SleepingUgly

Day 6 – Dominica (cont.)

We walked to the end of the pier and stood around for a while, not knowing what to do.  A couple of official tour-company people holding up a sign with "29" written on it glared at us, saw the number on our stickers, and checked something off on a clipboard.  Maybe they were marking how many people had shown up for the tour, maybe they were trying to figure out how to fit us all into all the vans, maybe they were checking off what toppings they wanted on their pizza for lunch.  Who knows what they were doing; whatever it was, they didn’t look happy doing it.  So it must not have been the pizza because, seriously, who doesn't get excited about pizza?

After a short while, we were directed by Jolly and Happy to follow someone to a 10-person van. We walked into the streets and past traffic, got to the van, climbed in and were off.  Just the act of walking on a busy street, next to moving cars, was thrilling enough for the little one.  That’s it – we can go home now!  Who knew I could have just taken her down to M Street in Georgetown and threw her into the middle of the road to make her so happy.  Anyway, there were two couples in the van with us.  Very nice folks and I think the husbands found out they actually work for the same company, but in different locations.  Funny how these things happen sometime.

We drove through Roseau for a bit, maybe about 10 minutes or so.  The driver talked a lot about the island and its history and culture, but I was sitting in the back so couldn't really hear much of anything. 

Once we left the city, we headed into the mountains.  At this point, the road became extremely curvy, turny, loopy, windy … and mountainous.  I’d say that, for the next 40-45 minutes, we were on the twistiest of twisty roads, going up one side of the mountain and then coming down the other side.  The scenery was beautiful, but I was getting a bit concerned about the little one as she had neglected to take her children’s Dramimine that morning, and the roads were incredibly hilly and curvy.  She ended up resting on her sister’s lap for most of the ride, which was a blessing for everyone in that van, believe me.

We arrived at the waterfall probably a little after 1 pm.  There was a total of about six vans for our group, so maybe around 60 people on this excursion.  I didn’t think that was too bad for a ship excursion as I know they can be packed sometime.

Day 6 – Dominica (cont.)

We went back to our cabins and woke the girls up for breakfast around 10 am.  They got dressed as slowly as possible - were they actually moving backwards, maybe? - and then went to the buffet to grab something to eat, while dh and I got all our stuff ready for our excursion that day.  So, in other words - the kids slept in late and then got to go get something to eat while their parents woke up early, spent money to book another cruise, and then did all the work in preparation for that day's activities.  Is that what it sounded like to you?  OK, just wanted to make sure.  #iamanidiot

I had booked our excursion that day through Celebrity – the Eco-Village, Hibiscus Valley and Waterfall tour.  It sounded rather interesting and I thought it would be a good opportunity to see a bit of the island without having to do a boring bus tour.  We had been to Dominica before on our previous cruise, back in 2007, and did the island tour then anyway.

I also decided on a ship excursion, instead of booking on my own, because we were in port for a limited time, from 11 am to 7 pm.  Most independent river-tubing adventures start around noon or 12.30 pm, and last around 5 hours.  I didn’t want to cut it too close to departure time with an independent tour (you ain't never catching me on that Pier Runners R Us channel on YouTube), so decided to book through Celebrity instead.  I was able to purchase the excursions during a sale last summer, so I think we got around a 15-percent discount for each person.  We paid $69 per adult and $39 for our youngest, with the discount.  Our excursion was scheduled for four hours, from noon to 4.30 pm. 

We were close to Dominica well before 10 am.

By 10.30 am or so, we were pulling into the port.

At 11.45 am, we went to the Celebrity Theatre, our meeting point for the excursion.  There, we turned in our tickets (which had been in our rooms since the very first day), and were all given a sticker with the number “29” on it.  We were told to wear the sticker in a conspicuous place on our shirts so we could be easily identified as to which group we belonged.  Our group had already left the theater so we were told to disembark and join them on the pier.

Of course, with the theater being in the back (aft) of the ship, and the gangway being up front, we got lost.  We thought we could just use the stairs by the theater to head down to Deck 2, but that took us to a dead end, with only the staff / crew hallway available.  A very nice crew member pointed us in the right direction and we were off!

As usual, we had to get our pictures taken by the ship’s photographers as we left the ship..

42 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

P.S.

Linda, I do all the planning in our family.  Of course my DW has veto power.

I had to laugh at the exchange with your DH concerning planning.

You will probably not be surprised that the same thing does not work with my DW. I get a different look and a few comments about things around the house.

We wives are very good at giving THE LOOK and having a comment about pretty much everything you men do, no? 🙂  And, usually, with pretty good results.

