TOMORROW YOU CAN BE ANYWHERE!
CARIBBEAN HERE WE COME - it's minus 6 degrees Celcius at home overnight and we're having to scrape the frost off the windshield on the Jeep in the morning!
Sunday November 16, 2014 Sechelt to Vancouver BC
So after a frantic morning - up at 3am and doing all the last travel work for clients and getting packed we raced out of the house at 10:15am and headed down for the 11:30 ferry Langdale to Horseshoe Bay - we had a reservation so had to be there by 11am! We made it by the skin of our teeth and were on the ferry when it left at 11:30am.
It was a glorious sunny morning and very cold. We headed to Costco, Home Depot and Lowes to return purchases that we had made for our Master Ensuite Bathroom but didn't need - and were at Jackie and Neil's by 3pm - when we all headed out for a lovely walk in the sunshine in the Fraser River Park - a lovely park and boardwalk along the river just across the road from where they live.
It was chilly but a beautiful walk before we headed back to enjoy cocktails and fabulous appies that Jackie prepared and we all tried to catch up on the last 4 months since we had last seen each other. Then Jackie created a wonderful dinner for a cold day -- a hearty veggie soup and wonderful individual shepherd's pies served piping hot in oval casserole dishes and of course washed down with a wonderful selection of red merlot and white sauvignon blanc wine. Dinner finished with an amazing strawberry slice that Neil selected - so light and airy I'm sure there wasn't a single calorie in it!!
After some more conversation relaxing in the comfortable leather chairs, it was off to bed around 9pm and I had trouble keeping my eyes open until then!
Monday NOV 17 FLY VANCOUVER – DALLAS – MIAMI AA1189, AA1134 depart 1:20pm arrive 12:11am Nov 18
We slept really well - even though I woke up just after 1am and after 3am I managed to get back to sleep both times - Oh I did enjoy and need that! After breakfast and coffee we did the online checkin for our American Airlines flights and then headed into the Travel Masters office on Broadway - but what a shock when we went outside and the White Jeep also had white windows - covered in thick frost! Fortunately we had an ice scraper in the back which I had to search to find - I don't think we've used that once in the last 5 years!
We slept really well - even though I woke up just after 1am and after 3am I managed to get back to sleep both times - Oh I did enjoy and need that! After breakfast and coffee we did the online checkin for our American Airlines flights and then headed into the Travel Masters office on Broadway - but what a shock when we went outside and the White Jeep also had white windows - covered in thick frost! Fortunately we had an ice scraper in the back which I had to search to find - I don't think we've used that once in the last 5 years!
It was another glorious morning and the drive in under sunny blue skies along Arbutus Street under the golden leaves falling off the trees was quite spectacular. The office on Broadway has been completely renovated with one large office and 8 workspaces in it - all open plan. We met the new guy on the block responsible for Franchising, said Hi To Mark, Marielle and Kathleen and were soon on our way back to the airport.
Our flight departure was delayed from 120pm to 140pm so we had time for soup, sandwich and coffee at Tim Hortons after checking in, going through Security and USA Customs and Immigration. We managed to read and respond to several client travel emails requiring our attention then we were boarding for our flight to Dallas Fort Worth.
On board we watched the Jersey Boys movie about Frankie Valli which I had seen before - but it's a great movie withfantastic music (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) so it was enjoyable to watch it again and helped the 3 3/4 hour long flight to pass quickly. It was a beautiful flight over the snow covered mountains, especially when the sun was ready to set and there were pink and orange lights all across the mountains and the horizon. Even though we arrived late in Dallas at 730pm it was no problem since our next flight was also 60 minutes late leaving for Miami - all the delays due to the extremely cold temperatures everywhere in North America and over 30,000 flights delayed in the last few days since this incredibly cold front came down from the Arctic.
On board we watched the Jersey Boys movie about Frankie Valli which I had seen before - but it's a great movie withfantastic music (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) so it was enjoyable to watch it again and helped the 3 3/4 hour long flight to pass quickly. It was a beautiful flight over the snow covered mountains, especially when the sun was ready to set and there were pink and orange lights all across the mountains and the horizon. Even though we arrived late in Dallas at 730pm it was no problem since our next flight was also 60 minutes late leaving for Miami - all the delays due to the extremely cold temperatures everywhere in North America and over 30,000 flights delayed in the last few days since this incredibly cold front came down from the Arctic.
After we took the monorail between gates A24 where we landed to gate C31, where our flight to Miami was leaving from, we had time in Dallas to pick up a tuna wrap and Cobb salad to share for dinner. Dallas is 2 hours ahead of Vancouver time and even though we landed at 730pm (530in Vancouver) it was pitch black and felt like at least 730pm or later! There is free AT& T WIFI in the Dallas Airport so time for some more email catchup.
We eventually departed at 925pm which was going to make for a late after 1am arrival in Miami. Miami is 1 hour ahead of Dallas (3 hours ahead of Vancouver) our flight being about 2 1/2 hours duration. On American Airlines flights in USA you can now access WIFI from $6 for 30 minutes, $12 for 90 minutes to $39.95 per month. After sharing our dinner I spent some time creating this blog while Terry enjoyed a glass of wine before relaxing and napping. We hit some bumpy spots about one hour into the flight - we were flying at 39,000 feet - so the seat belt sign was on. It soon smoothed out and we were very tired and happy to land into a very quiet Miami airport at 1:00am. It was a short walk from D Gates to E Gates which is where the in airport Hotel Mia is conveniently located.
Miami airport is looking modern and clean after its' significant upgrades - fabulous floors which look like granite and have all sorts of what looks like stainless steel art embedded in them including coral and shell shapes. On the walls a fabulous set of macro photography pictures of colourful corals all printed on vibrant metals - then a fanciful collection of art and drawings by local school children - enjoyable to look at as you walk what can be long hallways.
Miami airport is looking modern and clean after its' significant upgrades - fabulous floors which look like granite and have all sorts of what looks like stainless steel art embedded in them including coral and shell shapes. On the walls a fabulous set of macro photography pictures of colourful corals all printed on vibrant metals - then a fanciful collection of art and drawings by local school children - enjoyable to look at as you walk what can be long hallways.
Last December when we were flying through Miami on our way to Barbados, the Hotel Mia lobby was in the process of renovation along with the Miami Airport - now it looks slick and sleek and very different from the old hotel reception that it used to have. The rooms are quite small but were renovated a couple of years ago. Given the restrictions of the traditional and older layout, the rooms are now quite contemporary in style with nice linens, a comfortable easy chair and ottoman to relax on and even a monsoon shower head in the bathroom - now if only they would update the long scruffy hallways to the rooms! But this is a great location with no taxis or shuttles required to get to the Hotel Mia and 30 minutes after landing we were in bed. We had another benefit of being able to check our luggage in Vancouver all the way to St Maarten so we didn't even have to pick up suitcases or drag them to the hotel!
Monday NOV 17 MIA HOTEL, MIAMI AIRPORT 1night
Tuesday NOV 18 FLY MIAMI – ST MAARTEN AA2219 depart 955am arrive 155pm Oh boy when our alarm went off this morning at 6am, along with our hotel wake up call, it was pretty painful waking ourselves up and struggling to the bathroom! Terry managed to take some time and get our Ndandini Kyaithani blogs updated and forwarded to several folks then we headed off to checkin for our American Airlines flight. We already had TSA pre cleared boarding
passes due to our NEXUS cards so security was fast and slick -- very unlike last year when it was a huge lineup and a zoo to be processed!
We enjoyed coffee and a pastry (and sending more emails) then we were boarding at gate D6 for the slightly less than 3 hour flight to Princess Juliana airport in St Maarten! Miami is a very busy airport and we departed on time from the gate but it was over 20 minutes before we were speeding down the runway to take off. We flew East towards the everglades then headed south and soon were looking down over the azure waters of the Atlantic around the Bahamas islands. By now of course Terry was already fast asleep. One thing you never have to worry about these days is being woken up for a meal. You either bring your own food on board or buy on board. The American and Canadian airlines will give you a cold water or soda, or a cup of tea or coffee at no charge - but these days not even a cookie or small pack of nuts or pretzels is complimentary. Then I heard on the news this morning about the huge profits the airlines have made this past year due to the massive decrease in oil prices (and they all charge a fuel surcharge now which they are not reducing) and in fact the news was stating that their surveys have shown that the base prices for flights is actually increased over the last 12 months. You also have to pay $25 USD for each checked bag but we were glad that was just $25 from Vancouver all the way to St Maarten, so the $25 covered all 3 flights.
Tuesday – Saturday NOV 18-22
HOLLAND HOUSE HOTEL, ST MAARTEN ( 4 nights)
HOLLAND HOUSE HOTEL, ST MAARTEN ( 4 nights)
We are very much looking forward to our 4 nights (4 full days in St Maarten) before we board the Star Clipper on Saturday Nov 22 at 4pm. We were last here in December 2012 for a few days including New Year's Eve, which was a blast with amazing fireworks at midnight which we viewed from our balcony at the Holland House Hotel overlooking Great Bay in Philipsburg prior to boarding the P G Cruises Tere Moana for our cruise through the Panama Canal on its' maiden voyage. We enjoyed the island and location of the Holland House so much that we are returning to the same hotel this time.
Unfortunately there was a large hurricane that passed through St Maarten St Martin in October 2014, just 6 weeks ago I believe on Oct 11. There was huge damage especially to the poor folks with no substantial hurricane proof homes living in the hills. We saw a little damage but not much - showing the resilience of the hotel owners and shop keepers in the tourist areas but apparently it is still very damaged in the outlying areas with no money to assist with the repairs.
