Advertisement
Published: April 13th 2021
San Juan marina
Fond Farewell to Puerto RicoTuesday March 17
Tuesday morning our bags going to the ship were to be outside our room door by 8:30 AM. We left for the Princess ship about 12:30 for Rum lunch. The afternoon was spent getting acquainted with the ship. We booked our tours for the 5 stops on our route. Dinner on board.
The ship left the dock at 11:00 PM. We were on the upper deck for the sail out of the harbour past the Fort of Old San Juan.
On deck we threw streamers and waved, as if on a trans-Atlantic crossing, with the big ship horns deeply hooting to announce our departure. Then to bed.
Wednesday March 18
Wednesday morning at 8:30 we left the ship and boarded a bus for our tour of the island
Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas
Pretty town with a pretty view of
St. Thomas.
We drove out of Charlotte Amalie, the capital, and saw the many coves and beaches along the coastline. Our final destination was “
Coral World", which has various displays of various tropical species and coral creatures in tanks, under sea and in outdoor pools. A very interesting facility.
A friend in Calgary had asked me to mail a parcel in St Thomas destined for St John, also in the US Virgin Islands. The savings in postage was well worth the effort of finding a post office. Since this was US territory, things were not particularly strange to us. Walked to the
Havensight Shopping Centre (for cruise passengers). Most items for sale were very expensive jewelry or non-descript tee shirts, etc. - all supposedly well below US Mainland prices. US citizens can take back $1200 per person duty free. Liquor is not included in this amount. US citizens can take 5 – 26 oz. bottles plus one 26 oz. bottle of Virgin Island bottled liquor. Prices range from $5.00 to $10.00 per 26 oz. including imported scotch.
We left dock at 5:45 PM, delayed 15 minutes due to late departure of another cruise ship, the Westerdam. We attended the Captain’s
Judith in St Martin
Slow, cool drink to relax Cocktail Party where our pictures were taken. This requested formal dress. Then dinner, followed by the Princess Cruises stage show “Tin Pan Alley”, a musical and dance routine of early songs, etc. - copies of Eddie Cantor, Al Jolson and others.
Thursday March 19
Docked at Philipsburg on the island of St. Maarten at 8:00 AM. Also at anchor were the “Sky Princess” of the Princess line, “Song of Norway” of the Royal Caribbean Line, and the “Sea Goddess 1” of the Cunard Line. The town will be full of tourists. Island trip at 12:40 PM. Rain squall.
Our tour started at Philipsburg and progressed around the Island perimeter to Marigot, the Capital of French St. Martin. The town has many very rich living quarters but in general it looks impoverished. The shops catering to tourists were stocked mostly with faddish merchandize.
Instead of shopping, we had a cool drink and watched people passing. On return we travelled around French St. Martin to Dutch St. Maarten. The currency is Dutch Guilders or French Francs. And the US dollar anywhere. The language is Dutch, French, and English, the universal language. Casinos are permitted in Dutch
St. Maarten but not in French St. Martin, although the French are permitted in the Dutch area. The French area allows and has both topless and nude beaches. The Dutch area does not permit nudity.
Friday March 20
At 8:00 we anchored off Fort-de-France in Martinique and tendered into the city of 100,000 people. We boarded the bus for the Island tour at 9:00 AM and drove along the Caribbean coast to Saint-Pierre where we made a short stop. After a visit to open air shops, we visited an excellent Museum of Artifacts, founded after the volcanic eruption of
Mount Pelée in August 1902. 3,000 inhabitants were asphyxiated. The one survivor was a prisoner in a dungeon - apparently he had the only real protection from the devastating volcano.
We left Saint-Pierre to arrive at Leyritz Plantation near Basse-Pointe, on the Atlantic coast, for lunch. The plantation grew
eddoes, tobacco, spices, cane-making sugar and rum, now bananas and pineapple. The plantation deteriorated over the years and was restored in 1970 by the present owner, who developed it as a hotel and resort.
Our lunch was Fish Pattie starter, curried chicken main course, fresh pineapple for dessert. Demitasse
coffee.
After lunch we continued down the Atlantic coast to Sainte-Marie, where we stopped at the
Saint James Rum factory. After a tasting we purchased a bottle of rum each and continued on our tour of the island. After 140 km. we arrived back at the quay to board the tenders for the trip back to the ship, tired after a well spent tour with a most skillful driver and a pleasant tour guide.
Car drivers on all these islands seem bent on being ahead of each and every vehicle. These drivers will pass any car if there is at all a possibility to get their vehicle through an opening. Speed on the islands is in the order of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour. Parking on hills and at corners occurs regularly.
Saturday March 21
While at sea going from Martinique to Curacao, this was a day to relax and read. We did our laundry, and our timing was perfect. Right after lunch we went to the laundry room; there was a vacant washer working without problems. We then went for a walk around the deck and when we went back to the laundry room, our
washing was complete and a dryer was available. After the dry cycle was complete, there was a line-up to use the laundry equipment.
Sunday March 22
Arrived at the Island of
Curaçao about 8:00 AM, at the port of Willemstad. Judy went on the walking tour in the forenoon while I rested. The bus tour of the island started around 1:00 PM. Our first stop was at the
Seaquarium , built by a Canadian who was able to talk the businesses of the Island into supporting the attraction. Each tank of tropical sea life had a sign designating the species. A very interesting display of some 400 different species, large and small.
Our next stop was at the factory where the original Orange Curacao Liqueur was made, using the rind of bitter oranges that even the goats won’t eat. Being that the liqueur was named after a location, a trademark could not be registered, so there are as many Curacao Liqueurs as there are distilleries that want to make same. This plant has expanded to Coffee and Chocolate flavour liqueurs. Judy bought a bottle of the coffee liqueur, and I bought a bottle of the
orange.
Our next stop was at a house that was a restoration of an early home.
Back to the ship by 3:30 for the 5:00 sailing. We were able to watch the ship navigate the narrow channel which is spanned by a high-level bridge. The pontoon bridge, the only other bridge across the channel, had to be opened for our passage.
The show was not to our liking and was bypassed this night.
Monday March 23
A day at sea. Saw many
flying fish . They are very small.
Attended a session of representatives of Service clubs. A very poor turn-out, or not many service club members in this trip.
Attended a reception for “Captain’s Circle” (persons on second or more Princess Cruises). More than 4,000,000 people in this circle in North America. A half bottle of Champagne and two flutes were delivered to our room to toast the Canal transit and our next Princess cruise.
View map of our cruise.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.132s; Tpl: 0.023s; cc: 10; qc: 26; dbt: 0.0678s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Isabel Gibson
non-member comment
Points of contact
On our one and only Caribbean cruise we also stopped at St. Thomas, St. Martin/Maarten, and Curacao, where I stood and watched that bridge open for harbour traffic. Fun to see it again through your eyes and your Dad's, and to see how cruise-ship menus have evolved. The specifics have changed but the general aura of fine dining sure has not.