Antigua to welcome over 40k guests this week, nine cruise ships docked in two days

Antigua and Barbuda: Over 11,000 visitors kickstarted December month for cruise season 2024/2025 with the arrival of six ships on Monday and three ships on Tuesday in Antigua and Barbuda. With such bustling activities, the island nation is expected to welcome over 40,000 passengers by the end of this week. 

Five cruise ships docked at St John’s Harbour in Antigua Cruise Port and the remaining one ship has been welcomed by Barbuda on Monday. While three cruise ships docked in Antigua with an arrival of over 5000 passengers on Tuesday. 

Six cruise ships in Antigua and Barbuda

The first cruise ship of the day was “The Arvia” which marked its second visit to Antigua and Barbuda during the cruise season 2024/2025. While starting its voyage to the country, the vessel with P&O cruises homeported with over 5000 passengers in October 2024. 

On Monday, the vessel brought over 5,219 passengers who explored local offerings of Antigua and Barbuda. 

The second vessel of the day included Carnival Venezia which has brought 4,062 passengers, followed by Oceania’s Vista bringing 956 passengers. Viking Sea also joined the fleet of six cruise ships for Antigua and Barbuda and came up with 502 passengers along with Explora II which has brought 372 passengers. 

The last vessel of the day docked in Barbuda where passengers onboard the Star Flyer with 145 passengers enjoyed the serene beauty of the island nation. All these cruise ships brought a total of 11,256 passengers on the first day of the week. 

Three Cruise Ships

Antigua Cruise Port welcomed three cruise ships simultaneously on Tuesday, bringing over 5000 passengers. AIDAbella berthed at Nevis St Pier and consisted of a capacity to carry 2030 passengers. 

The second cruise ship of the day was Enchanted Princess which was berthed at Heritage Quay and has a seating capacity of 3560 passengers. Marella Voyager also docked in Heritage Quay on the same day with a seating capacity of 1904 passengers. 

Economic Benefits

In just two days, nine cruise ships buzzed cruise activities in Antigua and Barbuda with an arrival of thousands of passengers who explored different complexes in Heritage Quay and the natural wonders of Barbuda. 

Through this, local businesses including street vendors, taxi operators, tour guides, hoteliers and restaurant holders have received massive responses and positive marks for their businesses. Due to this, the cruise season has been promising to feature a vibrant boost for its local economy and the tourism season. 

In addition to Antigua, Barbuda has also been experiencing positive growth in its cruise season with arrival of ships during the 2024/2025 cruise season.