Celebrity Ascent 11-Day Southern Caribbean Cruise Itinerary

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Philipsburg is the capital of the Dutch side of St. Maarten and one of the most accessible cruise ports in the Caribbean.

The city is best known for its long beachfront promenade, shopping streets with duty-free stores, beach clubs, and a mix of Caribbean and European influences. From here, it’s simple to combine time at the beach, casual dining, and a walk through town, all within a short distance from the ship.

On this island, I didn’t book any excursions and left the ship around 10:30 am. Pelican Hill was the first part of my route. It is one of the island’s scenic viewpoints close to the port (6 min by car).

The walk takes about 45 minutes uphill and feels like a medium hike. Entrance to the viewpoint costs $10. Unfortunately, when we arrived, there was no staff on site, and the viewpoint itself was closed, so I could only see the view from one side.

After the hike to the viewpoint, I wanted to rest and have something cold to drink, so I stopped at Ocean Lounge at Holland House. It’s a cozy lounge with its own bar and restaurant, located within a four-star hotel. The service was friendly, and it felt calm and not overcrowded.

In town, the two most interesting streets are Boardwalk Philipsburg, which runs along the ocean, and Front Street, a historic street filled with local small shops. Walking through the main streets and city center takes at most a couple of hours.

The port is very close to downtown (a 20-minute walk), so you can easily explore the city on foot without taking public transportation. If walking isn’t an option, you can also take a water taxi directly from the cruise port to the ferry station and back, which makes getting around much easier.

If you want to spend time at the beach, you’ll find sunbeds for $5 pp per day. However, with three cruise ships in port, the beach felt extremely crowded. Personally, it felt less like a relaxing beach experience and more like being in a busy open-air market.

St. Maarten is also home to one of the island’s most famous beaches — Maho Beach, where planes fly very low over the beach while landing. However, the drive from the cruise port takes around 35 minutes one way in regular traffic (maybe next time)

St. John, Antigua

St. John's is the capital of Antigua and Barbuda and the leading cruise port on the island. The port is near the city center. You can walk around outside the port, but the city is poor and has few things to see or do. It can feel a bit scary at times. For me, spending time in town didn't seem worthwhile.

On this island, I decided to visit one of the attractive beaches known for its British-style red phone booths on the bay: Dickenson Bay.

In the port area, there are many licensed taxi drivers. They gather small groups of tourists and, for a relatively small fee per person, take you to the beach of your choice. Outside the port, there are also taxi drivers, but personally, I didn't feel as comfortable there, and prices tend to be higher.

Since licensed taxis operate as shared minibuses, the driver needed at least six people to depart. The price was $10 cash per person for a round-trip (15–20 minutes one way). You are dropping off at one point near the beach, and the same spot is for pickup at a time convenient for you to return to the ship.

The beach itself is stunning: clean, very green, and not overly crowded. There are cafés, bars, and water activity vendors right on the beach. My husband also rented a jet ski for 30 minutes, which cost $80. The same as on St. Maarten, here you can rent sunbeds with umbrellas directly on the beach.

Spending time from 12:00 to 4:00 PM was enjoyable and enough for a day; I swam, lounged on the beach, enjoyed a cocktail at the Siboney beach club, and walked along the bay.

While walking along the beach, I noticed several beautifully maintained hotel areas and beachfront bungalows, with many couples spending time together. One of them was Sandals, a high-end, luxury all-inclusive resort designed specifically for couples.

Unfortunately, access is restricted to hotel guests only. Other Visitors are not allowed to enter the property or dine at the restaurants. Personally, I found this quite surprising, especially compared to other destinations where resort restaurants are often open to non-guests.

Castries, St. Lucia

The island is known for its dramatic landscape, with lush greenery, steep hills, and volcanic origins, which are visible almost immediately upon approaching the port.
The cruise port is in Castries, the capital of the island. From here, most experiences involve leaving the city and heading into nature: viewpoints, rainforests, beaches, and inland routes.

St. Lucia is less about walking around town and more about exploring the island beyond the port area. Because of the terrain and distances, this is one of those stops where planning matters more, whether you choose an organized excursion or private transportation.

On this island, I booked an overview excursion called Glimpse of St. Lucia. I wouldn't recommend it and would choose a different option next time.

The excursion lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes and included only two short stops:

• Marigot Bay Viewpoint (about 5 minutes)

• Morne Fortune Museum (about 10 minutes)

The tour started at 9:00 am. Near the museum, there was also a viewpoint and the university grounds, but access was restricted, so we drove past without stopping.

After this disappointing excursion, my husband and I were thinking of walking around the city center and heading to Castries City View Point, about a 30-minute walk from the port and near Government House.

However, as we were heading down from our ship's deck, we met a man who shared that he had recently walked through the city with his wife and mother. He told us that during their outing, a thief grabbed the necklace off his wife's neck, and he himself almost got robbed too! He said the town felt unsafe.

After hearing this, we decided not to leave the ship on our own. Unfortunately, excursions that would have fit our timing after 12:30 PM were already sold out.

