Making the most of Georgetown
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Cruise ships cannot dock, so passengers are tendered ashore. The ocean can be rough and tendering may be cancelled; if so, islanders come aboard to sell stamps and other items while the ship circles the island on a scenic cruise.
Take a printable map along.
Georgetown sits on Ascension Island, a small 35-square-mile landmass with many recent historical roles. This remote St Helena Dependencies outpost was discovered by the Portuguese in 1501 and named for Ascension Day. It later served ships patrolling West Africa to halt slave exports, became a telegraph station in the early 20th century, and then a World War II Royal Navy supply station serving Africa and Europe. Ascension sees less action now, but it still has 44 volcanic craters, none of them extinct.
More recently, the island has worked as a British communications station and a holiday destination for dedicated deep sea fishermen.