AZAficionado

 

This is a place called Harbor Lights. It is a beach club by day, and a night club after dark. It is a little less chaotic than the Boatyard which is down the beach towards the ships. I went to Harbor Lights in February. I plan on going again in July. You are right. It is a fantastic beach with all the amenities. The staff make sure that the patrons are not harassed by vendors. They take good care of their customers.

 

Thanks so much for your review! I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I know that it has been a lot of work. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the added info! I didn't catch the name of the place, but it was pretty obvious it was a night club too. I had to chuckle at the sign that said "We will play any kind of music except Dub Step."

You are most welcome for the review!! :) And thank you for your appreciation!! :D

Since it was the final formal night of our vacation, we decided to do a pre-dinner bottle of Veuve Cliquot, one of my favorites. It has that "bready" mouth feel and yet just a hint of fruit.

At dinner, I started with the Wild Mushrooms. It was tasty, but last I checked button mushrooms are hardly wild. I would have liked to have seen something a little more exotic.

If you've been reading, you already know I'm not a lobster guy and it was "lobster night" (everyone freak out!!). I couldn't possibly do a comprehensive review without at least trying the lobster, like when I was a kid - "Just try it."

I hate to say it, but they over cooked the lobster. It was fairly tough and was starting to get that bitter, over-cooked lobster flavor. I can't really fault the chefs. If you cook the lobster perfectly and let it sit for even 5 minutes, it will continue to cook and end up over-cooked. The only way to prevent this would be to cook them to order, which isn't going to happen when feeding 1,000+ people in one sitting. Earlier in the week, one of our table-mates ordered the full lobster ($25 charge) and said it was much better than what was served on "lobster night."

Back at the room, our cabin attendant must have thought that love was in the air. And so the end of another great day aboard the lovely Adventure of the Seas.

One of the bartenders got creative with SolsticeAZ's chocolate martini and wrote her name on the top. Everyone say "Awwwww".

Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Cruisers of all ages and status (statuses? statai?). We have a winner!!! The results of the beach competition are: (drum roll....)

1. Browne's Beach, Barbados

2. Magen's Bay, St. Thomas

3. Dawn Beach, St. Maarten

4. Reduit Beach, St. Lucia

5. South Friar's Beaxh, St. Kitts

6. Grand Anse Beach, Grenada

7. Rainbow Beach, St. Croix

8. Cane Bay, St. Croix

9. Valley Church Beach, Antigua (rain)

10. Soufriere Bay, Dominica

We're not done yet. There is another sea day to go...

Naturally, a bucket of local beers was in order. It wasn't as good as Caribe, but still very good.

There were great facilities, including food, a bar, changing rooms, bathrooms, you name it.

I was a bit disappointed when they ran out of the special - Curry Chicken Roti, so I went with the Jerk Chicken Sandwich. It was delicious and nicely spicy. Of course, I dumped some spicy Caribbean sauce on it, just to kick it up another notch. Yea, that's a rum punch in the background.

The Champagne Bar menu (actually the R-Bar menu). They also have a Wine menu and a Champagne menu, both have by the bottle and by the glass.

Back on board, it was time for "something fruity".

Our destination was Browne's Beach, which I think is part of a larger stretch of beach. Either that or sections of Browne's Beach have other names. The taxi was $5 per person, each way. Two loungers with an umbrella was $15. When I told the taxi dispatcher where we wanted to go, all she said was "good choice".

Browne's Beach:

13°5'38" N 59°36'51" W

Browne's Beach was simply amazing. The sand was perfect and super fine. The water was crystal clear and reminded me of the beaches of the Bahamas. There was no seaweed, no coral, no rocks, just perfect beach in every direction. There were plenty of water sports and boat trips to see the sea turtles and snorkel over the two shipwrecks ($25 per person). That very morning they had sunk another boat to create a third artificial reef.

Bridgetown, Barbados (Day 13/6):

13°5'46" N 59°37'10" W

It was another fantastic day in Barbados. It was also a national holiday. So, everything was closed downtown and many of the streets were blocked off, probably for parades or gatherings. I felt bad for Tri, our cabin attendant who we ran into in port. He was hoping to do some shopping and it was his first time ashore in Barbados.