The island is two countries - Sint Martin is French, its' capital is Marigot, and Philipsburg is the capital on the Dutch side in St Maarten. You don't have to have a passport to go between the French and Dutch sides, and there is no official border crossing with officials but the boundary is marked and there are flags and "Welcome to..." at the border! As I remember it there was a race where a French man and a Dutch man set off at one point which separated France from the Netherlands, and then raced around the island in opposite directions and where they met is where the other end of the border was located! The two halves of the island are very different - the French side quieter (and more expensive) and not as busy or prosperous as the Dutch side, which is hugely busy with as many as 6 or 8 cruise ships arriving in Philipsburg on many days during the busy Winter cruising season in the Caribbean. Front Street, and Back Street in Philipsburg is definitely known as the shopping mecca of the Caribbean, and then there's The Boardwalk along the beach with side by side bars, restaurants, hotels and stores.
In the 1940's there was essentially no tourism in St Maarten, the sugar industry had collapsed in the late 1800's, and the production of cotton stopped in the 1930's, followed by the salt production in the 1940's. It was difficult to make a living and the population started to move to work in the oil refineries in Aruba and Curacao (also part of the island group of the Dutch West Indies) or moved to the USA while those who did stay tried to live by subsistence farming. So the bustling port shipping salt and sugar became very quiet and residential. In the mid 1960's there was no potable water in St Maarten, only 3,000 residents and 10 vehicles. The stores that were here sold linen furnishings, women's clothing and were starting to sell souvenirs and there were only 2 cruise ships visiting each year! Each Saturday the residents of Guadeloupe and Martinique would come over to sell their vegetables and fruits, then buy blouses and linens to take back with them.
Today it is a different world with thousands of cruise passengers unloading into Philipsburg Pier every day in the winter and fewer cruise passengers, but still many, visiting most days during the hotter Summer days. With temperatures in the 80's during the Winter months, 37 different beaches, French, Dutch and Caribbean culture, history, dining and shopping - how can you not find a myriad of activities and experiences to enjoy? Yes, 4 days will be too short but we plan to make the most of them! Where do we start? Our arrival!
The Princess Juliana Airport is next to MAHO Bay and Sunset Beach! The plane lands almost on top of the folks enjoying a burger and beer at the Sunset Beach Bar and those folks swimming in the Bay or laying on Maho Beach! It is exhilarating to enjoy an afternoon here and we visit every time we come - all of the flight arrivals are listed on a surfboard standing in the sand at the Sunset Bar and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday they also have live music to listen to while you enjoy your ice cold beer and wonderful Mahi Mahi fish burger or beef burger! So we will start our visit by waving at the folks on the beach and sitting at the bar when we come in to land!
The Princess Juliana Airport is next to MAHO Bay and Sunset Beach! The plane lands almost on top of the folks enjoying a burger and beer at the Sunset Beach Bar and those folks swimming in the Bay or laying on Maho Beach! It is exhilarating to enjoy an afternoon here and we visit every time we come - all of the flight arrivals are listed on a surfboard standing in the sand at the Sunset Bar and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday they also have live music to listen to while you enjoy your ice cold beer and wonderful Mahi Mahi fish burger or beef burger! So we will start our visit by waving at the folks on the beach and sitting at the bar when we come in to land!
Last year November 2013 King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands visited St Maarten and the other Dutch islands of Aruba and Curacao (not Bonaire which is too bad since I love Bonaire but it is tiny) as part of an 8 day six island tour of the Caribbean - I think I would enjoy that kind of Royal Tour if I were in their shoes! There will be no one waiting for Terry and I when we arrive today but we will probably enjoy our visit even more than the King and Queen!
We arrived at 2pm and were soon through customs and immigration with our bags safely in hand - always such a relief when your bags arrive after the hassle of selecting everything to pack and bring with you! We were soon in a taxi and at the Holland House and checked into a beach front room #405 on the top 4th floor by 3pm, with an awesome view of Great Bay and the beach. The hotel is an old hotel and the bones can't be changed but the rooms are contemporary, nice and fresh, mostly white paint with stucco walls - complete with big flat screen TV, iron and ironing board, a King size bad, white linens and blanket, a top end coffee maker (espresso as well), tea maker, nice amenities (Papaya) in the bathroom and a walkin tiled shower. The storage is limited with coat hangers and essentially no shelves or drawers at all. There is a metal round table and two chairs on the balcony - no phone. There is an ice bucket and you can ask at the bar downstairs for the ice bucket to be filled which they do willingly.
WIFI is included - maximum 3 devices but you can ask if you need more.
We soon had what we thought we might need to wear hung up and a couple of piles of clothes stacked in various corners. Then after changing into shorts and tank tops, it was a walk along the boardwalk to The Greenhouse where we enjoyed our greatly anticipated Mudslide cocktail!
Happy Hour 2 for 1 on EVERY drink from 430 to 7pm every day - we followed the mudslide with a salted on the rocks margarita and an order of beef nachos - just what the Doctor ordered! Afterwards we walked through the gas station and parking lot over to Sangs Supermarket 5 minutes away to buy sodas and other bevies for our 4 nights in St Maarten.
Back at Holland House with our supplies it was time to sit on the balcony and relax after taking 2 full days to arrive in St Maarten from Sechelt after stopping in Vancouver to visit with friends, and overnight between flights at the Hotel Mia in Miami Airport. At Last! Back in the Caribbean -the Caribbean holds a huge favourite place in our hearts and we also really enjoy the island of St Maarten Dutch West Indies /St Martin French West Indies!
Wednesday Nov 19, 2014 PHILIPSBURG ST MAARTEN
Our first full day on vacation to do what we really want to do - or not!! We slept well even though we woke up early and enjoyed watching the skies get brighter as the sun started its' journey into the skies over St. Maarten - actually I think the correct thing is to say that St Maarten and the spinning globe it sits on was making its' way to see the sun which hadn't moved at all overnight! Either way the sun rose over the Mountains on the East end of Great Bay and long before then, there were many folks jogging and walking up along the boardwalk getting their daily exercise out of the way before they started their work day - most of the folks I saw were local not tourists.
Downstairs around 7am we enjoyed wonderful pastries and cold cheeses and meats with croissants - Terry also enjoyed eggs benedict and I had an omelette, cooked to order along with fresh coffee and orange juice.
After much consideration we decided to spend the morning on the beach holding down the sand in a sun cot! It was a great decision and 5 hours later we were still there! We enjoyed people watching with all sorts of folks coming and going along the beach, we took many swims (the water was a little cloudy from the sand caused by the slight wave washing on the beach but pleasantly warm not bath tub warm). We even had bar service while laying comatose (not quite) on the sun cots - it cost $7.50 for a bottle of sparkling water and $6 for a glass of wine plus 10% service charge (which we are told is like a tax and NOT a gratuity) plus gratuity! But the service while laying in the sun under the umbrella and covered in sun screen was awesome. Holland House also provides a menu for top class food service to the beach which includes excellent items such as ahi tuna open faced sandwich $20 and a mini beef or salmon slider for $10.
When we finally managed to drag ourselves off the beach, out of the sun cot, and head back to the room, the shower was welcome and refreshing! Then it was a couple of hours strolling along Front Street (window shopping only) - before ending up at The Greenhouse at the marina in time for Happy Hour which runs from 4:30pm to 7pm every day - all drinks are half price and appies are $2 off. We thoroughly enjoyed our mud slide cocktail $8 for 1+1 followed by Patron Silver Margarita on the rocks with Salted rim. Oh yes - and beef nachos (with extra sour cream on the side please) $9 - all served by Chris, our waitress with a smile.
Thursday Nov 20, 2014 PHILIPSBURG ST MAARTEN
Today was a great day even though we didn't wander far! We had considered going to Grand Case on the French side of the island but decided to start on the beach and swim and ended spending 4 hours there! Of course we started with an excellent breakfast at Holland House in the Ocean Restaurant looking out over Great Beach and Bay - glorious views. The buffet breakfast with egg dishes to order ($20 each) was included in our daily rate -we also got a special web rate pay for 3 get 4 nights - total $780 US$ plus taxes). November is shoulder season so the rates are way higher starting early December, around $280 per night for the beach view room plus taxes, the city view rooms are a little cheaper.
The sun cots and umbrella are spaced well on the beach so you don't feel overwhelmed by people, but Holland House does sell a package for 2 suncots, 1 umbrella and a bucket filled with ice and 4 beers for $25USD so you do get some cruise ship passengers - as a result it's a good idea to be out on your suncots before 10am to get the position that you would like. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the beach and swimming in the ocean - it's a nice sandy beach and very wide and deep so lots of room for the thousands of cruise ship passengers should they all arrive and want to spend time on the beach.
Several hours later we showered and headed up to the Barefoot Bar on the boardwalk by where the pier is - this is where cruise ship passengers can come by boat from the cruise ship pier and avoid the walk to the boardwalk and beach - charged $5 one way or $7 return by the local entrepreneurs. Anyway the Barefoot Bar and Restaurant is where we go for chicken roti (curried chicken and potato in a flat bread) each time we visit St Maarten. It was around 3pm when we arrived at Barefoot so all the cruise ship passengers had long since left and we had the restaurant to ourselves - a lovely terrace in the full sun overlooking the beach - very hot but great views and awesome roti!
Then we strolled back along Front Street and the jewellery and tourist stores enjoying the shade and stretching our legs. Mac (the knife) always catches us on our way past his store and waves at us - he sells great men's tropical clothing (shirts, shorts, hats, pants) but even though he is an amazing salesman and nice guy Terry just did not need anything this trip!
