Cricket legend Vivian Richards thrills Arvia cruisers in Antigua

Passengers and crew members got the chance to meet Richards onboard and along the pier.

Signed cricket bat for the captain

'You’ve come to one of the best if not the best destination in the region,' he told travelers during a tour of Arvia. The former West Indies player also handed Capt. Paul Brown a signed cricket bat as a special token.

Sir Vivian Richards presents a signed cricket bat to Arvia Capt. Paul Brown

'We wanted to do something special for Arvia. We know the vessel has many passengers from countries who love Sir Viv, so it was only appropriate to ask him to grace us with his presence,' said Dona Regis-Prosper, general manager, Antigua Cruise Port.

Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez also presented a plaque of appreciation to the captain on behalf of Antigua Cruise Port.

Continued improvements

Brown has spoken highly of the homeporting operation at St. John's. 'The first one was great ... and it’s just gotten better and better and we’ve seen improvements to the facilities that we’ve got here,' he said.

Some 4,859 passengers arrived aboard Arvia on Saturday, with 864 disembarking and 878 joining the ship.

Returning in November

Arvia is scheduled to return for another homeporting series in November, and P&O Cruises plans another of their ships to call Antigua next season.

Emerald Cruises, Star Clippers and SeaDream Yacht Club will also homeport next season.