Reflection review with photos - Day 5 - January 2 and St. Thomas

Reflection Review with photos - Pre-cruise day

Reflection review with photos - Day 1 - Miami

Reflection review with photos - Day 2 - At Sea

Reflection review with photos - Day 3 - New Year's Eve & San Juan

Reflection review with photos - Day 4 - January 1 and St. Martin

Celebrity Reflection, New Year's Cruise, December 2012 Photos

Day 5 – Jan. 2 – St. Tomas

We were up early today, and for a change, we ordered a room service breakfast the night before. The food arrived promptly, but our order was a bit mixed up. I got my ham and cheese omelette, toast, green tea and grapefruit. My son got what he had requested. But my husband didn’t get any toast, or the bacon he had asked for, and he got four fried eggs, instead of the two he had ordered. He had planned to make a bacon and egg sandwich to take with him (he’s not a big breakfast eater, unlike me!). But without bread or bacon, his plan was foiled! We did get a call asking if we had enjoyed our room service breakfast. I explained the minor problems, and she apologized several times and then asked, “well, um, how was your dinner last night?” And I told her dinner had been great, and we had enjoyed it.

Today’s port was the stop we were most looking forward to. First, because we had already been to both St. Martin and San Juan on a previous cruise, but had never been to the Virgin Islands. And secondly, because we really enjoy snorkeling, and the beaches looked so perfect. I did quite a lot of research in the months leading up to the cruise to determine where we should go and what we should do. I read reviews of excursions, and looked at a lot of beach photos, and talked to friends who had been to the St. Thomas. We finally booked the Celebrity excursion which would transport us to St. John (Destination St. John) where we would have about three hours to spend there before returning. I know we could have done the journey to St. John on our own, and we're usually independent travelers, but the cost was similar and it just seemed easier to do the excursion. We thought we would probably go to Trunk Bay, but if it was too busy we might go instead to Cinnamon or Honeymoon (I think I’m remembering those correctly!).

So with our towels and snorkeling gear we left the ship to meet our excursion leader at 8:15. We found all the excursion groups at the end of the pier. And here we ran into our first disappointment. The ‘Destination to St. John’ excursion had been cancelled due to high sea swells and eight foot waves. He said we could still go on our own, but the water would be very rough, and the water all churned up.

Well, despite all my extensive research, I was so stunned that our plan was completely out the window that I just couldn’t think of what we should do or where we should go (as you’ve probably worked out, I’m the trip planner in the family). The excursion rep suggested a few options, and we opted for the Sapphire Beach and Island Tour excursion. I vaguely remembered reading about Sapphire Bay, and we like tours, so it sounded like something we could enjoy. And he told us there would be snorkeling at Sapphire, where we would have a few hours. The price included transportation, beach chairs, the tour, and a free drink at the beach, and snorkeling equipment for about $40 each. We could also have opted for a boat trip that would take us out into the water for snorkeling, but we were worried that if the water was that rough, it might not be too pleasant.

So, after a wait for all the other excursion members, we were all led to one of the cute, open air (but covered) truck-taxi that are used all over St. Thomas. Our driver was Shane. The drive to the beach was really interesting, and the views as we got higher were often spectacular. The roads were twisty and steep. What we saw of St. Thomas we really liked – it had a nice feel to it, and we didn’t see quite as much poverty as we have seen on other islands (it may exist, but we didn’t see it). When we arrived at the beach, our guide there was Nigel, who explained where the washrooms were, where we could get snorkeling equipment (we had our own), a drink, etc. He also explained where the reef was, and stressed how important it was that we not touch or get closer to the reef than six feet, but that sea turtles could be found nearby. It all sounded promising. Then we were free to find a spot on the beach. We were early enough, one of the first groups there, that the beach was almost empty.

The beach was quite pretty, but not big. It wasn’t very long, or wide. There was, however, a lot of shade available, which was a relief for me. We dragged our chairs to a spot under a tree, and got our snorkeling stuff out. A young man beside us suggested we hang our bags from the trees, as the surf may come right up to where our chairs were. That was a great tip, because many times the water did indeed suddenly rush up and beyond our chairs, drenching anything on the sand.