The crew were doing drills out by the pool in the morning.

SolsticeAZ did a Peachy Peach, a nicely fruity drink that was very popular, especially with the ladies. Gentlemen, take note.

At dinner, I started with the Spinch and Aritchoke Dip, which was very good. It was a nice blend of cheeses, spinach, and a few chunks of artichoke.

I moved onto the Chicken Caesar Salad, which was nicely light. I was still feeling the burger from lunch and didn't want anything heavy. I liked that they left the romaine whole.

I couldn't resist the Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert. It was was delicious, but a touch over cooked - the center was not that soft. Still, it was a winning dessert.

We went to Quest again, and while it was still very entertaining, it was not as crazy as the week before. Audience participation really makes that show. So, it you go, be prepared to get involved and leave your inhibitions at the door.

Late-night, they guys at the Champagne Bar tried another Espresso Martini, this time with caramel. It was a touch sweet, as he added simple syrup. We were promised another attempt the next night. I'll let you know how that turned out.

The beach competition is almost done. Will Magen's Bay hold out at #1?

1. Magen's Bay, St. Thomas

2. Dawn Beach, St. Maarten

3. Reduit Beach, St. Lucia

4. South Friar's Beaxh, St. Kitts

5. Grand Anse Beach, Grenada

6. Rainbow Beach, St. Croix

7. Cane Bay, St. Croix

8. Valley Church Beach, Antigua (rain)

9. Soufriere Bay, Dominica

We still have one more island. So stick around...

I did the Smoke House Double, which is a serious burger. It was delicious and came with all the great toppings IMO - bacon, onion rings, smokey BBQ sauce. But, oooof! That is one huge burger.

A parting shot of Dominica.

Later that afternoon, I caught a shot of the sunset off the aft of the ship.

Pre-dinner, I had my old stand-by, the Bombay Sapphire Martini.

I caught a rare shot of our Champagne Bar bartenders working. Just kidding. These guys busted their butts. Resa is on the left, Adrian on the right. They are responsible for (nearly) all the tasty drinks I had on the ship.

The recommended daily drink at the bar was the R-Rita. Nice, but it really needed another shot of Don Julio, which they were happy to provide.

At some point, I found Deck 13. Cue scary music.

Some Solarium art.

Late lunch was a Johnny Rockets.

Where the staff dance to certain songs.

They start you off with onion rings and fries.

There was a church being refurbished.

Adventure in port. This is a panoramic shot, so any distortion is due to that.

The local beer really hit the spot after walking around in the heat.

Once we had sweated enough to completely soak our clothes, we got back on board.

Lunch and dinner are coming up next...

Roseau, Dominica (Day 12/5):

15°17'47" N 61°23'16" W

It was a gorgeous day in Dominica (pronounced Doe-min-ee-qua). It was also scorching hot and humid as could be. We went to get a cab for Soufriere Bay and discovered that it was $20 per person each way. No beach is worth that much, so we changed plans and walked around town a bit.

Back at the cabin, a turtle got loose on the bed.

Late night, we were treated to another special cocktail that is not on the menu at the Champagne Bar - an espresso martini. If you like coffee and martinis, this is your drink. But good luck getting one. They had to go to Cafe Promenade to get the coffee.

Near closing, the bartender from the Island Grill Bar was back and made me a bourbon drink (with no name). Delicious. Keep in mind this guy was technically off-duty and working at a bar he was not familiar with. Talk about going the extra mile for the customer.

After another hilarious game of Cards Against Humanity we called it a night.

The beach competition is really heating up. Ok, that was bad, even for me.

1. Magen's Bay, St. Thomas

2. Dawn Beach, St. Maarten

3. Reduit Beach, St. Lucia

4. South Friar's Beaxh, St. Kitts

5. Grand Anse Beach, Grenada

6. Rainbow Beach, St. Croix

7. Cane Bay, St. Croix

8. Valley Church Beach, Antigua (rain)

We went to Giovanni's Table for dinner.

