Dave’s Live from Ryndam Southern Caribbean Feb 16 – March 2, 2014

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 20, San Juan (cont.)

After we walked about for an hour or so, we headed to the brewery I had read about on line, that purported to have real German-style beer, the Old Harbor Brewery. It was not hard to find, since we could see it from our balcony from the ship when we tied up.

DW decided to try the Puerto Rico specialty, mofongo, which is mashed plantains with things stuffed inside. She let me taste, and the plantains had been flavored with onion, garlic, some pepper flakes and other spices. It was not sweet, but was more like a savory starch. Here is a shot of her dish:

I had the Old Harbor steak, which was a great skirt steak with chimichura sauce on the side (the ketchup was for the side order of fries):

And, we both tried the beer. On the left is the helles, and on the right the pale ale. The helles indeed tasted like beer we got when we lived in Germany, and the ale was fine as well:

After lunch, we came back to the ship and have gotten lazy, just lounging on the balcony.

More later,

Dave

[boards]

Don't forget the free trolley.

[RetiredMustang]

Wine list

 

Here is the current wine list:

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 20, San Juan (cont.)

Dinner was sparsely-attended, as many people were still ashore. All aboard was not until 10:30 p.m., and there were evening shore excursions as well as people just staying ashore to dine in the San Juan restaurants.

Here are the menus from the ship’s dinner:

We both had the chicken soup, and the flank steak:

Here is the dessert menu. What with the large lunch, we passed on dessert.

More later,

Dave

[wanderlust268]

From your last post, it looks like we won't be able to order 'wine by the glass' from the Beverage Card we were given as a perk for our cruise later this Spring. With the only wine under $7.00 being a white wine, red wine lovers will be left out in the cold! At least my husband will be able to get a beer!

 

Loving your posts, and looking forward to our transatlantic on the Ryndam in a few weeks' time! Thanks for providing us with lots of relevant information!

 

Daryl

[RetiredMustang]

Friday, Feb. 21, St. Thomas

A fine day ahead! Here are photos of today’s program:

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 21, St. Thomas (cont.)

We picked up the pilot and entered port at Crown Bay. We tied up just before 8. Here are a couple of photos of Crown Bay, and the St. Thomas info sheets from the Explorer:

More later,

Dave

[Steirisch]

Dave,

Your thread has enlightened me on the Ryndam...I so want to try this ship. We've been on the Prinsendam, but this looks great. Love all your photos, too.

Many thanks.

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 21, St. Thomas (cont.)

We went ashore about 8:30 and caught a cab into town. We walked around a bit, and discovered that, if anything, Charlotte Amalie has even more jewelry stores than the last time we wandered about. The shopping map shows five different Diamonds International stores!

We then caught another cab to Havensight. For reference, cab fare from Crown Bay to town/back is $4 each, and the same cost to/from Havensight from downtown. Others in our first cab wanted to go Coki Beach – the charge for that was $10 each from Crown Bay.

At Havensight, we took the gondolas to the top of Paradise Point, which has small shops and a bar/restaurant … and fabulous views. There were only three ships in today, us (in Crown Bay, just visible across the harbor in the photo), a Celebrity and a Norwegian ship (in Havensight); this is probably the lightest cruise passenger load we’ve seen in St. Thomas in a long time. Here is a shot from Paradise Point:

We ordered their signature drink, the bushwhacker, which is basically a Bailey’s Irish Cream milkshake. It is aptly named, because it could easily bushwhack you and steal your knees if you are not careful:

Since we had been there last February, the bar has been refurbished. The staff said the place shut down over the summer for a make-over. Here are a couple of photos of the bar now – for those who have never been, it just shows what it is like; for those who have been before but not lately, it shows that the terrace has been widened and covered, and that umbrella tables have been added out around/outside of the bar:

While we were there, a shower came by, and we were treated to a beautiful rainbow over the harbor:

More later,

Dave

[Himself]

Feb. 20, San Juan (cont.)

After we walked about for an hour or so, we headed to the brewery I had read about on line, that purported to have real German-style beer, the Old Harbor Brewery. It was not hard to find, since we could see it from our balcony from the ship when we tied up.

DW decided to try the Puerto Rico specialty, mofongo, which is mashed plantains with things stuffed inside. She let me taste, and the plantains had been flavored with onion, garlic, some pepper flakes and other spices. It was not sweet, but was more like a savory starch. Here is a shot of her dish:

I had the Old Harbor steak, which was a great skirt steak with chimichura sauce on the side (the ketchup was for the side order of fries):

And, we both tried the beer. On the left is the helles, and on the right the pale ale. The helles indeed tasted like beer we got when we lived in Germany, and the ale was fine as well:

After lunch, we came back to the ship and have gotten lazy, just lounging on the balcony.