The water looked beautiful, but quite rough, which I hadn’t expected. I’m not a very good swimmer, but my husband used to be a lifeguard and is a very strong swimmer. So he immediately dove in to the ocean, and I waited for him to return with a condition report. He was in the water, snorkeling and swimming, for a while. When he came back, he said the water was quite churned up, and all he saw was grass. I asked if the water was warm, and he replied “sure, not too bad”. Well, he’ll swim in ice cold water and not complain, so I knew right away the water would not be really warm!

I enjoyed the view for a while, but eventually decided to go in. The water was cool, but ‘refreshing’. But, the surf was strong as was the undertow, and very soon after stepping into the water there was a steep drop off, and I was then in over my head, which I really don’t like. I’m a bit of a water wuss. I knew I wasn’t going to enjoy being in the water, so – with my husband’s help – I climbed out immediately. I was really disappointed – we’ve spent many hours swimming and snorkeling on beautiful beaches and in calm waters in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, and I really wanted that kind of day, but it just wasn’t meant to be on this day.

The beach was getting busier and busier as more cruise ship tours arrived (there were four in St. Thomas that day – Carnival Liberty, Freedom of the Seas, and of course, the Norwegian Epic), and people arriving later than us had trouble finding a place for their chairs. I asked a man with his family beside me, who owns a condo in St. Thomas, if the water was always this rough. He said he had never, ever seen it so rough, since first coming to that beach in 1990! He said the water is usually clear, like glass, with a very gentle slope and no drop off or undertow. They couldn’t believe the conditions.

But we did enjoy our time there. My husband went into the water a few times. We got our free drinks – Heinekins (they just had water, pop, beer or rum punch), the scenery was beautiful, and we the pretty little ducks that were all around our chairs were very cute and entertaining.

At 12 noon it was time to return to the taxi van for the ride back to the port. We got a bit more of a tour on the way back, and stopped twice for photos. We also got to see – from up high – Magens Bay, which looked absolutely gorgeous with calm water – sigh. I wish we had just taken a taxi there instead of going to Sapphire Beach. But, at home it was -6C and there was snow, so I really had no right to complain!

(In this photo you can just barely see the other three ships on the far left. The Reflection was not at the main port, and can just be seen on the far right. There are other photos on my Flickr page that show the ships more clearly, and more views.).

On the way back we had the option of leaving the taxi in Charlotte Amalie (we would need to pay for our own transport back to the ship). The town looked nice, but it was mostly stores, and we’re not really shoppers. We decided to just go back and enjoy the ship (all aboard time was 4:45 pm), as did most of the others on the taxi. When we got to the port, as we were walking to the ship, an enormous iguana suddenly ran out in front of us, startling us all. Everyone immediately started snapping photos of the poor frightened creature, but then we noticed that there were at least 20 iguanas – very well camouflaged – on the rocks by the water. So we spent far too much time taking photographs of many of them, before re-boarding the ship. But most people walked by the rocks and all the iguanas without ever noticing them.

Once back on the ship, we were hungry, and headed to the buffet to enjoy a nice outdoor lunch. But on this day, it was a bit too windy to really enjoy eating on the back deck, so we reluctantly headed inside. But we had a gorgeous view from our table, and were entertained by a window washer.

After lunch we headed to the Solarium Pool, which was almost empty. We plopped down on three chairs by the window, with a beautiful view of St. Thomas, and read and dozed. At one point my husband went to the bar to get a drink – he looked down and saw an enormous sea turtle in the water near the dock.

Eventually we headed to the Sunset Bar for our sail away from St. Thomas. The wind had dropped, and the view and weather were both spectacular. The bar was packed , but we found a great spot. A perfect sailaway, and a lovely sunset.

My husband and I had 10 pm dinner reservation – to celebrate our upcoming 22nd anniversary, on January 5th – at Murano. We didn’t really feel like going to the show that night (Alan Walker, who we did see in the final show of the cruise, and he was excellent). So our son went to the gym, and then dinner on his own in the buffet, where he was invited to sit at a table with some of the ship’s entertainers, which he enjoyed.

We went to give the Martini Bar one last try. I had a Dirty Martini – it was OK, but a bit watery. The bartenders were, however, a bit livelier on this night, although their tricks were not as smooth or accomplished as the bartenders we enjoyed on the Solstice.

