Harrison's Cave & Barbados on our own?

[jer630]

Hi all, our ship will be in from 8-5, and with doing scheduled tours in several other ports, we were thinking of "winging it" in Barbados by just lazily getting off the ship, finding a taxi to Harrison's Cave, doing that tour, then either having the driver take us to some other spots, or just coming back to the ship and going to a close beach.

 

Has anyone done the cave without going through a tour group? How long does it usually take?

 

Is there any other must-see areas?

 

What are the nearby beaches to port for a short stay?

[aimodels]

Here's some info:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1716782

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1613430

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1580131

 

I'd leave yourselves 2 hours for the tour, just to be safe. The tour itself is only about an hour, but you may have to wait a little while for the next available tour once you get there.

 

It's very easy to do both the caves and hit a beach without feeling rushed.

 

There are several beaches within a 15 minute cab ride from the pier.

 

Cheers, P:)

[CaribbeanBound]

We didn't do a taxi, but we did hire a private excursion...

 

We really enjoyed Barbados. We prearranged for Glory Tour's "Best of Barbados Tour" (Option A) which included lunch, entrance fees, and drinks. It was an all-day tour that ran from 9:00am to 4:00pm. All entrance fees were included. There were just six of us on this guided tour that took us all over the island. Our driver, Stephen, took us first to Harrision Cave where were enjoyed a guided tram tour underground. These caves are spectacular. Then on to Bathsheba on the East Coast for impressive views of the ocean and rock formations. We ate a delicious lunch of Flying Fish, rice and beans, cole slaw, macaroni and cheese casserole, and a coke. We then worked our way to the Wild Life Reserve where we saw an abundance of green-tailed monkeys, tortoises, iguanas, a python, peacocks, turkeys, and other critters I couldn't identify. Stephen then treated us to a Barbados Rum Punch at the bar there. On the West Coast, we took a glass bottom boat to two snorkeling destinations: first visiting a ship wreck, then a spot where we swam with sea turtles (West Coast). Recommended!

[marial_gumby]

Did you have any issues with Glory Tours? I've been reading some recent posts in other threads here about lack of communication and/or tour noshow. I have been looking at the Best of Barbados Tour also but have been hesitant to book because of the comments.