Wednesday November 30, 2016 – St Kitts

 

 We arrived at the port of St Kitts along side a Celebrity Cruise ship that docked just shortly before us. The sky was clear and the temperature well into the 20’s, quite a change from yesterday.

We had an excursion planned which involved a van ride along the Caribbean side of the island up to a former sugar plantation – now a Batik factory – and then back.  Our driver – Gabriel – was a delightful and careful driver and guide.  Throughout our ride we were informed about the history and current political and economic situation of St Kitts.  It was originally a very important exporter of sugar with its many sugar plantations that used slaves for labour up until 1834 when Slavery was abolished.  Over the last number of years sugar has become less profitable hence many plantations have been converted to various tourist attractions.

This island is part of the Commonwealth having been a possession of Britain until independence.  It now has its own parliament including a prime minister and three parties.  Their new prime minister took office just a year ago after the former prime minister had been in power for 20 years. 

We learned about their medical system (all covered) and their school system.  Most education up to University level is free and each school has its own uniform.  There are several University sites, the one most discussed is the Veterinarian College.  The tuition is $8000 per year and can be financed with government loans.  They have a number of students who come here from the US for the first 4 years of their training, then return to the US for their final year.  

When we arrived at the Batik Factory, Gabriel pointe out a tree that is 400 years old and was planted to provide shade for the slaves.  It is still very much alive and is a beautiful tree – occupying ¼ of an acre. The Batik factory provided a demonstration of the craft and an amazing display of products including art works, clothing and small practical items such as head bands.  They also served a wicked Rum Punch.

Upon our return Harry made a quick escape out of the heat and back to the ship while Barb spent about an hour checking out the shops and making minimal purchases. She also took the time to use some of the free Wi-Fi to post to Facebook and answer a few emails from Naramata.  After lunch we retreated to the Lido deck to relax and for Barb to do some petit point.  The ship left St. Kitts promptly at 4:30.

We headed up for supper earlier than yesterday and were seated at a table for 8– of which we were the last to arrive.  We had delightful conversations with two American couples and a Canadian couple from Ottawa. After supper was another presentation by the Koningsdam Musicians to the BBC Frozen presentation of amazing pictures. Then off to the Billboard Lounge for a Coming to America presentation by Emily and Jonathan. 

Monday November 28, 2016 – Bridgetown, Barbados

We backed into this rather industrial looking port at 7 this morning, sharing with a large yacht – note the helicopter, sail boat and speed boats on board- and a Celebrity Cruise.

We were booked on a ‘Beach Break’ excursion so we headed out at 8:15 to catch our tour at 8:30. We were really happy that we had left that early as it was quite a walk down the dock, through the terminal building and out to the meeting place for our bus.  We drove through town during morning rush hour with very interesting traffic and a narrow main street.  Our driver did a great job, using the horn frequently to warn pedestrians and other vehicles to stay out of his way.  He was very pleasant to us as passengers.

The beach – as you can see – is magnificent.  Our time on the beach included a lounge chair and shared umbrella.  There was a lovely breeze which helped to cool us off, or we could enjoy the beautiful clear water. 

At noon we returned to the ship in time for a shower to get rid of the salt water and white sand.  Time to relax this afternoon – though I did try going back to the terminal to upload a Facebook post, but the free Wi-Fi was so slow so I decided to return to the ship and posted using the rather expensive but more reliable Wi-Fi. 

After supper we enjoyed the show at the World Stage – called A Thousand Steps featuring the Koningsdam Singers & Dancers. An absolutely fabulous performance!  Then on to our favorite billboard with Emily and Jonathan performing a number of country numbers.  Another really enjoyable show.

Tuesday November 29, 2016 – Fort-De-France, Martinique

We awoke this morning to very cloudy skies as we made our way into the port at Fort-De-France.  We had an excursion booked – Panoramic Martinique – so after breakfast we headed down to the end of the pier – not a short journey – to meet with our tour.  The only problem – it was raining very heavily!

But we managed to make it down to the bus without getting too wet – thanks to a large umbrella provided by the ship.  After loading on the bus we spend the next three hours touring this beautiful island which is still part of France.  French and French Creole are the primary languages and the industries include rum production (one of the distilleries was named number 1 in the world last year) and tourism.  They also have some sugar plantations though these are greatly reduced since the end of slavery over 100 years ago.

On our tour we made one stop at an old cathedral dating back over 100 years, then toured around the former capital St Pierre that was destroyed by the volcano eruption well over 100 years ago.  The road we took to get to St Pierre was very windy and twisty – so much so that the bus driver had to honk his horn at every twist to warn drivers coming from the other direction.   The capital was moved to Port-De-France after the volcano and the town was rebuilt, but there are less than 30,000 residents today.  Many of the now present buildings were built using the remnants of buildings destroyed by the volcano.  All but one member of the community was killed, and the only survivor was a man who was in jail for drunk and disorderly conduct.  The jail saved him.

