St. Thomas

February 8, 2023

My iPhone health app showed I was within a few steps of having 11,000 total yeseterday (4.6 miles) and most of it was done in the heat. You would have thought I would have slept well, but I had trouble drifting off. My theory? The ship was still docked and I have gotten to the point where I can't sleep without the rocking of the ship. I was aware when we sailed and after that I slept much better.

The Nieuw Statendam covered the short distance to St. Thomas overnight and we were already docked when we woke up this morning. When I looked out the balcony door I felt like I was living amongst the lifestyles of the rich and famous!

I had made up my mind that I wasn't getting off the ship today. With six ships scheduled to be in St. Thomas, I knew any beach we went to would be crazy crowded. Shopping isn't my thing so I will just stay onboard and pretend that the Nieuw Statendam is my private luxury yacht while everyone else is on shore.

My original plan for this port was to take the gondola up to the top of Paradise Point. Once I decided to not get off, Bob left to "go for a walk". I could track his location on my iPhone and it didn't take me long to see where he was headed...up the mountain to the top of Paradise Point! He at least sent a video from the top so I could see the view.

This is the way "most" people get to the top of Paradise Point.

This is the way Bob got to the top of Paradise Point...walking up this steep road.

His reward for the long strenuous hike.

This was also a view he had while at Paradise Point. 😲

I couldn't believe how quickly he made the walk UP and then back DOWN the mountain and back on the ship again. Since a strenuous hike wasn't enough exercise, he went to the gym to lift weights. Me? I was perfectly happy sitting on the balcony. Great weather, good cell phone service and a million dollar view.

And speaking of a million dollar view...I actually had a three hundred million dollar view.
This yacht, owned by Nancy Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, was purchased for $300 million!

Going to the NY Deli & Pizza seemed like a good option for lunch while so many passengers were off the ship. I tried a Bronx Pizza (lots of meat) and Bob got a Rueben sandwich...and we both got salads. For dessert we walked back through the buffet and Bob had a pineapple soft serve ice cream cone and I got a sugar free almond cake.

I thought Bob might be ready to relax, but he left the ship again and walked along the shoreline of the marina. I changed into my swimsuit and relocated to the sea view pool with a view of the Disney Fantasy. Several times I went into the pool, but the water was very chilly so I didn't stay long. Bob showed up about 2 pm to say he was back from his walk but was going to play pickleball on the Sport's Deck. That man can't eat enough calories in a day to keep his body fueled!

This time Bob's walk took him in the opposite direction.

No shortage of available chairs by the pool today!

A little after 3 pm the pool area was getting more crowded and I knew I had been in the sun long enough. Our balcony was in the shade and an interesting place to be with all of the boat traffic coming and going. We follow several YouTube channels of people who live full time on sailboats and catamarans and I wondered how many of the boats moored in the bay were full timers? There were lots of dinghies coming and going with people shuttling between their boats and the shore.

Dinghy dock was a busy place.

Sail away from St. Thomas is always beautiful and we were able to enjoy it from the balcony. The Norwegian Encore was still tied to the dock as we left. Once we were out to sea, we showered and got ready for our 6:30 pm dinner reservation at the Asian specialty restaurant, Tamarind. Things looked hopeful for a good sunset, but then the sun disappeared into a bank of clouds and that was that.

We had eaten at Tamarind when we were on the Eurodam in Alaska last year and like it enough to repeat. Having a nice sum of onboard credit made the decision even easier. 

After we finished eating, it was too late to make the early show at the World Stage so we went back to the cabin and sat on the balcony. Off in the distance we could see lights on land and from looking at our location on Google Maps, we decided it was probably San Juan. With Bob's binoculars we could also see four other ships in the distance. One was definitely a cruise ship, but the other three were too far away to distinguish.

For starters, Bob had the Satay Sampler and I had the Lobster & Shrimp Potstickers

Main course: Bob had the Szechuan Shrimp and I had the Wasabi & Soy Crusted Beef Tenderloin. 

For dessert we both had the sorbet assortment.

It had been several years since we had last seen the "Seven Worlds One Planet" BBC Earth Show and much of it I had forgotten. The Lincoln Center Stage quartet provided the accompaniment to the video and it was so much better than on the Zaandam when only the violin and piano duo played.

Tomorrow would be the last sea day of the cruise. Seven day cruises just seem to fly by!!

San Juan, Puerto Rico

February 7, 2023

The clocks went forward an hour again last night. I believe that puts us in the Atlantic Time Zone, or two hours ahead of home. This morning I was surprised when I checked my clock and saw it was 8:00 am because the room was pitch black. I pulled back the curtain and was blinded by the bright sunshine. The room darkening drapes really do work well!

I guess the time change and late port arrival was reason for many other late sleepers as well. The buffet was not crowded at all when we arrived. I decided to change up my breakfast today and went for scrambled eggs (instead of poached) and also noticed biscuits and gravy which I had to sample. (What can I say, I'm a southern gal.) But the real treat for me was a bowl of fresh mixed berries topped with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. I need to be careful with my carb intake and the breakfast selections are such a temptation to me. So many kinds of breads, pastries, pancakes, waffles, crepes and on and on and on.

