2018 Crystal World Cruise as seen by a 4-Star Mariner

[kazu]

A little of each. Sorry to be leaving but getting that ill at ease feeling that things are getting left undone at home.

 

Among other things I have 3 Doctors' appointments my first week at home and should probably have a couple more.

 

Roy

 

WOW - that's a lot on your plate Roy for the first week back.

 

Yikes!:eek:

 

Hope all goes well for you (yn)

[Krazy Kruizers]

A little of each. Sorry to be leaving but getting that ill at ease feeling that things are getting left undone at home.

 

Among other things I have 3 Doctors' appointments my first week at home and should probably have a couple more.

 

Roy

 

 

Roy

We know how you feel. We will be gone 30 days and come back to a lot of doctor appointments and getting prescriptions filled.

Just had 3 this past week myself, 1 next week and then an echocardiogram coming up the following Monday.

[erewhon]

Vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce.

 

Roy

 

Thank you, sounds good.

[erewhon]

Roy

We know how you feel. We will be gone 30 days and come back to a lot of doctor appointments and getting prescriptions filled

Just had 3 this past week myself, 1 next week and then an echocardiogram coming up the following Monday.

 

Are you cruising again?

[erewhon]

Roy,

We hope your plan for 2020 works out for you.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Krazy Kruizers, Jacqui, and erewhon.

 

Day Symphony66, Sunday, April 22, 2018, Santa Marta, Colombia

 

The Crystal Serenity is in Doha, Qatar, 6961 miles away. The sun rose at 5:42 and set at 6:08. The moon rose at 11:45AM and did not set until after midnight. The weather was mostly sunny, hot and humid with temperatures up to 91/33.

 

It was a very windy and cloudy morning and I walked the equivalent of 2 laps inside before getting my morning coffee and another 4 after the morning show once we entered slightly more sheltered waters. This is my second visit to Santa Marta; the first was 2 years ago on the Symphony and I will return next January on the Prinsendam. It’s a cargo port that is mostly bulk (coal out, wheat in) but there is also a significant container operation. It’s another port where we cannot walk away from the ship with the city of Santa Marta pretty close but accessed by a road with a lot of truck traffic and taking a wide curve.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/santamarta.jpg

 

My 8:45 tour was mostly walking split between two sites. On the way through town we passed the beach which is right in the downtown area.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/beachmarta.jpg

 

Our first stop was a few miles out of town at La Quinta. It was originally a sugar plantation but it’s primary claim to fame is as the place where Simon Bolivar died. The original buildings are now painted kind of a yellow.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/laquinta.jpg

 

The first couple of buildings we viewed were the distillery where the sugar was transferred into rum and then the cellar.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/distillery.jpg

 

The biggest of the original buildings were the living quarters where photography was mostly off limits. That was true of the rooms Bolivar actually used but the original owners room had a bust of a recumbent Bolivar where only flash was prohibited.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/bolivarimage.jpg

 

A large part of the former plantation is now occupied by new buildings. The “museum” has several galleries and a “teatro” where outdoor events are held.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/teatro.jpg

 

The main memorial to Bolivar has a large statue inside.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/memorialbolivar.jpg

 

The second part of the tour was in the center of Santa Marta. The main street was pretty well clogged with street vendors selling their wares. My understanding is that many of the vendors are from Venezuela and really have no other means of support.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/vendors.jpg

 

We disembarked the bus at the cathedral plaza about 11AM. Since the Masses were 10AM and noon we were able to go inside for a look at a lovely sanctuary.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/sanctuarymarta.jpg

 

It was a walk of several blocks to the Custom House. It was a museum to the culture of the area but one of the more interesting displays was a room with gold artifacts.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/goldmuseum.jpg

 

We walked several more blocks to return to the bus passing the Palace of Justice.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/justice.jpg

 

