Celebrity Silhouette 10 Night Eastern Caribbean Photo Review - March 13, 2023

[DaKahuna]

6 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

DAY 6 - Saturday, March 18

Antigua (cont.)

 

Just the sail away onto the sunset. One of the reasons that I booked late for us 7:15 dinners, was so we could see the sunsets. I'm never sure about the time but usually earlier than our later up north sunsets. We face west over a lake at home but Caribbean sunsets are better than ours. Maybe something to do with being warm while I take the pictures. 

 

s the sun set below the horizon, the clouds turned from gold to pink.

 

And a final goodbye to Antigua!

 

 Beautiful pictures.  I love a great sunset like the one you shared.  Maybe I should re-think our dining time for our upcoming cruise.  We normally eat about 1830, as as when we normally eat at home.

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

ST. KITTS & NEVIS (cont.)

 

 

We were parked at the next pier over, so still had a good view from our veranda!

 

 

We had watched videos of all the ports that we stopped at so it was extra cool seeing them in person.

 

 

The mooring crew. No conflict here.

 

Our last Shore Excursion was the Coastal Cruise, Beach and Steel Band. We always felt that since we were spending days on a ship, why take an excursion on a boat. Probably good advice considering the water and wind conditions. 

[Marvy Mare]

8 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Beautiful pictures.  I love a great sunset like the one you shared.  Maybe I should re-think our dining time for our upcoming cruise.  We normally eat about 1830, as as when we normally eat at home.

 

 

I'm sure there are places where you can find the sunset time. I use an app called Photo Pills to plan my photos. You can find sunset, sunrise times and all kinds of information on the skies anywhere in the world. I check that out and then book dinner. Lol

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

ST. KITTS & NEVIS (cont.)

 

We signed in for our excursion at the theatre but were sent right outside and soon boarded our boat. The staff were very friendly and enthusiastic. Our trip was to be from St. Kitts to Nevis. I thought that we might get a bit of a tour around St. Kitts but it was just a beeline to Nevis. It took close to an hour. 

 

The boat was an 85' pontoon boat. At least they had lots of life jackets. There was a bar and you could purchase chips there as well. Also a fairly clean bathroom and seating up top that I didn't hear about until after the fact. There was no shade on the roof, so we were probably better off downstairs, close to the bathroom and the life jackets. 

Our musician (steel drummer) also gave the safety drill. It was like the one they used to do on the airplanes, but a bit more entertaining. 

 

 

 

 

Bartender and builder of the boat. He handed out drink tickets. Three drinks each - pop, beer or rum punch. 

 

No turning back now. The water was rough. I don't think anyone was sea sick. I was just a little worried that we might not make it. I was trying to think if I had read about any cruisers perishing on an off shore excursion. Ken appeared calm, though maybe in shock. 😁

 

 

He's holding on, but sort of smiling. 

 

I thought that this was the ladder to upstairs but on closer inspection, I guess it wasn't. That's why I didn't try to go up there. 

 

What do you think she's saying?

[clochette]

just caught up with your trip report, beautiful pictures, and great ports thank you so much for sharing.

[Marvy Mare]

1 hour ago, clochette said:

just caught up with your trip report, beautiful pictures, and great ports thank you so much for sharing.

Thanks clochette!

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

ST. KITTS & NEVIS (cont.)

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

I inserted another copy of a map of St. Kitts (which is officially called St. Christopher) and Nevis to show the route of our boat ride. I wish I had looked at the map before our trip, so I had a better idea of where we were going. But maybe that would have made me more nervous. We left from Basseterre and ended up somewhere around Cotton Ground. I really don't know exactly where they beached the boat but possibly around there. Passing that long narrow mountainous strip of land on the south of St. Kitts, I kept thinking that we must be almost there. The Narrows seemed quite wide. Our host announced that in the Narrows, we would be sailing between the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea and it would be a little rough 😒 for 10 minutes (3 km.). Really?

 

St. Kitts and Nevis are both volcanic islands. St. Kitts is made up of a number of extinct volcanoes, with only one 'live' or likely to erupt again volcano (Mt. Liamuiga) but the most recent major eruption was 1,600 years ago.