Linda

43 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

The three perks are only offered with a NON-refundable deposit.

That's great for a cruise in the near future  but hard to swallow for something a year (or two) ahead.

We just re-fared our 2021 cruises with our TA and got the two perks and a $300 reduction in fare but for that far out I'm not willing to do a non-refundable deposit.

 

Agree, Karen!  Great minds ... 🙂

Linda

39 minutes ago, RealBatman said:

What an adventure this review has been!

 

The opening scene sets the excitement with a car crash, followed with twists and turns as the story line evolves. (The title however, tipped us off with the final direction 😉). As the plot develops, we have mega yachts, low flying aircraft, ridiculously large mansions owned by wealthy, powerful men (who are undoubtedly compensating for less-than-impressive-appendages), sandy beaches and beautiful babes dressed in only bathing suits and bikinis frolicking in the water. As the adventure continues we are dropped into fancy casinos and dark, desolate streets leading to some of them where a sudden turn results in our heroines and hero having to commandeer a local citizen to escape back to the safety of the ship. 

 

This has been a chapter turning, exciting and stimulating ride to be certain! My DW and I have literally sat on the couch with popcorn in hand reading and cheering! We can hardly wait for the upcoming chapters, as we know that a BlockBuster movie always has a sultry, suggestive love scene followed by a high speed chase involving a helicopter - will it be on the high seas, or through the streets of one of the next ports of call? Only time will tell!

 

I am already surmising that the lead will be played by non other than Tia Carrere, but who shall be cast as her DH? Will it be the dashing Jeff Goldblum, or perhaps the solid, non-assuming Dwayne Johnson? 🙂 

 

Best review ever! We are preparing to head to the city to catch a flight to FLL in preparation for our sailing on Silhouette - our appetites now wet for our adventure! And having read todays chapter... we are already looking forward to your sequel when the adventure will find 'our' family in far away places like Cartagena, Columbia and Colon, Panama (a cruise we did recently on Reflection). Keep up the good work! We will pick it up when we return!

 

Bob

Bob - Flattery will get you everywhere ... and right now, it's going to take you to FLL, I see.  Have a fantastic trip and safe travels all around!  Can't wait to hear about your vacation when you return.

Thanks so much for following along and the very kind words.  My family are a bunch of nutcases but I wouldn't want them any other way.  As for who will be playing us in the upcoming, straight-to-the-clearance-rack-at-Walmart movie, I'm thinking Jackie Chan in a wig as me, and the lead character in those animated Rio movies as my dh.  For some reason, our waiter kept calling him George Clooney, saying that he looked like Mr. Clooney.  Ha!  Maybe in another 50 years, with another 30 pounds, and with 99 percent fewer assets.  Or you can just cast Chris Hemsworth as my real-life dh and call it a day.  Yeah, I think I like that idea better.

Again, have a fantastic trip and hopefully, I'll be finished when you are back! 😉

Linda

35 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

Linda, thank you for the excellent job with your detailed trip report.  Since we will be departing on the 1/20/19 version of this 12 day Silhouette Cruise, it is very interesting and entertaining.

 

Congratulations on your new booking.  The reduced deposit and extra OBC is very nice.  The only thing that bothers me is that the marketing materials imply that the two perks are for booking on board.  As you probably know the same two perks at the exact same price are available if you book from home. Celebrity has been running a special promotion where you can get three perks for the price of two.  You shoukd check, but that might be the source of the free Gratuities that the TA mentioned.

 

I believe the reasons that some cruises occasionally stay late in St. Maarten are related the the Sunset Sailing option. (We booked one some years ago independently).  It was very nice.

Also it gives some cruisers the opportunity to dine ashore especially on the French side.  I believe the Hurricane has negatively impacted those opportunities and the overall night activity.  I think it is a different atmosphere with the limited tourism at this time.

I like the trend to have one late night in port or even an overnight.  I know the crew loves it as it gives them some extra time ashore. (This might be the number one reason)

 

Great job and thank you.

Thanks for your nice comments, and really appreciate your reading and following along.  I hope you have a fantastic cruise and enjoy some great weather!

Honestly, the three perks option was not around when we booked in late December and, like Karen said, that might be for a non-refundable deposit?  I am not one to take that chance.  I have no problem playing the penny slots like there's no tomorrow and buying shoes like I need to wear 20 pairs all at the same time, but the word "non-refundable" is pretty much taboo in my book.  Especially when I'm booking something 700-plus days away! 🙂

I did enjoy the late departure from St. Maarten and, you are right - it must have been nice for the crew members to have some extra time ashore and I hope they were able to take advantage of that.  We actually shared the taxi ride to Front Street with a young bartender from the Marella ship, who was happy to have a few hours off.  He was quite chatty and definitely made the night that much more interesting for us.