More later,

Dave

 

When I was in San Juan I went to the Picardy Rum Factory. They give free samples before the tour and then after the tour take you to the gift store. I went in with the 10 Commandments and a 20 dollar bill and I did not break either one.

[Himself]

Enjoyed your pictures at St. Thomas. They Bailey's Irish cream milk shake looks normal to me but I bet it pacts quite a punch, if you know what I mean.

[POA1]

From your last post, it looks like we won't be able to order 'wine by the glass' from the Beverage Card we were given as a perk for our cruise later this Spring. With the only wine under $7.00 being a white wine, red wine lovers will be left out in the cold! At least my husband will be able to get a beer!

 

Loving your posts, and looking forward to our transatlantic on the Ryndam in a few weeks' time! Thanks for providing us with lots of relevant information!

 

Daryl

 

House Merlot & House Cabernet Sauvignon are under $7. They're by Vina Santa Carolina of Chile. I've seen people post that those wines are no good, but the wine magazines I read give them mid to upper 80s on a 100 point scale. That equates to Good to Very Good. The Cabernet has been the better of the two, ratings wise.

[POA1]

Very cool rainbow picture, Dave!

[Himself]

Very cool rainbow picture, Dave!

 

It makes one feel as though one is in Ireland.

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 21, St. Thomas (cont.)

 

A special post for cruz chic.

 

Most evenings there have been hors d'oeuvres available in the bars, and sometimes we have some. This evening's offering included something special - bitterballen. Enjoy!

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 21, St. Thomas (cont.)

Tonight was the second formal night. Since we had early fixed dining, we were among the first to show up in formal gear, but many others followed. There a few tuxes, and a scattering of long gowns.

Here are photos of the dinner menu:

I had the lobster starter, but forgot to take a photo until all that was left was a half-shell – d’oh! It was an interesting dish, but was only a small starter; it was a split small lobster with some fresh vegetable yogurt salad and strong garlic aioli. I did remember the photo of my main course, the venison, which was excellent:

Here is the dessert menu. Both DW and I opted for the tarte tatin, which is thinly sliced apples cooked with sugar and cinnamon, etc., and with a top crust. The dish is then inverted for serving, in this case with vanilla ice cream:

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Saturday, Feb. 22, Antigua

Today, we have a snorkel trip booked that we are looking forward to doing. Here are photos of today’s program:

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 22, Antigua (cont.)

Here are photos of the Antigua info sheets from Explorer, fresh to you from a recent lengthy engagement in my back pocket (forgot to take the photos before going ashore :D):

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 22, Antigua (cont.)

We took the ship’s “Crusoe Island Getaway” excursion to a small island off the north coast of Antigua, which is actually called Prickly Pear Island. This had gotten high reviews on TripAdvisor and other review sites, plus had the advantage of almost 2 hours that could be spent snorkeling if you wanted. DW is usually the last one aboard on snorkel excursions, and we thought we would try it.

We did the usual meet ashore and walk to van taxis. There were 25 of us, and we went in two large taxis. The drive to the north shore was about 15 minutes. We stopped outside the gate of an unfinished resort, where someone unchained the fence. We walked a short way to the beach to board the small boat. This involved wading in about mid-calf water and climbing aboard:

The process was reversed at the island, which we could see from the shore:

On the island, there was a simple wooden structure there, which had a covered area for picnic tables, and a bar. Water, rum punch and soft drinks were free; liquors and beer (kept behind the bar) were for sale. They offered snacks, such as ham with bread, potato chips, cheese cubes, and fried plantains:

More in the next posts,

Dave

[cruz chic]

Thx for the bitterballen pic Dave. Just in time, I'm boarding the sapphire princess today :). I won't be seeing any bitterballen there :(.

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 22, Antigua (cont.)

The structure also had restrooms (with marine toilets) and one changing room:

They had snorkel gear available:

And here is a shot of the boat, with Antigua in the background. As you can see, it is not a large boat, and you need to be reasonably fit enough to be able to get aboard and get off. It is not terribly taxing from a physical standpoint, but people with mobility issues should probably not take this excursion.

More in the next post,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Feb. 22, Antigua (cont.)

We spent a couple of hours on the island. There was a large reef area, which had some corals, such as fan and brain coral, and a good many fish. There was also some dead coral from hurricanes and such, but all in all it was a very pleasant swim and snorkel. Or, if you wanted, you could just lay in the sun. It is a little slice of paradise that is easy to reach. Miguel and his family have been doing these tours for years, and it is well worth the time if you want to swim, snorkel or just relax. Here are some more photos:

More later,

Dave

[catl331]

Sure looks uncrowded and pretty.

[aliaschief]

Just wanted to thank for another great live review.

 

Looking forward to our Nov./Dec. Ryndam cruise.

[Oahucruiser]

Wonderful, thorough and very enjoyable information with outstanding photos. Thank you. We are really enjoying your cruise.