Port: St. John's
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St. John's
When Columbus discovered Antigua in 1493, he encountered the unfriendly Carib Indians. Columbus named the island Santa Maria de Antigua, in honor of a church in Spain. For many years, both the Spanish and French were unable to settle on the island due to the fierce nature of the Caribs. But in 1632, the British took control of this island, developing the sugarcane industry with the use of slaves imported from Africa. In 1981 Antigua was granted independence anb became a British commonwealth.
The following Shore Excursions are available for this port on this cruise, and may be reserved beginning 180 days before the cruise begins.
Helicopter Flight to Volcanic Montserrat
Tour Code: ATG-3887
Duration: 2 hours
Retail Value: $399.00
Price: $299.00
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Experience the awesome presence of a live volcano during this picturesque flight-seeing tour over Montserrat via helicopter.
Depart from pier for the drive to the Fort James Helipad, where you will embark on a 50-minute helicopter flight to the east coast of Montserrat. You will cruise at an elevation of approximately 1,500 feet along the 24-nautical-mile flight route. During the winter months, you may have an opportunity to spot a whale while in-flight. Although there are no guarantees of whale-spotting, your pilot will descend for photo opportunities in the event one or more surface.
Your entire flightseeing tour of Montserrat will take place over the Exclusion Zone, an area that has been designated as off-limits to ground transportation for the last two years. At the center of the zone is the 3,000-foot-high Soufriere Hills Volcano, which is still active and frequently emits a combination of ash, smoke and steam. In the event of an eruption, the helicopter will maintain a safe position upwind of the dome and never fly directly over the cone itself. Your pilot will make two passes by the cone for an opportunity to view and photograph this wonder of nature.
Next, you will pass over the massive Tar River gorge and delta. This area was formed over the last four years as a result of pyroclastic flows, or fast-moving avalanches of 1,000-degree hot gas, rock, ash, dust, and mud. Your helicopter will then proceed over Plymouth, the former capital of Montserrat, which was destroyed by an abundance of pyroclastic flows and ash falls since the volcano became active. You will then view other evacuated and buried villages that include Windy Hill, Long Ground and Bramble.
Your tour will conclude on the west coast of the island, where you will fly over the former W. H. Bramble Airport. This airport was inundated by a pyroclastic flow on June 27, 1997, and has been closed ever since. For a different perspective of the volcano, you will then fly along the spectacular cliffs of the east coast.
Please note: Guests weighing over 250 lbs. will be required to purchase two tickets in order to secure an additional seat. The actual time spent in-flight is approximately 50 minutes.
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Terms & Conditions:
Free Unlimited Shore Excursions are for full fare guests only, capacity controlled and subject to availability. Requested excursions may not be available at time of booking. Supplement will apply on Regent Choice excursions (indicated by the 
above) and excludes Private Arrangements and all Adventures Ashore programs. In order to ensure quality guides and sufficient transportation, we must provide the tour operator with passenger counts at least 36 hours in advance. Therefore no refunds will be given within 36 hours of tour departure for cancellations or no-shows. Please pay special attention to scheduling and tour lengths when booking your shore excursions. In many cases, it is not possible to participate in more than one tour per day in a given port. Tours operate rain or shine. Tours require minimum participation levels to operate so please sign up as early as possible. Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Prices, Itineraries and General Information shore excursion prices are subject to change to meet unexpected cost increases or currency fluctuations. Please consult the Destination Services Desk onboard for information. During local or national holidays, access to certain facilities (such as museums or archaeological sites) may be limited or denied. In such instances, adjustments will be made to minimize inconvenience to guests. Some tours have limited availability. Tours are generally available for reserving 180 days prior to the beginning of a cruise. Please sign up early to avoid disappointment. Regent Seven Seas Cruises reserves the right to require guests to complete a liability waiver for select shore excursions. For more information, please visit the Destination Services Desk onboard.