When Bob went to play pickleball, I went to the shore excursions desk in the Crow's Nest. Six ships are scheduled to be in St. Thomas tomorrow and I was considering doing the sky ride rather than fighting the crowds at a beach. I didn't want to make that decision until the last minute and they assured me that we could get tickets anytime. Using the Navigator app we could even wait until we were walking off the ship. Another alternative would be to purchase the tickets at the ride, but booking them through HAL would let us use some of our onboard credit.

The CD Coffee Chat was already in progress when I arrived. Gage, the CD, was interviewing the hotel manager. I heard the similar chat on the Zaandam and was surprised both times that one responsibility of the hotel manager during the pandemic was to regularly flush all of the toilets on the ship to prevent the rubber seal from drying out. He also mentioned that we are sailing with a full ship this week which I assume to be a little over 2600 passengers. (That would be over twice as many people as were on the Zaandam last week.) Another little tidbit that I gleaned from the chat was that lots of changes in the onboard entertainment are coming soon...including a new dance show. 

I happened to turn on the news when I got back to the cabin and learned of the devastating earthquake in Turkey that had killed thousands of people. Between that and the Chinese spy balloon, our time away from home had been filled with rather major news stories!

The ship had started its approach into San Juan when we went to lunch at the buffet. The CD was doing a narration, but we could hear little of it over the noise in the restaurant. Back at the cabin, we had a perfect view as we sailed past the fort, El Morro, sitting at the mouth of the harbor. Two other ships were already docked when we arrived at 1 pm...the Sky Princess and the Oceania Riviera.

Castillo San Felipe del Morro

San Juan Gate (last remaining of the 5 city gates built in the 1700’s)

We had no specific plans other than to explore Old San Juan, so when the ship had been cleared we walked off. The main cruise ship pier in San Juan is located right in the heart of the old city which makes this an easy port. We stopped by a tourist kiosk on the dock and picked up a map hoping to find the Parque de las Palomas (Pigeon Park). On our last visit in 2019 we had used Google Maps for directions to the park and it directed us to within 30 feet of the park but then we realized the park was at the top of the old city wall and we were standing at the bottom of the wall. Oops.

The gal working at the information booth admitted she had just started working two days ago and had no idea how to get to the pigeon park. Instead she pointed us in the direction of the main tourist center down the street. The lady there was much more helpful and knew exactly where we wanted to go. She marked our map with the best route to reach the park.

The directions took us uphill on the city streets for several blocks. We stopped at a couple of small parks, but kept going until we found the Parque de las Palomas...the Pigeon Park. Even before Bob pulled out the bread that he had brought, the pigeons were landing on our arms and heads. (I was on the verge of freaking out!!) Once the birds realized he had food, it was total mayhem. As I tried to take some photos and video of Bob feeding the birds, I had multiple birds sitting on top of my head. The most terrifying movie I watched as a kid was Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and I felt like I was in a scene from the movie!

Here is a video I posted to YouTube from the park:

Entrance to the Pigeon Park

Since we have toured San Juan several times, we did not want to visit either of the forts. Because we had enjoyed visiting some of the plazas in Antigua and Cartagena, we used our map to locate some of the other parks nearby but they weren't very impressive. We mostly found a concrete patio area with broken down benches and very few trees.

We meandered through the streets, eventually coming to the Catedral de San Juan Bautista. From there we walked down the hill and through the old gate in the city wall. Following the wall along the water's edge we came to the Raices Fountain and then slowly walked back towards the ship. I was thrilled to be out of the cold and snow of Minnesota, but the heat in San Juan was a bit much for me. I was glad when we reached the air conditioned comfort of the ship. 

Catedral de San Juan Bautista

For a "pre-dinner" snack, we went to the Dutch Cafe for Bob to get a bowl of split pea soup. I wanted to try out some of the appetizers and ordered a bitterballen and mini cheese soufflé. I was surprised at the tiny size of each but really it was all I needed. Bob headed out to walk on the promenade deck while I went back to the cabin to shower.

To be done eating in time for our evening plans, we had dinner in the buffet. The ship was staying docked in San Juan until 11 pm and the lido was not very crowded. The comedian on the World Stage was Jose Sarduy whom we had seen twice on the Zaandam so we decided to attend a couple of performances on what HAL calls "The Music Walk" on deck 2.

We arrived at the Lincoln Center Stage (which becomes BB King Blues Club later in the evening) just as the classical quartet was beginning their set featuring British composers and bands. Their selections leaned more to contemporary music which I enjoyed. From there we walked the short distance to Billboard Onboard where the two piano players were featuring songs that had been popular but never made to the #1 spot on the Top 100 chart. I think I've already mentioned this, but neither one of the singers can come close to the talent and personality of Clara Vee that we enjoyed many evenings on the Zaandam.

Billboard Onboard 

We ended our evening on our balcony looking out over the city lights of old San Juan.

