Stingray City Antigua — Attraction in Antigua

We visited as part of an organised tour with Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), a tour of over 100 guests. Plus there were other cruise ships in Port, so when we arrived it was very busy. Getting to and from Stingray City was really easy, straight from the cruise terminal, a trip of about 25 to 30 minutes, mainly due to heavy traffic.

Once we arrived at Stingray City we received no instruction, our driver told us to "just had down to the table area and wait for a staff member" Well that's when the disorganised chaos began. We didn't see a member of staff for ten to fifteen minutes, and even then we weren't given any instruction, we were told that our guides would be with us soon (presumably they were still finishing up with an earlier tour).

After a further five to ten minutes, and a few discontented remarks by other guests, we were shown where the life vests were if we wanted them, and were then shown four lines, each with a stand and clip board with sheets of paper, each with around thirty lines and a couple of columns. We were told to print our name, sign and record our tour operator. When a guest asked what we were signing we were told "liability waivers". Yet there was no individual sheets, no explanation, no print not even anywhere small print. Basically just sign or don't go; that's not good.

We were all, 100 plus guests from NCL, shown our way to three craft, one large one and two smaller ones. Once full, and why were full, we then headed out to the edge of the bay and 'reef' area where our tour and swim with the rays would take place.

There were several pontoons moored in the area, our tour went to one, whilst another tour was at a second.

We were given a few rules and guidelines; no shoes, bare feet only, careful when you step off the pontoon etc. That part of the tour was quite well organised.

Once in the water we were free to swim and walk around the area, in waist deep water, which was lovely and warm and very clear. The staff were on hand and provided food that we could feed the rays. This part of the tour was wonderful, and the highlight of our day. The rays, contrary to what I've read are very gentle, despite their size. The female rays here are the larger of the species, much larger than I expected, whilst the males are almost half their size. They seemed to have no fear and were used to turning up for their lunch, and most were comfortable at being hand fed. And so long as you didn't mind getting a ray 'hickie', if you didn't hold the food correctly, then it was really easy.

After about 45 to 50 minutes, and having taken lots of photos and videos (make sure you take a waterproof camera or case for your phone) and having our photos taken with a ray we were back on board our craft and heading back to the Stingray City base.

We had our free shot of rum, had a look at the handful of stalls and then headed back to our minibus. We chose not to buy any of the photos which they'd taken as we had plenty of our own.

So all-in-all, despite the bit of a chaotic start on our arrival, we still enjoyed our trip. It was worth it and it's something that we both agreed had been worth it and something thatbwed definitely do again if the chance arose. It wasn't the most organised of organised tours, but it was incredibly enjoyable and certainly not something that you get to do everyday plus it was in the wild, not in tanks or in a marine centre.

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We found this activity on a whim while looking for things to do in Antigua. The place can be hard to find, down a series of winding, coiling roads, and there isn't the most obvious entryway into the attraction, but this is a must-see if you are in the area.

The attraction is comprised of a few areas: there are some benches for before the activity where you have orientation, then some benches for after the activity, where you can rest up and drink the delicious rum punch provided. Speaking of punch, there is a little pavilion where you can go pick it up, which I highly recommend you do before leaving. Inside the building, you can find bathrooms and changing rooms, as well as a place to buy pictures from the activity.

Once you arrive, if you need to buy tickets, stop at the ticket booth, which is right by the punch pavilion. They take credit card, USD, and ECs, so you have your choice. Once you have your tickets, head over to the nearest benches by the showers and hang around there until you are called for orientation. One of the employees will give you a presentation on how to properly hold the stingrays, how to walk around the reef, and overall what to do. Listen closely!

When the orientation is over, the entire group will be split up into a few categories. Out of the 80 or so people that also booked the 11am time slot when I was there, there was a group for people from cruise ship, a group from a nearby hotel, and then two lines for walk-in groups. They have a sign-in sheet that you have to fill out with your name and signature, and then you're on the way to the boat. They ask you to remove your shoes and put them in a bin; I made the mistake of putting my shoes in first, which got them full of sand and other people's shoe debris. Sometimes, the boat driver will ask people to sit in a certain place or ask them to go onto another boat, for balance, and then you're off to the reef.

Overall, the activity takes about 1.5 hours and you're out on the reef for 45 minutes or more. You have a chance to see stingrays swimming around you and feed them and take a picture holding one. It's a great experience! The water can be about chest height so make sure to put life vests (provided) on the kiddos. This was probably the highlight of our trip and every part of it, from the jokes the employees tell, to the stingrays around you,...

The stingrays are incredible.

Unfortunately, the behavior of the staff really soured the experience. We were unlucky to have been there at the same time as 3 large cruise ships, so while some crowd control issues are expected, the staff basically spent the whole time barking orders: yelling at people to get in the right line, yelling at anyone who didn't wait exactly where they were told, and just generally acting very abrasive & condescending.

Worse, when we arrived at the stingrays, they demanded that we line up and wait for them to take photos of us - and ONLY look at their camera, not our own. When they gave us a stingray to hold and we attempted to have another guest take a photo with our GoPro, they yelled at him to get out of the way, and yelled at us to look at THEIR camera, not ours. From the moment we arrived it was "You haven't had a picture - get in line! Wait there! No, not there - get out of the way! Now you, come over here! Take the stingray! Not like that, like this! Look here! NO, not there, here! Now move, next! I told you to get out of the way!"

Obviously they're trying to prioritize their own photos so they can sell them to you & squeeze out some extra cash, but it really soured what would've otherwise been an amazing experience. Nobody likes being yelled & barked at, especially when you're paying handsomely for an experience.

And note: after they "prevent" you from taking your own photos, they charge a pretty extortionate $15 just to make a copy of ONE of their digital files. Not for prints, not even for all the files they take of you, but for ONE file. If you want more, you have to pay for each additional file you copy.

The whole thing just felt like a factory to crank through as many tourists as possible, & extract as much money as possible. Which is a shame, because the stingrays themselves really were amazing.

And to be fair, there was one staff member who we absolutely loved (I wish I got his name: he was very calm, soothing, kind, you could tell he genuinely loved the stingrays). But when all of the others are yelling at everyone to get out of their way or get in line for photos, it's just a bit...