Return to Cruising but need advice

[Peanutbrittle56]

Hello Fellow Cruisers, we are thrilled to finally return to cruising after 5 years. We are booked on Silversea Silver Dawn in January for a Barbados to Ft. Lauderdale cruise. We live on the west coast so an overnight stay will be necessary before cruise.  My question is this:  Would you be more inclined to travel straight through to Barbados for the overnight then board ship the next morning?  Or, would you fly to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale for overnight stay then fly to Barbados next morning to board ship by afternoon? How is the airport in Barbados?  Easy to navigate through customs?  I'm sure all of you seasoned travelers have tips or tricks you might want to share with us. We have never flown into or cruised out of Barbados before so this is all new to us. We have cruised out of Ft. Lauderdale many times and Miami a few times; this is not our first cruise. Thank you in advance!

[canderson]

We are far more comfortable being at the embarkation city at LEAST the night before any cruise.  Too many unexpected travel issues to arrive "day of".  I think you'll find a lot of support for that approach.

[frankhi]

1 hour ago, canderson said:

We are far more comfortable being at the embarkation city at LEAST the night before any cruise.  Too many unexpected travel issues to arrive "day of".  I think you'll find a lot of support for that approach.

I agree, plus mia/fll is probably longer than you might think....it's about a 4 hour flight. Also, I recently booked a flight BGI-MIA-MCO and it was cheaper than the same BGI-MIA flight. There are lots of west coast to mco flights.

Edited August 21, 2023 by frankhi

[Mocamps]

I agree that it’s too stressful arriving on the day of the cruise. I always like to arrive at least a day early and I can then relax and get properly excited about the cruise. And if you have to go through Miami, I think it’s extra important to allow plenty of time!! Last time we were there (earlier this year) it took us 3 hours to get through Passport Control!! It’s my least favourite airport in the world!!

[rojaan19]

We are another couple who  ALWAYS  arrive at the boarding port a day  or 2 before the cruise starts !  

[ropomo]

Really comes down to if you would prefer to miss the ship leaving without you because your flight from Florida was cancelled or delayed or you couldn't figure out how to make it a couple miles from your hotel to the ship at the departure point. Your call. Simple as that.

[ronrick1943]

With air travel today we would never take a chance on missing the ship…we always arrive in the city where the ship will depart 2 to 3 days before the cruise.  Believe it or not, we depart SFO 5 days before ship to leave Singapore….it was a non-stop and took us 3 days, ended up in Hawaii for 2 days and had a day and half to board the ship after arriving in Singapore.  You never know what will happen…

[claudiaYVR]

@Peanutbrittle56 unfortunately air travel has become incredibly unpredictable with many more flights cancelled or delayed than before the pandemic. I would sincerely recommend you plan to fly to Barbados the day before. We were flying from Vancouver to Barbados last December to join the Silver Moon and all it took was a delayed departure for everything to unravel. Long story short, the airline sent us from Toronto to Miami to spend the night there and then fly to Barbados on the only flight available the day of the cruise.

[Peanutbrittle56]

I so appreciate all those who replied to my post. We will ask our TA to arrange arrival the day before in Barbados. Has anyone had any experience with BGI airport?  Easy to navigate/crowded?   And now to choose a hotel in Barbados - any further suggestions?

 

[Mocamps]

I’ve been to BGI several times. It’s typically Caribbean. Unless anything has changed recently, you walk down the steps onto the tarmac and then across to the terminal. It’s easy enough to navigate but can be busy at Immigration (though never as bad as our worst experiences in Miami!!)

 

We’ve stayed a lot at the Hilton near Carlisle Bay but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it! I like the location and Carlisle Bay is lovely for swimming and snorkelling around the small wrecks. And Cuzzy’s fish stand near the Hilton car park does awesome fish sandwiches! But the Hilton has seen better days and the staff can be surly. St Lawrence Gap is a good area to head for with good beaches and is always lively in the evenings. But last time we stayed in a more boutique place (sorry, can’t remember the name) near Oistins fish market and I absolutely loved it there. It has great local vibes and amazing fish! And the beach was nice as well. Or you can head north from the cruise terminal to the area near Holetown. There are some good beaches there as well but it’s further from the airport. The bonus there is you can often see turtles while swimming- though we did see them further south last time. There’s nothing much close to the cruise terminal that I can think of. Good luck!

[Host Jazzbeau]

52 minutes ago, Mocamps said:

But last time we stayed in a more boutique place (sorry, can’t remember the name) near Oistins fish market and I absolutely loved it there.

Could it have been Little Arches Boutique Hotel?  [found it on google maps]

[Mocamps]

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Could it have been Little Arches Boutique Hotel?  [found it on google maps]

Quite possibly. The name doesn’t ring any bells for me but the location is about right. It was definitely further away from the usual hotspots and we walked through to Oustins in the evening. There was also a surf school nearby where my husband had a surfing lesson! But if you haven’t been to Barbados before I think I’d probably stick to St Lawrence Gap or Carlisle Bay Area - both are between the airport and the cruise terminal. If you have and like something a bit more ‘local’ then it’s worth a try and we’d go back. Or try to go back if we could get the right place!!

[les37b]

9 hours ago, Peanutbrittle56 said:

I so appreciate all those who replied to my post. We will ask our TA to arrange arrival the day before in Barbados. Has anyone had any experience with BGI airport?  Easy to navigate/crowded?   And now to choose a hotel in Barbados - any further suggestions?

 

 

Another vote for arriving at least the day before the cruise.

 

We embarked and disembarked in Barbados 6 months ago. The airport is small and a little chaotic and when the planes arrive at the same time, expect a wait unless you book a speedy exit pass. 
 

Make sure you fill out your arrival paperwork, though if you forget, there are machines there for you to do it on arrival. Ironically I think that actually looked the quicker option as 95% had their paperwork.

 

Boarding the ship is also a bit of a mare, as you will be registered and then wait for a bus to go inside the small port. They probably will give you a board time of 2pm, but the process will start at 1pm if you were to make your own way.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[terry&mike]

We are boarding an Azamara cruise to the Amazon and Brazil in Barbados in November. We are Florida residents, but still decided to fly in 3 nights before the sailing and just relax in Barbados before we board. Our flight gets in very late on the first night, so we really just have 2 days there. We've been to Barbados a couple of times before, and it's not our favorite Caribbean destination, but we like knowing that even if there are some delays, we will make our ship. We are staying at the South Beach by Ocean Hotel - Rockley at Accra Beach. 

[Peanutbrittle56]

12 hours ago, les37b said:

 

Another vote for arriving at least the day before the cruise.

 

We embarked and disembarked in Barbados 6 months ago. The airport is small and a little chaotic and when the planes arrive at the same time, expect a wait unless you book a speedy exit pass. 
 

Make sure you fill out your arrival paperwork, though if you forget, there are machines there for you to do it on arrival. Ironically I think that actually looked the quicker option as 95% had their paperwork.

 

Boarding the ship is also a bit of a mare, as you will be registered and then wait for a bus to go inside the small port. They probably will give you a board time of 2pm, but the process will start at 1pm if you were to make your own way.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you for this reply; invaluable information!  So appreciate it.