrived. To really enjoy all of Antigua, you need more than 2 hours! St. John offers lots of shopping and this is where the cruise ships come into port. There is a main shopping market for tourist with hundreds of vendors in the city center.
For some reason, Scott, Ben and Maria had a hankering for donuts! LOL We’ll laugh about this photo for years! Who knew Ben loved donuts so much! 😉
After a quick two hour tour, it was time to head to Pigeon Beach for lunch (hosted by the Star Flyer) and catch our bus to Sting Ray City.
Sting Ray City
Scott and I swam with the sting rays during our last trip to Antigua. I didn’t enjoy it much, as I was neck deep in the water and I was a bit freaked out with slimy fish rubbing by my legs! This experience was completely different and we loved it! We were waist deep and the trainers were amazing. Be sure to watch our YouTube episode (#32) to see Lola kissing me!
An Antiguan Sunset
We finished our day in Falmouth Harbor watching sail boats race in the harbor, drinking rum punch and saying goodbye to our favorite sunset.
After dinner, the ship had a fantastic steel drum band perform for us. It was the perfect ending of a great day!
St. Barths – here we come!
We sailed all night from Antigua to St. Barths. As I was walking around the deck, I noticed in the distance whale spouts. Be sure to see that footage on our YouTube episode.
Our last day of the trip was in St. Barth’s (St. Bartholomew). We had been told that the town was a mini Beverly Hills and drinks were $50 each. Since we hadn’t had any time to relax and lay in the sun, we all took a day off. It was the perfect day, enjoying the Caribbean breezes and warm sunshine.
One thing you will notice about St. Barth’s harbor, is the opulence! Anchored in the distance was Eclipse. Eclipse is the second largest yacht in the world at almost 535 feet. It has two helicopter pads, a mini submarine and three tenders!
All day long we watched expensive tenders drive! It really was quite the sight to see. Be sure to check out our footage on our YouTube channel (check back here) of all of the activity in the harbor.
St. Barth’s Sundowner
We had an amazing sunset on our last night. All of us hung out on the deck, for as long as we could before we said goodbye to the sun!
Traveling with Ben and Maria was great (hopefully they feel the same- LOL). We really had such a fun week and they were a big part of that.
The Star Flyer Events – Last Night
The ship had a nice dinner planned and a mini celebration from the crew. We then finished the evening watching a movie on deck, Around Cape Horn, which was filmed in 1929. It’s amazing that they got this footage – considering how long ago this was!
After the movie, the ship raised the sails with yet, another celebration. They had sparkling wine, music and colored sails.
Returning Home
We sailed all night from St. Barth’s to Sint Maarten. The ship has you place your luggage outside your room at 4:30am and you keep just your carry-on bag. Breakfast was served from 8am – 10am and customs/immigration were on board first thing in the morning
In order to leave the ship, you check-in with Sint Maarten customs/immigration and then they return your passports to you. We left the ship around 9am, but our flight was not until 1:30pm. So Scott and I took a taxi back to Holland House and got a day pass for our luggage. There we enjoyed a few local Carib beers and squeezed in some last minute shopping. There are lots of shops at the cruise terminal, but they don’t open until after 10am.
Though the airport is small, there are quite a few tourists shops there too, for any last minute shopping needs you have. The airport doesn’t have “restaurants / bars” per se, but they do have take-out for sandwiches and beers to go.
Bye Caribbean!
Scott and I are always sad to leave the Caribbean, but we can’t wait to return. How did we like the trip? Well, tune into our YouTube Channel for a full review and feedback about the trip.
Now that the trip is over, we’re anxious to get our new boat into service and ready for boating this summer. Stay tuned for that next adventure!
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Watch the full tour here on YouTube:
Cheers, Scott and Ally
