RandyK

We are taking a Celebrity cruise and stopping in Barbados for the day. We have 17 different options from Celebrity but some of them don't seem like values--such as a $49/pp tour of the rum distillery. Suggestions on what we should do with just a day in Barbados? We usually do beach vacations for spring break and were thinking of just going to a beach on our own, but we're open to suggestions. Can a Fodorite help us?

xkenx

Most interesting sightseeing places are Harrison's Cave, Flower Forest, and Francia Plantation (a preserved plantation house from the sugar cane days). None are too far from one another. Best way to go is to hire a taxi for the sightseeing, and you have freedom of movement for the day without being among the crowds of a tour. If you pick just enough to take you to lunchtime, go over to Coral Reef Club (one of the classiest beachfront hotels on the west coast), have lunch at their open-air restaurant overlooking the water, and you can use their beach and snorkel.
See www.barbados.org

Diana

We were on that same Celebrity cruise in January, and this is what we did...

Once we got in the terminal building, I haggled with a driver representative in order to get the best price to take us around to some attractions.

We got a SUPER driver, and I have his name and e-mail address if you would like to contact him to see if he will take you around.

For $125, he took us all over the place (there were 4 of us) in a comfy van. He drove us around for almost six hours. We went to Harrison's Caves (very fun - you ride a tram through), to Mount Gay rum (basically just a BIG ole' ad for their rum, but still fun), to the beach for lunch and a stop at the Boatyard bar and downtown for shopping. (Which was a GREAT taste of Caribbean city life - very interesting!)

I'm sure if it is just two of you, the price would be much less, and it did not include the entry fees to the things we did.

He is sooo personable, and we had a great time. Here is the e-mail address, and tell him his friends from the ship from last month referred you. We have been keeping in touch...

<[email protected]>

Lois

Randy,

I put out a suggested one-day itinerary for cruise passengers. If you want my tips, e-mail me at:

[email protected]

diann

I would avoid the ships excursion at this port. It is so easy to hire your own for half the cost. They are everywhere once you get off the ship. They have a wonderful port. We took a tour of the island with other couples we didn't know, and reduced our cost. We then were left off at a beach. I think it was Paynes beach if memory serves me correct. It was a nice beach and cab back was $4.00 I think. It wasn't far from the cruise ship. You can do half tour, half beach. The second time we went we just relaxed on the beach all day. Have fun.

schmerl

It's so easy to get to a beach on your own. You can do some research first to decide on a beach or ask some people who work on the ship. One time we went to Cuasarana (sp?) to enjoy the beach and another time we went to a beach in Holetown. There are plenty of taxis available when you get off the ship.