I couldn't resist a nice Amarone they had on the wine list. It wasn't exactly covered by the package, but a great bottle of wine is hard to turn down.

At Giovanni's, they serve the appetizers "family style". We ordered the Carpaccio, which was amazing and the Proscuitto-wrapped Mozzarella Crostini (or whatever it is called on the menu). Both were delicious. The carpaccio was so thin, you could see through the slices of meat, just as it should be. The crostini were a delicious blend of creamy mozzarella, salty proscuitto, and a tangy sauce. I thought they cut the bread a little thick as it made it a little hard to eat. Both came with a cleansing simple arugula salad, dressed with oil and vinegar.

For my main, I ordered the Osso Bucco. I did not need a knife. The veal fell off the bone (with marrow - Bonus!) onto my fork. The veal gravy/reduction intensified the flavors. I was especially surprised that the green bean were a bit snappy. At many restaurants, especially those that are serving large groups of people, the vegetables tend to suffer. They take very little time to cook and it is easier to mostly cook them in advance, which often leads to over cooked veggies. Not at Giovanni's.

SolsticeAZ did the Spinach Crepes in Bolognese, which were fantastic. They finished the dish with a bit of lemon zest that brightened up the dish. Both the pasta and the Osso Bucco were very rich and heavy (typical for Italian food). The waiters tried to offer up two appetizers, two mains, and two pastas on the side. I'd have to bring six staving people to each that much food.

For dessert, I had the Tiramisu (recall that I'm a Tiramisu snob) and a Chocolate Canoli. Well, the Tiramisu was properly made, soaked lady fingers and all, and was outstanding. Likewise, the Canoli was not traditional, but fantastic. Nicely light but still with plenty of chocolate flavor.

You are correct Sir. In Jamaica I have learned to use them for jellyfish stings, coral burns, or sea urchin punctures. Then drink the unused portions or vice versa.

Rum Punch! Is there anything it can't do??? :D

At Magen's Bay, they had the orange and guava juice pre-mixed in a bottle. The bartender would up end three bottles to make the punch - one light rum, one dark rum, and the mixer. 2/3 rum will cure what ails you!!

Love your review.

 

 

B2B cruises are great. We did one out of San Juan five years ago on the Serenade.

 

We leave on the Adventure June 25th for St. Maarten and the ABC Islands. I wish we doing a B2B again, but that will have to wait until retirement in two years.

 

The drinks you describe are great. It's tempting me to purchase the drink package, but I don't think either my wife or I would come close to making it worthwhile. We do have $450.00 of cruise credit so we can experiment a little.

 

We do love wine pairing dinners and your description of the Chefs Table has convinced me to give it a try.

Thank you so much!! I'm glad you are enjoying. :)

Yea, you have to be a drinker to make the package work economically on a cruise like this with only one sea day. Last year, I did a 15 night Panama Canal cruise with only 6 ports of call, easy peasy. ;)

Chef's Table is really worth while if you enjoy wine.

Hendrick's in the Bramble?:D

They use Tanqueray 10. I use Bombay Sapphire. :)

what is a Bramble and what is the liquor in the Spicy Cucumber (gin or vodka)?

 

thanks!

Spicy Cucumber is made with Grey Goose vodka.

Bramble is lemon juice, simple syrup, gin, creme de mure.

I've got pictures of the R-Bar menus, just haven't processed and posted them yet. It explains what's in all the drinks. :D

For lunch, I did the Half Chicken special. It was amazing! Some of the best chicken I've ever had.

And the view from the table didn't suck either.

Back on board, I found the mythical Bloody Mary at the Duck & Dog, excuse me the "Dodge, Dip, Dive, Duck, and Dog". It turns out, they call it the BLT Mary. By far, one of the best Bloody Mary's I've every had. Bacon! Need I say more? It was fantastic with my cigar up on the Pool Deck.

Another great sunset with the NCL Gem sailing away.

My pre-dinner cocktail was a Campari Spritzer (not on the menu), which was a delicious way to start an Italian-themed evening.