 

Still St. Kitts

 

Land ahoy. Nevis is the misty mountain on the right in this photo.

 

Our fearless captain. He's giving me thumbs up while talking on the phone to tell someone that he thinks we are going to make it. 😅

 

All calm on the stern.

 

There were a few yachts anchored just off the narrow part of St. Kitts.

 

Heading out into the Narrows. 

 

Looking towards the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Nevis. Finally! The island of Nevis is one big volcano that rises to 3,232 ft. Nevis Peak is a potentially active volcano. There are active fumaroles (vent from which volcanic gases are emitted) and hot springs on the island. There have been no eruptions in thousands of years.

 

 

We headed into the beach to the right of the blue umbrellas. I can actually make out the dried palm 'umbrellas' on the right side of this picture. 

[Marvy Mare]

The beach wasn't the pristine white sand beach like the one in Antigua, but Nevis is a volcanic island after all. It felt a bit like we were castaways. The boat (I don't even know if it had a name) dropped us off at the beach and then anchored out between the sailboats. If we wanted drinks we had to carry them off with us, which we did of course. It didn't matter whether it was 5 0'clock somewhere. The Carib went down smoothly and helped calm my beating heart. There was a snack bar that wasn't open yet, but the washrooms were open for us.

 

Looks like the boat's name was Prince Devonte J? 

 

I see St. Kitts way in the distance. Look at that empty beach. Paradise.

 

The water was beautiful. A perfect temperature, but rough again. I had to wait for the waves to recede to get in. The beach dropped off. You can't see in this photo. The water also dropped off quickly too. There was a small area where you could stand and past that it was very deep.

 

There were these dried palm leaf 'umbrellas'. We sat back a bit under a real palm tree. 

 

[Marvy Mare]

 

 

The view from our shaded seat. We spoke with a nice couple next to us. They had an excursion planned for the next day to sail in St. Maarten. The boats were Americas Cup retired boats. Canada's True North and maybe Canada One were to be two of the boats. You actually (I see that that is one of my favourite words - I'll have to dig out the thesaurus, or not) get to help sail them. As former windsurfers and sailors we could talk sailing but it sounded like work to us. 

 

A schooner, without it's sails up. Maybe an excursion and it was too windy?

 

Brown Pelican. As a birder, I do miss seeing many birds on our cruises. I guess I'll have to check into those shore excursions next time. 

 

Turns out the Brown Pelican is the National Bird of St. Kitts and Nevis. Imagine that, and it even posed for me. 

 

[hcat]

Outstanding photos..love the Pelican!

[kearney]

We were also on that Reflection sailing that returned on March 13 2020. I do recall someone during the CC cocktail hour commenting that we would know we were in good shape..healthwise..if Grand Cayman allowed us in. I recall how crowded it was. This was one of our first cruises with wifi..and I kept checking Covid status.. recall hearing how there were three port workers who came down with it... sometime around the time we boarded .... on the drive home we learned that the cruise lines were cancelling all sailings after Mar 15..  the Reflection sailing that left the day we returned..ended up turning around a day or so later... as I recall ports were closing... we really dodged a bullet as they say. We did sail again in the fall of '21 and twice in '22... getting Covid on our last cruise.. last day... so no real hassle.. actually it made departure especially easy..and the Covid we had lasted a few days.. very mild vs the early versions.

[jrmende63]

I am loving the review and pictures! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

[Marvy Mare]

12 hours ago, hcat said:

Outstanding photos..love the Pelican!

Thanks! As I mentioned, birds are one of the things I miss on a cruise. They are returning now to Ontario with more songs each morning. I can get out with camera with the huge lens that I couldn't take on the cruise. 

 

Maris

11 hours ago, kearney said:

We were also on that Reflection sailing that returned on March 13 2020. I do recall someone during the CC cocktail hour commenting that we would know we were in good shape..healthwise..if Grand Cayman allowed us in. I recall how crowded it was. This was one of our first cruises with wifi..and I kept checking Covid status.. recall hearing how there were three port workers who came down with it... sometime around the time we boarded .... on the drive home we learned that the cruise lines were cancelling all sailings after Mar 15..  the Reflection sailing that left the day we returned..ended up turning around a day or so later... as I recall ports were closing... we really dodged a bullet as they say. We did sail again in the fall of '21 and twice in '22... getting Covid on our last cruise.. last day... so no real hassle.. actually it made departure especially easy..and the Covid we had lasted a few days.. very mild vs the early versions.

