From Puerto Quetzal, the cruise lines’ own menus go well beyond Antigua: Pacaya volcano, coffee farms, the stone heads of La Democracia, a drive-through safari park, the Iximché ruins, sailfishing and even a flight to Tikal. Group excursions on the lines’ pages run from US$49.99 for NCL’s transport-only Antigua trip to US$149.99 for a guided Antigua day with lunch (Princess’s private-vehicle half days start at US$944.95), and they last 4.5 to 8 hours. Most ships are listed to berth at 06:00 in the port company’s program, and the October 2026 calls sailed between 17:50 and 19:30. Every menu below was read on the line’s own website on 4 November 2026.
TL;DR: Short on time or mobility: a 4.5-hour coffee, safari or La Democracia trip. Want Antigua: 5.5 to 8 hours with a line, or about 1 h 20 min each way by private transfer. Want a hike: Pacaya, 5.5-6 hours. Only the line’s own tour comes with its promise to get you back.
Quick summary
- Cheapest: NCL Antigua On Your Own, from US$49.99 adult and child, 6.5 hours, transport only.
- Shortest: 4.5 hours. NCL’s coffee plantation, La Democracia/El Baúl and safari trips; Princess’s coffee and Auto Safari Chapín trips.
- Longest with a published duration: about 8 hours (Celebrity’s Tikal and sailfishing trips are listed only as full-day). NCL Casa Santo Domingo and Antigua (US$149.99) and Holland America’s coffee estate and Antigua (from US$129).
- Hardest: Pacaya. NCL rates it level 3, Princess calls it strenuous.
- Beyond driving range of a port day: Celebrity describes a full-day Tikal excursion that starts with a flight to Petén.
- Your ship’s times: our Puerto Quetzal cruise ship schedule lists every call in the port company’s program; the all-aboard time is on your ship’s daily program.
Norwegian Cruise Line: eight excursions
The port’s program lists the Norwegian Star (13 December 2026, 19 and 28 February 2027), Norwegian Bliss (20 April 2027) and Norwegian Joy (30 April 2027) this season.
| Excursion | Adult from | Child from | Duration | NCL activity level | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua On Your Own | US$49.99 | US$49.99 | 6.5 h | 2 | Round-trip transport and a map; no guide |
| Colonial Antigua | US$119.99 | US$99.99 | 7 h | 2 | Central Plaza, cathedral and Jade Museum, lunch included |
| Casa Santo Domingo & Antigua | US$149.99 | US$129.99 | 8 h | 2 | Lunch at the hotel-museum on the old Santo Domingo monastery grounds |
| Easy Antigua | US$109.99 | US$89.99 | 5.5 h | 1 | For limited mobility: a drive through Antigua, about 90 minutes in the city, Jade Museum stop |
| Pacaya Volcano Hike | US$119.99 | US$99.99 | 5.5 h | 3 | Two hours up to the upper platform with a certified guide, about an hour down |
| Coffee Plantation | US$99.99 | US$79.99 | 4.5 h | 2 | Visit to a local farm, processing and tasting |
| Baúl & Democracia | US$99.99 | US$79.99 | 4.5 h | 1 | La Democracia’s stone heads, gathered mostly from Monte Alto, and El Baúl |
| Safari Drive-Through | US$89.99 | US$79.99 | 4.5 h | 1 | Auto Safari Chapín drive-through park, about an hour’s drive from the port |
Source: Norwegian Cruise Line excursion pages PRQ_03, 06, 07, 08, 09, 11, 18 and 19, read 4 November 2026. At Banguat’s cross rates for 3 November 2026, US$49.99 is about C$70 or £39, and US$119.99 about C$168 or £93.
NCL’s Antigua On Your Own page says the tour is unguided, that Antigua sits at 5,000 feet, and that it is not suitable for wheelchair users. For the park on the safari trip, see our Auto Safari Chapín page.
