Up to four large ships berth in the middle of St. John's, on calls of 9 to 12 hours in October 2026. Zip lines start at $96 without transport, and the Eco Tour is $125 plus 17% tax.
Put in your ship's arrival and all-aboard times from your cruise planner. Each tour is checked against the time you have, minus the buffer you choose for getting off the ship and back to the pier.
Example times are filled in. Your cruise line's daily planner has the real ones, and a tender port needs more buffer.
| Operator | What you get | From | Length | Group | Min age | Back-to-ship | Cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12+1 Zipline TourIncludes 13 ziplines, 1 aerial walkway and 2 suspension bridges, Equipment |
$96 per adult |
1.3 hrs |
4+, if the child fits the waist and chest harness and weighs at least 40 lbs (FAQ) | Not stated | Runs in light rain, not during electrical storms; refund terms not stated. | Check dates | ||
Island Adventure Escape Zipline TourIncludes 13 ziplines, 1 aerial walkway and 2 suspension bridges, Scenic jeep ride, Equipment, Round-trip transport (hotel pickup) |
$112 per adult |
4 hrs |
4+, if the child fits the waist and chest harness and weighs at least 40 lbs (FAQ) | Not stated | Runs in light rain, not during electrical storms; refund terms not stated. | Check dates | ||
Mystic Cades Reef Sail & Snorkel TourIncludes Sail on the catamaran Mystic, Snorkeling at Cades Reef, Beach break, Lunch, Juices, soft drinks, water, beer, wine and rum punch (no alcohol before snorkeling) |
$115 per person |
6 hours (the description also calls it a 5-hour excursion); starts 10:00 |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
The Eco TourIncludes Snorkel gear and a snorkel lesson, Guided snorkeling after lunch, Lunch on board, moored at Bird Island, Fruit juices and refreshments, Stop at the natural jacuzzi on Hell's Gate island, Fresh water shower and restroom on board, Rum punch at the end |
$125 per person |
Capped at 31 guests (boat certified for 49) |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
Island Safari Discovery ExcursionIncludes Driver/guide in an open-back safari vehicle, Island-wide sightseeing, Lunch break, Cold drinks, Transfer, Beach break |
$130 per person |
6 hours; starts 8:30 am |
Not stated | Check dates | ||||
Stingray Snorkel & Island TourIncludes Round-trip transport from hotel, villa or cruise port in an air-conditioned vehicle, Stingray City admission, Short boat ride to Stingray City, Snorkel guide and equipment, Safety briefing, Local guide, Rum punch or fruit juice |
$135 per person |
About 4.5 to 5 hours |
Minimum 3 guests |
Not stated | Check dates | |||
The Xtreme CircumnavIncludes Two snorkel stops (Stingray City and the Pillars of Hercules), Lunch at Green Island, Swim stop at Rendezvous Bay, Homemade rum punch |
$195.50 per person |
Full day |
Not stated | Check dates |
From each operator's own website, checked October 22, 2026. How we compare.
What the cruise lines list for their own excursions in Antigua, from their websites.
| Line | Excursion | From | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
Carnival |
$149.99 per adult |
6 hours |
Read on each cruise line's website on October 22, 2026. Lines change these prices often, so check the page before you book.
Antigua Cruise Port sits on Thames Street at Heritage Quay, on the St. John's waterfront, and has been run by GPH Antigua Ltd since Global Ports Holding signed a 30-year concession in February 2019. CruiseMapper says the fifth berth, Pier 5, was finished in February 2021 for US$30 million, and the port says it now takes the industry's largest ships. The port can handle up to four large ships at once; extra ships go to the Deep Water Harbour Terminal, about 1.5 km (1 mile) from downtown, and small ships sometimes anchor at English Harbour. The port counted 431 calls and 806,841 passengers in 2025, nearly all in transit.
Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay, the two duty-free zones, are a few steps from the commercial district by the port's own description, and their shops open about 9 am to 5 pm. Taxis are arranged at any Guest Information Center or the Taxi Dispatch Station, with the St John's Taxi Association as the authorized provider; the port publishes no fares online. Cars, mopeds, scooters and bikes rent from Zone 7, Wi-Fi covers the port zones, and shuttles run only when arranged for events or groups. Royal Caribbean's Royal Beach Club at Fort James is reached by water taxi.
Adventure Antigua usually collects cruise passengers from the wooden boardwalk in front of their ship, with exact details sent after booking. Its form asks for the ship's name and arrival date in case plans must change. Tropical Adventures checks guests in on Lower Redcliffe Street in St. John's. Exquisite Taxi & Tours picks up at the cruise port, hotel or villa at a flexible start time. Antigua Rainforest Zipline Tours' park is on Fig Tree Drive in Wallings; it sends pickup details after booking and tells guests on its no-transport tours to come by taxi or rental car.
