LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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ARVIA CARIBBEAN ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS AND WHAT TO DO ON EACH ISLAND.

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When we decided to join our first ever cruise, we were very clear that we wanted to find an itinerary that maximised our time on shore and gave us the chance to visit as many Caribbean islands as possible. That’s exactly how we ended up booking two weeks aboard P&O’s Arvia.

In this post, I’ll set out Arvia’s current two-week Caribbean itinerary, including what you can expect in each port and our pick of the best ways to spend your time, whether that’s on organised shore excursions or exploring independently.

Don’t have time to read the full post?

Where can you board Arvia in the Caribbean?

When booking a trip onboard Arvia, you can choose to embark in Antigua and Barbuda or Barbados. From our experience, the majority of passengers seemed to board in Barbados.

You’ll embark on either a Friday or Saturday and disembark on the same day two weeks later. If you board on a Saturday in Barbados, you’ll sail away that evening and enjoy a sea day the following day. If you board on a Friday, you’ll have a full day in Barbados before departure.

Either way, every itinerary includes two days in Antigua & Barbuda and two days in Barbados, which is a real highlight.

How many sea days on the Arvia Caribbean itinerary?

In total, you can expect four sea days across the two weeks. These are well spaced out, usually following two or three consecutive port days, which makes the pace feel relaxed rather than rushed.

How long does Arvia spend on each island?

With the exception of Barbados and Antigua (where Arvia stays overnight), you’ll spend one full day on each island.

Arrival is typically between 07:30 and 08:00, with disembarkation usually possible by 08:00. All-aboard time is normally 17:30, allowing for a full day ashore.

When Arvia is overnight in port in Barbados or Antigua, there’s no set return time, giving you complete freedom in the evenings.

Which Caribbean islands does Arvia visit (2026)

As of 2026, Arvia visits eight Caribbean islands on it’s two week itinerary. St Kitts & Nevis, Tortola (BVIs), Sint Maarten, Martinique, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia and Barbados.

1/ Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis

PORT

As soon as you step off the boat, you are catapulted into a purpose built street with duty free shops and souvenir stores. Basseterre is a short walk from the port area.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

Our top pick for a shore excursion is taking a full day sailing tour to Nevis. This is how we spent our first island day off of Arvia and I can’t even begin to explain how quickly I relaxed, as I sailed on a catamaran with a rum punch in my hands. Book in advance, tours do sell out.

If you’d rather not a full day, you can also book half day sailing tours – less rum, but more time to explore Basseterre.

Another popular way to spend a shore day on St Kitts is the Sugar Train. This is a scenic railway ride, including drinks and promises a lively atmosphere.

Finally, St Kitts is home to Mount Liamuiga – a volcano climbing to 3,700 ft. You can book a hiking tour to get, what I imagine would be, the best view in St Kitts from the top of a volcano.

2/ Roadtown, Tortola

PORT

The port in Roadtown is quite small. There’s a handy tourist information and of course a handful of duty free stores. Outside of the port you’ll find a plethora of taxis and shuttle buses.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

Tortola is one of the best islands on the Arvia Caribbean itinerary if you want a fully fledged beach day. Open sided shuttle buses wait at the port and can zip you across the island to a beach of your choice.

Brewers Bay, Long Bay and Cane Garden Bay are the most popular – and bus tickets cost $12 to each of these. Find our guide to Cane Garden Bay here (we picked it because it’s a pretty beach and there’s a rum distillery nearby).

That said, probably the best way to get to know the British Virgin Islands a little better, is to set sail. You can board a catamaran and spend the day visiting Josh Van Dyke island. Book this catamaran tour here.

3/ Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

PORT

Philipsburg cruise port is typical of those in the region – a broad street with shops lining each side. Expect to find duty free stores and the usual jewellery shops too. Sharkys is a popular bar in port for drinks before getting back on the ship.

The one difference here, is that you can walk to a beach in around 20 minutes. Great Bay Beach is a fantastic sandy beach with a lively promenade and loads of great bars. If you fancy a simple beach day, with inexpensive sun loungers – then look no further!

Find our guide to visiting Great Bay Beach here.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

Two of the most popular beaches to visit are Orient Bay and Maho Beach. The latter, is of course the famous beach with airplanes flying just overhead. If you wanted to visit both, you can book an inexpensive beach tour, which allows you time to unwind at each beach.

Another popular choice is to take a highlights of the island tour which includes both popular beaches, as well as things like a rum distillery tour and cheese tasting. Island tours on Sint Maarten tend to be quite well priced, so it’s a good island to take a tour on.

We chose to go cycling in Sint Maarten (you can read about that experience here). Serious cyclists may enjoy a cycling tour of the island, or for a more relaxed option you can pick a cycling tour in Philipsburg.

For a more unusual tour, consider exploring the island by quad bike – it looks so much fun.