We were back at the ship about 12:45, away on the tour for about 4 hours. As we returned out guide explained a bit more about coal which is stored in huge piles and loaded in ships by a hopper which was right next to our bridge. The hopper pedestal could swing about 120 degrees and probably reach 2 or 3 holds of a ship depending on the angle. Water is sprayed at many points to keep the dust down, including a wash for each of the delivery trucks as they leave the port.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/kingcoal.jpg

 

It was hot enough that I did not leave the room much in the afternoon and even got a start on packing. There was a very small turnout for Fr. Klemmer’s 5:15 Interdenominational Service. All aboard was 6PM and I went up to the sun deck for sailaway. The sun went down just about 6 over the coal hopper. Louis sang at 6:21.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/dusk0422.jpg

 

I was the last one at the shared table but service with the current team is very efficient. I chose the consume double, fillet steak, and mint chocolate chunk ice cream.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/dishes0422.jpg

 

The featured entertainment was a double bill. The early half of the shows were Crystal In Motion at 7:30 in the Galaxy lounge and ventriloquist Kieran Powell in the Starlite Club at 8:30, There were repeats of both shows but I was in bed soon after Powell’s show as we had our final time change. We are officially on Atlantic Standard time. Our final ports will be Eastern Daylight time which is actually the same time.

 

My parting shot will be a wish for change for Venezuela. The miserable conditions there have spillover to much of Latin America, especially Panama, Equador, and Colombia. I look with a bit of extra concern since we’re currently scheduled to visit a Venezuelan island on the Prinsendam next March.

 

Roy

[Happily@Sea]

Roy,

 

We are docked behind X Infinity here in Puerto Quetzal. As a sailaway addict, I thought Veendam's stern was butt-ugly, Infinity is worse and that is our only view. :D

 

Carole

[kazu]

Oh dear Roy, you used a bad, four letter word - PACK ;). Ugly word.

 

Your tour looks very interesting. I love history and Simon Bolivar's house sounds wonderful.

[rafinmd]

Roy,

 

We are docked behind X Infinity here in Puerto Quetzal. As a sailaway addict, I thought Veendam's stern was butt-ugly, Infinity is worse and that is our only view. :D

 

Carole

Ah, that Ketchikan dock killer. I was booked on her for a while last year, but gladly switched to the Zaandam once the corresponding itinerary opened up.

 

Roy

[Happily@Sea]

Ah, that Ketchikan dock killer. I was booked on her for a while last year, but gladly switched to the Zaandam once the corresponding itinerary opened up.

 

Roy

 

 

I'd forgotten about the Ketchikan incident, since we only get Juneau live.

 

Have you seen her stern? It looks like an unpleated accordion on the hull portion.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report about Santa Marta -- especially since we did the same tour several years ago and loved it.

Packing -- not a thing I ever look forward to at the end of a cruise. Wish there was way to avoid it.

[erewhon]

Another interesting tour.

Yum, that mint chocolate icecream is very good.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Carole, Krazy Kruizers, and erewhon. Was it Mint Chocolate Chunk you sampled on the Symphony?

 

Carole, I don't have a picture of Infinity's aft but have seen it (and been on a sister ship. It didn't really look ugly to me, but it isn't a ship I desire to revisit. That's one of the few ships where I would want nothing but a port balcony. There's very limited public space to view a sailaway; only the aft deck off the lido and that's a smoking area on the port side.

 

This report is somewhat abridged from the one on the Crystal forum.

 

Day Symphony67, Monday, April 23, 2018, Oranjestad, Aruba

 

The sun rose at 6:23 and set at 6:53. The moon set at 1:30AM and rose again at 1:25 PM. The weather was 27/81, a mixture of sun and clouds, and windy.