Thanks again for being here and hanging in there with me!
 

Linda

Day 6 – Dominica (cont.)

At 9 in the morning, there was no one else interested in booking a future cruise, so we were able to sit down and speak with someone right away.  The cruise I was interested in was the 12-night holiday sailing on the Reflection in 2020, visiting the western Caribbean, Colombia and Central America.  I thought that was an interesting itinerary, and the dates worked out for us – departing much closer to Christmas on December 23 and returning on January 4.  That would be the first year we’d have both of the older girls in college (one would be a senior and the other would be a freshman), and I was pretty sure they’d both be done with finals and home by December 22, which is when we would fly down to Ft. Lauderdale, one day prior to the start of the cruise.  And it was a 12-night cruise again.  We were loving this longer cruise as we felt that, after having been on the ship already for six nights, if we had to pack up and leave after just one more night, that would be way too short of a sailing for us.

I asked what the perks were for booking onboard.  Since we wanted connecting concierge aft cabins again, we would get $200 in OBC per cabin for booking while on the ship, and also be able to put down just $100 deposit per person, which would be completely refundable until September 24, 2020.  The rate for the third or fourth guest in a cabin was also discounted a bit further.  The agent looked up to see what cabins were available and – what luck – the two connecting aft cabins smack dab in the middle of Deck 10 were available.  One of them has the widest balcony among all aft cabins (besides the Sky Suites, of course), so that will be great.  On the Silhouette, we had one balcony that was regulation-sized, while the other was slightly bigger.  By opening up the divider in between these two cabins made our entire balcony much more expansive and we had so much more room to move around.  With one of the balconies being even bigger on the Reflection, that meant our overall balcony space on that sailing will be even more than what we have on the Silhouette!  Sign us up!

We were also able to pick two perks for each cabin.  We selected the $300 OBC and classic drink package for each cabin.  The reservation was supposed to have been transferred automatically to my travel agent, but I still had to contact my TA when I got home.  I emailed her about it, and she sent me a new invoice a couple of days later, pretty much doubling the OBC and also paying gratuities for all five of us.  It really does pay to book onboard and then transfer to a TA, in my opinion.

So, as of today, here is my countdown for our next Celebrity cruise.  I didn’t know numbers could get that high.

Thank you for this live review; I'm thoroughly enjoying all the great pictures!  i have been following pretty much everyday.  I had also read your review from last year (I think) of your cruise that started in Australia, and it had me thinking we would try that for our holiday cruise instead.  The airfare kind of killed that idea, though!  We were just on the Silhouette for 12 nights over the holidays and have booked a cruise on the Reflection for the 2020 holidays.  The Celebrity staff member showed me a family OV cabin, but we have three girls and we need those two bathrooms to stay sane.  If it had two bathrooms, though, I'd so be there!

Safe travels back home, and thanks again for taking us along with you on your family vacation!

Linda

Day 6 – Dominica

Well, today marks the approximate halfway point of our cruise.  We’ve already spent six nights on the ship.  Six more nights to go, four more islands, two more planned excursions, one more evening chic night and a partridge in a pear tree.  Oh, and infinitely more Martinis and mango daiquiris.  Can’t forget those.

We were not scheduled to dock in Dominica until around 11 am today, to which I say, PRAISE WHATEVER GOD YOU BELIEVE IN!!  Yesterday had been long and exhausting, and we could do with sleeping in a bit this morning.  Which meant that dh and I slept in until the gloriously, wonderfully, fantastically late hour of … drum roll, please … 8 am!!  Well, it’s got to be 1 pm somewhere, right, so I guess we slept in based on Prague time.

We got up and went to the Oceanview Café for breakfast.  There was no waking the kids this morning, after the long day we all had yesterday.  If I had dared to try to wake them, I would be typing this trip report with a few missing fingers, I’m sure. 

The buffet was not busy at all this morning.  I’m not sure where everyone was late last night because they certainly weren’t living it up at the Jump Up casino with us wild and crazy kids, so maybe they were just all at a party to which only the cool people were invited.  That’s OK, we’ll take the empty and quiet and ALL-THE-BACON-I-WANT breakfast buffet any day.