We made our way back to the ship on the Caribbean side of the island where the road was much less windy and although it wasn’t much faster, the entire ride was smoother and the scenery just as spectacular. 

Back on our ship we went up to the Lido deck where we enjoyed watching the on-shore activity and a beer until it was time for the ship to leave port.  We headed back to the room to get dressed for dinner and then headed down hoping to share a table with someone.  We didn’t arrive until after six, so unfortunately, despite being put at a table for 8 no one came around to share, so we enjoyed each other’s company on a large table.  Our waiter was quite cute – and obviously felt badly as he spent extra time making conversation with us.

The show this evening was a mime illusionist – very talented and lots of fun.  After we went to our favorite venue to hear Emily and Jonathan’s renditions of a number of famous artists including Elton John and Carole King.  A great evening!

Sunday November 27 2016 – Castries, Saint Lucia

We arrived in port about 8 AM on a lovely Sunny day – temperature around 26C.  It is a small port with from what I can see – only room for one cruise ship at a time, though there may be more space in the harbour but that would involve tendering.  As it is Sunday – and a great many of the folk on the island are strong Christians we were warned that there may not be a lot of stores open.

Anyway – this was a day without excursions as it is Grey Cup Day and when we were booking we did not know the time.  As it was – it was 7:30 so certainly not a hindrance for the days activities.  Harry decided to take the day to relax, so I decided to walk into town which we could see across the bay.  The only problem – where is the exit – after searching for a while I found the ferry that went between the port and downtown, so I paid $5.00 for a round trip ticket and off I went.

Exploring the town was fun – I found several parks, an Anglican Church and eventually the Cathedral that was highly publicized.  The hours for services at the Anglican Church were very interesting – Sunday 6 AM and 7 AM – and a couple of services during the week, all in the early morning -  guess they have no Air Conditioning.  Once I found the Catholic Cathedral I was not surprised to see a service in progress.  The doors were open so I peeked inside – the church – which must hold at least 500 – was full. I also ran into a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but they weren’t too aggressive. 

I did head down one street and encountered a lady sitting in front of her store – who told me in no uncertain terms that I should listen to her and that I should not walk in the direction I was going.  I took her advice and turned around and headed the other direction.  After a couple of hours, I decided to walk back to the ship.  It was a pleasant walk and it led me right back to the Terminal and the stores etc. 

Back on the ship we relaxed with the sail-away drink of the day.  At 3:30 we were sailing on our way to Barbados.  Within an hour of leaving port we did some scenic cruising past the other side of the island through Soufriere Bay with its two inactive volcanoes – a very dramatic scene. 

After a leisurely supper we headed to watch the disappointing, but exciting Grey Cup – no musicians tonight.

Saturday November 26, 2016 – Philipsburg, Saint Maarten

This morning we awoke to much calmer seas and within a short time before we docked at Philipsburg along with 4 other cruise ships and a 5-mast huge sailing ship.  After short (2 mile) walk around the Promenade deck and a quick breakfast we headed out on our excursion.  It was called French Marigot and Butterfly Farm.  We had a great driver/guide Denis who talked us all around the island  - pointing out all the significant sights and giving us a real lesson on the history of the island including the partnership between the Dutch and the French, and the story behind how the French got more land mas than the Dutch – based on the consumption of Alcohol and walking from one end to the other.  The French outlasted the Dutch and therefore got more land.  Anyway it is a friendly relationship but with very different customs and things like car licencing. 

  Our first stop was the Butterfly Farm were our host gave us a great education on the raising and life of various butterfly species all the while being surrounded by butterflies – some of which attached themselves to some of the other participants. 

From there we drove through the French town of Marigot where we wandered through the shops and enjoyed the view of the large and well populated harbour.  The views were magnificent and the water very appealing – though we did not get to try it out.  

Then back to the ship for lunch and then departure from the island at 2:30. I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on emails and information from Naramata – until the internet went down. L

Harry enjoyed relaxing time on the deck watching us depart and head towards our next stop tomorrow at St Lucia.  After yet another lovely dinner we went back to our room for a bit then headed down to the World Stage for the Ventriloquist/Comedian.  He had been on American Idol and was to say the least fabulous.  Then it was onto the Billboard Lounge where we were introduced to the incredible talent of Emily’s new partner – Jonathon from Abbotsford.  They make a very good pair.