 

While it was a port day it had some characteristics of a sea day with our noon arrival. The morning show was live at 8 and there was team trivia at 11. I missed most of it to be on deck for our arrival and lost my notes. I remember just 1 question:

 

What is the currency of Peru? Nueva Sol. I got that one. The winners had 14 of 17 correct/

 

We made our final approach about 11:10, pulling in behind the Coral Princess. Aruba is definitely a “one way in and out” port as there is a sandbar quite close to the dock.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/sandbar.jpg

 

One of the piers has some excavation going on; I don’t think it’s the start of a 3rd terminal but who knows.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/construction1.jpg

 

 

I have been to Aruba many times (most recently on the Koningsdam 14 months ago) and have done all the tours that interest me. Most of the time I just take a walk and get lunch and wifi at Burger King. That was the day’s plan as well. There was another construction area in the center of town just after leaving the terminal. The main street near the ocean is Lloyd G Smith Boulevard. It is wide with decent sidewalks but a lot of traffic.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/lloydsmith.jpg

 

I walked about a half mile down past marinas to Fort Zoutman. The oldest building in the city it is now a museum with a display of cannons in front.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/zoutmancannon.jpg

 

The fort was built in 1798 and a tower with clock was added in 1868.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/zoutmanclock.jpg

 

It was probably another 15 minutes to Burger King on the main shopping and pedestrian street, Gaya FG Betico Croes. In addition to fries, coffee, and ice cream I added the newest operating system update to both my IPADS.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/beticocroes.jpg

 

The featured entertainment was a double bill. Naki Ataman’s “Around the World”, was originally conceived for a UN Cultural Conference in Vienna has been a Crystal feature for many years (although I last saw him on the Prinsendam in November). While the show is updated regularly the principle is unchanged. Cruise Director Paul McFarland reported having the show on his very first cruise 35 years ago. He was joined by Claus DeCock on the big bass and David Price on the drums.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/ataman.jpg

 

The second act in the Starlite Club was comedian Ty Barnett. I thought he was good.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/barnett.jpg

 

All aboard was 9:30 I went up to the top deck about 9:40. The city looked nice all lit up.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/arubanight.jpg

 

The moon was out in the night but the camera was playing tricks on me. It’s only about midway between new and full but it looked full both in the photo and the preview. We pulled away from the dock about 9:45 (Louis did not sing) and dropped off the pilot 10 minutes later.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/pilotoffaruba.jpg

 

By the time I post this it is Anzac day where it is observed. May all who observe it have a wonderful day. I look forward to returning in 2020.

 

Roy

[RuthC]

The featured entertainment was a double bill. Naki Ataman’s “Around the World”, was originally conceived for a UN Cultural Conference in Vienna has been a Crystal feature for many years (although I last saw him on the Prinsendam in November). While the show is updated regularly the principle is unchanged.

His show is fabulous! I saw it on a HAL cruise, and would love to run into him again. Nice to know he does update it. You have gotten my hopes up that he is on another of my cruises soon.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Another wonderful report.

Many of the entertainers and groups you have had over the last number of weeks we would enjoy.

We have been to Aruba so many times that we just walk the streets to see what has changed. No need to buy anything.

Great pictures.

[erewhon]

Yes, it was the Mint Chocolate chunk icecream, sampled on board the Symphony, with a few blueberries.

ANZAC Day here, services have been held.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Krazy Kruizers, erewhon, and RuthC.

 

Day Symphony68, Tuesday, April 24, 2018, At sea, Crystal Symphony

 

The sun rose at 6:13AM and set at 6:39. The moon set at 2:16AM and returned at 2:08PM. The weather was clouds followed by sun, windy and 27/81.

 

I tend not to take many pictures on sea days so I’m starting with one from the Equator Crossing that occurred a few days ago.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/equator1.jpg

 

I had planned when I started this thread to include a description of what’s different about Crystal and today that will include the loyalty program. There is very little difference in the onboard experience between somebody on their first or 100th cruise. There are a couple of differences after many cruises like a dinner with senior pepple in one of the specialty restaurants every cruises but the chief one is that it will probably take a couple of days for staff to remember a newcomer’s name and preferences. The chief rewards are financial and they are not automatic but must be requested at the opportune time. “Milestone” benefits are generally awarded every 5 cruises. I started this cruise with several outstanding ones. After 25 cruises the milestone is a free 7-day cruise (I booked it early in this cruise for 2019); my next free cruise will be 12 days once I hit 50 cruises (should happen in 2020). The other milestones are about $300 in onboard credit. I started the cruise with 5 such credits which I had been saving to defray my expenses on this voyage.