We sat outside in the back of the Café to eat our breakfast.  It was shaping up to be another awesome day with great weather.  We really have been lucky with the weather on this cruise, with sunshine and warm temperatures and pretty much no rain each day.  That is, until we met up with St. Lucia later on in the cruise …

He does not need more salt in his diet, but what do I know ...

If you look at the middle of this picture closely, you will see a section between two of the balconies (three levels down) where the glass divider has been removed.  This was our extended balcony, and we could move back-and-forth very easily.  It helped to make the balcony seem less enclosed and much more expansive, and probably is what lured us to spend quite a bit of time out there as well.

The captain must really be booking it today because my phone seems to think I'm driving.  This would not be the first - or only - time that this message popped up on my phone.  The first few times, I thought it was hilarious.  After that, it was just annoying.

After breakfast in the warm Caribbean sun – it was 80 degrees at 8.30 in the morning!  In December! – dh and I went exploring around the ship a bit … and ended up in the future cruise office.  How we got there, I have no clue.  No, actually, I do.  I had been thinking of booking another cruise while onboard, and the previous night, I had noticed one particular sailing that was of particular interest to me.  So I thought I’d stop by to ask someone about it.

On the way there, I took some pictures of a seemingly deserted ship.

9 minutes ago, cruzfiend said:

Your review is great. We will be on this itinerary in February on the Silhouette, thank you.

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a fantastic trip!

Linda

1 hour ago, rosewood jo said:

Are these the shows on silhouette right now ?   I’ll be going feb 22.   Guessing they will be the same?

 

COSMOPOLITAN

 

https://youtu.be/lMw8YGNnzkg   PEARL 

 

https://youtu.be/uindXdWkHkw     PEARL

 

https://youtu.be/J6j-fn5PUUc    UPTOWN ( HIGH ENERGY)   PRINCE SONGS 

 

https://youtu.be/BhrZk15V8Ss    STORY OF MY LIFE

 

https://youtu.be/_shqEBFoyMA  ROPE/ SILK SCARF  DANCING 

 

also hoping queen & silent disco.      Any dance parties in atrium?

 

thks 

Oops, sorry, I totally forgot about the Celebrity Todays for you!  I will try to do this tonight from home or tomorrow at work (shhh ... don't tell anyone).  I don't remember any Queen nights, and there were probably around four silent discos planned?  Once in the entertainment court (right outside the theater), once in the grand foyer (that we attended and really enjoyed), once by the pool (my middle daughter went with a bunch of other teens and said the turnout was very good) and once in the Sky Lounge (last night, turnout and music were lame, lame, lame).  There is always a band playing in the grand foyer in the evening and night hours so there is always people dancing there.  They do karaoke in Qasar too some nights.  The Sky Lounge always has a band playing there after 10 pm. 

As for the shows, the production shows were Life, Pearl and Cosmopolitan.  We saw only Life and Cosmopolitan; the former was pretty bad and the last was OK.  We did not see Pearl.  We did see Uptown, which a group of three young men singing Motown hits.  They were quite entertaining.  Again, acts may change from cruise to cruise, depending on the entertainers' schedules and when they are scheduled to be on each ship.  You may want to email Celebrity to see if they'll share that information with you before your trip?

I'll check the Todays again but hope this helps in the meantime.

Linda

7 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

Linda

 

I’m loving you’re review. I am amazed at the detail. Where do you find the time?  You must have taken extensive notes. What a wonderful experience for your family. We were in St Maarten last April on the Reflection. We were overnight in port. We only ventured down the pier after dark and everything was closed. I thought that it was because it was Easter.  I guess it’s just quiet there at night. 

 

Maris

Thanks, Maris!  It helps to go through the many pictures we took because that helps to jog my memory, but I did take notes almost every night on my laptop so I would not forget the little details.  Appreciate your reading and, hopefully, the next time when we return to St. Maarten, the island will have completely recovered.  The last time I was there was in 1996, on the Monarch of the Seas for my first ever cruise with my parents so I don't remember much about it, but I do recall how lively and fun it was on the Dutch side, and how refined it was on the French side.  I'm sure the island will be just as awesome as it always was very soon, if not more!    

Linda

14 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 We've been to St Maarten several times before and after the hurricanes and I'll defend your decision to go to Front Street at night.  St Maarten is still struggling to recover from the hurricanes and I think all of the hotels were destroyed.   Until the hotels are re-built, the city won't have any nightlife.  All the tourists leave with the ships.  This is difficult to understand this unless you've been there.

Agree, but I thought some of the shops in the pier area would stay open a bit later than 8 pm, at the very least, since there were three ships still docked.  Perhaps because it was also the day after Christmas?  We don't regret going to Front Street to check things out, and hopefully, the island is back to 100% very, very soon.  Next time we are there, I hope to spend more time on land!