Antigua and Barbuda stays on Atlantic Standard Time, UTC minus 4, with no daylight saving, the port's FAQ says. From early November to mid-March the island runs an hour ahead of Florida home ports. CruiseMapper's October 2026 list showed Rhapsody of the Seas at 8 am to 5 pm on four dates, and Carnival Venezia and Vision of the Seas on the same hours. Mein Schiff 2 (7 am to 7 pm) and Explora 3 (9 am to 7 pm) had longer days. The port's own schedule page lists dates without times, and warns that schedules can change with weather or operations.
Adventure Antigua says it has carried cruise passengers on the Eco Tour for ten years and brings them back to the dock just before the ship's own afternoon tours leave; it states no formal guarantee. Tropical Adventures' Mystic sail leaves at 10 am and is listed at 6 hours, which lands close to a 5 pm departure, though its own text also calls it a 5-hour trip. Exquisite's stingray and island day runs 4.5 to 5 hours from a start it sets around your schedule. Antigua Rainforest's zip line tours run 45 minutes to 4 hours, plus the drive to Wallings.
Adventure Antigua's Eco Tour, $125 per person before a 17% sales tax, runs an open 52 ft powercat through the North Sound's mangroves and reefs, past more than twenty small islands. It stops at the natural jacuzzi on Hell's Gate and moors at Bird Island for lunch. The boat is certified for 49; groups are capped at 31. Its Xtreme Circumnav, $195.50 plus tax, circles the island in a 45 ft offshore speedboat. Snorkel stops are at Stingray City and the Pillars of Hercules, lunch at Green Island and a swim at Rendezvous Bay. Children go from about 2 and about 6 respectively.
Exquisite Taxi & Tours' Stingray Snorkel & Island Tour, from $135 with a minimum of 3 guests, drives past the cathedral to Stingray City. A 5-minute boat ride takes guests out to wade and snorkel with southern stingrays. It goes on to Devil's Bridge National Park, the Betty's Hope sugar plantation and about 45 minutes at Long Bay Beach. Tropical Adventures' Mystic sail, from $115, moors at Cades Reef, which it calls the island's largest reef formation, for about an hour of guided snorkeling, serves lunch aboard and adds an hour on a beach. Its $130 Island Safari to Nelson's Dockyard showed an unavailable notice in October 2026.
Antigua Rainforest Zipline Tours' Island Adventure Escape costs $112 ($84 for 12 and under) for 4 hours with 13 zip lines, an aerial walkway, 2 suspension bridges and a jeep ride, transport included. Without transport, the same 13 lines are $96 as the 12+1 tour in about 1.3 hours, 8 lines are $86 and 6 lines $74. Zip line and stingray or kayak combinations with lunch are $182 for 6 hours. Carnival's Green Island Catamaran Escape is $149.99 per adult and $137.99 per child for 6 hours. It spends about 2.5 hours on Green Island with an open bar, after a 20-minute Atlantic crossing it warns can be choppy.
Adventure Antigua, started by Eli Fuller and running boats since 1999, gives 10% off for online bookings. The discount applies only if the balance is paid in cash on the boat, and not to bookings made through hotel reps. Deposits are $31.63 per person for the Eco Tour and $28.86 for the Xtreme, doubled for groups over 6, and the card is charged only once the date is confirmed. The deposit is refunded if the company cancels, and it says weather cancellations are rare and rescheduled where possible. Booking both tours takes 20% off the Eco Tour.
Exquisite Taxi & Tours needs 3 guests for its stingray day and points pairs to a private tour. It books by WhatsApp or email, since its Book Now buttons lead nowhere, and it publishes no cancellation terms. Its page shows $135 in the header and $130 in the page description. Tropical Adventures lists no cancellation policy on either tour page, and its Island Safari carried an unavailable notice, so confirm before relying on it.
Antigua Rainforest takes children from age 4 if they weigh at least 40 lb and fit the waist and chest harness, and lists no maximum weight. Tours go ahead in light rain but stop for electrical storms. It asks for sports shoes rather than flip-flops and advises against skirts and dresses, and it notes that some resorts, Sandals among them, do not allow pickup inside the property. None of its pages gives a refund policy or anything on cruise timing.
from $96 per adult
12+1 Zipline Tour and 1 more option
No back-to-ship policy stated
Zip line park on Fig Tree Drive in Wallings
from $115 per person
Mystic Cades Reef Sail & Snorkel Tour and 1 more option
No back-to-ship policy stated
Fleet includes the power catamaran Excellence and the sailing catamaran Mystic
from $125 per person
The Eco Tour and 1 more option
No back-to-ship policy stated
Started by Eli Fuller, whom the company describes as a third-generation Antiguan; running boat trips since 1999
from $135 per person
Stingray Snorkel & Island Tour
No back-to-ship policy stated
Taxi and tour company with a St. John's address; bookings by WhatsApp or email
Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 22, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.