Princess: seven excursions
| Excursion | Duration | Princess activity rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Antigua On Your Own | 6.5 h | Moderate | US$79.95 |
| Easy Colonial Antigua, Jades Museum, & Factory | 7 h | Easy | US$99.95 |
| Country Drive & Coffee Plantation | 4.5 h | Easy | US$99.95 |
| Pacaya Volcano Hike & Countryside Drive | 6 h | Strenuous | US$109.95 |
| Auto Chapin Drive-Through Nature Park & Zoo | 4.5 h | Easy | US$79.95 |
| Private vehicle, car class, half day with guide | 5 h | Moderate | US$944.95 |
| Private vehicle, van class, half day with guide | 5 h | Moderate | US$1,099.95 |
Source: Princess Cruises, Puerto Quetzal shore excursions, read 4 November 2026. No Princess ship appears among the cruise calls in the port’s program as of 3 November 2026, so this menu applies when the line next schedules the port.
Holland America, Virgin Voyages and Celebrity
- Holland America: Coffee Estate & A Walk through Antigua, from US$129, about 8 hours, moderate, meals included. The tour starts with a 90-minute drive to a coffee estate (mill, drying patios, fields and a Guatemalan lunch), then continues to Antigua.
- Virgin Voyages: its Puerto Quetzal page lists Charm & Craft Beer in Antigua (Jade Museum, the Santa Catalina Arch and a brewery visit), Lunch at Casa Santo Domingo & Jade Museum Tour, and Maya Ruins of Iximche, reached on a guided 2.5-hour drive. The page shows no prices.
- Celebrity Cruises (Celebrity Summit, next listed for 24 September 2027): its port pages describe Antigua tours, Pacaya, coffee and chocolate trips, a day of sailfishing with a captain and crew, and a full-day Tikal excursion that begins with a short flight to Petén. Celebrity says Antigua is about 90 minutes away and advises allowing ample time for the return to the ship, and that excursions can also be browsed at the port’s visitor centre. The same port page also says Celebrity does not currently sail to Puerto Quetzal, although the port’s program lists Celebrity Summit for 24 September 2027; check your itinerary before relying on this menu.
Beyond Antigua: what is within reach of the port
| Destination | On which line’s pages | Our page |
|---|---|---|
| Pacaya volcano | NCL (5.5 h), Princess (6 h), Celebrity | Pacaya day hike tours |
| Coffee farm | NCL and Princess (4.5 h), Holland America (with Antigua, about 8 h), Celebrity | Finca Filadelfia coffee tour |
| Auto Safari Chapín | NCL and Princess (4.5 h) | Auto Safari Chapín |
| La Democracia and El Baúl | NCL (4.5 h) | — |
| Iximché ruins | Virgin Voyages (guided 2.5-hour drive) | Iximché ruins |
| Sailfishing | Celebrity (full day) | Sailfish fishing in Guatemala |
| Tikal by air | Celebrity (full day) | Tikal day trip from Guatemala City |
Not from this port: the Quiriguá shore excursion on our Quiriguá page is sold to ships at Santo Tomás, Guatemala’s Caribbean cruise port; none of the Puerto Quetzal menus above includes Quiriguá.
Timing a one-day call
What the port lists. Empresa Portuaria Quetzal’s arrivals program gives 06:00 for most of this season’s cruise calls. For the six cruise calls in October 2026, its sailed list logged departures at 17:50, 18:00, 18:10, 18:15, 19:25 and 19:30. That makes roughly 12 to 13½ hours between the listed berthing time and sailing on those days (our arithmetic). Your line’s all-aboard time comes before sailing and is on your ship’s daily program; none of the excursion pages above gives one.
What the lines promise. NCL says the ship will wait if a Norwegian tour is delayed, but its Antigua On Your Own page adds that anyone who misses the return transport to the port is responsible for getting back to the ship on time. Princess’s excursion list advertises guaranteed return to the ship. For a tour or transfer you book yourself, check that operator’s own terms.