Linda

2 hours ago, Sheal said:

I have to agree with your daughter, my first thought was Billy Bones?  Sounds sketchy!  But as we have seen you do through research and it sounds like a great day.  We usually just take the that the roller coaster journey to Mullet by taxi then hoof it over to Maho to watch the planes. 

 

Place looked like a ghost town by the time you ventured back out and the trip to the casino.  It reminded me of my little excursion I planned during our overnight stay in San Juan just six weeks after the hurricane last year.  My sister kept saying "are you sure this is safe"?  Sure was and she sure enjoyed the pitchers of sangria  we were consuming just minutes later.

 

Looking forward to your next adventure!

 

Yes, Front Street and the pier were all dead by 8 pm - I could not believe it!  There's proof that I obviously didn't plan that out very well, but it was still a fun adventure, all the same.  I was hoping there would be something to do after-hours, which is why the ship would choose to stay in port so late, but no.  Maybe it's just another gimmick to sell those sunset-sail excursions.  Lord knows they tried to sell enough stuff to us on the cruise!

Linda

2 hours ago, Blighty770 said:

Linda, what a terrific post about your cruise. Your storytelling is wonderfully engaging, candid and so full of humour. It's like hearing a kindred spirit. 🙂 We're on Silhouette in February...2020(!!!)...so I'm totally living vicariously through your review. Thanks for the terrific photos and sharing your experiences and your family. Great to see such loving camaraderie between your daughters. Reading the review I feel like I'm there - especially when I see those martinis.... *sighs*

Tish

 

 

Hi Tish - Thanks for reading, and many thanks for the lovely, kind words!  You will love the Silhouette, and it has been fun for me to relive our cruise again by sharing it here.  Hopefully, you and others may find some helpful info as well for your upcoming trips.  And appreciate the comments on our daughters.  Next time they are at each others' throats and snapping at each other for daring to breathe within five feet of the others, I'll take a picture so you know what non-vacation life is like for us. 🙂

Linda

2 hours ago, chamima said:

 

Linda

I laughed out loud when I read this.

I also do all the planning and I know that "You could try and do it once in  a while" feeling!

(I read this to my husband and even he laughed!)

Karen - Whenever I tell my husband to plan things himself, it's usually when I'm upset so he'll look at me with stupid, googly eyes and an equally stupid, sappy grin as an apology.  Besides, he knows I love to plan so he gets away with it.  Rats.

1 hour ago, chamima said:

 

 

Sorry Linda

I should have been clearer.

I meant the Rainbow Cafe beach on St. Maarten.

What would you have thought of spending the day there ?

Hi Karen - I personally would love spending a day at Grand Case beach, where Rainbow Cafe is located, but others may not.  For instance, I don't think I saw any water sports being offered there so some people may get bored easily?  However, if you want a place to relax and read and enjoy the view - all with good eats and drink service nearby - and do so in an out-of-the-way location not that close to the cruise pier, this is a good place to do it.  It is on the French side of the island so prices may be a bit higher, but the environment is quite laid back and easy-going.  I think it would be a great place to do a beach day, especially if your goal is rest and relaxation.

HTH!
 

Linda

Day 5 – St. Maarten (cont.)

Let’s just finish up the day then, shall we?

We walked back to the ship, with very few people around us.  It was only around 9 pm or so, but the pier was pretty much deserted.  All the shops had closed by this time.  We weren’t able to get any souvenirs here, which we were disappointed with, but it had still been a good day.

We took the opportunity to walk all the way down to the end of the pier to get some pictures of both the Silhouette and the Edge.

We got back onboard the ship and stopped at the Martini bar to check things out.  We got a little show put on for us; I think I got the chocolate Martini again but I don’t remember what dh got.

After that, our oldest daughter went back to the room because she was exhausted.  She was also getting a headache from all the smoke in the casino.  Dh and I rested in the room for a bit, and then went to the buffet to check out the “Chef’s Late Night Selections" around 10.30 pm, but it was just pizza and pasta and desserts.  I got a few things to take back to the room with me.  We ate and watched some TV, and then fell asleep a little after 11 pm.  It had been a long but very memorable day.  St. Maarten is definitely worth returning to! 

Day 5 – St. Maarten (cont.)

Jiminy Cricket, are we done with St. Maarten yet?  Almost there, my friends, almost there ... we'll aim to finish things up in the next two posts.

