Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Antigua, where I’m spending the holiday on Princess Cruises’ beautiful Enchanted Princess. Ah, Antigua—definitely not one of my favorite ports to visit in the Caribbean, right along with Jamaica.
This little island sits in the heart of the Leeward Islands and dates back thousands of years, with its first settlers arriving in 2400 B.C. Later, Christopher Columbus made a stop in 1493, naming the island after the Church of Santa Maria de la Antigua. By the 1600s, it was a British colony, and sugar plantations became the backbone of its economy. Fast forward to 1981, and Antigua gained its independence.
Things to Do in St. John’s, Antigua
This is not a very popular destination for cruise ships, as the port itself can’t accommodate many of today’s massive ships, so it’s often a call for smaller vessels. You dock at the island’s capital of St. John’s, and just a few steps from the ship are Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay, where there are a handful of shops, locals selling crafts, and a few spots to grab food and drink.
Like any port stop, the locals can be aggressive in pushing tours, taxi rides, scooters, etc. Antigua is no different. Taxi drivers will hound you as soon as you enter the small marketplace, and merchants will try their best to lure you into their shops with free samples. You know the drill—it’s the same everywhere.
Now, if you’re one who likes to get out and explore, be forewarned: this isn’t the nicest place to go sightseeing. Many of the streets are in disrepair, sidewalks are narrow with some having steep steps and open drains, which are trip hazards, especially for those with mobility issues.
But if you do want to head out, don’t venture too far from the ship—just hang around two or three blocks from the port and be aware of your surroundings. One of the things many like to visit is the twin-towered St. John’s Cathedral, which is just a short walk from the ship. And being that it’s Christmas, that may be on some people’s to-do list.
If you’re not up for DIY sightseeing, there are several shore excursions you can book. History buffs can head to Nelson’s Dockyard, a restored 18th-century British naval yard and national park. It’s a slice of maritime history, complete with museums, boutiques, and great views.
For the thrill-seekers, there’s ziplining through the Antiguan rainforest. Or, if you’re looking for some water fun, head to Stingray City, where you’ll get up close and personal with the “brightest rays in the Caribbean” in crystal-clear waters. And, of course, there are beaches—365 of them, to be exact!
Having been here several times before and never finding anything too attractive around the port, I decided to use the day to chill out on the ship, and it was a good call. Since it’s Christmas, almost everything is closed. Looking out into the shopping area is like looking into a ghost town.
Later in the evening, I asked some folks at the bar if they headed ashore, and they said yes, but everything was locked up. One employee at a store said, “The only reason we’re open is because of your ship. I’d much rather be home with my family on Christmas.”
Yikes!
For those of us who skipped going ashore, there were still some activities onboard scheduled throughout the day to keep everyone busy and entertained.
Dining on Enchanted Princess
Let’s talk about food options onboard the Enchanted Princess for a moment.
The ship has three main dining rooms that serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At dinner time, one dining room is used for traditional early and late seatings, another for anytime walk-up dining, and the third is for those who want to make a reservation for a specific time and don’t want to just walk up.
In addition to the main dining room, there are three specialty restaurants: Crown Grill, which is a steakhouse; The Catch by Rudi, which specializes in fresh seafood; and Sabatini’s, an Italian restaurant. All of these have a per-person cover charge.
More casual options for dinner include O’Malley’s, which offers traditional pub food like burgers and fish and chips. GiGi’s Pizzeria is a sit-down pizza restaurant offering freshly made pizza, small bites, and a few Italian dishes. Both of these are located in the ship’s atrium, along with a small sushi bar.
For grab-and-go lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks, up on the lido deck you can grab burgers, hot dogs, and pizza by the slice until 11 p.m.—and I must say, the pizza is pretty darn good!
Of course, the buffet is available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and has an overwhelming number of choices! There are different themed stations each evening, such as Italian or Bavarian, where specialty dishes from those countries are served. Plus carving stations, shrimp, salads, sandwiches, dozens of desserts, and a station featuring gluten-free options.
Christmas Entertainment
Since it’s Christmas Day, Santa made an appearance! Just before we departed, an announcement was made that St. Nick came down the ship’s smokestack and dropped off a whole bunch of toys in the atrium. He showed up to pass them out to everyone on either the naughty OR nice list!
The evening’s main entertainment was a Christmas show put on in the ship’s main theatre. This definitely was not the type of Christmas show I, or others in the audience, was expecting. It started off with a welcome by the cruise director, followed by an artist creating sand drawings. As she used her fingers to create these drawings, they were shown on the two large video screens that flank each side of the stage.
This was a very boring ten minutes.
It was then followed up by some very non-traditional holiday music by the ship’s band and vocalist, with the occasional dance performers brought in for good measure. There wasn’t any “Frosty the Snowman” or songs that would put you in the holiday spirit. Most were slow, depressing numbers, and even the one from the Irish vocalists who entertain each evening in O’Malley’s was odd and out of place.
A lot of us were expecting a “holiday” show, and I think we’re still trying to figure it all out.
Later on in the evening, I was asked if I went, and I said I did… to which a follow-up question was asked:
Did you need to take an anti-depressant afterward?
It was just a very odd holiday show with an even odder choice for the opening act and strange musical selections.
The Catch by Rudi on Enchanted Princess
After the show, I headed over to The Catch by Rudi, a $45-per-person specialty restaurant that bears the name and recipes of celebrity chef Rudi Sodamin. Rudi has been associated with Carnival Corporation (owner of Princess Cruise Line and others) for decades and has restaurants on Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line ships, in addition to Princess.
The menu is pretty much the same whether you’re having dinner on Princess or one of the other brands, with some slight tweaks.
Each time I’ve eaten at one of Rudi’s restaurants, the food has always been delicious and the presentation a work of art. I went in with the same expectations, and right away, I knew they were going to be met.
My reservation was at 8:20 p.m., and upon arrival, I was seated immediately. My server and his assistant came over right away to take a drink order and go over a few menu selections as well as the evening’s fresh fish.
Dinner started off with some crusty baguette with a tapenade that was seriously delicious spread on top of the fresh bread.
Next up, I went with the calamari: a small portion of panko-coated fried calamari rings served with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.
The next course was something that I have enjoyed in the past at his other restaurants—the cioppino, or fisherman’s stew. A savory broth loaded with white fish, scallions, clams, and prawns, served with toast for dipping. Delicious as always!
For the main course, I went with the surf and turf: a six-ounce tenderloin and six-ounce lobster tail. Without a doubt, it was better than the meal in the ship’s steakhouse on Day 1, the Crown Grill.
When it came time for dessert, I went with the Chantilly Lace, which came along with its own little presentation: a tower of mini croquembouche filled with Chantilly cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce tableside.
The restaurant also has a few upcharge entrees for those looking to order a whole lobster for $35 or some Sevruga caviar for $116.
Service was impeccable throughout the entire evening, and the pace of service was unrushed. The restaurant manager, Jose, stopped by several times to chat and make sure everything was perfect—which it was!
After dinner, it was time for a quick nightcap, and I called it a night as we sailed to our next port of call, St. Kitts, where the Enchanted Princess is expected to arrive at 8 a.m. Four ships are scheduled to be in port tomorrow, which is going to make for a very busy day ashore. More on that tomorrow!
As always, thanks for following along.
Princess Patter for Day 6:
