St. Kitts

I wake to the sounds of people in the hallway. Hmmm what time is it? 7 am!!

We dock at 9 am so Bernie and I head up to the Horizon Court for a quick bite to eat.  A bagel and some fruit.  It is crazy up here, but we find a table easily in the Bistro section. Key to the Horizon Court is seek a quiet area by heading forward when everyone heads aft, or vice versa.

Docking at 9 am.  Which can be a bit of a pain since people are crowding the stairways and elevators right at 9 am.  

Now when it says docking at 9 that does not mean you get off at 9.  The Ship has to put out the gangways, get clearance and then passengers can go ashore so take your time and wait in a comfortable area until the ship clears. 

For us we wait with Roy and Sandra and when the ship gets clearance we head to the forward gangway where there is only a small group waiting.  We are off faster than those that got off midship.

Today we are heading to Carambola Beach Club with Roy and Sandra.  Roy pre reserved which is a good idea because it can get very busy.  If you reserve you are guaranteed a lounge and umbrella.  

Taxi is $4 per person if you are more than one person in the taxi. This price is one way.  

When we arrive at the beach club we pay our fee.  $10 per lounge chair and $10 per umbrella.  Roy heads to the beach and gets us lounge chairs right at the water.

The whole day was spent relaxing and enjoying the surroundings.  

There is a SeaDream Yacht anchored and tendering close by. There are also two small clipper ships also tendering nearby too.  This makes for a busier than normal day here but it was fun to watch the comings and going of people.

Bernie and I snorkelled twice around the rocky breaker. We see a LOT of different fish.  We spot so much, Lion Fish, trumpet fish, crabs, and even a few lobsters.  So many different fish – in fact I would say it was one of the best snorkeling we have ever had here.  My back got a little burned too – so don’t forget lots of sunscreen – we applied it twice and still got a bit of sun.

We did have a shower that swept thru like crazy but we took cover under the umbrella with no problems and then the sun shone again.

I have never seen it so busy here.  Normally it is not this crazy and I may look at a different spot if I knew the port was going to be busy.  

Around 3:30 we gathered our stuff and caught our taxi back (again $4 per person) and he dropped us off right at the pier.  Don’t forget your government i.d. as you will need it at the pier.

Back on board we head up for a quick bite to eat as we skipped lunch.

The Beach club does have a restaurant, free wifi, washrooms, showers and bar.  And we normally like to eat here but the restaurant was crazy busy due the large crowds here and then the rain pushed people inside.

For those that like to go to the Ship Wreck Bar that is also located at South Friars you better do it quick. It is closing February 28. The Ritz Carlton will be tearing it down and putting up a hotel on the site.

Tonight I predict another quiet evening.  Comedian Rollin Jay Moore is performing. 

Tomorrow is formal night and the premier of the Secret Silk.  Also our Most Travelled Luncheon is tomorrow at noon.

St. Kitts - January 25, 2016

Our arrival today is not until 10 am but that doesn’t stop us from waking darn early.  In fact I saw the sunrise at 6:44. 

We dress and head down for breakfast and the ship seems rather quiet at 8 am.  I think many did sleep in - just a bit jealous.

I walk out to the seating area on Promenade and watch our entrance into Basseterre.  We see that the Holland America Osterdam is in port.  Looks tiny compared to us, and another thing I notice is ashtrays on their balconies.  I was not aware that they still allowed smoking on the balconies.  
Since we don’t smoke and really hate second hand smoke and would not want to risk having a smoker next to us we will not sail HAL until the policy is changed.

Bernie heads back to the cabin shortly after we tie up and I decide to just sit out here.  I meet a lovely couple from Delaware who I chat with for a good hour.  Just love all the nice people you meet on ships.

Today we had no set plans, heck we hardly have any set plans in any of the ports.  It was key to us to go with the flow and the Canadian Dollar is slowing us down too.  If we go ashore chances are we will spend around $100 in taxi, chairs/umbrellas, drink, food and that is $150 Canadian.  So after much discussion we decide to stay on board and enjoy the Sanctuary.

It has been years since we have gone to the Sanctuary.  The Royal’s Sanctuary is beautiful and large and even has cabanas to rent.  But if you want to reserve a chair for the entire cruise get on board as soon as possible and head straight to the Sanctuary to reserve your chair cause they do sell out.  They do usually keep a few lounges available for daily rentals though.

We take two chairs in the sun and we relax.  Arnold, Basil and all the Serenity Stewards pamper us to no end.  All needs were met efficiently and with a smile. 

I was especially impressed with Basil (from India) who took our food order and drinks and served us in a lovely shaded cabana that was not occupied today.  We both had the tomato gazpacho (Basil even got fresh avocado to put on it for Bernie), I then had a tuna encrusted with sesame seeds and a light salad.  We then returned to our lounge chairs after lunch. 

Around 3 pm they come around and serve full afternoon tea.  The service is amazing and I so want to come back another day.  I can’t justify reserving a lounge chair for the whole voyage but on the occasional day it is lovely and nice treat.  Plus the service the last times we did it was not that good but obviously that is not the case here.  It is amazing and well worth it.

After five hours in the sun we are back in the cabin relaxing when we get a knock at the door Vicky Kammies a Customer Service Agent from the front desk has sent us chocolate covered strawberries.  Now this woman is wonderful at her job, always smiling, always helpful and well Bernie wants to adopt her!  All the Purser’s staff are amazing - we have fallen in love with them all.  Natalya Vityuk who is the Customer Service Agent in the Concierge Lounge is very helpful and it has been nice getting to know here too.  Our Princess Family keeps growing.

Thanks Vicky we will enjoy the strawberries tonight with some champagne.

Even though we are in port today there is a lot going on around the ship.  And tonight we are not sure what we will do but we have a lot of options.

Princess Theater is featuring Guest Vocalist Rebecca Elliott at 8:15 and 10:30, Vista is having the 70s night and has a Name that Tune, Line Dancing and 70s music, Orphea Quartet is playing again in the Atrium with dancing again, Feature Film is the Walk up at MUTS, Hollywood Screen Test is happening tonight at 9:30 in Princess Live, Perry Grant is in Crooners and DJ Smokke is in Club 6.

Tonight is Italian Night - I have pictures of all the menus that I will put up when I get home.  

St. Kitts – February 10, 2015

We are awaken by the sound of a knock at the door.  It is 7:15 and one consistent thing is room service always comes early.  We asked for 7:30 – 8 but it always is early.  So plan accordingly.  Then they were missing an item and we had to track the room service attendant down to tell her, surprisingly she asked “do you want me to get it” ahhh “yeah”. 

Today we are heading back to the beach club that we went to the last time.  Carambola Beach Club which is located on South Friars Beach.  We are a group of 9.  Lew from the roll call coordinated the day.  He made a reservation for the 9 of us, which was a very good thing because the port is busy today! 

We are docked at the main pier beside a Costa ship.  A Royal Caribbean ship is at the older more industrial pier.  The Seadream Legend 2 is tendering people into the small dock at South Friars Beach.  And there is a Seaborn ship also in the harbour.  I have never seen it so busy here.

We meet in the International Café as a group and head ashore together.  As soon as we get to the main gate taxi drivers are trying to get our business.  We agree to go with one guy but then he says to hold on and wait.  Nope we don’t want to wait, so we all head outside the gate into the square.  Right away we meet Tony and he takes all of us right away to his van.  Price to South Friars (and all spots on the island) are fixed priced of $4 each person. 

The ride is not long and when we arrive at the beach club there are a few people in line.  Problem is that the staff have not arrived to take payment and start the computers.

I am not sure why they would not have them starting early considering how many reservations they have and all the ships in port.  Some of us head out to the beach to pick out chairs while our partners wait to pay.  Price is $10 per lounge chair and $10 for an umbrella.

But again it seems they are not expecting the crowds.  The one beach guy is running around like a fool trying to get umbrellas up and cushions for the chairs.

We are now settled, our view is the water with the Seadream ship.  The water is very rough today, and the waves are crashing against the beach.  Much rougher than last time. 

I went snorkeling, actually followed Bernie and wow I saw a turtle, actually snorkeled with him for about five minutes.  When I turned around to head back to the beach it was a struggle cause of the current and the winds.  But I made it but if you are not a strong swimmer be careful.

Sea Dream Yacht

Back on the beach we relaxed, swam, walked, had a nice meal, and slept.  We just wish it wasn’t so crazy busy.

Beautiful view - Caribbean on the right, Atlantic on the left

Port stores

All aboard is 3:30 so we arranged for Tony to come back at 2:30 but he sent another driver Greg to pick us up.  No problem we got back to the pier at around 2:45 and we did a bit of shopping and then back on board. 

Trevor plays at sailaway

Nevis on the right

Sailaway was stunning and we are excited to see we are sailing past Nevis and we usually go the other way.  So we head up on the top deck to take some pictures and listen to Trevor Cole play his steel pan. 

Tonight is the German Buffet night and since we didn’t make it to it either of the two earlier cruises we are not going to dress up for dinner.  We start out with a drink in the Platinum/Elite Lounge cause I love me a Mojito to start the evening. 

The food up in the Horizon Court is amazing.  The sausages, the schnitzel, the spätzle, the stew, the salads… oh and so much more.  We finish off our meal by sharing a Black Forest Cake.

We partake in some Beatles Trivia, then down to Vines to watch Rootberry juggling act and to finish off our bottle of wine.  Federico joins us for a glass and we get to meet Mathew who just joined this sailing as the Future Cruise Consultant. 

Oh I forgot to mention the funniest comment we heard today.  We are in the midship elevator and we get off on deck 7 and as we get off this woman says “does this elevator go to deck 6?”  I swear you can’t make this stuff up.  I really wanted to say, oh sorry it only goes to odd numbered decks.  

We wander around a bit and check in on the “where am I” trivia.  We actually don’t do too bad.

But all I want to do is go back to the cabin and watch a movie “The Other Woman” on the comedy section and we are laughing our heads off.

What is happening on board you say?  Lots:  Country and Western Night; Production Show What the World Needs Now; MUTS is showing the Hundred-Foot Journey; Country & Western Trivia; Line Dance Classes; Hollywood You?  Gameshow; and the regular musicians.  

St. Kitts January 24, 2015

We wake slowly and so glad we don’t dock until 10 am.  We take time getting ready and I meet up with friends in Vines to go off as a group.  Note that because we dock at 10 am it is a mad rush to get off the ship, so if you don’t have to get off right away, take your time, even fifteen minutes after we dock will enable you to not have to queue up to get off.  

But today we are off to CarambolaBeach Club.  We made reservations with them prior to coming and we head off together (six of us) and we take a taxi there.  Cost is $4 per person in a taxi van.  The Club is located on South Friars Beach and takes about 15 minutes to get there.  But you can see the ship slightly from the beach.

There are a few beach clubs/bars there but this one is very nice and they have a very nice restaurant and bar there, and free wifi.

When we arrive they have our name down on a list and we pay the woman at the cashier.  Lounge chairs and umbrellas are $10 each but they are very comfortable.  We get some nice chairs facing the water and off we go to plunge in. 

We spend the next few hours in the water, sunning, laughing, walking, snorkeling and chatting with others.  

Yvonne and I go for a walk and we find a big group of monkeys down by Shipwreck Beach. 

other places you can head to - note the black sand beach from the volcanos

Ship Wreck Bar - although they don't have much of a beach

the monkeys run wild here 

the beach at Ship Wreck Bar

Bernie went in snorkeling and he even saw a turtle.  Later when we went out we saw stingrays and trumpet fist, parrot fish, and so much more. 

We did have lunch there and it was quite good, rather pricy but we found it easy to share an entrée and we were full.  Definitely try the Pumpkin soup.

It is a busy area, seems everyone now knows about it. Tons of passengers, tourists staying on the island and many of the crew are here too.  But we are coming back here the next time too.

Around 4 pm we caught a taxi back (for the same price) and we were back on board around 4:30 pm.

Back in the cabin I so need a long hot shower but darn I have burned my skin on the right shoulder, gee three applications of 30SPF and I miss an area!  Bernie’s lower back is red, I guess the waistband of his trunks have rubbed off the sunscreen.  ARGH so be careful the sun here is strong.

We are just about to sail away and the Captain comes on announcing that we are in need of blood donors.  A medical emergency is happening and they are in need of blood but I don’t match the blood type but Bernie does so he heads down and fills out a form and there are quite a few others are also lining up.  (Posted later:  50 donors came forward and they took blood from 10 of them.)  Tomorrow in St. Thomas the patient will be put off to seek medical treatment. 

