Caribbean Cruise 2010 – Day 8 – St Maarten
December 4, 2010
Yesterday was our fifth and final port of call on our 2010 Caribbean cruise aboard the Celebrity Equinox. Around 8:00 AM we docked in the port of Phillipsburg on the island of St Maarten. We planned to go ashore late morning and rose about 8:30. This time we actually planned to stay ashore most of the day. We had planned some shopping and then a day lounging on the beach.
This was our second visit to St Maarten having visited the island once before at the end of a transatlantic cruise a couple of years ago. It is also one of our favorite Caribbean islands. Once off the ship, we took a water taxi across the harbor to the beach. Last time we walked it (about 1.5 miles) but decided to splurge this time. It was a nice five or ten minute boat ride across. I still like the little boats!
Once across, we proceeded to finish up our shopping for the cruise. We found a bunch of stuff we had been looking for and some we weren’t. This was also the best shopping spot of the cruise.
It was time to relax and lounge on the beach. We found a nice spot right on the waters edge and got a good deal. We ‘rented’ an umbrella and two lounge chairs for $15 for the day. Amazingly, the price also included 5 beers which we traded 2 beers for a fruity, colorful, umbrella type drink for Suzanne. Sheesh, back home, we would be hard pressed to get the 5 beers for that price!
We spent the next 3 to 4 hours just laying on the beach and drinking our drinks. We did get lunch on the beach too. Suzanne had a shrimp and mango wrap while I opted for the chicken wings. When they came, they looked a bit strange – almost no added color. I wondered if they seasoned or marinated the wings at all. When I started eating them, they had a wonderful taste. They must have had some clear color sauce on them, but I still can’t place the flavor. They were good!
With an hour and a half left until all aboard we decided to start heading back. But, we stopped at the last little shack on the dock for one last drink and to watch everyone else start boarding. That’s something we have never done in all our cruising and it was interesting to watch everyone getting back on the ship. It’s something we may have to do again.
Back onboard, we decided to go to the Mast Bar and watch the sail away. It was quite a nice sail away. The island is absolutely beautiful. We sailed along the coastline until the island disappeared behind us. There is nothing but open sea ahead of us as we head back to Fort Lauderdale.
After the sail away, I caught a couple of hours of the hot glass show. The show still continues to amaze me and I like to see what the artists are going to create. And this was a night show we shows the hot colors even better. Suzanne was getting dressed for dinner while I watched the show.
When I returned to the cabin to get dressed, we actually decided that we were a bit tired and didn’t feel like going to dinner. We ordered room service instead and watched another movie, Wanted. Suzanne must still have been hungry because she ordered chicken noodle soup, spring rolls, shrimp cocktail and chicken fajitas and mashed potatoes. I ordered a pepperoni pizza. We both finished with a crème brule.
After dinner, we went to bed early with lights out about 11:00 pm. We now have two days at sea before arriving at Fort Lauderdale as the time on our cruise begins to wind down. I wish it was much longer!
Caribbean Cruise 2010 – Day 7 – Dominica
December 3, 2010
Yesterday was our fourth port of call on our 2010 Caribbean cruise aboard the Celebrity Equinox. Around 8:00 AM we docked in the port of Rousseau on the island of Dominca. We planned to go ashore late morning and rose about 8:30. Once again, we don’t have any excursions planned any just intended to walk around town and do some shopping. Today was the kind of day I feared for a Caribbean cruise. It was hot and the humid was oppressive. Just walking ashore made the sweat start dripping off. Actually, the heat was bearable, but the humidity was terrible.
We went ashore and did a bit more shopping and then walked around the town and along the shoreline. This port was a bit cleaner than some of the other ports but still had a dingy kind of feel to it. The P&O Cruises Ventura was also in port. It’s been some time since we have seen a P&O Cruises ship in the same port. After about two hours ashore, we went back onboard the ship.
We enjoyed a light lunch (hamburger) again and I proceeded to the lawn club for another couple of hours of ocean and island staring while Suzanne grabbed a quick nap. Tonight was her singing star competition onboard the ship and she wanted to be rested up.
As the sail away time approached, I went to the Sunset Bar to grab a good seat for the sail away while Suzanne prepped for the competition. She joined me about 10 minutes before we left but could only stay for a few moments before she had to run off to rehearsal. It was a very nice and memorable sail away.
Prior to dinner was the Celebrity Singing Star competition. That is Celebrity’s version of American Idol. Basically, they watch the karaoke and other singing events and grab the best singers for a one song sing off with judges. Suzanne had been selected based on her karaoke performances. There was going to be 5 singers competing tonight. First place was dinner for two at the specialty restaurant of their choice.
Three of the singers stood out as exceptional (including Suzanne). The other two singers were both good singers too. The crew commented that this was the best passenger singing talent they had ever seen together in one show. Suzanne sang Don’t Rain on My Parade from Funny Girl. She was a bit limited since their system couldn’t play here discs, but this was one she had been working on recently. The winner, however, was a lady from England that sang Wind Beneath My Wings. The top three all got standing ovations from the packed Equinox Theater crowd.
After the singing competition, it was off to dinner. This was one of those nights where multiple entrees stood out for me. So, I skipped all the other courses and ordered Spaghetti Carbonarra and a Veal Chop. I love spaghetti carbonarra and on my business trips to Rome, I used to hunt out the best of the city. And, I find it too hard to pass up on Veal when its offered. I skipped all the sides and both were quite good. Suzanne had a crab appetizer, cream of mushroom soup and the prime rib for dinner.
After dinner, we had planned to go up to the pool for a Miami themed party and then follow that up with another late night comedian. However, we were actually feeling quite tired and decided to a call it an early night. We went back to the cabin and watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother and went lights out a bit after 11:00 – early for us!
Tomorrow is our last port of the cruise in St Maarten. We plan some shopping and lounging around on the beach.
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