Grand Turk

February 6, 2023

Leaving the curtains open a bit overnight let us wake naturally to the morning sunlight. By then, land was in sight and the ship was getting close to Grand Turk. When we left the room for breakfast, the Nieuw Statendam was being tied up at the dock.

A little before 8:00 we turned on the bow cam TV channel and noticed people walking down the dock. We figured the ship had been cleared so we went down and walked forward to get to the gangplank on Deck A.

The cruise center is located at the end of the long dock. A quick walk through the duty free shop and we were on the beach. The only way to get there quicker would be to jump off the ship and swim since the ship is literally docked at the beach. There are various gift shops and food stands but we didn't stop at any.

We had our pick of the free lounge chairs and found two that might have a small bit of shade during the day. The beach was much less crowded now that all of the rental chairs had been moved further down the beach. A couple of guys did hang around where we were sitting and tried to entice people to pay for one of those chairs. It was surprising how many people did not realize that the chairs closest to the ship were free for passengers to use. Once we got settled in, Bob made me switch chairs because he was worried the coconuts on the palm tree above my head would fall!

There was a pleasant breeze so I was in no hurry to get into the water. Bob took a walk down the beach to explore and came back with two conch shells. They had holes in them where fishermen had scooped out the insides and then tossed the shells onto the beach. A certain six year old grandson back in Minnesota will be thrilled to get one of these!

Once the sun got higher in the sky, I was ready to cool off in the water. The water temp was a little cooler than Half Moon Cay which meant it was way below Bob's tolerance level. I took my noodle and just floated...practically in the shade of the ship!

Out of caution, I decided we should go back to the ship around noon. Bob had already developed a dark tan, but I have to be more careful with my pasty white Minnesota skin. We changed and went to lunch at the buffet where I joined Bob in getting my food at the stir fry station. They have a variety of meats and veggies and will stir fry your selections in a wok while you wait. 

The previous evening we had gotten a notice in our cabin that for $25 each we could participate in the Luggage Direct program. Our luggage can be set outside of our cabin on the last night of the cruise and we won't see it again until we arrive back in Minneapolis. Also the ship would take care of getting our boarding passes for our flight.

According to the information sheet, most airlines participate, including Southwest Airlines which we were flying on. Since SWA doesn't have assigned seats, I was concerned how the process would work with getting a decent boarding group. I was planning to check in at exactly the 24-hour mark while we were at Half Moon Cay on Friday, but if the ship took care of the boarding pass, how would that affect our boarding position? We made a trip down to guest services, but didn't get any definitive answer.

Bob went to play pickleball and I decided to explore the ship before we sailed from Grand Turk. I started by going to the pickleball court and then just kept going up on higher decks. I was at the very top deck (14) when the captain decided to blow the ship's horn! Talk about LOUD!!!

Sea View Pool at the back of the ship.

Lido Pool with roof open.

Seating at the Lido buffet.

Crow's Nest

Private cabanas at The Retreat

This is one place you do NOT want to be when the horn blows!

After my photo taking tour, I went back to the cabin and sat on the balcony. The view of the blue water was so beautiful and with the balcony in the shade it was quite comfortable. But...once we sailed, the ship turned and I was in full sun. The temp went up immediately and was too hot to remain outside.

After our poor experience last night, we decided to skip the MDR and we knew we didn't want to go to either BB Kings OR the Rock Room. So at 5 pm we went to the performance at the Lincoln Center Stage where the musicians were performing works by Brahms.

We went directly to the buffet afterwards and had a nice dinner...mahi-mahi and chili rellenos. Both were main courses being served in the MDR but by eating at the buffet I didn't have to choose one or the other...I had both! Bob's highlight of the meal was finding rum raisin ice cream for dessert.

It was too early to go to the theater so we went back to the room. Our timing was perfect! Bob went out on the balcony and realized that the full moon was just beginning to rise! It was a big orange ball as it came up from the horizon!

The evening entertainment on the World Stage was another performance by the Step One Dance Company..."Musicology." This was a show we hadn't seen before. To get the full effect of the technology effects, we chose seats about half way up facing the center of the stage. Getting those seats required arriving over a half an hour before the show began. The theater filled up quickly and by showtime there were no seats left. Bob and I passed the time by playing Spider Solitaire on our phones.

The dance performance along with the technology effects was impressive, but I still miss the musical performances we used to see on HAL cruises...a combination of singers and dancers with background sets. And even further back in time there would have been a live band.

Leaving the theater on deck 3 (the upper level of the theater) sends you right through the smoky casino. To avoid that, we ducked outside on the promenade deck and walked the length of the ship outdoors.

Bob made a quick trip up to the lido to get his nightly cup of tea and we sat on the balcony looking at the moon. (Sounds romantic, doesn't it!!) At the same time we both saw a large, fuzzy light in the sky just above the horizon. Bob quickly went into the cabin to grab his binoculars and just like that it disappeared. The past few days the news reports have been focused on the Chinese spy balloon crossing the U.S. so it makes you wonder what else might be in the skies!