I did write a report on that cruise. It was quite popular because cruising came to a halt after March 15, as you said. Funny, while not really, that you said 'dodged a bullet'.  A fellow photographer and former co-worker returned from a trip to Portugal on March 14, 2020. I was telling him about the dramatic end to our vacation and he said that yes, he got home just in time and he 'dodged a bullet.' He was a fit healthy man in his 60s. Two weeks later, he was dead of Covid. Scary times. I know it has become more like the common cold. We were certainly afraid back then.  We do have a close family member who had 'long Covid'. I didn't believe in it until it happened to her. We are still being somewhat cautious, though we were on a cruise 😁. People did come down with Covid after this cruise but as far as I know, all mild cases.

 

And mentioning Grand Cayman; I thought that might be a test that things weren't so bad, but they were.

We met a young woman there at a bar by the waterfront. Managed to grab one of the seats left in that crowded port. She was Canadian and had spent time at university in the city near us. She was spending 6 months working in a bar Grand Cayman, before getting on with her working life. Her dad was to visit within the next few days. I wonder if he ever made it or if she had trouble getting home again. 

 

We have booked a similar itinerary in 2025. We hope to enjoy that cruise stress free. 

 

Maris

 

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

10 hours ago, jrmende63 said:

I am loving the review and pictures! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

Thank you so much for following along. I enjoy writing these reports and sharing my photos but it's always nice to know that others are actually (that favourite word again) reading it. 

 

Maris 

[Marvy Mare]

ST. KITTS & NEVIS

Sunday, March 19

 

I had to double check. I looked back on my report to check on something. Lost my latest post, I think. Fortunately there wasn't too much there but 'note to self', hit 'Submit Reply' before leaving the current page. 

There was dancing on the way back. Our boat 'director' was really taken with little Frieda. We had noticed Frieda on the ship and in a couple of ports. Very cute, serious and impeccably dressed. Her good looks ran in the family - her mom and grandma were also very attractive. There were very few children on the Silhouette. It appeared that the ones on board enjoyed themselves. I saw a couple of sullen teens but they were just being teens.

A couple from Texas were great dancers and a few others joined in. I couldn't resist. I do love to dance, even with two left feet. Though the water was no calmer, the trip back was less stressful. Could have been due to the Carib on the beach. 

 

That sailboat had a lot of people on it. Must have been some kind of excursion. 

 

Close up crop. They look calm. 

 

[Marvy Mare]

Basseterre in the distance. We enjoyed our excursion, though I think I would have liked it better on calm seas. 

St. Kitts and Nevis are known for 'cloud-shrouded mountains'.

 

Untying the mooring lines. 

 

Sail away was at 6pm. Enchantment of the Seas managed to pull away just before us. 

 

 

 

Mein Schiff was staying until 10pm.

Goodbye St. Kitts

I think this was the evening that we decided to check out the Ocean View Cafe for dinner. The menu in the Grand Cuvee wasn't that appealing that evening. I mentioned before that I intended to take food photos on this trip. I managed one. Put food in front of me and all I want to do is eat it. Maybe I should put Ken on the food photo duty next trip. Though he is even worse at cell phone photography than I am. The buffet was more limited than in the past as well. We probably would have been better off in the dining room being served by the friendly staff. I though we could eat outside but it was really hot, so we ate inside anyway. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Marvy Mare]

DAY 8 CRUISE -PHILLIPSBURG, ST MAARTEN

Monday, March 20 

 

Our last port on the cruise was St. Maarten. We had been there on the Refection in 2018 and really enjoyed that stop. We had the night in port then too, which was a bonus. Hurricane Irma hit St. Maarten in September 2017 and caused enormous devastation. Cruise ships returned for the first time after the storm in January 2018. We were there in March. Much of the island was still closed. There were still sunken boats offshore, the trees were stripped from the hills and many buildings were boarded up. In Phillipsburg there were only a few bars and restaurants open on the beach front. No stores opened in behind that front row. On that visit, we took Da Party Bus. It was an informative and fun tour. The next day we just walked to the beach.

