We were woken this morning at 8:15 am by the cruise director announcing that we had arrived in Antigua and Barbuda.
Despite good intentions, we didn’t get straight out of bed. So, the next thing we heard was the 10:00 am announcement regarding the crew’s mandatory safety drill. At this point, we decided that we should get out of bed.
We had a tour booked for 1:00 pm but decided to ditch that and do our own exploring, so we got organised to get off the ship and go into St. John’s, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda (confusingly, on the island also named Antigua).

Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign island country in the West Indies, at the juncture of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is made up of two major islands (Antigua and Barbuda) and a number of smaller islands.
Christopher Columbus visited the island in 1493 and named it for the Church of Santa María La Antigua. Great Britain colonised Antigua in 1632 and Barbuda in 1678. Antigua and Barbuda gained independence in 1981 )but retained membership of the Commonwealth).

We got off the ship around 11:00 am and walked down the dock into the town. Despite tourism (mostly from cruise ships) accounting for about 80% of the country’s revenue, and the cruise ship season running for only a few months, almost everything in town is closed on a Sunday (which it is today). More than 90% of the population is Christian so it seems that the most popular activity on a Sunday is going to church. Without making any conscious decision about what to look at first, we found ourselves heading to St. John’s Cathedral, since it stood out more than any other building in the town’s skyline. When we arrived, a service was in progress, so we sat at the back for a while and observed. The church is quite beautiful and it was very peaceful just sitting on a pew and taking it all in.

St. John's Cathedral.
St. John's Cathedral.
St. John's Cathedral
St. John's Cathedral
Inside St. John's Cathedral.
Inside St. John's Cathedral.

Pretty quickly we decided that there was not going to be much to do in the town. We decided that it might be nice to go to a beach for a swim, so we walked back to the ship to get our bathers and some towels. When we walked back in to town we met a local taxi driver named Akeem, and we negotiated with him to drive us to Valley Church Beach on the west side of Antigua.

Andrea on Valley Church Beach.
Andrea on Valley Church Beach.
Keith on Valley Church Beach.
Keith on Valley Church Beach.

After having a look around the beautiful Valley Church Beach, we decided to drive on and have a look further along the coast, so we hopped back in the taxi and drove to Carlisle Bay on the south side of the island. On the way, we stopped at a very cute roadside shop called Gina’s Cook Shop. We bought some bananas there and both immediately decided that they were the best bananas we had ever eaten!

Gina's Cook Shop (on Old Road).
Gina's Cook Shop (on Old Road).
Gina's Cook Shop (on Old Road).
Gina's Cook Shop (on Old Road).

We continued up to Carlisle Bay where we stopped for a little while to walk on the beach.

Looking across to Carlisle Bay from Old Road.
Looking across to Carlisle Bay from Old Road.
Keith at Carlisle Bay.
Keith at Carlisle Bay.

We left Carlisle Bay and headed back to Valley Church Beach for a swim.

Keith and Andrea in the Caribbean Sea at Valley Church Beach.
Keith and Andrea in the Caribbean Sea at Valley Church Beach.

After a nice swim, we walked back up the beach to The Nest Beach Bar, a bar and cafe right on the sand. We enjoyed some magnificent coconut prawns, which we washed down with a few Piña coladas (which were so good, even Andrea ordered one!).

Andrea with the bartender of The Nest Beach Bar.
Andrea with the bartender of The Nest Beach Bar.
Coconut prawns at The Nest Beach Bar.
Coconut prawns at The Nest Beach Bar.
Keith, our driver Akeem, and Andrea, at The Nest Beach Bar.
Keith, our driver Akeem, and Andrea, at The Nest Beach Bar.

We left Valley Church Beach and headed back to St. John’s, where we said goodbye to Akeem and walked back to the ship. We had enjoyed great weather during the day but managed to get caught in a brief deluge as we walked down the dock to the ship so by the time we got back inside, we were soaking wet. We went back to our room for a hot bath and to change into some dry clothes.

We relaxed briefly before heading to the pool deck to listen to a local band that had come on board to perform.

Local Antigua and Barbuda musicians performing on the ship.
Local Antigua and Barbuda musicians performing on the ship.

We had a nice view over the city of St. John’s as we sat outside and enjoyed the music.

Looking back to St. John's from the ship, with St. John's Cathedral in the background.
Looking back to St. John's from the ship, with St. John's Cathedral in the background.

After enjoying the music for a while, it was time to head inside for dinner.

Andrea and Keith on the way to dinner.
Andrea and Keith on the way to dinner.

Tonight we were having dinner with two lovely young ladies, Olivia and Maurgan, who are both dancers on the ship.
At 6:30 pm we all met at the Compass Rose restaurant and settled in to enjoy a very nice dinner.

Chicken consommé with matzo balls, vegetables, and chives.
Chicken consommé with matzo balls, vegetables, and chives.
Wagyu beef puffs with yuzu mayo, pickled radish, and cucumber.
Wagyu beef puffs with yuzu mayo, pickled radish, and cucumber.
Cucumber mint sorbet.
Cucumber mint sorbet.
Roast turkey with gravy, chestnut stuffing, sweet potato rosette, green peas, and orange and cranberry relish.
Roast turkey with gravy, chestnut stuffing, sweet potato rosette, green peas, and orange and cranberry relish.
Rosemary and garlic roasted lam rack with Spring pea min purée, fondant potato, and natural jus.
Rosemary and garlic roasted lam rack with Spring pea min purée, fondant potato, and natural jus.
Sautéed mushrooms.
Sautéed mushrooms.
Green beans.
Green beans.
Strawberry ice-cream.
Strawberry ice-cream.
Pistachio soufflé with white chocolate sauce.
Pistachio soufflé with white chocolate sauce.
Apple and oatmeal crumble.
Apple and oatmeal crumble.
Cointreau strawberries in a brandy snap basket with mascarpone.
Cointreau strawberries in a brandy snap basket with mascarpone.
Petit fours.
Petit fours.

Before we knew it, it was after 9:00 pm and it was time to head back to the pool deck for an Abba-themed dance party. We had a great time, dancing to Abba hits performed by the ship’s band and singers, as the ship pulled out of port.

Abba dance party on the pool deck.
Abba dance party on the pool deck.

Just as the dance party finished, the rain arrived. So, we headed back to our room to have a (relatively!) early night. We’re sailing overnight to Philipsburg, the capital of Sint Maarten. We are planning to be up early to go out and explore there tomorrow.