Wednesday, August 8, 2018

St. Thomas – Tuesday





We do not dock until noon so we take our time getting up and moving.  Seems most of the ship is feeling the same way.  Things are quiet.

Our tv in the cabin is showing just snow.  I know they are working on the tvs on board with regards to Ocean Medallion.  I call down to the front desk to see if ours is unique and she says they are working on them and they will reset themselves.  However late afternoon the tv still is not working so I call again and they promise to send someone up.  Soon there is someone here to reset our tv.

A lot happening this morning if you want to keep busy.  The shops are open until we dock.  Steel Pan class is happening, an art auction, morning trivia, High Seas Heist Clues and progress check in, and so much more.   There is also the Great White Abyss movie showing on MUTS for Shark Week (which is really a month) – and sad we missed it and hope to watch it next week.

For us we relax with a coffee and read and find a quiet spot on board until we dock.

We also buy some liquor.  We need to restock our bar at home as we emptied it completely when we moved across the country.  The shops are taking pre orders for booze and the items will be delivered to our cabin on the last day.
Sail in is so stunning and it is nice to be doing it later on as normally we arrive so early.


You still see quite a bit of damage from the Hurricanes last year, but it is looking much better than what we saw in Jan/Feb this year.



We have decided to put on our bathing suits and enjoy the sun deck for a few hours.  Most people have gone ashore but there are still a few people on board.  Our first lounge chairs were around the main pool but there are quite a few kids in that pool.  We love kids, and most have been very well behaved but we also like peace and quiet so we move forward to the Lotus Spa Pool.

There is no one on the Sports Deck and only a handful of people in the actual pool.  And trust me you need to be near a pool as it is very hot out.

Bernie decides he wants to try the Ernesto Burger from the Salty Dog Grill.  The cost is $5 for the burger on it’s own or $8 if you want to add a beer to it. Oddly the charge shows up on our bill as $6 Mix Bar $2 Canape charge and $.90 gratuity.  We know that it is for the burger and beer but for many they would have no idea what this charge is for.  I still wish Princess would enable you to click on a charged item to your bill when viewing it thru the Princess@Sea app.  Clicking on the charge and then the itemized bill with the actual charged item would certainly make things easier for many when reconciling your bill.  Also it would save a ton of time for passengers and Purser staff when having to clarify a charge on your bill.

Back to Bernie’s Ernesto Burger.  We have dined at the Salty Dog restaurant on board the Ruby many times and love the Ernesto Burger there and we want to compare the burger here to there.  Bernie is warned that the burger takes a while to make and is given a pager that will ring when the burger is ready.  They tell him about 25 minutes. 

In the end it does take 25 minutes.  Note the burger grill is very quiet so it could take even longer if they are busy – like on a sea day.



The size of burger is about the same as we are use to and he says it tastes very good. It does come with two pieces of back bacon that are very raw and not crispy at all.  The wide layer of fat on one edge does not make it appealing at all and he removes the bacon and does not even eat it. 

In the end Bernie said he did enjoy it but would not order it again.  The length of time to prepare, the bacon issue and the burger is just to rich and heavy.  Also the burgers at the bar are very good naturally so if you are craving a burger then get one of those instead. 

I think the Ernesto burger is a good idea but probably not the right venue.  Maybe at night?


For me I order the chipotle lime chicken taco and it is very good, and very authentic.  I also get an order of the chili fries that come in a basket of fries with beans and cheese sauce.  Way too much cheese sauce for me but that is more of a personal choice, next time I would order half the cheese.

A steward from the Sanctuary walks by and we make eye contact and he offers to get me a drink – which is great because I was just thinking a drink would be good now.  I order a cider and when he returns he says “do you want a second one”  oh no I am good.  He responds “I ordered you two”  I tell him no I just want one and if he could credit the second one and I ask for a glass of ice.  He returns with the ice and he has two yummy looking mudslide drinks for someone else.

Later I check my bill and I was charged the $7.76 for the cider and then another line with $15.52 all from the same bar at the same time.  Hmmm again it would be helpful if we could click on the item on our bill to see details.  I leave it until early evening when no credit has been processed and go to the purser’s desk to get it rectified.  They will investigate.  Note later it was removed but again it is a hassle for everyone involved. 

We are really enjoying laying out in the sun.  Again layers of 30 sunscreen enable us to tan and not burn but there are a lot of burned people walking around.

Around 3 pm I head back down to the cabin and need a nap!  Bernie says he is going to go ashore for a bit to buy some t-shirts and look for some wine.

I enjoy a nap and when Bernie returns he has four shirts from our favorite shop here called Local Color. He did look for the A.H. Rise shop at Havensight but he said it looks like it is closed.  There is another shop that sold liquor but it had a minimal selection of wine so he did not buy any. 

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