Live From the Wonder OTS, Western Caribbean, Sep 22-29

[Ken the cruiser]

We had a fun time on our 4-hour Explorer Cruise and Island Tour excursion today! Here are some pictures, to include a map of St Maarten.

 

 

We started in Philipsburg and took Hwy 7 around the island.

 

 

 

 

 
Saw some cows near Grand Chase

 

 
as well as a couple of Iguanas hanging out in the trees.

 

 
Our first stop was for 45 minutes in Marigot where folks had free time to do a little shopping and sightseeing.

 

 
Of course, we had to go on the hunt for the elusive St Maarten pigeons and luckily we found a few that wanted to show off their colorful wings! 😂

 

 

 
Then it was time to board the double-decker boat which we partied around the Lagoon in for about an hour! 😁

 

 

 
Then it was time to head back to Philipsburg by way of a different route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 06:38 PM by Ken the cruiser

[Lovemymaggie]

anyone doing My Time Dining with a reservation? If yes, how is it working? It was a mess on the Quantum...so kinda wondering what to expect when on the Wonder...The early dining time is too early and late dining time too late for the folks we are traveling with. 

 

thanks

[Nattyg1723]

All is right with the world, got my pigeon pics 🙂

[Ken the cruiser]

28 minutes ago, Nattyg1723 said:

All is right with the world, got my pigeon pics 🙂

For us too! I don’t know what it is about taking photos of pigeons at some of the various places we travel to, but I sure get a lot of joy out of taking them while we’re on a cruise! 😂

[Luckynana]

1 hour ago, Lovemymaggie said:

anyone doing My Time Dining with a reservation? If yes, how is it working? It was a mess on the Quantum...so kinda wondering what to expect when on the Wonder...The early dining time is too early and late dining time too late for the folks we are traveling with. 

 

thanks

I am also interested in how it's working.  I made my reservations for our Wonder cruise next February.

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 6 - Sep 27 - Sea Day

 

 

 

 

 

 
Then I got curious this morning as to what was included in the Compass’ 24-page pdf I pull this stuff from every morning, and found this two very informative “all cruise” summary pages that highlight the main shows on each day. I know. Who knew! Probably everybody! 😂

 

Fortunately, we have seen or have reservations to see all of the listed shows we wanted to see. But it’s definitely something to remember to review on our next RC cruise. 😉

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

I have to say our particular 7-day cruise, weather wise, has definitely turned out on the positive side as compared to what it could have been if the Captain stuck to the original itinerary. Here’s where we are currently at on Friday at 10 am along with a Windy snap shot of the calm winds we are cruising through and have been for most of this entire cruise.

 

 

 
OTOH some of the other ships mentioned in the below thread that were cruising around in the Caribbean around the same time as us definitely had some different experiences, depending on their debarkation port and associated time. 
 

In some cases they had to stay out at sea for a few extra days until the storm passed. However, in the case of ships disembarking at Port Canaveral today, it looks like it’s going to be quite busy there!

 

  

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/3029106-hurricane-in-the-gulf-of-mexico/page/5/

 

 

Edited yesterday at 02:41 PM by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

Today was a very relaxing day, as we just ate, went for a walk on the jogging track on deck 5 to burn off some calories, and sat on the balcony enjoying life passing us by. 😁

 

 

Our steward also made us another cute little towel animal!

  

 
This evening we’re going to go see 365 Seasons on Ice, which is one of their production shows. As some of you know, I usually don’t post photos of food or drinks on my threads. But tonight I couldn’t resist as I tried a dessert we have never even heard of before. Any ideas what it might be? 😂

 

[Luckynana]

It almost looks like cream puffs, but with the cream on the outside?

[Ken the cruiser]

5 minutes ago, Luckynana said:

It almost looks like cream puffs, but with the cream on the outside?

Good try, but nope. It’s Fried Cheesecake and one of the desserts offered in the 150 Central Park specialty restaurant. 😁

 

Edited yesterday at 10:58 PM by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

One thing we have to say about Royal, they sure have some awesome production shows! 😁

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[perfect match]

On 9/26/2024 at 9:01 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

For us too! I don’t know what it is about taking photos of pigeons at some of the various places we travel to, but I sure get a lot of joy out of taking them while we’re on a cruise! 😂

 

On 9/26/2024 at 8:13 PM, Nattyg1723 said:

All is right with the world, got my pigeon pics 🙂

I’m pleased to know that I’m not the only one who likes pigeon pics. 

This is Homer. He joined us on Odyssey! I’m sorry, I can’t help myself on this one. 😂

Homer was rescuer from our balcony and released in Grand Cayman. He flew in on his own but was unable to fly out unassisted.

 

Edited 19 hours ago by perfect match

[perfect match]

 

 

4 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Today was a very relaxing day, as we just ate, went for a walk on the jogging track on deck 5 to burn off some calories, and sat on the balcony enjoying life passing us by.

Sounds like a perfect day to me! 
 

Great pics of the ice skating show, Seasons 365. I think it’s my new favorite of all the ones we have seen so far. 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 7 - Sep 28 - Sea Day

 

 

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

This morning after another tasty breakfast in the MDR, I hung out on the balcony hoping to see some wildlife. Luckily, there was a bunch of little flying fish swimming around that the nearby Pelagic seabirds were feasting on for quite some time! I know, I’m easily entertained! 😂