Changes in St. Thomas

I managed to get out of bed early enough on our arrival in St. Thomas to catch a bit of the sunrise. 

It was actually a bit late but the hills kept the sun hidden until I got my lazy butt up on deck.  (In my defense, inside cabins are dark so I had to set an alarm to wake up in time).

The last time I was in St. Thomas was 2011 on my very first cruise.  Wow, have things changed since then!

The red building you see to the right of the port was a Senor Frog restaurant and bar.  On my last visit, it was hopping (pun intended).  I recall the music was blasting, and the pool was full of people. 

Not this time.  It doesn't appear the building was damaged in a hurricane, but the whole operation has been closed up.  
Now, there are a multitude of shops at the port including jewellry (typical of all the islands), clothing, souvenir, and even a drug store.  

This view hasn't changed.  It is what I remember the most about St. Thomas; the sheer number of boats/ships in the harbor is astounding.  

And that water! Such an intense blue - it is one of the reasons I love the Caribbean so much.  

I didn't have a tour booked here either, instead I decided to walk into town.  I think it was just over a mile and there were shuttles available (for a fee).  It was a lovely morning for a walk though there is a fair amount of construction along the way so it wasn't a pretty walk.

The shops are the port are, for the most part, duplicates of the shops in the town.  I recall the vendors were quite aggressive in the past, but perhaps I've gotten better at saying, "no thanks" and carrying on.  My goal was to find a lovely little cafe for a cold drink and to sit and watch the hordes of people.  I asked one of the men who was trying to convince me to shop at his store, where I would find such a place.  He gave a recommendation along with his business card to give to the wait staff.  I assume he gets a bit of commission for sending tourists their way.

His recommendation was spot on! The side street pub was a great place to hang for an hour or so.  The lemonade was refreshing after my walk!  Note the paper straw.  Plastic straws are pretty much passe these days...a good thing as there is far too much plastic in our oceans and landfills.

I used the free wifi to get in touch with D and Eli.  TMI alert - potty training has started.  :)  

It was a short walk back to the area where the shuttles were waiting to transfer passengers back to the ship.  By this time, it was getting hot and I really didn't feel like walking.  I think it was $3 to return and while it's a short ride, it was worth the price.

I did walk about the shops, stopping at the drug store, where I found a book for Eli.  It's an ABC book of Caribbean creaturse.....my favorite is "I is for Iguana".  

One final photo from St. Thomas.  This a Marriott hotel that was badly damaged in the last hurricane.  It still hasn't opened but is expected to do so later this year.  

Some final thoughts on the cruise.  I loved the itinerary, in my opinion and for what it's worth, I think the islands of the eastern Caribbean are so much prettier than the western side.  My favorite port on this trip was Martinique.  Despite the rain, I appreciated the close proximity to the town of Fort-de-France.  Even if I were not to do an excursion, I'd enjoy walking around the community.  I'm not certain I'd want to go back to Grand Turk, but perhaps if I were to do a tour of the entire island I'd feel differently.

As far as the ship goes, I'm a big fan of the Crown Princess.  It is a smaller ship and as I've noted, I love the area at the aft of the ship.  As it is with any cruise, the people make the difference.  I had a great room steward, the wait staff at the dining room were fantastic, and best of all were the people I met at dinner, by the pool, and at various venues. 

Normally after a cruise, I fly home.  This time was different because I had arranged to stay in Fort Lauderdale for two nights.  There was something on my bucket list I wanted to do.  And I did!  Next post I'll share the rest of the story. 

Have a great day everyone!