4/ Fort-de-France, Martinique

PORT

Fort-de-France was our favourite port, there’s no tacky duty free area. Instead, you can walk with ease from the port into town. So it feels far less “purpose-built” than many of the other port areas.

Once you’re in town, there are lots of free things to explore – like the indoor market, cathedral and parks. We loved just walking around Fort-de-France seeing what we could find. Here’s our guide to the best things to do in Fort-de-France.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

Martinique is one of the best islands on the Arvia itinerary if you want to explore independently.

If you want to do something a little different, we recommend Balata Gardens. A pretty botanical garden that offers total escapism from cruise crowds. You can get there on a local bus too. Find our guide to Balata Gardens here.

An alternative way to explore Martinique independently is to take a 5 minute ferry to either Pointe du Bout, a charming town with a beach. It has a totally different feel to Fort-de-France.

If you’d rather something a little more organised, there are many catamaran and snorkel tours where you have the chance to see turtles.

5/ St John’s, Antigua & Barbuda

PORT

St John’s is quite a fun cruise port, with a number of lively bars – including Rum Runners (a very popular stop for passengers looking for a strong rum punch and some island vibes.) There are also some fun bars in St John’s, like Alligators Bar.

Alongside this, you can find the usual duty free stores and shops.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

On Arvia, you can expect two days in Antigua – so more time to explore the island. Antigua is most well known as the “island of 365 beaches”, but there’s more than just great beaches to see.

For example, Nelson’s Dockyard is a UNESCO heritage site and easy to get to from St John’s. Nature lovers will also enjoy climbing to Shirley Heights and snorkelling in Galleon Beach.

If you want to stay closer to St John’s, you can walk to Fort James Beach right from the port, perfect for an easy day. Further up the coast on foot (or a water taxi from port) is popular Dickenson Bay.

For something a little different, consider a horseback riding tour, swimming with stingrays at stingray city, or kayaking at Ffyes Beach.

6/ St George’s, Grenada

PORT

With hills rising up around a pretty harbour, St George’s is one of the most scenic capital towns in the Caribbean. The cruise port is centrally located and you can be in the capital in mere minutes after disembarking. Take a moment to explore craft stores and chocolate shops in St George’s.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

One of the best ways to see Grenada is to take a full day tour around the island. We recommend taking a tour that includes highlights like Concord Waterfall and a visit to a Chocolate Factory. You can find our guide to full day tours here.

If a full day feels like too much, a half-day tour could be a good compromise, allowing you to see a few highlights and still have time back in the capital.

Grenada is also brilliant for hiking, and if we return, that’s exactly what we’d do. Another popular option is river tubing, which looked like great fun

7/ Castries, St Lucia

PORT

Castries cruise port has a fairly small duty free area along side a few popular port bars, like Rum Therapy. In port you’ll find a handy tourist information and plenty of taxis waiting outside.

Castries is a 15 minute walk from the port and worth the walk. There’s also a tourist train if you’d prefer. Take in the market and Derek Walcott Square.

You can find our guid to Castries here.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

Vigie Beach is an easy stroll from the port. 25 minutes or so will get you to the sandy beach, ideal for a relaxed day (without spending much money at all). Or Rodney Bay, is a short taxi ride away – one of the most popular beaches for cruise passengers.

Nature lovers may enjoy the rainforest aerial tram, visiting the Pitons, or tackling a scenic hike.

Top pick for an usual excursion: Adventurers could try horse riding with East Coast Riding Stable, offering tailored tours through beaches, rainforest, historic sites, and waterfalls (from around £90 per person).

8/ Bridgetown, Barbados

PORT

Bridgetown cruise port was our least favourite of all the ports we visited on Arvia, when it came to the actual cruise port. This is mainly because it’s a very large purpose built port and as you enter or leave you have to walk through a huge duty free section. That said, if you like shopping, you’re going to love this port.

You can find taxis inside the port which is super handy. Prices are fixed to each destination.

SHORE EXCURSIONS

You’ll have two days in Barbados on Arvia, so there’s a chance to explore even more.

The port is a short walk from Bridgetown and I would strongly recommend taking some time to explore. There are also some fantastic tourist attractions nearby, like Rihanna Drive and Kensington Oval.

Carlisle Bay is the nearest beach to Bridgetown and a popular place to spend the day for cruise passengers. There are beach clubs, like Harbour Lights and Boatyard, as well as snorkelling tours.

If you’d like something more organised, consider a Catamaran Tour (with pick up from the cruise port.) Or, a full island coast to coast tour.

More Arvia information

If you’d like to read more about Arvia, you can find some of our articles below:

• 31 things we loved about Arvia
• 75 tips and tricks for enjoying Arvia
• Arvia packing list for the Caribbean
• Is the Epicurean worth it?
• Zenith vs Meridian: what’s the difference?
• Is the drinks package worth it?
• Arvia’s swimming spaces
• 10 ways to exercise on Arvia

Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

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