 

The first sea day of the segment started with a little business. I had contacted Crystal Society hostess Rafaella Sciuto Saturday about using some of my milestone Onboard Spending Credits. She got back to me that I had 5 milestones available and we concluded that 3 was the right number to use. When I leave the ship my balance will be almost exactly the $1500 deposit required for the 2020 World Cruise.

 

 

Trivia

 

2. What was the first band Graham Nash (of Crosby, Stills, and Nash) played in?

3. In what city was the first US Skyscraper?

5. On what mountain did Noah’s Ark come to rest?

8. What was Earl Silas Tupper’s most prominent invention?

14. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail were featured in what story (and the author, 2 points)?

 

 

I was out just in time for the first show of the double bill which started with “The Edge Effect” in the Galaxy at 7:30. They’re an Acapella Group from Florida. They were good but I thought the Alley Cats from the Grand Asia were better.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/edge.jpg

 

The second feature was the “Spot Show”,”Rock and Pop-A-Mania” at 8:30 in the Starlite Club.

 

Trivia answers:

 

2. Graham Nash was a member of the Hollies before joining Crosby, Stills, and Nash.(missed)

3. The first US Skyscraper was the Home Building in Chicago (guessed right)

5. Noah’s Ark came to rest on Mt. Ararat. (Got it)

8. Earl Silas Tupper is known for Tupperware (got it).

9. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail were featured in Peter Rabbit by Beatrice Potter (got title, missed author.

 

The musical selection was Obla Di, Obla Da. I guessed the tune but did not attribute it to the Beatles. The winning team had 16 of 17 right.

 

My parting shot will be a bit of advice Paul McFarland reported to have gotten from his father. The movie he introduced had a bit of rough language. Paul reported that his father had told him “When you use that kind of language it robs your vocabulary”. Good words to live by.

 

Roy

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for explaining about Crystal's rewards program. Sure does take a lo of cruises before you see any "perks".

Love the picture of you.

[kazu]

Oops Roy,

 

I asked about your credits on your Crystal thread. I should have asked here. So sorry.

[rafinmd]

A couple of additional things on the loyalty program. First I want to be sure we're clear on an apparent misconception. I'll start though with the deposit for an onboard booking which is different from HAL in a couple of ways. First of all, it's a just a hold on the cruise until we get home. Unlike HAL, once we get home we need to pay the regular deposit within a few weeks of returning home. The other difference is that while HAL charges your credit card directly for the deposit with Crystal it goes on the onboard account to be settled at the end of the cruise. While the deposit goes on our accounts it must be settled by cash or credit card on disembarkation and onboard credit (whether from Crystal, a travel agent or a milestone) cannot be used. My milestone redemption covered all my onboard expenses EXCEPT the deposit on the World Cruise.

 

As Keith explained in his post:

I am sure Roy will answer the question but this might help.

 

Each cruise completed counts towards a milestone. Most cruises provide one milestone and cruises of sixteen days or more provide two A cruise would be a voyage or on a World Cruise a segment.

 

As the number of milestone builds there are benefits associated with them. Milestones can involve on board credits, upgrades, free cruises, Crystal Society pins, special dinners and a few other benefits. Some people hold onto them so they might have a few different milestones they can use.

 

This link will take you to a soft copy of the Crystal Society Program Pamphlet where you can see what the awards are.

 

http://legacy.crystalcruises.com/files/brochures/Crystal-Society-Benefits-Brochure.pdf

 

Keith

the definition of a :cruise: is not all that simple. Generally cruises over 15 days count double and the Northwest passage even counted as 4 cruises.