Friday, November 25, 2016 – Sea Day and US Black Friday

All night long we felt the ship rocking back and forth due to the strong wind and therefore large waves.  I went out for a walk on the Promenade Deck but after 6 circuits I gave up due to the rolling ship.  To give an idea – I had 5000 steps and 55 floors.  I also got sprayed with what I thought was rain but when it ran into my eyes and mouth I realized it was sea water.  Some of it ran off from the fourth floor (our floor)

So then onto a pleasant breakfast then onto the Lido deck to check out the Black Friday deals from The Shops.  Nothing that really excited either of us.  So time to spend on Petit Point, reading and just relaxing until lunch. Lunch was a special Indonesian lunch for ‘Collectors’ – in other words almost the entire passenger list.  Lunch was great, but the ship rocky so we spent the afternoon in our stateroom jut relaxing on the deck.  I actually slept due to the Gravol I had taken earlier in the day. 

After a small dinner we headed to the World Stage to listen to a trio of women from the UK known as The Grace Trio.  They were three women – two of them sisters with lovely voices, two playing Guitar while the other played the violin.  They all wore long red dresses – very striking!

\our favorite artist had the evening off, so we headed for our room and had a relaxing time with wine and a bit of TV – Castle reruns!

Thursday, November 24, 2016 – Sea Day and US Thanksgiving.

Today was the first of two sea days, the wind is blowing from the north west, so the ship is rocking which is great for sleep but not much else, but I persevered and went for a walk around the Promenade Deck. The rest of the day must be a day for relaxation, so we did just that. 

In the afternoon I attended a seminar on where to shop and what to buy.  A couple from South Africa – Oxy and Archie were doing the presentation.  Archie was loud and did most of the talking.  I found it quite annoying and was seriously thinking of leaving, but – as there was a draw at the end I decided to stick around – just in case I got lucky.  And I did, they only gave away one prize and I won!

The presentation being over I returned to take a look at my treasures – two necklaces, a t-shirt, a bag and some hair clips!  Both of us spent the rest of the afternoon reading and/or playing games on the tablet.

Super was of course special due to US Thanksgiving. What that meant was that if you didn’t have reservations for supper you waited, we didn’t so we waited.  After about an hour and a half I went to the Dining room and lo and behold the found us a table.  The lower level of the dining room was half empty waiting for those with reservations 45 minutes later.  One of the few inefficient situations we have encountered.

After a lovely turkey dinner, we made our way to the World Stag where the presentation One World was taking place.  This included the Koningsdam singers and dancers who are a very talented group of young people. During the performance there were all kinds of pictures and scenes shown on the screens about 180 degrees around the theatre.  Really spectacular!  I took a coupe of pictures of the theatre scene after the end of the show just to give some idea of what they can do with this innovative technology.  I have also included a picture of the ‘screen’ with a comparison to my fingers.

After the performance we went to the Billboard Lounge to enjoy the music of the 60’s with Emily.  Great music, then off to bed as we have to move our clocks forward again. 

Wednesday, November 23, 2016 – Ft. Lauderdale

What a great day – we awoke to lots of sun but a nice cool breeze here in Ft. Lauderdale.  We pulled into port at 7 AM sharp had an early, simple breakfast then made our way to the Queen’s lounge where we were to meet up with the rest of the folks who were to go on the Excursion that we had signed up for.  We learned there were 66 others, but there were lots more than that in the Queen’s Lounge.  We soon learned that those who were disembarking were also gathering in that lounge so that they had vacated their rooms and were waiting to disembark and head to the next leg of their journey – some of which were going home.

At 8:30 we headed out but had to go through customs as we had been out of the country.  They really didn’t care about us as we were Canadian and had ‘in transit’ passes.  Once through Customs we headed to our bus to go to the Sawchuck Everglades Park.  This included an airboat ride through the everglades where we discovered numerous Florida Alligators who naturally live in the everglades and many small black crow-like birds called Grackles.  They are very bold and several of them came and sat on the side of the boat.  The Alligators wasn’t disturbed by our presence either.  We later learned that the are just not likely to attack, more likely to swim away or just go deeper.  They are not at all aggressive when in their natural habitat.  We also learned that the Everglades are not a swampland but actually a very slow moving and very wide river which is shy the Floridians have really had not much luck in draining them.  They have however drained some for development purposes – but this is now changed and they are actually trying to restore the natural environment. 

After the Airboat ride we went through the Animal sanctuary – a charitable organization – which takes in rescued wild life.  We were also educated a great deal about Alligators – like the fact that they can ive wel over 80 years and that they males in particular never stop growing. 

After a wonderful day exploring the Everglades we made it back to our boat and relaxed until supper then went to a presentation by the Cruise Director, then onto the Billboard Lounge to listen t our favorite piano-player/singer Emily.