Day At Sea
This was a reunion cruise of sorts. We had previously cruised with our good friends Mike & Marilyn and Craig worked with Mike for over 10 years, plus this was our second cruise with Harry & Ellen, as we had met them on the Hurricane Cruise last year. This 10 day cruise promised several islands we had never visited before, but first we would be stopping at a couple of old favorites.
Here Patty & Craig plus Ellen & Harry are seen dancing and partying.
St. Thomas
Our first stop illustrates just how large these ships are, with two docked in port next to each other. Patty discovered that the old Island Princess - previously sold - had been recommissioned by another company and was still plying the Caribbean.
As usual, St. Thomas is most known for its shopping. It is part of the U.S. Virgin Islands so there are no import issues or sales tax to worry about.
This is the main shopping street and Patty, Marilyn, Mike, and Craig spent much of the day wandering up and down this street. One of Mike's favorite restaurants is a block away, just off the ocean front.
Craig, Patty, Ellen, and Harry took a tour of Blackbeard's Castle on this rather gloomy day.
This overlook of Charlotte Amalie was spectacular, regardless the weather.
The housing and barracks were tourist destinations, even though they were deserted and poorly kept up. Here we see Harry giving the victory sign in front of one of them.
St. Martin
St. Martin is half Dutch and half French.
From the French side we got this beautiful view of a lagoon where there were several beaches - one of them a famous nude beach.
From the eastern part of the Dutch side of the island, we could see this view of St. Kitts off in the near distance.
St. Vincent
St. Vincent was where the Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed and this was the first of three islands we had never been to before.
We all took a tour over to a well-known beach and lunch spot and got this shot of the girls wading in the ocean.
Coming back we were taken to a fort overlooking the harbor, where some of the movie was shot. It was also a great view of the Sun Princess.
Finally we have this quickie shot of the ship leaving the dock. This was significant because one of the crew missed the ship and had to be brought on board when the locals brought out a boat to remove the pilot - a local person who pilots the ship into and out of each harbor.
Barbados
In Barbados Craig and Patty took a snorkeling expedition in about 25 feet of water. It was incredibly clear, but Patty has sinus issues and didn't do much more than put her head under the surface, watch the fish, and swim around. Craig, however, decided he had to spend as much time as possible near the sea floor. Here we see him swimming among the fish and sea turtles found in the area.
Antigua
Antigua was another shopping place and Harry and Mike found a local cigar shop to stock up on some Cuban cigars.
Craig & Patty found a local artist - Nick Maley - who previously worked as an animator on Star Wars, retired to Antigua, and now made his living as an artist with a Star Wars specialty.
Day At Sea
It was time for Patty, Mike, and Harry to start smoking their newly bought Cuban cigars. Craig, Marilyn, and Ellen were content to look on, as long as there was a breeze blowing away from the smokers.
Now this was a good smoking location - on the Promenade Deck, outside.
Here we see Marilyn & Mike preparing for a Formal night after an afternoon of relaxing.
Princess Cay
Princess Cay is a small harbor leased by Princess Cruise Lines. The ships are docked in shallow water and people wanting to relax on the beach and enjoy an extensive BBQ were tendered ashore. We didn't spend a lot of time here, but it was our final stop before heading back to Ft. Lauderdale, FLA and the end of our cruise.