Tonight’s drink in the Elite lounge is Cosmopolitans which is something we both like so we meet up with friends there just after 6 pm.  The place is busy and we order our drinks and enjoy some shrimp too.  

This lounge is nice but it isn’t special like Skywalkers is.  Plus everyone keeps walking thru it on the way to the Princess Theater so it really isn’t private or special.  The crew here are amazing though, Caesar keeps making us laugh.  Tonight he is taking orders from a couple, the gentleman is in a scooter.  Caesar says I will be able to quickly get your drinks with this scooter and scoots along in it to the bar and brings the drink right back in the scooter too.  Too funny.  He thens says “imagine all the plates and glasses I could pick up with this”.

We head to the 7 pm show of DavidCats who is a Magician and Illusionist.  The place is packed, full, hard to find a seat.  There are only two shows tonight 7 and 9 pm and everyone says we can’t miss him and boy are we glad we didn’t miss this show.  He is like WOW, don’t miss him.  

Trust me you won’t be disappointed.  I can’t wait till next sailing to see him again.  It is not like the “usual” magical show it is a real presentation.  It combines video, music, audience participation and lots of “omg how did he do that”.

We stroll out of the show and make our way to the dining room.  Tonight we are dining with Paul/Yvonne and we normally have a table for two but Victor the Head Waiter takes care of us at a nice window table for four.  Tonight is Italian night and I order the peach soup then a lovely salad and then the pasta penne as my main entrée. 

After dinner there is the Hot Latin Nights up on the pool deck but both of us are so tired (no nap) but we do watch a bit of Kory Simon tonight at Crooners.  We saw Kory at the beach today and it was nice to catch up with him again. 

Back in the cabin at 10 pm but sadly that is also the time that the band Inner Mood Quartet starts in the Wheelhouse and that is all we can hear in the cabin, but we decide to watch a bit of a movie which helps, but there is no way we are going to be able to sleep until the band stops. 

Tip never book a room above a public venue.  So far this is the only downfall on this ship – soundproofing.

St. Kitts – Monday

I wish I could start this day with something exciting! Something memorable!  Something you would tell your friend!  But I can not!

After a very early night last night and a good sleep I wake still feeling the effects of those rum punches.  We pull into port and we are right across from the P & O Ventura ship which the exact same ship as ours.  It is pretty cool to look at the same ship but with a few little differences.  We notice immediately that they allow smoking on their balconies and there are a lot smoking out there.

We see that they have the same horrible hard plastic flooring on their balconies as we do but it is green in color.  Their deck furniture is similar to the deck furniture they are replacing on most Princess ships.  Up on the top decks it appears like they have the same covered area at the front where the Sanctuary is on our ship but it seems to be just regular chairs and open to everyone.  They do not have MUTS, is instead a covered pool area like the Grand/Star/Golden has. 

We got so much sun yesterday that my back is in pain (where I obviously did not put enough sun screen on) and the last thing we want to do today is go to a beach and get more sun.  We know the port area here like the back of our hand and since neither of us wants to shop, and we have done numerous tours of the island we decide to stay on board.

We lounge out by the pool in the covered areas (and good thing as some light Caribbean showers do pass us) and watch the cruise staff set up the strings for the Island Deck Party happening latter.

Our afternoon was so boring, but just what we needed.  A bite in the Horizon Court and then back to the cabin and a nap.  I swear if we get any more relaxed they will be throwing dirt on us.  When we wake we wander down to the coffee bar for some tea and chat with the staff there.  Kateryna, Bethoven, Meldon and Ryan take such good care of us.

All aboard is 5:30 and the Ventura is leaving its’ berth and we have dueling horns!  I captured it up on video but will have to wait till I get home to put it up on this blog because I need faster internet to do that.  It was really neat waving goodbye to everyone on board and the crew from each ship waved huge hand signs and Ciao signs.  One of the better sail away we have ever had.

We decided to invite some friends over for sail away and we get some finger food, pizza and we raise our glasses to a great cruise.