We headed for dinner, but by this point I was a bit tired and almost past the point of being hungry. We were given a nice table, and I was surprised to see that even at 10 pm., the restaurant was full. The food was all very good – I had an appetizer with crab, shrimp, avocado and caviar – it was delicious. This was followed by a salad with a coddled egg and other ingredients – also wonderful. We shared the Chateubriand which was finished table-side. Finally they presented a cake for our anniversary – unfortunately it was chocolate, and my husband hates chocolate (I know – WHAT???? – who doesn’t like chocolate??? You’re probably thinking by now that’s he’s a very fussy eater, but he’s really not. This cruise just kept hitting his three biggest food hates – mushrooms, Gorgonzola, and chocolate!) But he ate well on the cruise, and enjoyed everything he had. We also had individual desserts, but I can’t remember what they were now. It was all wonderful, as was the service, and the wine.

We finished by meeting up with our son at the Ensemble Lounge for a nightcap, and then it was off to bed.

Thank you again for your reviews! Did you dock in Crown Bay? If so, do you know what the closest beach would be? My friend that I'm traveling with gets carsick, and doesn't want to take a long taxi ride, if possible.

You're welcome! I'm sorry I don't know the closest beach - anyone else know? I don't think it would be Sapphire, but if it is I don't think you're friend would enjoy the ride! He drive well, but its a twisty road with lots of hills. But it is an open air taxi - not a car - if that helps.

Thanks for the reviews.

My pleasure - thanks for reading KirkNC!

Thanks for the reviews.

Again, we love your detailed review.

About the gym your son enjoyed, is it often crowded? So far, I don't come across pictures of the gym, apart from the offical one showing the treadmills. Just like to know whether the equipment and machines are elaborated. Are there lot of equiment to entertain the users if there are numerous of them?

My pleasure - thanks for reading KirkNC!

A very nice review. Your husband was fortunate he did not make his sandwich, since if he had been found with it by the authorities there might have been some strife.

Thanks JackDiamond. Do you mean he might have had trouble taking his bacon sandwich OFF the ship?

We didn't encounter any authorities in any port, leaving the ship (except in Miami of course). I'm not sure how anyone would have known - our bags are not searched when we left the ship, just scanned when we returned.

A very nice review. Your husband was fortunate he did not make his sandwich, since if he had been found with it by the authorities there might have been some strife.

Thanks JackDiamond. Do you mean he might have had trouble taking his bacon sandwich OFF the ship?

 

We didn't encounter any authorities in any port, leaving the ship (except in Miami of course). I'm not sure how anyone would have known - our bags are not searched when we left the ship, just scanned when we returned.

Most of the Islands have laws prohibiting bringing foodstuffs thereon except pre-packaged items. However, after many visits to St. Thomas, including vacations and cruise stops I cannot remember ever being searched.

Well, I know that would be true, but to be honest we didn't think of that at the time. It was just going to be two pieces of bread, an egg and a couple of strips of bacon. :) But had he been able to make his sandwich and take it off the ship for a snack later, I don't see how anyone would have known, so it's unlikely he would have been caught!

Most of the Islands have laws prohibiting bringing foodstuffs thereon except pre-packaged items.

Enjoying your review.

When my son went it was almost empty, but he usually went around 10 at night. I did see the gym once during the day, and it looked like most of the treadmills were in use - this would have been mid-morning. The gym appeared to be very well equipped, and of course it's all very new. And you can't beat the view!

Again, we love your detailed review.

About the gym your son enjoyed, is it often crowded? So far, I don't come across pictures of the gym, apart from the offical one showing the treadmills. Just like to know whether the equipment and machines are elaborated. Are there lot of equiment to entertain the users if there are numerous of them?

When my son went it was almost empty, but he usually went around 10 at night. I did see the gym once during the day, and it looked like most of the treadmills were in use - this would have been mid-morning. The gym appeared to be very well equipped, and of course it's all very new. And you can't beat the view!

Thanks for the feed back.

The closest beach to Crown Bay is Emerald Beach at the Best Western hotel. It's a beautiful beach. It's a short taxi ride. it's very close to the airport.

Good photos. Next time rent a car with automatic transmission and tour the island. Megans Bay has an admission charge and parking fee but you could spend all day there -recommend taxis each way as inexpensive. cell phone call etc. Also try Coral World for sea lion swim or shark swim - yes sand sharks also has nice exibits.Been to St Thomas many times and downtown walk along ocean side nice.

Excellent review.

Thanks gelo7! And just a reminder for anyone who is interested in reading the other daily reviews (or see all the photos) - just click on the Celebrity Reflection link in my signature below.

Excellent review.