Once we got back to the ship, we went straight to the rooms to shower and rested a bit.  It had been an insanely long day for all of us. When I was booking the excursion, I was like, “Oh, I don’t want to do just a four-hour, half-day tour.  We can take on more than that!  Let’s do a seven-hour, full-day tour.”  While it was fun, it was also exhausting and dh asked that we not plan any more full-day excursions in the future.  I had to agree with him.  (Of course, the damn fool could also do his own research and book his own stupid tours, but do I really want to get into that now?)

Around 6 pm or so, we went to grab some dinner at the buffet.  We found a table on the side of the ship facing the Edge and sat there.

It was not busy in the buffet at all, and at dinnertime, they also include a children’s section with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and French fries.  All necessities to give those young, growing bodies the nutritious boost they need.  Of course they don’t need all that crap, so I helped them out by piling it all on my plate so, that way, the youngsters would be forced to visit the salad bar.  I know, I know, I’m much too kind.  Please, no accolades, but if you must, I prefer verbal praise over meaningless applause.

After dinner, during which the little one probably almost dozed off in her bowl of soup at least a few times, we went back to the rooms, where the two younger ones proceeded to change into their pajamas, got into their beds, and switched on the Food Network on their TV.  OK, then, Grandpa and Grandma are done for the night.  As for dh and the oldest and me, though, we were going out, being the crazy cats that we are.  The plan was to head to Front Street, where we’d check things out and do some shopping, and maybe hit up one of the local casinos.  When we had first planned this trip and I saw we were going to be in St. Maarten until late, I figured this would be a good time to introduce our oldest to the joy of a smoky casino since I knew the minimum gambling age on the island was 18.  However, it turns out she could gamble on the ship, so the novelty was gone, but we were still going out to see if we could find a land-based casino at which she could try her luck.

We walked off the ship around 8 pm and was surprised that the pier was quite empty.  That should have been our first clue.  The shops in the port area were all pretty much closed as well, which I thought was weird since there were still three ships in port.  But we soldiered on.  We went to the taxi ranks and got a van that took us to Front Street for $2 per person.

The drive took maybe no more than five minutes, and we were dropped off at the end of the world.  Or so it seemed that way to us.  We were dropped off on a dark, quiet street, with no activity whatsoever near us.  We were like, “Um, is this Front Street?”  The driver, being all extra friendly because she just made $6 for driving all of 30 seconds, gave us directions to a couple of bars in the area.  “Uh, where’s the nearest casino?” we asked cautiously.  She happily pointed out the casino to us, down an even darker avenue, past the darkest alleyway of all dark alleyways.  Gulp.

So, there we were, three idiot American suburbanites, wandering the streets of Philipsburg, after hours.  Who knew all the stores would be closed?  Well, YOU DO now, thanks to my stupidity. 

We walked a few blocks and found the glaring, flashing lights of the Jump Up Casino.  Actually, the lights were more along the lines of being dull and with some in non-working condition, but potatoes potahtoes.  We had arrived and we were here to win big!

Remember that scene from the movie Animal House, when Otter and Boon and the gang went to see Otis Day and the Knights play in that roadside bar?  Remember the greeting they got from the clientele when they first walked in?  Well, not to be offensive or non-PC, but that was similar to the greeting we got when we walked into the Jump Up Casino.  We were the only non-locals there.  I guess cruise passengers don’t usually venture this way.  We shuffled as a group over to the cashier window and got $100 in change.  Dh flipped $20 to each of us and scampered off, in search of his tables.  Way to protect your mate and young, bruh.

The two of us walked around for a few minutes and lost one of our $20s in an uber-unfriendly slot machine in a matter of minutes.  So we walked around some more.  Honestly, it was not a bad place, although it was extremely smoky.  No one gave us dirty looks or bothered us– with the exception of a few “Well, hellloooo there” greetings to my daughter from some of the men – but that was about it.  Dh came to find us shortly after.  He hadn’t found any tables – think there were only machines in that casino – so we decided to leave, mostly because the smoke was really bothering our daughter, who has bad asthma.  On our way out, we asked security at the door where we could find taxis, and he very nicely pointed out the spot to us.  At least, I think he was security.  He was dressed in a sharp suit, seated at a table near the entrance, and everyone seemed to know him.  He could have been the mayor, the local mob boss, the casino owner, the local suit model ... who the heck knows.  He was nice and helped us out.