Stay tuned for dinner and the late night antics on board...

Dawn Beach:

18°3'7" N 63°0'58" W

Dawn Beach was simply beautiful. There was some seaweed in the water and on the sand, but otherwise, this beach is pretty awesome. Since it is on the Atlantic side, you get some waves and the water is wonderfully cool. Probably the best part is that it is rarely crowded. Two loungers and an umbrells was $12. They sell 7 oz. Amstel Bright beers for $1 each. That's $1 US for a beer!!

Mr. Busby's is the local restaurant, which becomes Daniel's by the Sea at night (a top-notch Italian place).

I had a righteous Rum Punch that was nice and strong. I think that if Rum Punch can't double as a general aesthetic, they made it wrong.

Philpsburg, St. Maarten (Day 11/4):

18°0'50" N 63°2'45" W

It was a beautiful day in St. Maarten, but a bit cloudy early on.

The NCL Gem was also in port.

The port area.

At the port area, they had taxi stands for each of the beaches. After waiting about 15 minutes and watching 6 cabs leave for Orient Beach, we headed out of the port area and caught a taxi outside the port. It was the same price and the driver came to pick us up whenever we wanted.

I think I may vote for the South Friars Beach and Carambola Beach Club!

 

From your pics it looks like a very nice place. Almost went there our last time in St. Kitts. However, a trip to Nevis by sailboat was on our Bucket List.

 

All of your beach trips look great and I am keeping a record for upcoming trips. I think our favorite beaches on our trips (so far) have been Aruba (no hot sand) and Trunk Bay in St. John's.

 

Still haven't done a B2B yet. Another item on the Bucket List! You have provided excellent information.

South Friars was a great beach. I highly recommend it.

I haven't been to Aruba or Trunk Bay, but both are Bucket List items for me.

I'm glad you are liking the review!! :D

enjoying your review very much. We head out on our b2b next week Friday. We are on the "final countdown". Just think of the song or the Geico commercial.:D

 

You are keeping track of your beaches......what are you favorite top 5-8 drinks you had on board?

thanks

I'm glad you are enjoying and jealous that you are about to start a B2B!!! :)

I love that commercial.

Top 6 Drinks on Adventure (#1 being best):

6. BLT Mary

5. Bramble

4. Espresso Martini (not on menu)

3. Original Recipe Mai Thai

2. Raspberry Old Fashioned

1. Spicy Cucumber and Basil Martini with Sriracha (not on menu)

Thank you again, we sail her this Saturday and you have really helped me get even more excited for it!

You are most welcome!!! :D Enjoy your cruise! I'm jealous.

For my main, I did the Lasagne, which was amazing but very heavy and rich. The beschamel sauce on the side did not make it any lighter.

It was 70's night, which meant a giant 70's music party on the Promenade.

Later on at the Champagne Bar, SolsticeAZ and I did "something fruity". Both were different, but excellent.

We're getting close to the end for beaches. Here's how they are doing so far:

1. Magen's Bay, St. Thomas

2. Reduit Beach, St. Lucia

3. South Friar's Beaxh, St. Kitts

4. Grand Anse Beach, Grenada

5. Rainbow Beach, St. Croix

6. Cane Bay, St. Croix

7. Valley Church Beach, Antigua (rain)

St. Maarten is up next. One of my favorites (and everyone else's, apparently)...

Before dinner, I had the Original Mai Thai, a very fine drink.

And I followed it up with a Raspberry Old Fashioned. This is an outstanding drink!

At dinner, I started with a Antipasti, which was very good.

Then I followed that up with the Caesar Salad. I don't know what was the issue last week, but this week it was as good as I remembered and of a proper size.

I did a Mojito, which was awesome - they balanced the sugar and lime just right.

Then I had the Caribbean Conch, which was quite good and very spicy. I think SolsticeAZ made the best lunch choice with the Jerk Chicken Wrap (no pic). It was amazing.

The view from our table could have been worse.

Overall, I think South Friar's Beach is an excellent choice if you ever go to St. Kitt's.

As usual, the clouds did not cooperate at sunset, but it was still pretty good.