Today's port of call was St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The ship arrived at 7 a.m. and had a scheduled departure of 12:30 p.m.
Knowing we did not have much time in port today, Patty and I decided to wake up earlier than usual and head up to the Windjammer for a quick breakfast. I had my usual while Patty switched it up with some yogurt and biscuits with gravy.
Once we lathered up with sunscreen, we wanted to get off and walk around the port, which seemed to be the common theme among other cruisers. While at the Windjammer, we could see a beach nearby, so we first wanted to stop there.
As we were walking off the ship and into the port, I could hear music in the distance. This is nothing too unusual, but as we walked closer, I noticed it was just a man blaring music from speakers and not actual musicians. I thought this was interesting, but hey, it was a hot day to be outside doing live entertainment.
The last time I was here was in January 2015. The port looked exactly as I remembered. We had not gone to the beach, so I was unsure how to get there. However, it was quite easy to find, as it was just around the corner from the main square.
Frederiksted Beach was conveniently located less than a 10-minute walk from the port. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas all around. It was busy today, and many families were enjoying the ocean and sunbathing. We also stumbled upon a perfect picture opportunity with Mariner in the background, so we had to take some photos!
We wanted to see some of the shopping, so we made our way back toward the main square. Another person had his computer plugged in and playing music for all to hear. There were the typical pop-up shops here, such as t-shirts, jewelry, local art and other knickknacks.
As we walked a little farther, I noticed a small group of people gathered around a pen. Upon further inspection, I noticed four small puppies. They were so cute and loved by everyone that saw them (including me).
They were from the St. Croix Animal Welfare Center: “providing and promoting the humane treatment of animals in our community.” The last time I was in St. Croix, the same organization was there with puppies. One of the workers told me their breed is unknown, but they were a couple months old.
After taking a few more photos and enjoying the scenery, Patty and I were ready to head to the ship and cool off. It was 90 degrees and humid. We were in the sun a lot yesterday, so we were burnt and not wanting to get even more burnt.
We had been wanting to try the main dining room lunch on board, so we did that as soon as we got back. We were seated right away, and next to the window which I liked. Since my mom’s phone wasn’t working, they were able to give her a physical lunch menu while I looked on my phone.
I ordered the mozzarella sticks for an appetizer while Patty got the Manhattan clam chowder and insalata caprese. For the main meal, I got the chicken sandwich and Patty got salmon. Lastly, I got the Floating Island, which was meringue in a vanilla creme sauce with caramelized sugar on top. Overall, we enjoyed the lunch and service. We also had nice conversation with a couple seated next to us.
As soon as we finished lunch, the ship was leaving St. Croix, so we watched the sail away from deck 4.
Patty was sleepy from the night before and took a nap. She told me how she woke up last night to some rough waters, so she did not sleep as well as she would’ve liked. Luckily I slept right through it!
As Patty was napping, I wanted to do some work, so I tried to find a place to sit with my computer. I wasn’t sure where to go, but as soon as I saw the Starbucks, I knew that would be a good place to go. There was seating all around, even behind the counter, so it was easy to find a quiet spot.
The Wi-Fi onboard has been pretty good this sailing. There are moments when it’s slow, but it works for the most part. I had a few small issues with the Surf & Stream but I was able to get my work done.
We had not gone to the Diamond Lounge yet, so we wanted to stop by before our 5:30 dinner. The lounge was pretty full (but that isn’t saying much because it’s small to begin with) but we had no problems getting little appetizers and our drink order in. I got the chocolate martini and Patty tried a mango mojito - both were very tasty choices. I actually liked my mom’s more than mine!
In the main dining room, I started off with the baked potato soup while Patty had the seafood puff pastry and escargot (she orders this every night). For the main course, I had the lasagna al forno and she had the beef stroganoff. Our waitress, Carol, did warn us that it had pickles in it and therefore wasn’t as popular, but Patty wanted to try it anyway. We appreciate her honesty when we are trying to decide what we want!
For dessert, I got the English trifle and Patty got the coconut layer cake. We were very pleased with our meal and the friendly service.
We had just enough time to make it to the 7 p.m. show: The Magic of Puck. We got there 20 minutes early so we got good seats in the aisle on the main floor. The show was packed, so I was glad we got there when we did. Puck was on season seven of America’s Got Talent, so I knew he would not disappoint. He did an excellent job with his tricks and audience engagement.
The night was still young, and there were two game shows I wanted to attend: The Perfect Couple and The Liars Club. They were both in the Star Lounge back-to-back.
I wasn’t sure what to expect at The Perfect Couple - I thought maybe this was replacing Love & Marriage. I would be disappointed if they got rid of Love & Marriage because that is my favorite show on Royal Caribbean cruises! Once I was at the gameshow, I quickly remembered that this is different.
Three couples participated in three challenges to see which couple was most compatible. I was rooting for the older couple, and they ended up winning!
I had to wait about 20 minutes before the next game show, so I stayed in my spot since it was still busy. I am wondering if they should have these gameshows in the Royal Theatre since they seem to be popular and we are sailing at full capacity.
The Liars Club is where three employees attempt to convince the audience they know the definition of odd words. For example, the first word was “slangwhanger.” The three employees gave various descriptions (trigger happy, a shy and quiet child, or a loud and obnoxious speaker), then the audience voted who they thought was telling the truth. It was a fun time and many laughs were had.
Tomorrow we will be at sea before arriving in CocoCay!