At the taxi stand, we waved someone down who was zipping past.  He slammed on his brakes and got out to talk to us.  I checked out his van, which was covered in religious quotes.  We figured we can’t go wrong with someone who takes such good care of his vehicle – and he even had on a tie with crosses on it – so we asked if he can take us back to the pier.  He hesitated a bit; I think he was on his way home because his wife was sitting in the front seat and she did not look happy that he stopped.  If "hurumph" had a facial expression, she wore it the entire ride to the pier.  He probably felt sorry for us because we looked completely lost and desperate; I think I may have even been whining a bit.  Anyway, he quoted us $3 per person, and before he could even finish speaking, we had scrambled into the back of his van, before he had a chance to change his mind.  We arrived back at the pier in around five minutes, and we thanked him and his wife profusely, got out and waved them good-bye.  They must have thought we were nuts or drunk or stupid ... or all of the above.

Day 5 – St. Maarten (cont.)

Once back at Bobby’s Marina, we all piled out and thanked Nico and AJ for a wonderful, relaxing and super-fun day.  They really helped to make this a memorable excursion.  I had simply wanted to escape the crowds that I was expecting to be on land that day, due to seven ships being in port, but I ended up finding a truly unique and incredible experience for our family.  If you are looking for an extraordinary snorkeling option in St. Maarten, I highly recommend Billy Bones Boat Charters.  They are a fantastic, professional operation; I’m sure you will have as great of a time that we had, if not more!

We then trudged back to the ship, walking along the same pathway that we had taken that morning.  There was a lot of traffic heading to port – it was about 4.30 pm now – so I’m guessing passengers from other ships were rushing back before last call as three ships would sail out around 5-6 pm.  The Silhouette, however – along with the Edge and the Marella cruise ship – would stay in port until 11 pm.

2 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Your review is great, I've enjoyed reading about each day. Your photographs are awesome and your daughters pose for pictures much better than most.  I'm lucky to get two pictures of my DD on a cruise.  After looking at your pictures one thing that is obvious is that your oldest and youngest daughters have a great connection.  Congrats on a beautiful and happy family.

Thank you!  Those two indeed have a special relationship, despite their 11-year age difference.  Our oldest went back to college just yesterday and, even though she will be back very soon for her father's birthday, the little one was in tears because she missed her sister already.  We try our best with the kids - as long as they are happy and healthy - and do their best to be positive, respectful, contributing members to our family and society - then I really can't complain.  Thanks again for your very kind words!

Linda

Day 5 – St. Maarten (cont.)

After our time at Maho Bay, Nico and AJ asked if anyone had to rush back to their ship for departure, as we had all arrived on different cruise ships.  None of us did so they said we have time to go to a beach for a short break.  You may recall from one of my earlier posts, in which I had copied the description of the tour straight from Billy Bones’ website, that an afternoon beach break was supposed to have been included anyway.  No biggie – we were actually quite tired and it had already been a long day, so we would have been fine if we had returned to the ship at this time.  However, it’s onto Mullet Bay for us!

We anchored off of Mullet Beach and, this time, about half the people decided to stay on the boat.  Guess we weren’t the only ones who were tired.  Still, our family loves the water so we all jumped in, including the little one.  We swam to the beach, which was a lot farther than it looked, and since most people were back on the boat by now, we didn’t stay long and started swimming back.  This time, it was the oldest daughter’s turn to drag the little one along.  We all got some good exercise on that excursion, that’s for sure! 

Once we were back on the boat, we started to head back to Bobby’s Marina.  On the way, we passed by some obscenely ostentatious house that was only part of a larger complex.  Surprise, surprise.  Donald Trump had purchased this property a while back and now rents it out; he apparently does not stay here himself.  I think they said the property was available to rent on Airbnb for around $10K-$11K per night.  I'll spare you my thoughts and comments about this investment shack of his.  

It was a great, fun ride back to the marina, with fantastic views of the shore and the cruise ships still docked in port.

1 hour ago, chamima said:

Linda

What would you think of spending the day at Rainbow Beach?

Honestly, Karen, I think it may depend on how long you are in port for.  We had basically just half-a-day, as it was Christmas and we didn't leave the ship until around 10 am and I wanted to be back by the port by 3 pm to get some shopping done, so I figured a few hours at the beach would be fine for us.  Plus, because it was Christmas, a lot of places were closed so we didn't feel that a trip into Christiansted would be worth it.  However, that would have been our first choice had it been a "normal" day, or we may have even rented a car and driven out to Point Udal on our own, just to say we'd been to the eastern most point in the US.  If you do rent a car, there are also other beaches in St. Croix that you can hit up on your own, and not have to rely on a taxi and its schedule.