We did end up back at The Greenhouse (waitress Chris) around 6pm and managed one mud slide each in Happy Hour ($8 for the two) excellent as always - like a perfect milkshake. We had a family of five from Toronto today (Mom Dad a 7 year old girl and twin 5 year old girls) next to us on the beach today - off the RCCL Adventure of the Seas cruise ship. When they asked for a recommendation for lunch we sent them to The Greenhouse and when they returned they said they had enjoyed a wonderful lunch there.
Our evening was spent on our balcony at Holland House - catching up with emails and generally enjoying a relax on the balcony listening to the music below from the Ocean Bar. We certainly have enjoyed some slow non-planned relax time while here in St Maarten.
Friday Nov 21, 2014 PHILIPSBURG, ST MAARTEN
An early start before the sun came up and by 5am the sun cots and umbrellas are already set up on the beach in front of the Holland House and lots of folks walking and jogging up and down the boardwalk along the beach in the dark - some folks even doing press-ups on the beach! I managed to get Terry out of bed and coherent so at 630am we enjoyed a walk along the boardwalk taking photos and chatting to locals who were busy setting up sun cots, cleaning bars and setting out signs ready for the day ahead. AJ at the far end (whose Grandfather is a realtor in Vancouver and last year AJ visited Nova Scotia, Quebec and Vancouver) told me there would be two ships in today - one from Quebec (?) and one from England. During breakfast the RCCL Adventure of the Seas arrived, and the Silver Whisper - so maybe this is the first arrival for these two ships after a long run from the UK and Quebec?
We enjoyed a very slow breakfast at 730am looking at all the glorious views from the Holland House Restaurant. I drank 4 glasses of water - I knew I was feeling thirsty today! Fresh chocolate beignet, pineapple and melon, coffee, muffin, cold meats and fresh brie - doesn't get much better! We forgo all the fresh eggs, bacon, sausage, toast (4 types of bread). By 8am we were back in our room and spent just a short time doing a little on the blog and getting ready for our day out. We decided to head over to Grand Case and Marigot in the St Martin French Island side, then back to the Dutch side of St Maarten to Maho Bay (to watch all the planes land and take off at Sunset Beach) and Simpson's Bay to look around an area we haven't spent any time in before.
Back Street is one block and 2 minutes walk from Holland House and this is where the buses drive slowly along with a sign on their front dash stating where they are going to like Marigot or Maho Bay - they can be tatty old minivans, new minivans or larger buses holding up to 30 or 40 passengers. We hoped onto an old minivan with a French creole driver wearing a beat up old cowboy hat - very friendly giving us directions and telling us things - only problem being he spoke French Creole and spoke very quietly! It cost us $2 USD each to get all the way to Marigot, then he dropped us at the bus station and told us the first van in line would be the first one to go to Grand Case - then yelled at the driver to tell him we wanted to go to Grand Case. I know the Grand Case driver never heard a word since when we got in the bus his radio was playing at every decibel it could with a radio talk show and the speaker complaining about the [price of electricity and water. Apparently he was saying that water in St Martin is more expensive than in France so the company should not be called La Compagnie d/electricite de France and that if it was going to be more expensive than in France it should be called La Compagnie d'electricite de St Martin!! $1.50 each to Grand Case from Marigot- accompanied by a loud entertaining radio discussion!
Anyway we were soon off up and down hills to the small touristy and chic town of Grand Case which has tiny hotels, restaurants and bars all along the beach. The stores were only just starting to open up - it was after 10am so a late start. We wandered the street under the hot sun - ducking out to the beach to take photos when we could get to the beach in-between the small houses. We had hoped to have lunch and a cold drink at The Rainbow which was a restaurant we enjoyed 2 years ago in December 2012 but it was closed up tight with some letters already fallen out of the "Rainbow" name - not sure if that is a result of the recent hurricane or lack of business?
We checked out a couple of stores and the one we enjoyed the most was Sexy Fruits jewellery (shells, silver and non precious stones - most of which comes from Indonesia). was the same store we ooh'd and aah'd at last time! We also passed by the local Creole BBQ area which is right on the beach with several small seating areas and different kitchens inside - reasonably priced food here cooked and served by locals versus the higher priced fancy French restaurants along the street. Many taxi drivers drop their clients here to enjoy lunch in Grand Case. As the time continued on, and we got hotter, we enjoyed a cold beer at the Calmos Cafe - a funky colourful bar and restaurant with picnic tables right on the sand, and two tables built right over the water on a wooden deck - that's where we sat enjoying the views of the aquamarine seas under a bright yellow picnic umbrella - Caribe beer $4USD each.
In the high season (starting at Christmas I think) Grand Case has a wonderful evening street market each week (I think on Tuesdays) with lots of activity on the streets, items and food for sale - a lovely way to spend a warm evening. We thoroughly enjoyed this many years ago but have been too early for it on this visit and the previous visit in 2012. As we walked along we passed a sign "Absolutely no Parking here' "Park here now and be gone later" - Terry said that's what they should have had in the Flamingo Las Vegas Parking Lot when we had our car towed back in October - but that's another story!!
Back at the main street we stopped the minibus with a MARIGOT sign on his dash and for $1.50 each we were taken back to Marigot. We had enough time to wander through the main market next to the harbour and ferry terminal (to Anguilla and St Barts). The market was already being dismantled as we arrived - the ladies here only display their tourist wares for a few hours each morning - as soon as there are no tourists around they pack up and go home (the tourists are being driven back to their cruise ships in Philipsburg by 1pm latest or eating lunch around the marina). We walked around the marina and checked out 3 swimsuit and biking stores at the marina - all right next each other, and an Animale (ladies' clothing) store where everything was 50% off as they were waiting for their new season's stock to arrive!
A couple of blocks away we hopped on the larger bus back to Philipsburg and there were huge black clouds and the rain about to drop by the bucket load! We managed to keep dry on the bus when this happened then we jumped off at the Cole Bay roundabout ($1 each) just before the bus goes up and over the hill to Philipsburg. The mini bus to Maho waited and for $1.50 each we were soon in Maho Bay after the slow crawl through the touristy Simpson's Bay area which has many restaurants and is very busy at night.
As we arrived in the bright sunshine, large puddles were everywhere on the road from the downpour and we could see the black cloud heading off to the horizon. I looked at my watch and knew the American Airlines flight that we had arrived on just 3 days before was imminent - I looked up and saw it making its' approach - timing is everything - so I ran and managed to get a photo as it thundered overhead over Maho Bay and beach and the hordes of people watching every arriving and departing flight, and landed safely with screeching braking tires on the short runway. We took off our sandals and walked along the short steep but very sandy beach towards Sunset Beach Bar & Grill and were soon seated with a front place seat to watch the landings and take offs and the antics of the various folks.
With a cold Caribe beer, a Smirnoff Ice and two blue cheese burgers with fries we enjoyed seeing many planes land and a few take off - unbelievably enough the smaller American Airlines flight (compared to the KLM 747) making more noise and bigger exhaust thrust knocking all the daft folks backwards onto the beach and into the bay, who were standing where the sign reads "Danger jet blast of arriving and departing aircraft can cause severe physical harm resulting in extreme bodily harm and/or death". But it is a lot of fun to watch the planes land on a steep decline and then take off shortly after climbing steeply to climb up and over the mountains at the end of the runway. No-one going to St Maarten should miss an afternoon at Maho Bay and Beach!
Then it was a short walk back to where the bus to Philipsburg would come bay - passing all the taxis trolling for passengers and carrying signs reading "back to the cruise ship" lots of folks have heard about Maho Bay and come here when they get off their cruise ship in Great Bay Philipsburg. First we popped in to the Supermarket here for some wine and there were lots of brands where it was buy 2 get the third bottle free - which we did! Castillero del Diablo SUNRISE 2 chardonnay and 1 Cabernet sauvignon for $18!!
Back at Holland Hotel we were ready for a shower, change and then collapse and on our balcony for the quiet evening, listening to the music being played for us (well being played for the Ocean Bar really) right below our balcony! It was a really great and interesting day which we thoroughly enjoyed. That evening a huge rain storm moved in and it poured for most of the evening and overnight with massive puddles below on the boardwalk, and all the cushions on the Ocean Lounge furniture being rushed under cover to stay somewhat dry. As a result the big Friday night with live music planned by the Ocean Bar was a bust!
Unfortunately we had bad news from one of our clients and spent a couple of hours on the computer and Skype resolving some issues before we really relaxed.
Sat NOV 22-29 STAR CLIPPER ST MAARTEN (ROUND TRIP) – 7 nights
http://www.starclippers.com
The Star Clipper is 22 years old, built in Belgium in 1992. It is the first tall sailing ship in its' class built since 1912. It is 4 masted with 3500sq ft of sail.
Bar staff: Cliff, Ariel, Alberto
The Star Clipper is 22 years old, built in Belgium in 1992. It is the first tall sailing ship in its' class built since 1912. It is 4 masted with 3500sq ft of sail.
Bar staff: Cliff, Ariel, Alberto
Wait Staff: Ephraim, Fritz, Daniel, Joel
Hotel Manager: Steve
Room Attendant: Tony
Hotel Manager: Steve
Room Attendant: Tony
Saturday 22 November 2014 Philipsburg, St. Maarten
The smallest island in the world shared by two countries, St. Martin/St. Maarten is big on shopping. Whether you go Dutch in Philipsburg or prefer Marigot's French touch, you're always welcome. So after 4 wonderful nights in St Maarten we were actually very sad to leave and even though we had thoroughly enjoyed our stay here - we were still looking forward to boarding the Star Clipper but not yet ready to leave St Maarten!