 

 

HAL has Collectors Cruises, Crystal uses the term "Explorer Combinations" much the same way. When asked how many cruises I have I really hedge; with Crystal I use 3 separate numbers. When I disembark I will have 26 embarkations, and 33 counts by my count or 43 by Crystal's count. The 26 treats an Explorer Combination as a one, my cruise count increases by 1 each major turnaround day, and the 43 includes a number of double count cruises; that's the basis for my milestones. Yikes, numbers galore.

 

"Perks" is pretty close to foreign to the Crystal where the norm is that everybody is treated like royalty. The "perks" we get from the loyalty program are pretty minimal but the real benefit is cash incentives.

 

After just the first Crystal Cruise on all succeeding cruises there is a "Crystal Society Discount" which is roughly 2 1/2% of the fare. That is doubled if you do an onboard booking (another slightly elusive term). You can of course see the onboard sales consultant, something I do roughly half the time. There's a second way to get the onboard discount. If I go home and in July have my travel agent book a cruise for say 2020, the onboard booking discount is applied automatically if I sail anytime between then and the cruise I booked. Sometimes it can be a nice "perk" to get that discount while booking as soon as an itinerary is announced rather than waiting until the next time onboard.

 

I hope this clarifies a couple of things.

 

Roy

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for clearing all that up.

While sitting in the doctor's office, I was going over what you said -- talking to my DH -- who was completely confused.

[erewhon]

Thanks for explaining the Crystal loyalty program.

[kazu]

A couple of additional things on the loyalty program. First I want to be sure we're clear on an apparent misconception. I'll start though with the deposit for an onboard booking which is different from HAL in a couple of ways. First of all, it's a just a hold on the cruise until we get home. Unlike HAL, once we get home we need to pay the regular deposit within a few weeks of returning home. The other difference is that while HAL charges your credit card directly for the deposit with Crystal it goes on the onboard account to be settled at the end of the cruise. While the deposit goes on our accounts it must be settled by cash or credit card on disembarkation and onboard credit (whether from Crystal, a travel agent or a milestone) cannot be used. My milestone redemption covered all my onboard expenses EXCEPT the deposit on the World Cruise.

 

As Keith explained in his post:

 

the definition of a :cruise: is not all that simple. Generally cruises over 15 days count double and the Northwest passage even counted as 4 cruises.

 

 

HAL has Collectors Cruises, Crystal uses the term "Explorer Combinations" much the same way. When asked how many cruises I have I really hedge; with Crystal I use 3 separate numbers. When I disembark I will have 26 embarkations, and 33 counts by my count or 43 by Crystal's count. The 26 treats an Explorer Combination as a one, my cruise count increases by 1 each major turnaround day, and the 43 includes a number of double count cruises; that's the basis for my milestones. Yikes, numbers galore.

 

"Perks" is pretty close to foreign to the Crystal where the norm is that everybody is treated like royalty. The "perks" we get from the loyalty program are pretty minimal but the real benefit is cash incentives.

 

After just the first Crystal Cruise on all succeeding cruises there is a "Crystal Society Discount" which is roughly 2 1/2% of the fare. That is doubled if you do an onboard booking (another slightly elusive term). You can of course see the onboard sales consultant, something I do roughly half the time. There's a second way to get the onboard discount. If I go home and in July have my travel agent book a cruise for say 2020, the onboard booking discount is applied automatically if I sail anytime between then and the cruise I booked. Sometimes it can be a nice "perk" to get that discount while booking as soon as an itinerary is announced rather than waiting until the next time onboard.

 

I hope this clarifies a couple of things.

 

Roy

 

Very helpful and interesting.

 

Thank you Roy for taking the time to give us the "scoop". Much appreciated and enlightening.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Erewhon, Krazy Kruizers, and Jacqui.

 

Day Symphony69, Wednesday, April 25, 2018, Arrive St. Barts

 

The Crystal Serenity is in Dubai, 6372 miles away. The sun rose at 5:48and set at 6:30. The moon set at 2:47AM and rose at 2:45PM. The weather was clouds changing to sun and 28/82.