 

I was awake at 3:30 again and headed up to the buffet for our coffee just after 4. Since we had an early arrival in port (7am) there were a few other people there. I spoke to a woman that said she was awake at 4 as her husband was having dialysis. I had no idea that services like that were available on the ship. She said she hoped that her insurance would cover it. I think I would have liked to have known before I sailed. It must have been a very expensive service.

 

 

Just after 6am we were approaching St Maarten.

 

I guess all the Retreat guests were still sleeping. 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at the colour of that water.

 

The Seven Seas Navigator was just being tied up as we pulled up around 6:45am. 

 

 

I watched a video the other day. I didn't realize that these Regent ships were so luxurious. 

[Marvy Mare]

Here comes the Edge! Due in at 8am, but I think it's a bit early!

 

6:50am - getting closer. 

 

The Nosey Neighbour again. Looking at the Seven Seas Navigator. It looks like they have comfy veranda chairs and blinds that pull down to shade the veranda. I wonder where everyone is? It's almost 7am. I've been up for hours. They can't have left the ship yet; they just got in.

 

Five years later and some buildings are still boarded up. I guess they won't be reopening.

 

'Edge'ing closer!

 

 

Breakfast on the Edge!

 

 

 

Top deck on the Edge.

 

Cruise port area and the Bridge of the Edge.

 

 

Almost 8am and no Retreat guests. I imagine the Retreat on the E class ships would be used more as they have pools and hot tubs. I think the Retreat on the Solstice Class ships only has chairs and maybe Butler service. 

 

[raudacruise]

On my 2016 visit to St Maarten I sailed on the >100 year old wooden schooner Passaat. Loved the experience so much I decided to make it my go-to St Maarten excursion. Irma sank her. 😢

[Reel Love]

5 hours ago, Marvy Mare said:

Thank you so much for following along. I enjoy writing these reports and sharing my photos but it's always nice to know that others are actually (that favourite word again) reading it. 

 

Maris 

I'm sure many of us are following along and enjoying as evidenced by the terrific number of "views" that your thread has  😊   I am simply one of those people who click "like" but don't comment very often, however please know that I for one am very much enjoying your review and photos!  Some of your sunset photos are absolutely stunning.....fabulous job!

[Marvy Mare]

1 hour ago, raudacruise said:

On my 2016 visit to St Maarten I sailed on the >100 year old wooden schooner Passaat. Loved the experience so much I decided to make it my go-to St Maarten excursion. Irma sank her. 😢

So sad! I tried to find pics of the Passaat but I couldn't. It looks like the company still offers sailing excursions but not on such a cool ship.

 

Maris

[Marvy Mare]

1 hour ago, Reel Love said:

I'm sure many of us are following along and enjoying as evidenced by the terrific number of "views" that your thread has  😊   I am simply one of those people who click "like" but don't comment very often, however please know that I for one am very much enjoying your review and photos!  Some of your sunset photos are absolutely stunning.....fabulous job!

Thank you Reel Love. I did check out the views. Quite a few. That's great. Glad you enjoy those sunset photos. Since we live on a lake facing west, I see beautiful sunsets at least once a week. I don't alway get off the couch to capture them, but there is something about a sunset over the ocean...

 

Maris

[Bimmer09]

53 minutes ago, Marvy Mare said:

Thank you Reel Love. I did check out the views. Quite a few. That's great. Glad you enjoy those sunset photos. Since we live on a lake facing west, I see beautiful sunsets at least once a week. I don't alway get off the couch to capture them, but there is something about a sunset over the ocean...

 

Maris

Maris, there are sometimes surprising sunrises in port too. This is from our return to San Diego in late December. I wasn't expecting much and yet....

 

Norris

[Marvy Mare]

20 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Maris, there are sometimes surprising sunrises in port too. This is from our return to San Diego in late December. I wasn't expecting much and yet....

 

Norris

Wow Norris! That is amazing! I love the reflection of the sky too. We had some beautiful sunrises during our ABC islands cruise, but not like that. 
 

Maris