It was pouring rain when we opened the drapes and everywhere was soaked, this was an excuse to lay in bed and be lazy which we did. Our last breakfast at Holland House was around 9am and the Ocean Restaurant was packed - everyone enjoying a leisurely breakfast! We took the last seat available and the cushion that I sat on was soaking wet from the downpour. But breakfast was enjoyable and Terry treated himself to a last order of eggs benedict! Then it was back to the room to pack - why does that always take so long - and I repacked everything in huge ziplock bags just in case our bags ended up anywhere outside in a downpour!
Then there was more adventure as we headed downstairs with our bags (to check with the bellman for the day) and suddenly the very tiny elevator stopped and all the lights went out! The instructions were to wait 3 seconds then ring the emergency bell - which we did twice! Eventually (probably a couple of minutes later) we heard a voice through the door telling us he was maintenance and asking if we were OK - the elevator had stopped about two feet up from the floor on the second floor and the doors wouldn't open. It was hot - very very hot and we were soon dripping with sweat! Good thing there were only the two of us in the elevator! Then we heard a voice telling us he was on top of the elevator and not to worry then telling us to press the floor number agin - which was working so off we went to floor zero - the ground floor.
When we exited the Security / front door man was so apologetic - "oh you were so calm I would have been besides myself if I had been stuck in there" - well yes it really is a tiny little cubby hole of an elevator but all's well that ends well! Then we walked back up the stairs to get our beach bag for the day and were off. We also walked back down smiling at all the other people waiting for the elevator - with some of them saying to us "weren't you the ones just trapped on this?"
First we walked along Front Street, then a couple of blocks on back street, then over to the Rami warehouse that sells lots of tourist stuff - which is now closed since our last visit. Back over to the beach and the board walk and were invited in to the Kool Vibes creole and caribbean restaurant on the boardwalk - great steel drum music emanating from the bar and deck. We enjoyed a Caribe beer $2 (well Terry had 3), along with mango pina colada ($5) and creole grilled mahi mahi fillet with tomatoes and onions in tin foil on the outdoor grill with fries ($14). Brent (from Anguilla) is one of the owners and told us how he and a friend had decided to start Kool Vibes the previous year and serve traditional Caribbean and Creole music and food on the Boardwalk.
Brent also introduced us to his friend Rhon from Anguilla who was in Philipsburg for the day when I asked about condo accommodation in Anguilla. Rhon gave us his card and they have a non-beachfront complex with a studio, 1 and 2 bedroom condos and he and his wife live there. Prices around $150 to $175 per night. By now it was after 2pm so after a quick walk over to Sang's Super Market (large Cadbury chocolate whole nut and fruit & nut bars $5.75) then it was back along the boardwalk to the Holland House to pick up our checked bags and take a taxi $9 to the port arriving at the official 4pm checkin time.
There was a new young lady Natalia on the Star Clipper sports team (who could not speak more than 3 or 4 words in English) who was trying to get everyone to fill out a medical questionnaire (for cough and fevers as well as ebola!) and then go another 20 feet to checkin with the purser and staff and have our photos taken for our official shipboard passenger card. Our large checked bags we dropped right at the curbside. The checkin was somewhat unorganized and slow but eventually we were through and walking along the pier to the beautiful Star Clipper tied up alongside. I walked further than the gangway to take photos, then it was sanitizer for our hands and a friendly welcome on board with a champagne cocktail and selection of tiny salmon or cheese sandwiches, spring rolls, chocolate cake, fresh fruit and cookies (from 4 to 6pm).
Soon we were in the cabin (#116) dropping our beach bags and hand luggage then back out to cruise the Star Clipper and find out where everything was. The decks outside have sun cots and varnished wooden benches scattered everywhere to sit on and enjoy the views and sunshine. Two tiny swimming pools where one lady was swimming with a rope tied to her back - this enables you to actually swim in place since from one end to the other of the pool is about 2 strokes! As expected there are huge numbers of sheets (ropes) everywhere and given the absolutely huge masts and massive sails you understand why!
Our safety drill was scheduled for 645pm - we looked for Wendy Jensen at 530pm at the Tropical Bar where she had advised she would be but since we don't know what she looks like (and she would know us from our business cards) we were expecting she would sort us out - but no luck there so it was back downstairs to unpack our bags prior to the safety drill. On the Star Clipper ships everything is priced in Euros rather than US$. At the bar we found that you could buy house wine by the glass at 3.50E (about $5 Cad) so not bad, or by the bottle $16E ($25 Cad). French Sauvignon blanc, Italian chardonnay and Italian Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The safety drill by Cruise Director Peter (from Bavaria) was fine and he was not pulling any punches telling passengers to listen and pay attention - although that is pretty hard as he has a very heavy German accent. After returning our red life jackets, with a whistle and light attached, to our stateroom we relaxed at the Tropical Bar before heading down to the Clipper dining room at 730pm when a waiter came around ringing the bell to announce dinner was ready. A long menu including pumpkin panacotta, escargot, lobster soup, watermelon sorbet, grilled rack of lamb, sea bass, vegetable curry, tropical salad with greens, after eight chocolate mousse, brie cheese with dried fruits, - yes - we are going to be selective to not put on pounds while on board! The menu is in French, German and English - as is every speech on board, to ensure all passengers can understand what is being said or offered. Fritz was our Jamaican waiter with a good sense of humour.
After dinner we were ready to head to bed but managed to stay awake until sail away with Dom Perignon champagne (7.50E per glass) at 10pm as we departed Philipsburg with very strong winds blowing. As soon as we were outside Great Bay the majestic sails were raised - and they are huge! This was a big job with such strong winds and wonderful to watch from the top deck -- with Van Gelis 1492 playing loudly over the speakers - a great sound system. This same music is what Windstar have as their signature piece so we were quite surprised to hear this played also by Star Clipper Cruise Line as their sail away music! We watched with a glass of cabernet in hand as these huge sails were raised and adjusted and the Star Clipper was sailing - lit up by white lights - splendid! Around 10:30 pm we went below decks (cabin 116 on the Commodore deck) and were soon in bed. We have a king bed with two pillows each and an individual duvet with extra blanket if required. We had a Star Clipper chocolate on the pillow and soon drifted off - taking a motion sickness pill to be on the safe side as well as to help us sleep through. Our cabin has one port hole and it is just above the water line, except that tonight we are in strong winds and sailing well - with our porthole mostly underwater!
Sunday 23 November 2014 Charlestown, Nevis
Nevis is the kind of place you wish they wouldn't write about because you'd like to keep it all to yourself. The island is dotted with old sugar plantations, some of them now turned into charming inns, many with interesting histories. Dominated by the perilously steep cliffs of Mt. Scenery, this small Dutch island didn't even have a road around it until 1951. But the diving is definitely out of this world. St Kitts and Nevis are relatively unspoiled Caribbean Islands and were pearls of the British Caribbean, rich and famous throughout Europe. Nevis was "the Queen of the Caribbean" and generated enormous wealth from its' highly productive sugar industry, while St Kitts the impregnable fortress of Brimstone Hill stood proudly on guard as the Gibraltar of the Caribbean. On Nevis the young naval officer, Horatio Nelson, met, courted and married Fanny Nisbet amidst the glamorous background of the colonial sugar plantations.
After a smooth sailing night - and by that I do mean sailing which means huge amounts of sail up and rolling mostly smoothly from side to side! - I was awake and read the entire history of St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla watching the ocean splash up and completely cover the small porthole on our cabin which I had heard all night long as I came to and fell asleep again. Terry was still fast asleep so I dressed quietly and headed out on the top deck to watch the worlds as we sailed by but certainly missed the 6:19am sunrise! We were passing the large island of St Kitts and there were 4 huge sails up and full of wind with several sailors and the second in command sailing the Star Clipper. We could see a large rain storm over St Kitts and as it started to head out over the Caribbean Sea towards us there was lots of activity on deck as one sail was furled and the sheets tightened up and changed direction for the 3 large sails that were out - all done under a blue sunny sky which was very hot. They did a grand job and the Star Clipper pretty much managed to completely miss the storm except for a dozen spots, as it passed right behind us.
Terry appeared and after testing the coffee and pastries (thumbs up for light flaky pastry!) we walked on the forward deck and enjoyed the views and very fresh breezes. We met Steve Adamson Hotel Manager on board (originally from Amazon area but living in London since he was 3 years old), and really enjoyed listening to his recounting the story of their 14 day crossing from Canary Islands. They had very big seas with huge swells but no one got sea sick, it wasn't that kind of sea, but it was hard to sleep so Steve figured he got no more than 3 to 4 hours sleep any night.
There are about 30 passengers still on board who did the transatlantic and no doubt enjoying somewhat calmer seas now - not so calm since there are big seas with over 8 foot swells. Steve said that the 3 Clippers (Royal Clipper the largest with 227 passengers, the Star Clipper and Star Flyer exactly the same with 170 passengers, although only 104 passengers on this sailing) met up on the Atlantic and had great fun racing each other and crossing each others' paths with little space to spare - they had the whole Atlantic to play in! Tomorrow we meet up with the Royal Clipper in Dominica and get to go on board and do a ship inspection so we're really looking forward to that.
There are about 30 passengers still on board who did the transatlantic and no doubt enjoying somewhat calmer seas now - not so calm since there are big seas with over 8 foot swells. Steve said that the 3 Clippers (Royal Clipper the largest with 227 passengers, the Star Clipper and Star Flyer exactly the same with 170 passengers, although only 104 passengers on this sailing) met up on the Atlantic and had great fun racing each other and crossing each others' paths with little space to spare - they had the whole Atlantic to play in! Tomorrow we meet up with the Royal Clipper in Dominica and get to go on board and do a ship inspection so we're really looking forward to that.