Going independently. Our Antigua to Puerto Quetzal transfer page has the priced private transfer (Guatemalan Guide, from US$140, about 1 h 20 min each way, read 24 September 2026) and the arithmetic: on a 12-hour call, 2 h 40 min of driving leaves at most about 9 h 20 min before you count disembarkation, all-aboard and traffic.
| Plan for one port day | Time away from the ship | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee farm, safari park or La Democracia with a line | 4.5 h | NCL, Princess |
| Pacaya with a line | 5.5-6 h | NCL, Princess |
| Antigua with a line | 5.5-8 h | NCL, Princess, Holland America |
| Antigua by private transfer | 2 h 40 min driving, plus your time in town | Guatemalan Guide via our transfer page |
Who is in port this season
Upcoming cruise calls in the port’s program, as of 3 November 2026: Brilliant Lady (5 November), Norwegian Star (13 December), Zaandam (26 December), Azamara Quest (28 December), then 25 calls from January to May 2027, including Vista, Seven Seas Grandeur, Seven Seas Splendor, Queen Victoria, Zuiderdam, Europa, Eurodam, MSC Poesia, Norwegian Bliss, Nieuw Amsterdam, Norwegian Joy and Seabourn Quest. The full schedule is rebuilt daily from the port’s own lists.
Sources
- Norwegian Cruise Line, Puerto Quetzal shore excursions, including Antigua On Your Own (PRQ_07) and pages PRQ_03, 06, 08, 09, 11, 18 and 19, read 4 November 2026
- Princess Cruises, Puerto Quetzal shore excursions, read 4 November 2026
- Holland America Line, Coffee Estate & A Walk through Antigua, read 4 November 2026
- Virgin Voyages, Puerto Quetzal, read 4 November 2026
- Celebrity Cruises, Puerto Quetzal port guide and shore excursions, read 4 November 2026
- Empresa Portuaria Quetzal, arrivals program, as compiled in our cruise schedule data on 3 November 2026
- Banguat cross rates for 3 November 2026, via our exchange rates page
Frequently Asked Questions
What shore excursions do cruise lines offer from Puerto Quetzal?
On the lines’ own pages read 4 November 2026: Norwegian Cruise Line lists eight, from Antigua On Your Own (US$49.99) to Casa Santo Domingo and Antigua with lunch (US$149.99), plus Pacaya, a coffee plantation, La Democracia and El Baúl, and the Auto Safari Chapín drive-through zoo. Princess lists seven, Holland America sells a coffee estate and Antigua day (from US$129, about 8 hours), Virgin Voyages lists Antigua, Casa Santo Domingo and the Iximché ruins, and Celebrity describes Antigua, coffee and chocolate, sailfishing and a flight to Tikal.
How far is Antigua from Puerto Quetzal?
Celebrity Cruises puts Antigua about 90 minutes from the port, and Holland America describes a 90-minute drive to the coffee estate on its Antigua tour. Guatemalan Guide, which sells private transfers, gives about 1 hour 20 minutes each way (read 24 September 2026; see our Antigua to Puerto Quetzal transfer page).
What is the cheapest cruise-line excursion from Puerto Quetzal?
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Antigua On Your Own, from US$49.99 for adults and children, 6.5 hours, transport and a map only with no guide. Princess sells a similar Colonial Antigua On Your Own from US$79.95 for 6.5 hours (both read 4 November 2026).
Can I hike Pacaya volcano on a Puerto Quetzal port day?
Yes, on two lines’ own menus. NCL’s Pacaya Volcano Hike costs from US$119.99 for adults, lasts 5.5 hours and is rated activity level 3, with a two-hour hike up to the upper platform in Pacaya National Park and about an hour back down. Princess’s Pacaya Volcano Hike and Countryside Drive is 6 hours, rated strenuous, from US$109.95.
What time do cruise ships arrive at and leave Puerto Quetzal?
In Empresa Portuaria Quetzal’s arrivals program, most cruise calls this season are listed for 06:00. For the six cruise calls in October 2026, the port’s sailed list logged departures between 17:50 and 19:30. Your own ship’s all-aboard time is on its daily program; none of the excursion pages states one.
Will the ship wait if my excursion is late?
NCL says that if a Norwegian tour is delayed, the ship will wait, though on its unguided Antigua On Your Own trip you are responsible for getting back if you miss the return transport; Princess’s excursion list advertises guaranteed return to the ship for its tours. For a transfer or tour you book yourself, check that operator’s own terms and leave a buffer before all-aboard.
![Puerto Quetzal Cruise Port to Antigua: Transfers, Times and the Ship [2026]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=640,format=auto,quality=80/images/articles/og-default.webp)
