Our Day in Barbados: A Lickrish Food Tour and a Caribbean Evening Onboard

This was our first visit to Barbados, and it turned into a full, well-paced day that mixed local food, walking, and an easygoing evening back on the ship.

Arrival and Getting Ashore

We arrived at a large, modern cruise terminal with plenty of duty-free shopping. If you forgot something at home, chances are you could find it here. Port loading for the day was 8,654 passengers, spread across four ships: AIDAperla (3,286), Jewel of the Seas (2,100), Marella Discovery 2 (1,836), and Volendam (1,432).

Independent taxis were not immediately obvious inside the port gate when we disembarked. Instead, there were shared vans charging $5 per person to go

downtown, but they wouldn’t leave until the van was full. We decided not to wait. We walked out of the gate and found a taxi on the street that took us to Independence Square for $10 for the two of us. This was higher than the posted rates, but it was a perfect example of supply and demand, and we were on a schedule. If you have better Barbados taxi tactics, please post your suggestions in the comments.

Lickrish Food Tour

We met our guide, Paulette, at Independence Square at 10:30 am for the Lickrish Food Tour, which cost $92 per person. You can book the tour HERE or using Viator. There were six of us total: two couples and two solo travelers, plus us from the ship. The word lickrish is a common Caribbean term meaning greedy or gluttonous for food, which set the mood for the day, although we were careful not to overdo it ourselves.

The tour covered about 1.3 miles of walking, broken up by frequent stops and a lot of conversation. Along the way, our guide, Paulette, shared background on Barbados, including its 99% literacy rate, independence in 1966, and its status as the first country to produce rum.

Crumbz Bakery

Our first food stop was Crumbz Bakery, a popular local bakery with multiple locations around the island. This was a great introduction to everyday Bajan baked goods. We sampled rum cake, fruit cake, currant roll, and a meat roll. The rum cake was moist without being overly sweet, and the meat roll was savory and filling, more like a snack locals grab on the go than a tourist treat.

Very friendly staff at Crumbz

Sidewalk Produce, Spices, and Breadfruit

Between formal food stops, Paulette worked in visits to small sidewalk produce stands, pointing out the fruits, vegetables, and spices used in daily Bajan cooking. These were not tasting stops, but they added useful context and helped ground the tour in everyday life. We also stopped to talk about breadfruit, a Caribbean staple, and how it is commonly prepared.

Nearby, we paused to watch locals playing road tennis, a uniquely Bajan sport played right on the street. It was not food-related, but it was a fun cultural aside that fit naturally into the walk.

Tim’s Restaurant

Lunch was served upstairs at Tim’s Restaurant, where we sat down for a more substantial plate. The meal felt like home-style Bajan cooking rather than something created for visitors. Portions were generous, and it was a welcome break to sit indoors, cool off, and talk with the group about what we had already seen and tasted.

Barbados Parliament Building

The Fritter Stop

One of the most memorable stops was a fritter shop I could not name. It was operating out of what appeared to be an old clothing store, complete with a sign for the former business still on the door. This felt very local, and we were the only tourists around. We chose fish fritters and pumpkin fritters, both freshly cooked and served hot. Simple, inexpensive, and just the sort of place you would never stumble into on your own without a guide.

Courtyard Café

Our next stop was Courtyard Café, a cafeteria-style spot popular with locals. Seating was limited, so we ended up sitting on a ledge near the stairway. Judy ordered chicken, while everyone else got the battered tuna, served with rice and coleslaw. The food was basic, filling, and clearly not catered to tourists.

Agape Chocolate and Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Dessert came from Agape Chocolate, where the ice cream is made with coconut milk instead of regular milk. This was a real treat stop, especially for anyone who is lactose intolerant. The ice cream was creamy and refreshing, a great way to end the tour without feeling overly heavy.

Coconut Milk Ice-cream

Ending our tour with Ice Cream

Entrance to Agapey Chocolate and Ice Cream

Back to the Ship

After the final stop, the tour arranged transportation back to the cruise terminal. Security was thorough, with bags scanned both at the pedestrian entrance and again inside the terminal. We picked up a couple of sparkling fruit drinks and were back onboard by mid-afternoon.

Alan drove us back to the port

Evening Onboard

After dinner, we checked out the Caribbean pool party, which was already in full swing. The ship schedules many activities to accommodate early diners, but the timing can still require a bit of a trade-off. The party started at 8:30 pm, with the second show at 9:00 pm, making it impossible to attend the full pool party and the show on the same evening. This is simply a fact of life on world cruises, and on nights with special events, we may need to eat earlier if we want to do both.

The pool area was decorated with inflatable flamingos and a few artificial palm trees, giving it a relaxed Caribbean feel. A special bar serving Caribbean-themed drinks was set up at the aft end of the Lido pool. The Dam Band played 45-minute sets, and while the small dance area stayed full, most people chose to sit at tables around the pool and enjoy the atmosphere. The activities team also ran a contest where guests were challenged to find and identify 15 Caribbean flags, with winners announced at 9:15 pm. Staying for the end of the contest meant missing the second show, another small example of having to choose between overlapping evening activities. We decided to head to the show and see Comedian Paul Adams, a few minutes before it started at 9 PM.

Paul Adams is a funny guy – Don’t miss his show

We enjoyed Paul Adams’ show, and he delivered an easygoing set, summed up perfectly by one of his lines: “Once you’ve laughed, you’re free to go.”

Final Thoughts

Barbados made a strong first impression. The Lickrish Food Tour offered far more than just tastings, providing real insight into the island’s food, culture, and everyday life. It was a full, satisfying day ashore, followed by a relaxed Caribbean-style evening back on Volendam. We left feeling like we had only scratched the surface and with a good reason to come back.

This is an interactive map.  Click on the markers for more information about our day in Barbados