Breakfast is from 8-10am and we enjoyed fresh breads, crepes and cheeses along with yoghurt and muesli and bypassed the eggs to order station and all the hot dishes on the buffet. Probably no more than about 20 folks in the dining room for breakfast so many folks taking advantage of our late 12noon planned arrival to catch up on sleep and the rigours of flying from their homes to board the Star Clipper in St Maarten yesterday.
After breakfast we headed to the AFT deck via the ship's store where we bought an embroidered Star Clipper hat for Terry at 20 Euros. All pricing on the ship is in Euros and we find many things very expensive. The small cotton printed Star Clipper bandana that I want is 25 E that's about $39! Then we picked up our snorkel gear for the duration of the cruise (no charge) - we had brought our own masks and snorkels with us. Then it was time to catch up on a little of our travel blog since I have done nothing this week!
At 10am we had a second safety instruction with Cruise Director Peter Kissner - a new safety rule since the Costa Concordia disaster two years ago - now it's required to have a first safety drill with life jackets on day 1 before departing the pier, and day 2 a further safety instruction to make sure everyone remembers where they are supposed to go and what they should do in the event of an event. Then Captain Oleksander Sinitsyn welcomed us all and introduced us to his Management team on the Star Clipper, including Chief Engineer Sinisa Kovic and Chief Mate Andizej Kowalcyk. Captain Oleksander also warned us that with 35knot winds and 40 knot gusts there was a chance we would not be able to anchor and safely board the tenders to get into the island of Nevis scheduled from 12noon until 5pm this afternoon. Shortly after the Captain returned and said the winds were now all 40 knots and depth down for 2 metres which was dangerous for the ship so we would not be stopping in Nevis but sailing on to Dominica - our planned stop for tomorrow.
Our Caribbean creole lunch was early (1130 to 1330) as per the original plan to get folks off the ship and over to Nevis. Then it was back out on the deck and I think I spent maybe 4 hours all told to finally get our travel blog up todate. But at least I was sitting with my Ipad, typing away with the wind blowing through my hair, music playing on the Tropical Bar speaker system, and the sounds of the rushing waves and swells as they crashed against the sides of the Star Clipper. The skies were blue and we passed by Nevis - the huge volcanic centre and other smaller cones on the sides and long slopes running down into the ocean. It was a very green island and looked quite developed along the shoreline and lower mountain slopes.
Monday 24 November 2014 Cabrits, Dominica
Dominica is a dream-like island, full of surprises. Glide through a steamy orchid-festooned rainforest in a fascinating boat ride or hike to breathtaking Trafalgar Falls and a bubbling lake.
We had planned to take the river rafting shore excursion in Dominica - something we have never done here in the 3 or 4 visits and have wanted to do. Unfortunately we still won't be able to do that shore excursion since today instead we are heading over to the Royal Clipper to do a ship inspection, and we are looking forward to seeing the Royal Clipper which has 5 masts, 5,500 sq feet of sails and 225 passengers - so about 50% more sails and 50 more passengers than the 175 passenger Star Clipper which we are cruising on. By the way the cruiseline is called Star Clipper Cruises - there are currently 3 ships: Star Clipper, Star Flyer (both the same design and size) and the largest Royal Clipper. Rumour has it that there will be a new Clipper launched in 2017 to be built in Croatia and be the largest on the fleet, a replica of the France 2.
We sailed for a long time along the mountainous lush green rain forested island of Dominica this morning - heavy black clouds around the mountain tops but also lots of blue skies as well. After morning coffee up top as we sailed in, and our normal 8am breakfast (never many folks about at 8am) we were so excited to join up with the Royal Clipper! This is a pre planned meeting of the two Clippers, I believe every second week, when they both head to Dominica on the same day. This also happened on the Transatlantic crossing in the middle of the Atlantic the previous week as the Star and Royal Clipper sailed from Europe after their Summer season to start their Winter season in the Caribbean!
It had been raining quite heavily and the Royal Clipper appeared like a ghost ship on the horizon sailing towards the island of Dominica as we sailed along the coastline. Eventually the Royal Clipper and Star Clipper were next to each other (after much careful manoeuvring and joking backwards and forwards between the two Captains) and each ship raised all their sails 3500 sq ft on the 4 masted Star Clipper and 5500 sq ft on the 5 masted Royal clipper - - it was just awesome and an amazing and very special sight and experience for us - we loved it and took lots of photos! Then the ships both headed along the coastline and we eventually anchored off the town of Cabrits. Then at 11am we were off over bumpy seas in the Star Clipper tender to the dock to drop off the shore excursion folks, then over to the Royal Clipper where we met by gracious hotel Manager Carlos who immediately settled us in the library and served us non alcoholic fruit punch and then proudly told us all about his ship prior to touring us through the various cabin categories and shared facilities on the Royal Clipper.
First impressions of the Royal Clipper are that even though it holds only 50 more passengers (total 225) than the 175 passenger Star Clipper, it's a much larger and more spacious ship., The main bar area has at least 6, maybe 8, more tables with high stools than the 2 on the Star Clipper and is a much larger area. The luxurious grand main atrium with the dining room below is open for 3 or 4 floors surrounded by brass railings and blue carpets underfoot giving it a Royal, spacious and gracious feeling. The ship store is certainly bigger with a much wider variety of goods for purchase. There are a couple of additional cabin categories although in general I find most staterooms on both ships very similar -- the biggest difference being location (which deck and where on the deck) and other differences being double beds that cannot be made into two twins (or vice versa) in some cabins. Also any room that has the third passenger bunk bed I find feels small and claustrophobic to me. Note that this bunk bed when located directly overhead of the double bed below means that the passengers can hit their heads should they try to sit up in bed to read etc,. All of the bathrooms are very similar in layout and size, the exceptions being the most expensive categories where a couple have small (tiny) sit up and beg bath tubs.
Summary: I loved the Royal Clipper and especially the feeling of more space, and of course the Royal Clipper has a huge amount of sails (5,500sq feet) including all of the horizontal sails so looks amazing when all the sails are hoisted! On the other hand the Star Clipper is intimate and you can easily meet and mix with everyone on the ship should you wish to. Note that due to a somewhat similar percentage mix of UK, USA, and European passengers (mostly German but a few French and Dutch) I also found that the majority of the time the 3 groups of passengers only mixed within these 3 language groups. Also the Royal Clipper is more expensive than the Star Clipper.
Summary: I loved the Royal Clipper and especially the feeling of more space, and of course the Royal Clipper has a huge amount of sails (5,500sq feet) including all of the horizontal sails so looks amazing when all the sails are hoisted! On the other hand the Star Clipper is intimate and you can easily meet and mix with everyone on the ship should you wish to. Note that due to a somewhat similar percentage mix of UK, USA, and European passengers (mostly German but a few French and Dutch) I also found that the majority of the time the 3 groups of passengers only mixed within these 3 language groups. Also the Royal Clipper is more expensive than the Star Clipper.
After our ship inspection we headed back to the pier where we unloaded off the Royal Clipper tender and waited for the Star Clipper tender, then headed to the beach where the sports activities were taking place for the day. Just as we neared the beach the black clouds overhead opened up and let loose just a huge downpour! several of us decided to forget the beach and go back to the Star Clipper! Not long afterwards the skies were once more blue and all the folks who were on the beach had a full day after hiding under umbrellas and shelters (or in the ocean) when the rains came!
Our sail away was around 6pm, and we enjoyed seeing the Royal Clipper sail away at 430pm - the Captains of the Royal and Star tooting their horns at each other as the Royal left. It was not raining and the Royal was beautiful to see as she sailed heading South - a different itinerary than the Star Clipper. We left not too much later than the Royal Clipper and of course enjoyed the wind in our faces as Van Gelis played 1492 over the speakers - a great sound system I might add on the Star Clipper.
At 8pm another amazing dinner was served, and some folks really do enjoy all 6 courses including soup and sorbet. The portion sizes are quite small and very adequate allowing everyone to not have to wade through one huge plate but be able to sample some amazing culinary efforts put out in a tiny galley by the Indonesian chef and his crew.
Tuesday 25 November 2014 Terre de Haut, Iles des Saintes
Les Saintes is a thoroughly entrancing group of islands lying off Guadeloupe. You'll enjoy the superb beaches, snorkelling, diving and other watersports on offer.
Well we woke up before sunrise to head up top and thoroughly enjoy the sailing on the ocean as we headed towards the island of Terre de Haute in the group of islands in Iles des Saintes. The winds were strong and so we were really moving about, keeling from side to side. We so enjoy this first cup of coffee each morning watching the sun light up the backsides and tops of the clouds before it shows its' face and heats everything up. This morning there were several black clouds and the Captain and First Mate were discussing about where to anchor the Star Clipper.
The SeaDream1 was there before us, but the Star Clipper pulled in closer and dropped anchor. For whatever reason minds were changed and then we moved - out through a pass with water breaking over the nearby reef - then back around the island of Cabrits which would also be our beach and sports location for the day.