I will say it was a lot of fun at Rainbow Beach.  The service was on point, and they do have a little restaurant and bar there so you can stay for a few hours and not go hungry / thirsty.  The beach is not lengthy or expansive, though, so if you like to take long walks on the beach (and yes, I like Pina coladas, and getting caught in the rain), this may not be a good beach for you.  However, we were there for a little over three hours and never felt bored or restless, and had a lot of fun either resting in our chairs or being in the water or taking short walks here and there.

I think they had mentioned another beach - Sandcastle Beach - which is supposed to be more laid-back and quieter, whereas Rainbow is better for families.  They are both about the same distance from the cruise pier, with Sandcastle in the opposite direction as Rainbow.  That may be another option to consider, if you are looking to stay closer to the ship?  I think there is a hotel there that sells inexpensive day passes - I want to say $10 per person but please don't quote me on that.

HTH!

Linda

Day 5 – St. Maarten (cont.)

OK, a few more pictures of Pinel Island and then we can move on.  This really was a pretty little island, if not a bit crowded, but it was definitely interesting and folks looked like they were really enjoying themselves there.  The water was super calm and so clear and blue, and there was always something going on, what with the many boats from tours such as ours that would arrive and then leave after 20-30 minutes.  So you can relax but also not be bored at the same time.  Seems pretty perfect to me.

After saying good-bye to Pinel Island and the iguanas, we headed back to the mainland of St. Maarten for lunch.  I believe everyone was starving by then.  I know my family was.  At each of our three stops that morning, we all swam and/or snorkeled for pretty much the entire time, which really does a number on you, especially around Creole Rock, where the waves were quite choppy.  There were plenty of drinks on the boat but no snacks, so we were ready to stuff our faces with some good food.

We anchored very close to shore at Grand Case, and waded onto the beach and sat down at the Rainbow Café. 

Rainbow Cafe is a fun little restaurant with plenty of outdoor seating, right there on the beach.  We sat down and AJ and Nico went right to work, serving us our food and setting out plates and utensils.  A nice young man from the restaurant came and took drink orders, as drinks were not included with our lunch.  We ordered one bottle of beer, three sodas and an Orangina.  Total for all drinks was around $17, and we had to add a dollar on top of that because we were paying in USD.  Um, OK.  That’s a new one.  It’s not like the cost was 17 euros and they needed the dollar for conversion purposes.  I guess it’s just a “convenience fee”.  Oh well, we’re eating on the beach, after a fun morning, and the food is good and people are friendly and the weather is fantastic.  Not going to complain. 

I had ordered the chicken Caesar's salad, which was almost gone by the time I took this picture.  Also on my plate are some fries from the kids' plates, and a small piece of chicken tender from the little one's plate.  Dh and the two older girls had burgers and fries.

After lunch, the little one and I played around in the water a bit.  This area seemed like a really fun location, with little restaurants similar to Rainbow Café along the beach, and some of them also renting out hotel rooms.  The Four Seasons they are not, but the location and view cannot be beat.  It was well off the beaten path that most tourists and especially day trippers from the cruise ships will traverse, so that says a lot.  Nice, quiet and not very commercial.  A fantastic stop for our lunch.  These pictures are to show you what the area looked like when you approach from the ocean ... and our resident photo-bomber in action.  The red loungers and umbrellas are all part of Rainbow Cafe. You can still see the damage from last year's hurricane in the white building behind them.

After lunch - we stayed there for almost one hour, so it was very nice and relaxing; in fact, the entire day was relaxing and we never felt rushed to leave any of our stops at all - it was off to Maho Bay / Beach, where we stopped for around 30 minutes or so offshore, watching the planes land and one take off.  I believe it was almost 3 pm at this time so quite a few planes were arriving.  During the time we spent here, we probably saw 5-6 planes land – including a couple of good-sized jets from United and Air France, along with smaller, private jets – and a large Delta plane take off.  I’m sure it’s much more exciting to be on the actual beach itself and see the planes flying towards you, seemingly getting ready to land right on top of you, but it was a great vantage point from offshore as well, as we could see the planes coming for us, and then as it flew low towards the beach and landing oh-so precariously, all without having to worry about sand whipping angrily about our legs and getting lodged in our eyes.   We got there at the right time as we were very fortunate to have seen so much action.  According to Nico, sometimes the boat would sit there and they would maybe catch just one plane arriving, if any at all.

9 hours ago, DENIE said:

Just caught back up.  Still loving your review - probably the best one I've ever read!  Thanks for posting!  Makes me want to get back on the Silhouette again!!

She is a great ship, isn't she?  Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Linda