 

It was still pretty windy on my 6-lap morning walk. The sun was just starting to peek through the clouds as I finished about 6.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/dawn0425.jpg

 

This is my second visit to St. Bartheleme; my first was on the Prinsendam in 2013 and I ended up doing the same tour both times, a taxi tour around the island. The tender brought us to the ferry terminal; a large cargo ferry which was delivering containers to the island was docked nearby.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/supplyship.jpg

 

There were originally at least 2 forts on the island. I don’t think Fort Gustaf is accessible and little if anything remains of the fort itself but it sported a lighthouse and a large cross.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/gustaf.jpg

 

The tour was billed as just a drive with a driver who spoke little English and did not give commentary. Ours was actually quite good. Our first sight was the airport, just over 2000 foot runway between the sea and the hill. The guide said it was also windblown and landing there required a special certification. Commuter flights serve it from several nearby islands but the largest planes carry just 18 passengers.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/airport.jpg

 

The driver talked about the last devastating hurricane season. Much of the island is pretty well along in recovery but hotels have been particularly hard hit. One of the big ones, the Eden Rock, was surrounded by a construction fence but the sign said “Stronger than Irma”. I suspect cruise ship visits are particularly welcomed due to the shortage of hotel space. We had a photo stop at an overlook where we could see the highest point, Mount Vitet to the left of a bay and smaller hills on the right side.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/vitet.jpg

 

Near the end of the tour we passed a cemetery. The graves all appeared to be above ground but sitting on a bed of sand. The driver said all the cemeteries were similar, and were not segregated by faith. While the island was originally settled mostly by French Protestants, the majority of the current population is Catholic.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/cemetery.jpg

 

The tour ended about 9:30 and I was on my own for a bit of exploration on foot. Gustavia has a small, nearly rectangular, harbor with the town on 3 sides and the tender pier near one end of the village. I started towards Fort Carl nearly diagonally across from the landing. As I walked it was clear that while most businesses were back some places were taking longer, and from Fort Carl I could see one hotel with just roof rafters.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/irma.jpg

 

Fort Carl is perched about 150 feet above the sea, accessed by a trail with about 60 tall steps as well as a sloping trail between the steps. Little or nothing remains of the fort although the views are great, of the city, and of the Symphony framed by 2 rock outcrops.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/carlview.jpg

 

As I was ready to descend there was a cactus and a view of nearby shell beach. The driver had mentioned that the cactus were a source of water for roaming goats in periods of drought. While each house has a cistern to collect rain water, much of the island’s water must be generated by desalination of sea water.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/cactus.jpg

 

I continued to the far end of town and the Wall House museum. The origin of the name is uncertain but the building lay in disarray for some time and was restored in the late 20th century. There is a town museum on the bottom floor and the territory library upstairs.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/wallhouse.jpg

 

Almost at the very tip of the peninsula surrounding the harbor is a memorial to St. Barts’ war dead.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/warmemorial.jpg

 

Our taxi driver indicated that as roads are repaired they are now required to include sidewalks but in town they seem to have moistly been taken over as parking lots. I returned to the ship about 1. In the afternoon I took a dip in the jacuzzi to refresh,

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/sidewalk.jpg

 

There were just the 3 real regulars at the shared table. Service was quick enough that I stayed for coffee before the show, I opted for the chicken consume, fillet steak, and ice cream.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/dishes0425.jpg

 

The featured entertainment was singer Lovena Fox. I thought some of her songs were good but many not so much.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/fox.jpg

 

While Easter Island had prohibited tendering after dark St. Barts has no such restrictions. It was reported not to have much night life but continued until 11. I pretty well ran out of gas ans was in bed about 10:30.

 

http://morethangetaways.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/latetender.jpg

 

As a parting shot I’m quite pleased at how much progress St. Barts has made but there is still a lot of recovery to be done. May they be spared a stormy 2018.

 

Roy

[kazu]

Great post Roy.

 

Great to hear that St. Barts is on the way to recovery. May all the area be spared bad storms in 2018. They really need a very BIG break.