We last visited Terre de Haut in January 2013 as we sailed on the Paul Gauguin Cruiseline Tere Moana luxury yacht from St Martin to Puerto Caldera in Costa Rica. We loved it then and thoroughly enjoyed it again today, 23 months later. We were on the first tender to the small town and wandered through in the warm sunshine checking out the very French small stores (and European prices) - some lovely items that we haven't seen elsewhere but managed to be satisfied with window shopping (although I was very tempted with this flimsy 2 layer coral coloured short dress). Then we walked on through town, cutting out on to the beach which is a glorious beach - crystal clear water, soft white sand, with all the local wooden boats anchored or tied up here. We tried to stop at one cute little place (it was only 11 o'clock) for a drink but were turned away which we often find the case in the French West Indies Islands - you can only sit and stay if you eat lunch at E20 per person+ - no, you can't sit for a drink only!!
We continued along to where the road takes a turn up a hill and over to another area of the island (we explored throughly on a scooter last visit) and so we managed to persuade the owner to let us sit on the outside deck right by the water and enjoy a cold drink and no lunch! Afterwards we sauntered back to the pier, checked out the one store (Mahogany) which is full of died blue cotton clothing which I love, then on to the tender and back to the Star Clipper for lunch. For lunch we often have some fish, cheese and crackers or bread, and who can resist a dessert?
The Sports team were on the beach on the island of Cabrits with kayaks, small sail boats, and a zodiac to take folks water skiing - so we headed over after lunch but only stayed for about an hour. It was not a nice beach, lots of sea weed in the water, a dark sandy very narrow beach. Ron went sailing and had a fantastic time (he is a water person through and through, still surfing at age 67 and has lived on a boat for ever and never owned a home). Missy and Dave went snorkelling at the point at the end of the island, had a great time and saw some neat fish - but in general most folks were disappointed at this beach. Our comment would be that the beach in the small town behind the stores and restaurants on Terre Haute where we were this morning was way better. Missy and Dave had hiked over the main island to the big beach were we had gone last visit and again the waves of the Atlantic were too big and lots of seaweed on the beach (and the chickens and goats were still there too).
Back on Star Clipper we relaxed on the aft deck on 2 comfortable suncots and watched the sun settle down lower in the sky - it was warm and pleasant and a great way to finish an enjoyable day.
Wednesday 26 November 2014 Deshaies, Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe looks like a butterfly from the air. Its' giant wings are actually two islands, separated by the Rivière Salée, a natural salt water channel. Basse Terre, the southern or leeward part of Guadeloupe, is lush and rugged, dominated by La Soufrière. A stream of boiling water gushes from the top of the 4,800-ft. mountain, reminding you that this volcano is not dormant, but very much alive.
Up on deck before sunrise and the sky was pitch black - heavy clouds everywhere - oh oh!! Rain for sure! The winds and gusts were very strong and the deck is a lovely place to be to watch the sunrise and feel the breezes or strong blows in your face! I am so glad I remembered to bring a hair band with me to keep the hair from blowing continually in my eyes, to say that I have looked somewhat windswept from the moment that I stepped onto the Star Clipper would be rather a large understatement! That 630am fresh flaky pastries and freshly brewed coffee are always a real treat. It is too bad that it is the same 3 pastries every morning (yellow, red and dark red jam) versus some variety over the 7 days - but believe me whoever makes the pastries is a real pastry chef and the pastries are so light and flaky.
Then at 8am it was breakfast and get the bags ready with whatever we might need for the day - do we wear the swimsuit under shorts and teeshirt or do we put the swimsuit in the bag? The camera, hats, sunscreen, money - always try not to forget anything!
As we pulled into the small and pretty harbour at Deshaies the Captain anchored (over 175 metres of anchor line) and a short rain squall passed through but we were ready to go, so off we headed on the first tender into town, after the shore excursion folks were off. At 945am we had attended Peter's destination talk (all 75 seconds of it) and Peter had said you needed 10 minutes, no make that only 5, to walk up and down the main street and the only other thing to do was the Botanical Gardens where there are lots of parrots that fly all around you and land on your arms and everywhere. Then Peter continued with his Storytime talks, talking about the tall ships history - today being about the largest 5 ships in history and their short lives, where they were built, for whom, and when they sank or disappeared and why, or the speculation as to where , why and when they disappeared.
We walked along the front street which is side by side tiny stores and restaurants, all backing on to the rocky beach and ocean but extremely pretty. Our first surprise was finding the small pelican store which had Baobab brand inventory which we both love and managed to each find a new Teeshirt, tank top! We see this brand on most of the French Islands that we stop at - as a result the prices are always in Euros and range from E25 to E30 for a teeshirt - from $37 to $45 Cad -- but they have great traditional designs, almost Tahitian in design - great turtles! We wandered taking lots of photos, and we certainly found that French is spoken here with very little English spoken or understood, so definitely an opportunity to practise my French! And I would need a lot of practise before I would be good! But I did have a pleasant exchange in French with an older lady who was on her balcony as we climbed the hill to visit the cemetery and she came out to the road to talk some more so that was a challenge but an enjoyable challenge for me!
The cemetery had fairly recent burials (20th Century) and several very old plots with no markers on at all so we're not sure from how long ago the patrons had been buried. The cemetery was situated in a wonderful location overlooking the Deshaies harbour and open seas. Most of the graves were above ground crypts, some quite large and elegant. (On a side note the following day in Antigua, Terry told me he saw a sign for a store saying "Embroidery, Screen Printing, Signs, Headstones & Monuments" - Terry said we had sold Janzart too soon and we could have expanded into headstones & monuments - comedian that he is!! "The final step in advertising!"
Back in town we managed to stay dry through another rain squall by slipping into a store and conversing in French with the owner - the sun soon came back out and we headed up the hill (10% gradient) towards the Botanical Gardens. It was steep and we were soon very damp and saw the sign for Hemingway's Bar & Restaurant, so we headed off on the side road which went back down - all the way down to the water where there was a chain across the entryway - which we ignored and headed in to take a look! It is still in use with all the furniture, glassware etc still inside so perhaps just for evenings or weekends. Too bad there wasn't a sign to that effect at the top by the main road since now we had to walk all the way up the hill - again!
We eventually made the top of the hill where the Jardin Botanicale was located and I thoroughly enjoyed these very tropical exotic and good sized gardens (entrance fee E15.50 about $28 Cad per adult). We spent a good couple of hours walking around and took lots of photos of the beautiful orchids, ginger, birds of Paradise and other beautiful flowers and plants. We finished up with a cold beer E3.80 for Terry and the house specialty cocktail E5.00 for me - a Mojito with tequila, and a huge bottle of water which we finished in no time at all before we savoured the drinks!
Then we walked back down the hill which took about 30 minutes - much faster than the uphill trek! But we felt great for the exercise since there is very little space for exercising or walking on the Star Clipper (no exercise room on the Star Clipper although there is on the larger Royal Clipper). We caught the 230pm tender back to the Star Clipper and actually arrived in time for a very quick lunch since lunch was available today until 3pm which we had no idea about. The last tender was at 330pm and just before 4pm the sails were raised along with the very deep anchor and with the strong winds it was a wonderful afternoon for sailing. What was amazing was that climbing the rigs was offered as an activity to those passengers so inclined this afternoon as we sailed away.
At 645pm we met Wendy Jensen from Star Clippers, and did a site inspection of the other stateroom categories on the Star Clipper, then we (along with the other Travel Consultants on the FAM, enjoyed a short cocktail party prior to heading downstairs to the Commodore dining room to enjoy the Captain's dinner! Needless to say I ordered the lobster which was excellent - we also really enjoyed the conversations with Laurie and Mike from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Thursday 27 November 2014 St John's Harbour, Antigua
(originally planned: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua) The dockyards, marinas, old inns, venerable pubs and convivial crowds of sun-tanned yacht crews; this is the epicentre of the Caribbean yachting world. Today, every faded pink brick and weather-worn bollard of Nelson's Dockyard evokes the presence of the greatest naval commander in history.
(originally planned: Falmouth Harbour, Antigua) The dockyards, marinas, old inns, venerable pubs and convivial crowds of sun-tanned yacht crews; this is the epicentre of the Caribbean yachting world. Today, every faded pink brick and weather-worn bollard of Nelson's Dockyard evokes the presence of the greatest naval commander in history.
It had been a night of big swells continually crashing against the port holes with a thud as if we had hit something solid - which of course is what large masses of water are - very solid! It was a glorious morning to wake up to - just a couple of fluffy white clouds in a clear sky - out on the deck at 545am and ready to watch the sun rise - we were already sailing alongside the island of Antigua and the sun rose as quickly as always does, sending golden rays all across the Caribbean Sea. Due to the strong winds and large swells, this morning we will be docking in the capital city of St John's Antigua versus the originally planned Falmouth Harbour. We will dock at 10am and depart at 11pm tonight after onboard entertainment by the local Hell Gate Steel Band! On the horizon also heading into St John's we could see two large white cruise ships heading towards St John's as well - they turned out to be P&O lines Ventura (from Europe) and the huge and brand new Royal Princess (out of Florida ) - what a monster as we looked up at 4
oceanview decks and 9 decks of balconies overlooking us on the tiny Star Clipper with our huge masts below her promenade deck!
Our approach was very slow with the sails coming down about one hour out of St John';s. We had already eaten our breakfast at 8am, after fresh coffee and pastry at 630m (petit dejeuner) while we sat in the sun and enjoyed the sailing along the Antigua Western coastline - along with Ron who we visit with most mornings - like us, he's always up on deck before sunrise (also Helmut from Germany - a journalist I believe with a camera with a huge lens, always seems on his own and either doesn't want, or has trouble with, conversing with other passengers on the Star Clipper).