Around 8:30 we wander around and catch some of the entertainment happening on board.  Lots going on tonight.  We catch Lubo and Lucy in the Atrium (he does a balancing act).  We catch the comedian Rodney in Explorers, well we only caught a bit of his show as it was too full to find a seat and we arrived late so we stood at the back and watched for about 15 minutes.  Leeshe is doing a line dancing classes that covers the steps to tonight’s dance party.  It is being held kind of late and she covers it very quickly before we all rush upstairs to take part in the Island Deck Party.  It is a good time, but not many people are here, maybe a couple hundred but that is it.  Again once the flash mob is done and the group dance is done the lead singer from Accent takes over and the energy level dies, especially when he does the Congo line, you see a mass exodus of people from the dance floor.  I wish Lee and Frenchie had more involvement in the party, I missed their energy here.

We look at each other and say “well, another great day”.

The key to cruising is to do what you want and not to feel guilty about doing nothing and that is just what we did today!

St. Kitts

Rough night – I am up at 4 am and my allergies are bothering me.  This usually happens at least one time during every vacation.  With all the different foods and drink it is bound to happen.  I head up on deck around 5:45 and can see St. Kitts in the distance and Nevis to the right of it.  So pretty!

I head towards the Horizon Court and it is so civil at this hour and I grab a bagel and some fruit and then head down to the International Café for my latte and a chat with Beverly.  I am so tired though and around 7:30 I head back to the cabin and Bernie is up and we switch places as I crawl into bed and he heads out.

And this is how our day starts out and we know today is going to be relaxing day. 

After sleeping till around 10 am we both decide we should dress and head ashore and hit the gangplank around 11 and we decide to just wander around a bit.

I love the character of these old run down buildings and I must of taken 100 shots of different ones

We have been here numerous times, we have toured the island extensively four times.  We have climbed the volcano, we have visited beaches twice now.  Every time we are here it rains, but guess what it doesn’t rain today but we don’t feel like heading out to a beach today. 

We wander around but we get this feeling here today that they are annoyed with the tourists, most don’t chat with us and even when we approach stalls they don’t say anything to us.  Guess we are just use to constant “check out my store” etc.  The city streets are busy and this too is odd for us as we have been docking here on Sundays the last few times and most shops are closed. 

I do check with a taxi driver about how much the fare is to South Friar’s Beach and I am quoted $16 per taxi, so it is $4 a person one way if you get four, $8 if it is two.  Sounds fair, and the same price as we were quoted last year when we went to there. 

One of the funniest things today was as we walked past Independence Square Park and notice this guy who has set up huge speakers blaring music and beside him a single slot machine.  I can’t help taking a picture it is just too funny and so out of place.

We stop by a bakery and pick up a small meal of two pasties filled with chicken and a coconut macaroon and walk back to the square where we enjoy our little meal.

there is a shuttle on the pier to assist those with mobility issues -  something I don't recall on previous cruises

Still not feeling 100% so I opt to head back on board and are on around 2 pm where I head up top to get some sun and grabbed a strawberry milkshake.  Since I don’t have the ultimate soda package which includes milkshake I have to pay for it but it is only $3.75 which is a lot cheaper than the ones on Oasis.  It is very good and I check out the island and take a few pics around the ship for my fan page.

I decide to head back to Leesh’s class for line dancing this afternoon.  The class is all about tonight’s Island Deck Party.  I did this class last cruise and want to do it again to master those steps.  I see Ian from the photo dept.  He is there, apparently he is hoping to move to the Cruise staff next contract so he is going to learn the moves so he can participate.  He tries very hard and by the end of it he is well, how to say politely a white guy with no rhythm but he is trying so hard and I am sure after a few cruises he will have it down pat.

Tonight we want to head up to Skywalkers as tonight is Japanese Slipper and sushi and we run into Sue and Mike and then a little bit later Cathy and Bill show up and we reflect on the day.  Anthony the server takes care of us so well, actually all the staff up there are amazing and it is a joy to head up there and catch up with them.

Alice joins us for dinner and we are happy to see it is Italian night, which we missed last voyage as we dined in Sabatinis.  I start with a wonderful blueberry soup and then a salad and for my entrée the chicken dish and it was very good.  No dessert, I couldn’t even finish my meal tonight and I feel a little rough and out of it, might be all the drugs I have taken for my allergies. 

But I promised Leesh I would attend the deck party so we change and head up and we both are not into it tonight so as soon as the dance happens I participate and then we head to bed and I crash.

It may not have been a productive day but it was a relaxing day and really that is what cruising is all about doing what you want to do.  I love this and I am rested and so glad we get many more of these days.