Introduction
The island of Barbados has a surfeit of nature's beauty, interesting places to visit, and seemingly endless ribbons of white sand beaches, surely amongst the finest in the Caribbean Sea. The countryside ranges from the hills and rough waves on the Atlantic east coast, to the flatter lands and beautiful picture-perfect beaches on the west Caribbean coast.
During the 18th and early 19th centuries Barbados was operated essentially as a large sugar farm under British management, and today there are still a few original sugar plantations reborn as museums chronicling the hardships of the slaves toiling in the fields.
Today the inhabitants of Barbados are termed Bajans, and the ancestors of the old plantation economy live in relative harmony in a democratic society.
Barbados is the easternmost Caribbean island and nomally avoids the terrible effects of the region's tropical hurricanes due to the fact that the island is situated outside the major storm path. Records show that a hurricane only hits the island around once every 35 years.
All these plus points make the island a very popular cruise ship port, and in recent years, mainly due to the very convenient Grantley Adams airport, it has also become a busy starting port for cruises.
You Choose The Cruise
Due to its ideal position at the center of the Southern Caribbean, Barbados makes a good choice as s departure port.
Itineraries include the Greater Antilles (Jamaica), the Windward Isles (Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent), the Leeward Isles(St Barts, St Martin, St Kitts, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Tobago), the Netherland Antilles off the north coast of Venezuela (Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire) or even as far south as the Brazilian Amazon.
For a list of cruises from Barbados, see cruises from Barbados.
Bridgetown Cruise Port
Bridgetown Port is positioned in Carlisle Bay on the Western coast of the island of Barbados. The Port handles all of the country's cargo ships, together with a large number of cruise ships. Constructed in 1961, the Deep Water Harbour was formed by a manmade breakwater added to a natural bay. In 2002 the main channel and the inner harbor were deepened to facilitate large ships to call. Since the dredging project the port has experienced an increase both in goods and cruise ship volumes.
The port consists of four docks totaling 1531 meters in length, and can handle 5-6 large cruiseships.
The official port website is Port of Bridgetown.
Beside the quays sits the cruise terminal, opened in January 1994. It acts as the center for services for cruise passengers and crew members arriving at the island. The cruise terminal houses the normal departments to manage cruise passengers, like Immigration, Customs, Health Center, Animal Quarantine, Barbados Tourist Center and Post Office. There are other useful facilities, including restaurants and bars, a business center, a large shopping area, and an internet cafe.
Cab services and rental cars are available for passengers just outside the cruise terminal main entrance. As an alternative the adventurous can make their way to Bridgetown's main bus station, the Fairchild Street Terminal, around a twenty minute walk, to take advantage of the island's cheap bus system.
Sightseeing Around Bridgetown
Broad Street
The main street of Bridgetown. The street is lined with duty free shops, banks, larger department stores, and bars. A good detour is Swan Street which features many discount clothing stores.
Harrison's Cave
Barbabos's number one visitor attraction. Get on an electrically powered tram and ride through a beautiful subterranean world.
Welchman Hall Gully
The lush tropical gardens set among natural caves are filled with tropical specimens, here long before the British arrived in 1627. Chattering monkeys fill the treetops.
Sunbury Plantation House
A Plantation Great House whose rooms is open to the public. The 300 year house is rich in history, with old paintings, fascinating plantation inventory lists, characterful antique funiture and a small museum of of horse carriages.
Beaches
The island's beaches are open to the public. Easiest to get to are the beaches of the Gold Coast. Payne's bay is good for swimming. Nearby is Fresh Water Bay, which boasts a lovely trio of beaches, Brandon's Beach, Paradise Beach and Brighton Beach.
Mount Gay Rum Distillery and Banks Beer Tour
If you like your alcohol go on a guided tour and sampling at the island's main rum distillery, next head over to Banks Brewery to enjoy the island's favorite beer.
Getting To The Cruise Port
Grantley Adams International Airport is 13 miles from Bridgetown Port. The airport is served by aeroplanes from Europe, North America and other islands in the Caribbean. The journey from airport to the cruise terminal is easiest by taxi, and takes around thirty minutes. The charge is around 60 Barbadian dollars.