The Antigua pilot came on board from a small boat alongside, around 9:00am and conversed with, and worked with, Captain Oleyksander to bring the Star Clipper into the dock on the South Side of the Royal Princess. It was a lot of work and really interesting to see us slowly come into dock with all the sailors in their whites and navy stripes and whites - with one sailor turning the huge wooden ship's wheel very fast on every direction from the Captain. Eventually the ropes (sheets) were thrown out on to the dock where the dock workers caught them and secured them around the big metal bollards and by 10am we were secured and the ten (that's right - 10!!) Antiguan immigration and customs officials came on board and entered the library with the Purser to clear the ship and us, its' passengers. At the Tropical Bar our bartender Alberto was busy making alcohol free Sex on the Beach cocktails for these officials - this was our cocktail of the day E4.50 which, of course, is NOT alcohol free!!
It was hot and sunny and the cool breezes across midships in the bar section were very welcome so we took a short time to work on our travel blog- it requires great commitment and lots of time to stay current. Today we plan to wander around the small town of St John and perhaps take a local bus or taxi to the beach!
We headed into St John's and enjoyed a wander around town and managed to find SunSeekers - the fabulous swimsuit store here but managed to resist temptation and not add another swimsuit (although I found a fabulous maillot) to my collection. We checked with the taxi driver the cost to Turner's Beach $32USD each way) and then located the Roti King tiny local restaurant that we always try to visit and we shared a chicken roti along with a Caribe Beer and a local Wadadli beer - we did a taste taste and decided we still preferred the Caribe although the Wadadli was quite drinkable - although for me I'm not a beer drinker at all and so half a bottle is more than I like or need! There were throngs of passengers from the two large cruise ships (P&O Ventura and Royal Princess) wandering in the tourist area around the cruise ship pier many of whom looked absolutely uncomfortable and over heated.
It was exceedingly hot in St John's and so we headed back to the Star Clipper around 1230pm to change into swimsuits and head off to the beach. We left right away (after applying more sun block) and walked the few blocks to the local bus station. The number 20 was leaving shortly but only went to Jolly Beach not to Turner's Beach where we wanted to go to - so we waited and got on the number 22 ($3 USD each) and then had to wait for the bus to fill up with kids heading home from school, all wearing their school uniforms, before the bus left. Each time anyone gets on the bus (including the young and older school children) they say "Good afternoon" directed to all the other passengers already seated on the bus.The driver goes pretty fast and halts very fast each time someone yells out "Bus Stop!"
We passed DarkWood beach, where we had visited previously - a lovely small beach with a local joint for beer and snacks, and not much further along we got off at Turner's Beach around 230pm. This is another simply beautiful long white beach with no waves and clear water, the sand so soft and like talcum powder, no rocks in the water so great to just hang out and relax which is just what we did. We bought a rum and coke from the bar and restaurant here ($5 USD each) and paid for two comfortable sun cots at the bar $5 USD each and soon we were laying very close to the azure waters with the waves gently lapping and enjoying every moment. The sun was still very hot and we thoroughly enjoyed every moment in the water bobbing about as well as drying off in the sun with a cold drink in hand.
In the water we had a young local boy, about 10 years old, come and play in the ocean and talk to us - very well spoken and quite precocious - his name was Lekeith. He told us all the subjects that he took at school including Math, English, technical drawing and Home Economics. When I asked him if he was learning to cook in Home Ec he assured me very quickly that he did not and would never cook - that was his Mom's job, he just liked to eat! He absolutely did not believe us when we told him that we scuba dived under the water with the fish, rays and sharks!
Terry wandered along the beach to check out the one rental property at one end up the point (did not look well cared for), the resort apartments right next to where we were at Turner Beach resort (must be bankrupt - completely empty and fenced off with frost fence) but then there was the delightful funky Keyonna Beach resort - and spent some time talking to the waiter Akeema about the resort. As the sun was setting we walked back together and enjoyed a rum and coke at Keyonna served by Francine. It turns out that this is an all inclusive resort with small cottages and apartments - rates from about $650USD per night up to $950 USD per night. Everything is wooden (the cottages in a semi circle) and a lovely restaurant and bar all along the beach front with mangrove bushes in front and Bali beds along the beach.
Terry wandered along the beach to check out the one rental property at one end up the point (did not look well cared for), the resort apartments right next to where we were at Turner Beach resort (must be bankrupt - completely empty and fenced off with frost fence) but then there was the delightful funky Keyonna Beach resort - and spent some time talking to the waiter Akeema about the resort. As the sun was setting we walked back together and enjoyed a rum and coke at Keyonna served by Francine. It turns out that this is an all inclusive resort with small cottages and apartments - rates from about $650USD per night up to $950 USD per night. Everything is wooden (the cottages in a semi circle) and a lovely restaurant and bar all along the beach front with mangrove bushes in front and Bali beds along the beach.
Then back to the road where the security guard flagged down a #22 mini van (11 passengers) and we had a fun and interesting ride back into St John's - $3 USD total for the two of us. The lady who sat in the back with me called "Bus Stop" in one village where she proceeded to pass a plastic bag filled with heaven knows what to the front where the passenger in the front had to hand this out to the sister of the lady next to me who was waiting by the side of the road! Talk about cost effective and time effective delivery - all at no cost to the passenger who just brought the goods along for her sister as she herself headed into St John;s for the night.
Back In St John's the bus station is on the other side of the Harbour to where the Star Clipper was docked - giving us a great opportunity to take photos of the Star Clipper with the white lights all along the masts, and the small fishing boats in the water closest to where we were standing in the foreground - lovely ambience and photos. A short walk back along the dark but lively streets of St John we arrived back on the Star clipper around 7pm where Missy and Dave (from North Carolina) came and grabbed us. They wanted to buy us a drink to say Thanks for the directions we had given to them to take the local bus and head out to Nelson's Dockyard, English Harbour for the day - they had a superb day and loved the experience on the local buses.
Then we barely had chance to grab a shower and change into clean clothes for dinner - which always starts at 730pm each evening and goes through until about 930pm. We sat with Missy and Dave and had a lovely dinner - can't remember all the choices but I thoroughly enjoyed the veal carpaccio, vegetable tempura, and main course of stuffed veal followed by rum and raisin ice cream.
At 930pm the Hell Gate Steel Band (about 6 drummers) were on the covered deck at the bar and they played non stop for one hour - great music and everyone really had fun and danced along. Then there was the limbo bar held by the Sports Team, JJ (from London UK), Natalia (from Poland), and ? from Sweden. And boy JJ is a pretty stocky bloke but he can sure limbo - amazing! Then there was Fritz the waiter from St Lucia and he even managed to limbo under the bar with a tray of cups on his head without spilling one! He also led a conga line around the deck - most definitely an enjoyable evening for everyone. We headed to bed as Hell's Gate were finishing and just did not manage to come back up for the sail away. Unfortunately the St John's Antigua Harbour is fairly large so even after the Star Clipper had pulled away from the dock it would be some time longer before the Star Clipper was out of the harbour channel, the pilot unloaded and able to put up her sails and play Van Gelis 1942 - so tonight we had to give it a miss in favour (I hoped) of a good night's sleep.
Friday 28 November 2014 Gustavia, St. Barts 10:30am - 10pm last tender at 7:30pm
In its elegant little capital of Gustavia, French joie de vivre is tempered by Swedish spic and span neatness. Diversions include duty-free shopping in exquisite boutiques, beautiful beaches, excellent dining and people-watching.
I was awake last night for a couple of hours so as a result didn't wake up until just after 6am - unfortunately that meant I wasn't on deck for the sunrise and as fate would have it apparently prior to sunrise the entire sky was brilliant red - Helmud told me at breakfast! what a shame for me and my favourite time on the star clipper this week has been sitting on the deck in the wind sailing and watching the sun make its' daily appearance. In general much less than a dozen passengers have been on deck at this time so it's been a special time of day for me.
We were still on deck shortly after sunrise and the sea was pretty calm although the swells really increased in size as we neared St Bartholome (St Barts). Breakfast was short and sweet and again, not may folks are around when breakfast starts at 8am each morning - the buffet with the sous chef preparing eggs to order - lots of french toast, bacon, eggs, corned beef hash, fresh fruits (love that papaya with lime) and the pastries, breads (no toaster on board but great fresh breads) and then the cold meats and wonderful cheeses of course with fresh brewed coffee although no facilities on board for cappuccino and latte's.
Afterwards we packed most of our clothes and shoes - I hate spending the last night on board packing so today I was pro-active! Again trying to split our stuff (in case only 1 bag should arrive so that we both have some clothes) and balance the weight since our checked bags are heavy. Tomorrow it appears that we can leave our bags at the port in a secure area until 4pm which is awesome since our flight to Fort Lauderdale doesn't depart until 350pm so we plan to spend the day at the beach (probably the Holland House) until around 2pm then take the taxi to the airport. This morning we also checked our preliminary bill from Star Clipper - having kept the bills we received each time we ordered a drink and signed for it.
At 1030am we rounded the point and headed into St Barth's - noticing the two masted yacht upon the rocks - no doubt as a result of the October 11 2014 hurricane which hit St Maarten and St Barth's really hard 7 weeks ago. Our tenders will run every half hour today with the last tender back to the ship at 730pm tonight.
We stayed on the Star Clipper until 12:30pm and enjoyed a wonderful lunch" roast suckling pig with crackling - very tasty! beef satay, sushi, crab soup and lots of other dishes, and the always wonderful fresh cheeses & breads, followed by coconut pie, and Iris Cream pudding. We ate a little and quickly in time to put on swimsuits, grab clean beach towels and take the 1pm tender into St Barts. It was very hot in the marina area, but we walked slowly over to Shell Beach passing Missy and Dave eating burgers at a local restaurant located overlooking the marina.
