Our Transatlantic cruise takes us to four Caribbean Islands. This is an added bonus as the only Caribbean islands we have been to are the Caymans, Puerto Rico, and St. Marteen.
Antigua is the first stop, and after so many days at sea most everyone on the ship is ready for some time ashore. Most of the activities / excursions on the island involve sitting on a beach or taking a catamaran and snorkeling. These are not activities high on William's to-do list, and I'm okay with that.
We get a map of the town. In addition to the requisite duty free shops at the port the map shows a museum and a historical church a few blocks into town. There should also be some local shopping, so those activities plus some e-mail time sound good to us. Well.... It's Sunday. The stores are closed. The museum is closed. We arrive at the historical church (which is not used and in need of significant renovations) just as the caretaker is closing the gates to the churchyard. He mumbles a bit about the last people not donating, so we persuade him (cash in hand) to allow us in for a few minutes. The exterior of the church and the graveyard are interesting and could be quite nice if they are renovated. Around here I would guess that would take 50 years!
Antigua is the first stop, and after so many days at sea most everyone on the ship is ready for some time ashore. Most of the activities / excursions on the island involve sitting on a beach or taking a catamaran and snorkeling. These are not activities high on William's to-do list, and I'm okay with that.
We get a map of the town. In addition to the requisite duty free shops at the port the map shows a museum and a historical church a few blocks into town. There should also be some local shopping, so those activities plus some e-mail time sound good to us. Well.... It's Sunday. The stores are closed. The museum is closed. We arrive at the historical church (which is not used and in need of significant renovations) just as the caretaker is closing the gates to the churchyard. He mumbles a bit about the last people not donating, so we persuade him (cash in hand) to allow us in for a few minutes. The exterior of the church and the graveyard are interesting and could be quite nice if they are renovated. Around here I would guess that would take 50 years!
Our priority is wifi access and e-mails. We find the Harborview Bar and Cafe. It's the bar/restaurant on the second floor of a gift shop near the port. All the seating is on the covered porch, which is perfect with a breeze and some cold beverages. The free wifi is an acceptable speed for downloading the hundreds of e-mails which have accumulated over the past days. Replies take a little longer than we'd like, but with patience they do go through. We finish a couple of rounds of beverages and process the important e-mails before making our way back to the ship.
Basseterre, St. Kitts is our next port of call. The town is small, but more developed than St. John, Antigua. Since it is Monday, the museum is open! We learn about the history of the island including it's primary product - rum. We walk around the small town for a while then find a cafe for a beverage and free Wi-Fi.
We visited St. Marteen two years ago on our first Transatlantic cruise and toured around both the Dutch and French sides at that time. The view of the bay near Philipsburg is gorgeous. Today we opt to take the water taxi to downtown then meander through the shops. Not much has changed, but it is a pleasant stroll.
Our last Caribbean stop is St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. It is already 86 Fahrenheit with 95% humidity as we take a shuttle into downtown. We are disappointed to find that the downtown seems to consist 50% of jewelry shops, 25% liquor shops, 15% tourist junk shops and 10% restaurants/bars. We check out the price of one of our favorite whisky's and it is the same price(before tax) as what we can get at the liquor store near our home. Hardly worth hauling it home to save $6. We decide to walk along the seafront and are treated to a seaplane landing in the bay.
Our last Caribbean stop is St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. It is already 86 Fahrenheit with 95% humidity as we take a shuttle into downtown. We are disappointed to find that the downtown seems to consist 50% of jewelry shops, 25% liquor shops, 15% tourist junk shops and 10% restaurants/bars. We check out the price of one of our favorite whisky's and it is the same price(before tax) as what we can get at the liquor store near our home. Hardly worth hauling it home to save $6. We decide to walk along the seafront and are treated to a seaplane landing in the bay.
The Funicular is located near the port. The idea of a ride up the mountain and a nice view with a breeze appeals to us. A few minutes later we find ourselves at the cafe on the top. The view of the bay is wonderful and the shade and winds provide welcome relief from the heat and humidity.
RSS Feed