Later, I learned that incidents like this are not isolated cases in the city center. If you plan to spend time ashore in Castries, it's important to be cautious.

Bridgetown, Barbados

Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados and one of the more developed and organized stops on this itinerary. The port is well structured, and getting around feels straightforward compared to some of the other islands.

Barbados has a strong British influence; you will see it in its architecture, road system, and atmosphere. Overall, walking around Bridgetown felt quite pleasant. On Sundays, the streets are almost empty, as most people are at the beach.

Compared to other islands, Barbados has proper sidewalks, and the city feels calmer and more polished, with good infrastructure and easy access to beaches.

From the port area, you can either explore parts of Bridgetown on foot or take a short drive to reach some of the island’s best beaches.

In my case, after leaving the port, I walked along the waterfront, then through the city center before reaching Carlisle Bay (about 22 minutes).

The beach itself has turquoise water and white sand, and the number of bars along the shore is honestly overwhelming. One of the most noticeable spots is Savvy on the bay, where, in addition to a bar, multiple food trucks offer a variety of food. The place operates 24/7.

Since this is the closest beach to the port, it’s popular not only with tourists but also with locals, so it tends to be very crowded. Along the beach, you can also take short boat trips to see turtles in the water, as well as other excursions.

As on other Caribbean islands, you’ll be offered sun umbrellas and loungers on the beach. However, because there are many beach clubs here, loungers and umbrellas in their area usually cost around $25 per person. Also, not all beach clubs are open to cruise visitors.

Roseau, Dominica

Roseau is the capital of Dominica, but unlike St. Lucia, this island feels much more safe. Dominica is often called the Nature Island, and that description is very accurate.

The island is known for its rainforests, rivers, waterfalls, hot springs, and hiking trails. Roseau itself is small and very simple. Walking around the city doesn't take long, and there isn't much to see in town. Because of that, Dominica is best for a nature-focused excursion.

I originally planned to take an excursion to the waterfalls on this island. Unfortunately, the tour operator moved the timing from midday to early morning. Since my husband had work calls scheduled at that time, we had to cancel the excursion.

I was amazed by the views and the crystal-clear water once the ship docked near the town, which is only a two-minute walk away.

Since Dominica is not really about beaches but about greenery and landscapes, I decided to walk to the Botanical Gardens, which are free to enter. The walk takes about 22 minutes and goes through quiet, well-kept streets, past a playground and several churches. However, most of the way you walk directly on the road, because there are very few sidewalks.

The Botanical Gardens themselves are not very large, but they reminded me a lot of Hawaii, with dense, soft-looking greenery and large trees.

Inside the gardens, there is a hiking trail called Jack's Walk Trail, which passes through a small jungle area. Along the trail, you'll see many small lizards. At the end of the hike, you reach a Morne Bruce Cross viewpoint with an incredible view over the city.

A bit farther away is Morne Bruce Viewpoint, where tour buses usually drop off visitors. The views are almost identical, but inside the garden, there were no crowds, which made the experience much more enjoyable.

Next stop after the garden was Top Bar (5 min walk from the viewpoint), which offers views toward the other side of the island. The place was honestly a surprise. It's a tiny bar with around ten seats, located in the backyard of a residential house. I was skeptical when I first found it online, but the view was absolutely worth the visit. And the owner of the place was very nice.

On the way back to the ship, I took a different route, walked through residential areas, and got a glimpse of everyday local life. Along the way, I unexpectedly came across the State House, which looks a bit like a small version of the White House. Then, I walked through a more lively part of the city and a local street market.

Overall, I didn't have high expectations for this stop, but the nature and mountains in Dominica are truly impressive.

Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis

Basseterre is the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis and the leading cruise port of the island. The port is very close to the city center, making this stop easy to navigate without long transfers. The town itself is small, with colonial-style buildings, and short walking distances. Near the cruise port, there is also a ferry terminal, and if you want, you can take a ferry to the island of Nevis for the day.

St. Kitts is also known for its volcanic landscape and green hills, which are visible even near the port area and give the island a very different feel compared to flatter, beach-focused destinations.

On this island, I booked an early excursion: Small Group. Panoramic Drive. The excursion lasted around 2 hours and included only two stops:

• Palm Court Gardens (20 minutes)

• Timothy Hill Overlook (20 minutes)

From Timothy Hill, you get views in two directions: Frigate Bay on one side, and the mountains of both islands on the other, along with the point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. Its Fantastic!

St. Kitts feels like an ideal island for driving. The distances are short, and the scenery changes quickly, which makes a panoramic route especially enjoyable.

After the excursion ended, I decided to walk back to Palm Court Gardens (22 minutes walk from the ship). I spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool. A day pass for the pool area costs $25 per person and includes access to both the pool and the garden. There is also a restaurant on the property, as well as several quiet spots to relax or read, not only around the pool.

Overall Itinerary Summary

The mix of island stops and sea days is perfect to experience each destination while still having enough time to enjoy life onboard. Overall, the route offered a good combination of beaches, nature, and city stops.

If you’re considering the same cruise (Ascent ship), this itinerary will be available again in January 2027. You can check the details and dates here.

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