At Shell Beach it was glorious as ever - incredibly blue crystal clear water with the swells rolling in making it great for hanging out and cooling off. The beach has quite a steep entry so sometimes it must get crashing waves here perhaps? We lay on our towels and enjoyed the heat, but only after we'd cooled off from the walk, and then again a long swim and float to truly enjoy this beautiful beach and bay. The beach is large and truly consist of only shells - in some places on the beach the billion so shells have been broken down into tiny pieces and in other areas there are millions of shells, still almost whole, and in varying beautiful contrasting shades of pink, white and cream. As the swells roll in and out and the waves break on the beach, all you can hear is the gentle sound of the shells moving up and down against each other - shhhhhhhh, shhhhhhhh.
We spent nearly 3 hours on Shell beach soaking up every sun ray and enjoyable moment. There is the DoBrazil restaurant and bar, store and suncot rentals - not sure how much they cost but on our last visit 2 years ago the sun cots were @ 22Euros per person per day (about $33 Cad!).. There is a pre school right behind us on the beach and as we left to head back to the Star Clipper all the parents were there picking up their little ones. There is essentially no parking here, just a few spots of expensive valet parking for the restaurant E12 per stay. It is very French here - lots of topless ladies on the beach, young and old alike.
It was truly a relaxing few hours and we were soon back on the tender to the Star Clipper - salty and sticky and looking for a shower! We had walked back through town occasionally glancing in a store window but no serious window shopping - everything here is just too expensive - even the Teeshirts start at E35 (over $50 Cad). By the time we were back at Star Clipper there were a lot of clouds in the sky which cooled everything off quite quickly so our timing was good! We enjoyed rum and coke (and a yellow bird cocktail of the day that Laurie had ordered and didn't like!) and watched the sun go down. Laurie and Mike had been to St John (?) beach at the end of the airport runway and had a grand day -- and lots of sun! Laurie was quite pink but glowing after a wonderful day on St Barth's.
From 5-6pm is appies on Star Clipper and we had a new keyboard player and singer this afternoon - he was good and his playing was lively and good singing - much better than the low key Freddie who was on when we boarded Star Clipper last week but disappeared today apparently. Today being the last day of this cruise there was also a sale on the deck (by the bar) from 5 to 6pm of odd pieces of clothing and belts - quite a few folks bought things but I managed to resist.
Our welcome shower was quite fast and then back on deck where we then joined Missy and Dave, and Ron & Cheryl for our last dinner. It was good conversation and easy going, dinner was excellent as always (grapefruit sorbet, creme brûlée).
The last tender back from St Bath's was at 730pm and after dinner at 10pm we sailed away under the stars listening to our last Van Gelis 1492 for this trip as the sails were raised.
The last tender back from St Bath's was at 730pm and after dinner at 10pm we sailed away under the stars listening to our last Van Gelis 1492 for this trip as the sails were raised.
It is only 20 nautical miles from St Barth's to Philipsburg where we are scheduled to dock at 7am tomorrow Saturday morning Nov 29, 2014 so the Captain or First Mate will be finding some ocean to cruise around on all night tonight! Back in our cabin #116 category 3 Terry threw the last few items into the top of our large wheeled duffel bag suitcases and outside the cabin door they went (had to be out by 3am) where they will be unloaded and we see them next on the dock tomorrow morning in Philipsburg, St Maarten. I was asleep before Terry had finished and I think that took him less than 5 minutes - since we had packed almost everything earlier this morning!
Saturday 29 November 2014 Philipsburg, St. Maarten
The smallest island in the world shared by two countries (Holland and France), St. Martin/St. Maarten is big on shopping. Whether you go Dutch in Philipsburg or prefer Marigot's French touch, you're always welcome.
I woke up around 3am (maybe the noise from the bags being collected by the crew? They work so hard on the last and first day of every cruise) and after reading a short while managed to get back to sleep. However I did have a dreadful thought while awake - did my shorts and teeshirt get thrown into the large duffel bags in error by terry? Did I have any clothes left to put on in the morning? What would I do if I had nothing? I got up and checked - it's OK, there were my teeshirt and shorts! Back to sleep eventually, I woke again at sunrise 615am as the Star Clipper was pulling into the pier and docking.
We were soon dressed and ready and I found that I was missing my Margaritaville sunglasses which I love and were also costly! I checked and double checked everywhere but I didn't have them. Did they get thrown into the large duffel bags last night? I checked with Ariel the bar man - no, nothing handed in here. Then I checked with the Pursers' office - and there they were - I was thrilled!
We were soon dressed and ready and I found that I was missing my Margaritaville sunglasses which I love and were also costly! I checked and double checked everywhere but I didn't have them. Did they get thrown into the large duffel bags last night? I checked with Ariel the bar man - no, nothing handed in here. Then I checked with the Pursers' office - and there they were - I was thrilled!
We had a leisurely breakfast with Ron and Cheryl, said farewell to Missy & Dave, also to Joel and Efraim our waiters, to Ariel the bar tender, then had a group photo at 9am with all the travel consultants on the FAM (Wendy, Laurie and husband Mark, Chris, etc) and then returned our stateroom keys (they still use real keys on the Star Clipper), OK'd our bill to be charged to our credit card with Sports department Natalia from Poland (this had been her first week)) who then returned our passports to us then we disembarked at 10am with a last farewell to Hotel Manager Steve (who today is moving to the Royal Clipper).
Our large duffel bags were on the pier being looked after by the rest of the Sports Team JJ and ? We also left our sun hats and 2 very heavy carryon bags (with computers, Ipad, jewellery etc) with then. They would be sitting with the luggage all day and we could return to pick it up by 330pm.
We were soon walking down the road and along the Boardwalk to Holland House -- our planned destination where for $25USD we could spend the day with WIFI, sun umbrella, 2 suncots and a bucket of ice with 4 beers -- and use of the shower, towels, and toilets at Holland House! By now the sweat was running down our faces and we were soon changed into swimsuits and taking a very refreshing and welcome dip in the ocean with two sun cots at the front of the beach to enjoy our day. It was a great 3 hours until we changed into dry clothes and headed back to the pier at 1pm. Just before we left there was a short rain squall but under the umbrella and using the towels on the beach we stayed pretty much dry!
By 1:30pm we were in a taxi van with friendly, knowledgeable and talkative Captain Midnight Steve - an enjoyable taxi ride with light traffic to the Princess Juliana International airport. Steve did tell us that the Cyclone Gonzalo was a major hit in October and the weathermen called it wrong - they told everyone not to worry it was going to be a tropical storm - but it was a deadly hurricane causing lots of damage - we have seen several sail boats on the rocks in St Martin (French side of the island) and off St Barth's. I also asked Steve about the statue of the young girl carrying wood at one roundabout outside Philipsburg - he told me that was "one breasted Mimi" who helped find food for other slaves and had her one breast cut off I believe when she tried to run away.
The airport was very busy - The checkin at Spirit Airlines seemed slow although when our turn came around we were through quickly - our total allowance 46KG and we had 44.4 total in our two checked bags. We had pre purchased one checked and one carryon bag each. Then we went through 2 passport control and exit processes, long lines for each, then a third long line for Security - all shoes, belts and watches off, computers out of their bags etc. We arrived at our departure gate B4 at 3pm - it took well over 1 hour from arrival to the gate. The airport was very busy and we were quite hungry but no time and long lines at the couple of food places.
Saturday Nov 29 fly SPIRIT AIRLINES NK0101
depart St Maarten 350pm arrive Fort Lauderdale 6:09pm
depart St Maarten 350pm arrive Fort Lauderdale 6:09pm
We had to take a bus out to the plane and it was 4:25pm when we were finally taxiing to the runway for take off. Spirit advertises themselves as no frills airline and that's just what they are! They have a menu for the "Frill Control" centre - $5 for soda, water,tea or coffee. $7 for wine, $2.50 for muffin or Pringles etc. Before we boarded several names were called out - these were the lucky passengers selected for secondary security screening. We did buy Tanqueray Gin and tonic from the "Frill Control Centre" and at 630pm were filling out the US Customs and Immigration form prior to arriving in Fort Lauderdale. This is Saturday of the USA Thanksgiving weekend and tomorrow Sunday is the busiest travel day in the USA every year - I am so glad we won't be travelling tomorrow on a plane or through an airport!
Tonight we are staying at the Courtyard by Marriott Cruise & Port hotel Fort Lauderdale. There is a complimentary shuttle between the Airport and Courtyard so hopefully that works out as planned when we arrive in Fort Lauderdale.
Sunday Nov 30- Dec 7 HOLLAND AMERICA NIEUW AMSTERDAM – WESTERN CARIBBEAN - FORT LAUDERDALE ROUND TRIP ( 7 NIGHTS)
Sunday 30 Nov 2014 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US
04:00 PM departure
Monday 01 Dec 2014 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas TR
08:00 AM 04:00 PM
Tuesday 02 Dec 2014 At Sea Wednesday 03 Dec 2014 Georgetown, Cayman Islands TR
08:00 AM 04:00 PM
Thursday 04 Dec 2014 Cozumel, Mexico
10:00 AM 11:00 PM
Friday 05 Dec 2014 At Sea Saturday 06 Dec 2014 Key West, Florida, US
08:00 AM 05:00 PM
Sunday 07 Dec 2014 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US
07:00 AM disembark
Sunday Dec 7 Fly Fort Lauderdale – Dallas – Vancouver AA1511 and AA2369 depart FLL 245pm arrive YVR Vancouver 945pm Vancouver Airport Fairmont Hotel 1 night
Monday Dec 8 BC Ferries Vancouver to Langdale, Sunshine Coast BC Canada
